19th august,2020 global regional and local rice e newsletter

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Global Regional and Local Rice News

Virus Hit Economy Reviving Fast Under PM
Leadership: Economist
3 hours ago Thu 20th August 2020 | 03:06 PM
An economist said on Thursday that there is a lot of improvement in the overall
performance of the government
ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Aug, 2020 ) :An economist said
on Thursday that there is a lot of improvement in the overall performance of the government.
Talking in a Radio program, Pakistan economist said the post covid-19 scenario is good and
the world has acknowledged Pakistan's success in combating covid-19 pandemic.

Economist Mirza Ikhtyar Baig said that the Government has taken the right decision at the right
time adding, Ehsaas program has been a great help to the poorest segments of the country during
the Corona outbreak.
At the other hands, the construction package announced by the Prime
Minister of Pakistan proved to be highly beneficial for revival of the economic activities, he
added.
Meanwhile the construction sector will boost the economy and generate more job opportunities
for the youth.
There are 40 different industries linked with the building industry, he added.
He said Pakistan is an agriculturist country, while made in Pakistan initiative will project a good
name for Pakistan at the international front.
Pakistan is already exporting world famous textile brands, rice and soccer footballs. We have
also started manufacturing imports substitutes locally to save millions of Dollars.
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/business/virus-hit-economy-reviving-fast-under-pm-lead-
1006645.html
Somalia values its ties with Pakistan: Khadija Al-
Makhzumi
Khadija Mohamed Al-Makhzoumi, Ambassador of Somalia has said both Somalia and Pakistan
have been developing a fruitful and close cooperation since 1st of July 1960.
In 1969, Pakistan and Somalia were among the founding members of the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC). Somalia's relations with Pakistan remained strong in the following years and
through the ensuing civil war period, when the Pakistani military contributed to a UN
peacekeeping operation in southern Somalia.

In 2010, Pakistan tabled a proposal for United Nations Security Council seats for OIC and Arab
League states, the latter of which Somalia is also a member.
She expressed these views in an exclusive interview with a local news agency.
She said, Pakistan and Somalia are active commercial partners, trading a variety of commodities.
In 2008-2009, Somalia exported $34,822.059 million USD worth of goods to Pakistan, with
Pakistan in return exporting $17,781.883 million USD worth of goods to Somalia.
Apple becomes first U.S. company to hit 2 trillion USD market cap

Somalia's main export commodities to Pakistan centered on the country's livestock sector, and in
2009 included $3.190 million in raw hides and skins, $1.044 million in raw sheep and lamb
skins, $0.137 million in sheep/lamb skin leather, $0.225 million in raw hides and skins of
bovine/equine animals, and $0.033 million in leather of bovine/equine animals.
Pakistan's exports to Somalia during the same year included $53.254 million in rice, $0.627
million in medicament mixtures, $10.400 million in non-cocoa sugar confectionery, and $0.20
million in shawls, scarves, mufflers, mantillas and similar garments, she added.
To a question about Pakistan‘s look Africa policy the ambassador said, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs Pakistan has done well by organizing a conference of the country‘s envoys in the African
Continent with a view to deliberating on issues relating to enhanced cooperation with them.
IHC issues the notice again for disqualification of Federal Minister Faisal Vawda
The move is timely in the sense other countries of the world especially the United States and
China are focusing more on Africa as its economies are considered as ‗lions on the move‘.
African continent is a rising market of 1.26 billion people; it is rich in mineral resources and is
an exporter of energy resources. Pakistan has a lot of goodwill in the region as the country
always championed the cause of the African countries at UN and remained in the forefront of
peacekeeping missions in Africa.
In this backdrop, it is unfortunate that Pak-Africa trade is negligible and the country has
diplomatic presence in a few countries alone – thirteen missions to cover 54 countries (the rest
are managed through concurrent accreditation).

Apart from Africa being a huge potential market for Pakistani goods, the country‘s geo-strategic
location and connectivity offers opportunity for African goods to reach Central Asia and South
Asia.
IG Punjab, LCCI Chief open Police Khidmat Markaz at LCCI
‗As Somali Ambassador to Pakistan, I consider my role is to facilitate the contacts between the
players in the economic field, to get them to know each other better and also to interconnect in a
better way‘.
Ambassador Khadija said a large number of Somali students are studying in Pakistan in various
educational fields.
‗We are thankful to the people and government of Pakistan for their continuing assistance to the
Somali students and for your delight some students after graduating from Pakistan have
established an urdu speaking colony in Mogadishu, Somalia.
We are also now thinking to cooperate in Higher Education and research field‘.
https://nation.com.pk/19-Aug-2020/somalia-values-its-ties-with-pakistan-khadija-al-
makhzumi?version=amp
Virus Hit Economy Reviving Fast Under PM
Leadership: Economist
3 hours ago Thu 20th August 2020 | 03:06 PM

An economist said on Thursday that there is a lot of improvement in the overall
performance of the government
ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Aug, 2020 ) :An
economist said on Thursday that there is a lot of improvement in the overall performance
of the government.
Talking in a Radio program, Pakistan economist said the post covid-19 scenario is good
and the world has acknowledged Pakistan's success in combating covid-19 pandemic.
Economist Mirza Ikhtyar Baig said that the Government has taken the right decision at
the right time adding, Ehsaas program has been a great help to the poorest segments of
the country during the Corona outbreak.

At the other hands, the construction package announced by the Prime
Minister of Pakistan proved to be highly beneficial for revival of the economic activities,
he added.
Meanwhile the construction sector will boost the economy and generate
more job opportunities for the youth.
There are 40 different industries linked with the building industry, he added.
He said Pakistan is an agriculturist country, while made in Pakistan initiative will project
a good name for Pakistan at the international front.
Pakistan is already exporting world famous textile brands, rice and soccer footballs. We
have also started manufacturing imports substitutes locally to save millions of Dollars.
How eating too much rice raises global mortality
By Chukwuma Muanya
20 August 2020 | 4:13 am

*Fried rice CREDIT: Nigerian Food TV
*Low levels of arsenic in grains can increase risk of dying from heart disease, cancer, liver
disease, study warns
Scientists have found that eating a lot of rice increases the risk of dying from heart disease due to
the naturally occurring arsenic in the crop.
Rice is the most widely consumed staple food source for a large part of the world‘s population. It
has now been confirmed that rice can contribute to prolonged low-level arsenic exposure leading
to thousands of avoidable premature deaths per year.
Arsenic is well known acute poison, but it can also contribute to health problems, including
cancers and cardiovascular diseases, if consumed at even relatively low concentrations over an
extended period of time.
Compared to other staple foods, rice tends to concentrate inorganic arsenic. Across the globe,
over three billion people consume rice as their major staple and the inorganic arsenic in that
some to give rise to over 50,000 avoidable premature deaths per year has estimated rice.
Meanwhile, a study found Britons in the top 25 per cent of rice consumption are at six per cent
increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than the bottom quarter.
The chemical gathers naturally in the crop and has repeatedly been linked to illness, dietary-
related cancers and liver disease. In serious cases, it can result in death.
A collaborating group of cross-Manchester researchers from The University of Manchester and
The University of Salford have published new research exploring the relationship, in England
and Wales, between the consumption of rice and cardiovascular diseases caused by arsenic
exposure.
Their findings, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, showed that once
corrected for the major factors known to contribute to cardiovascular disease (for example
obesity, smoking, age, lack of income, lack of education) there is a significant association
between elevated cardiovascular mortality, recorded at a local authority level, and the
consumption of inorganic arsenic bearing rice.
Prof. David Polya from The University of Manchester said: ―The type of study undertaken, an
ecological study, has many limitations, but is a relatively inexpensive way of determining if there
is plausible link between increased consumption of inorganic arsenic bearing rice and increased
risk of cardiovascular disease.

―The modelled increased risk is around six per cent (with a confidence interval for this figure of
two per cent to 11 per cent). The increased risk modelled might also reflect in part a combination
of the susceptibility, behaviours and treatment of those communities in England and Wales with
relatively high rice diets.‖
While more robust types of study are required to confirm the result, given many of the beneficial
effects otherwise of eating rice due to its high fibre content, the research team suggest that rather
than avoid eating rice, people could consume rice varieties, such as basmati, and different types
like polished rice (rather whole grain rice) which are known to typically have lower inorganic
arsenic contents. Other positive behaviours would be to eat a balanced variety of staples, not just
predominately rice.
Arsenic occurs naturally in the soil and is increased in locations that have used arsenic-based
herbicides or water laced with the toxin for irrigation purposes.
Rice is grown under flooded conditions and this draws arsenic out of the soil and into the water,
ahead of eventual absorption by the plants.
Rice is particularly vulnerable because arsenic mimics other chemicals the plant absorbed via its
root system, allowing the toxin to bypass the plant‘s defences.
Rising temperatures caused by global warming could cause the amount of arsenic in rice to triple
by the end of the century, a new study warns.
Scientists at the University of Washington in the US grew rice and replicated various
temperatures to mimic growing conditions under various global warming projections.
Trials were done at the current normal temperature of 77°F (25°C) as well as 82°F (28°C), 87°F
(30.5°C), and 91°F (33°C) to mimic potential climates by 2100. Plants grown in warmer
conditions were found to have higher levels of arsenic throughout the plant – including the
grains.
MEANWHILE, rice is about the commonest, cheapest and easiest staple food prepared not only
by Nigerian households but in most parts of the world as well.
Indeed, statistics from the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) indicate
that half the world‘s population eats rice every day, making the staple a major source of nutrition
for billions of people.

But recent studies have associated the much-loved staple with rise in chronic and degenerative
diseases such as cancer, diabetes, gastrointestinal problems, depression, developmental problems
in children, heart disease and nervous system damage.
Most worrisome are lung and bladder cancers.While researchers have found traces of arsenic
from old industrial pesticides on rice grains sold globally, a study reported in the journal PLoS
ONE, showed rice has 10 times more inorganic arsenic than other foods and the European Food
Standards Authority has reported that people who eat a lot of it are exposed to troubling
concentrations.
According to the study, the levels of arsenic in rice vary by type, country of production and
growing conditions.Generally, brown rice has higher levels because the arsenic is found in the
outer coating or bran, which is removed in the milling process to produce white rice.
The study noted that in the short term, the regular consumption of rice could cause
gastrointestinal problems, muscle cramping and lesions on the hands and feet.
The researchers observed that the risk of arsenic poisoning is greatest for people who eat rice
several times a day, and for infants, whose first solid meals are often rice-based baby food.
In July 2014, the World Health Organisation (WHO) set worldwide guidelines for what it
considers to be safe levels of arsenic in rice, suggesting a maximum of 200 microgrammes per
kilogramme for white rice and 400 μg kg−1 for brown rice.
Also, scientists have identified rice as one of the staple diets that are genetically modified
(GMOs). Others include corn, soy, cotton, papaya (pawpaw), tomatoes, rapeseed, dairy products,
potatoes, and peas.
GMOs are accused of causing cancer, destroying the environment and storing up devastating
health risks for children. Controversies surround genetically modified organisms on several
levels, including ethics, environmental impact, food safety, product labeling, and role in meeting
world food requirements, intellectual property and role in industrial agriculture.
An online journal, China Daily, reported potential serious public health and environment
problems with genetically modified rice considering its tendency to cause allergic reactions with
the concurrent possibility of gene transfers.
Scientists including the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) have warned
that GMOs pose a serious threat to health, and it is no accident that there can be a correlation
between it and adverse health effects.

In fact, the AAEM has advised doctors to tell their patients to avoid GMOs as the introduction of
GMOs into the current food supply has correlated with an alarming rise in chronic diseases and
food allergies.
It has been shown that eating a diet of white bread and rice could increase the risk of depression
in older women, but whole grain foods, roughage and vegetables could reduce it.
According to a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, refined foods
cause blood sugar levels to spike rapidly – prompting the body to pump out the hormone insulin,
which helps break down the sugar. But this process can cause symptoms of depression. The
findings could pave the way for depression being treated and prevented using nutrition.
In a study that included data from more than 70,000 post-menopausal women, scientists found a
link between refined carbohydrate consumption and depression.
Britain‘s leading expert on rice and contamination, Andy Meharg, a professor of plant and soil
sciences at Queens University in Belfast, prevented his own children from eating some rice
products because of the arsenic levels.
Meharg said the current method for cooking rice, essentially boiling it in a pan until it soaks up
all the liquid, binds into place any arsenic contained in the rice and the cooking water.
By contrast, cooking it in a coffee percolator allows the steaming hot water to drip through the
rice, washing away contaminants. There was a 57per cent reduction in arsenic with a ratio of 12
parts of water to one of rice and in some cases as much as 85per cent.
Meharg said: ―Rice both white and brown are of good nutritional value. Brown rice especially
contains E and B vitamins and minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus,
potassium, sodium and zinc.
―White rice is not that good. More so the processed one that is genetically modified has higher
levels of toxins.
―Firstly when you cook rice, rinse properly when it is warm before full boiling, and drain out the
fluid. This will get rid of some of the toxins.‖
Study author Dr. James Gangwisch, of Columbia University, United States, said: ―This suggests
that dietary interventions could serve as treatments and preventive measures for depression.
―Further study is needed to examine the potential of this novel option for treatment and
prevention, and to see if similar results are found in the broader population.‖

White refined foods, known as ‗bad carbs‘, have also been said to contribute to obesity, low
energy levels and insomnia. Different from their healthier counterparts, white carbs start with
flour that has been ground and refined by stripping off the outer layer where fibre is found.
This missing fibre could do wonders for the body, helping reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes,
lower blood cholesterol and help people feel fuller for longer. Generally, the more refined the
grain-based food, the lower the fibre count. By purchasing organic rice, limiting one‘s rice intake
and eating a balanced diet, however, experts suggest that health issues associated with long-term
arsenic consumption can be avoided.
https://guardian.ng/features/health/how-eating-too-much-rice-raises-global-mortality/
Daybreak: Ross pitches Biden at DNC
08/19/20 12:23 PM By Brad Hooker
KEYWORDS CDFA SECRETARY KAREN ROSS DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL
CONVENTION FRESNO STATE FRIANT-KERN CANAL JOE BIDEN JOINT POWERS
AUTHORITY KAMALA HARRIS SB 559
Friant bill returns from the dead * Rice farmers look to Iraq
Focus on Japan
08.19.2020
By Chris Lyddon
Japan is a small-scale producer of grain, with a relatively large population, making it an
important import customer. Rice remains the most important part of the national diet.
Japan‘s grains production is too small to figure in the International Grains Council‘s (IGC)
forecasts. The IGC does put the country‘s total grains imports in 2020-21 at 24.2 million tonnes,
up from 23.9 million in 2019-20. The 2020-21 figure includes an unchanged 5.8 million tonnes
of wheat and 16.5 million of maize, up from 16.3 million in 2019-20. Imports of barley are put at
1.2 million tonnes, the same level as in the previous year.
The country is also set to import 600,000 tonnes of sorghum in 2020-21, up from 500,000 the
year before, and 45,000 tonnes of oats, up from 40,000. The IGC forecasts Japanese imports of
rye in 2020-21 at 22,000 tonnes, up from 15,000 the previous year.

The IGC forecasts Japanese rice production at an unchanged 7.4 million tonnes in 2021, with
imports at 700,000 and exports at 100,000 tonnes, both figures also unchanged. Imports of
rapeseed in 2020-21 are forecast at 2.3 million tonnes, again the same as in the previous year,
with soybean imports at 3.4 million, up from 3.3 million in 2018-19.
In an annual report on the sector dated March 19, the attaché put Japan‘s total maize production
at some 2,000 tonnes in 2020-21, on an area of less than 1,000 hectares.
―Roughly 4.5 million tonnes of whole crop silage corn is produced on 95,000 hectares each
year,‖ the attaché said.
The Foreign Agricultural Service in Tokyo expects maize consumption to remain stable in 2020-
21 at 16 million tonnes, with 12.3 million used for food and feed and 3.7 million for seed and
industrial purposes. The attaché expects maize imports at an unchanged 16 million tonnes.
―The United States is the primary supplier of corn to Japan, but imports from Brazil spiked
during Japan‘s winter months,‖ the report said. ―A large, high-quality crop coupled with a weak
Brazilian Real paved the way for a short-term increase of imports from Brazil between October
2019 and January 2020, expanding Brazil‘s share of the Japanese corn market to over 70%.‖
The attaché forecasts an 870,000-tonne wheat crop in 2020-21, well down on the previous year‘s
record 1.1 million, bolstered by favorable weather, despite an unchanged area.
―This stability is attributable to wheat‘s popularity as a rotation crop or a second crop after rice
and MAFF‘s support payments,‖ the attaché said, referring to the Japanese farm ministry.
―Similar to barley, to incentivize the conversion of table rice production to wheat production,
MAFF provides support payments of 35,000 yen (approximately $335 USD) per 0.1 hectare
based on the planted area of wheat in rice paddies.‖
The report forecasts food, seed and industrial use of wheat at 5.65 million tonnes in 2020-21,
unchanged from the previous year.
―Japan‘s population has been decreasing at an average rate of 0.16% over the last eight years and
people over 70 now account for more than 20% of the population,‖ the report said. ―Consumers
are eating more protein and fat and fewer carbohydrates, although to date most of the shift away
from carbohydrates has been at the expense of rice.
―Despite these changes, Japanese wheat consumption had been relatively stable, in part due to
increasing numbers of visitors to Japan, which has welcomed a surge of inbound visitors,
steadily increasing each year from 8.4 million people in 2012 to 31.8 million in 2019, helping to
stabilize wheat consumption.‖

Source: US Department of Agriculture
However, industry sources believe that the Japanese wheat flour market has plateaued and
consumption, driven by demographic changes, is now in decline, the attaché added.
The report explained the stable forecast by saying that ―a projected recovery in inbound visitors
will be nullified by Japan‘s continued population decline and changes in dietary preferences.‖
―Most food wheat is imported from the United States, Canada and Australia within the WTO
quota and through the MAFF operated state-trading system,‖ the attaché said.
In addition to the WTO quota, Japan established quotas with reduced markups under the
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the Japan-
EU EPA (Economic Partnership Agreement), and the United States Japan Trade Agreement
(USJTA).
―These quotas are not expected to influence total imports as demand is projected to be flat,‖ the
attaché said. ―However, industry sources are concerned about the wheat supply from Australia
due to the ongoing drought and indicated they may have to seek alternative suppliers for semi-
soft wheat.‖
Japanese exports of wheat products, predominantly wheat flour, have been stable, the attaché
said, putting the 2020-21 level at 280,000 tonnes.
According to information supplied to World Grain by Takanobu Urata of the 22 member Japan
Flour Milling Association, the country had 74 millers in 2018, compared with 90 in 2013. They
produced 4,834,000 tonnes of flour at a capacity usage rate of 73.6% in 2018, compared with
4,868,000 tonnes at 70.4% utilization in 2013. The share of the big four millers is 73.6%, while
the big 13 have 90%.
Rice trends
The attaché forecasts a 600,000-tonne fall in rice consumption in 2020-21, to 8.25 million
tonnes, ―as the steady decline of table rice consumption in Japan continues.‖
―According to MAFF, the decrease in table rice consumption has accelerated since MY 2016-17
and is declining at annual rate of 91,000 tonnes,‖ the report said. ―The accelerated pace of
decline is attributed to population decline, reduced carbohydrate intake, and a year-on-year
increase of table rice prices since MY 2015-16.‖

High table rice prices adversely effect rice consumption in the foodservice and processing
industries as serving portions are decreased to maintain low prices, it said.
―While total rice consumption continues to decline, some consumption has shifted from rice
cooked at home to ready-to-eat rice,‖ the report said.
It also noted that ―production of frozen rice has also grown 80% over the last decade, reaching a
total of 178,000 tonnes (product volumes) in 2019.‖
Oilseeds output rises
In an annual report, dated April 1, on the oilseeds sector, the attaché forecast total soybean
production in 2020-21 at 235,000 tonnes, compared to 212,000 the year before, while the
rapeseed crop is seen at an unchanged 4,000 tonnes.
―Driven by the decline in soybean prices, Japanese farmers, particularly in Hokkaido, have a
marginal preference for planting adzuki beans and other legume rotation crops, over soybeans,‖
the attaché said. ―Soybeans are Japan‘s most heavily consumed oilseed.
―Three large oil crushers (Nisshin Oillio, J-Oil Mills, Showa Sangyo) produce over 80% of
Japan‘s edible vegetable oil.‖
Biotech and biofuels
Japan remains one of the world‘s largest per-capita importers of food and feed produced using
modern biotechnologies, the attaché said in a March 30 report.
―In 2019, Japan imported 16 million tonnes of corn, 3.2 million tonnes of soybeans, and 2.4
million tonnes of canola, products that are predominately genetically engineered,‖ the report
noted.
Japan‘s annual biofuel target of 500 million liters (crude oil equivalent) for the transport sector
was reached on time in 2017 and continues unchanged this year, the attaché said in a report dated
Nov. 6, 2019.
―Following a 2018 revision of environmental standards for bioethanol, Japan began importing
ETBE made from US corn ethanol for the first time in July 2019, but its ethanol blend rate
remains among the lowest of countries with a fuel ethanol program,‖ the report said.
https://www.world-grain.com/articles/14120-focus-on-japan

Iranian customs bans rice imports as of August
Economy
August 19, 2020 - 14:19
TEHRAN - The Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) has banned any
registration for imports of rice as of the beginning of the next Iranian calendar month of
Shahrivar (August 22) until further notice.
As Mehr News Agency reported, IRICA Deputy Head Mehrdad Jamal Orounaqi told a local
radio program that the plan for the seasonal ban on rice imports, which aims at supporting the
domestic farmers, should have been implemented in the beginning of the current Iranian calendar
month (July 22) but was postponed to the next month.
According to Orounaqi, nearly 800,000 tons of rice was imported into the country and was
cleared from various customs in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 19).
The official noted that rice imports have decreased by about 20 percent in the current year,
saying: ―About 390,000 tons of rice has been cleared through customs, while some cargoes are
still stored in customs.‖
According to the Secretary of Iran Rice Association Jamil Alizadeh Shayeq, Iranian farmers
managed to produce 2.6 million tons of rice during the past Iranian calendar year 1398.
The country‘s rice production stood between 2.2 and 2.3 million tons in the preceding year 1397
(March 2018-March 2019) and the increase in the production consequently decreased the imports
of the commodity.
Iran‘s annual rice consumption stands at about three million tons. That means nearly 400,000
tons of the product is required to be imported into the country, according to Shayeq.
However, customs data show that nearly 700,000 tons of rice was imported into the country in
the first quarter of the previous year (March 21-June 21, 2019).
More than 90 percent of Iran‘s rice is produced in the northern provinces of Gilan and
Mazandaran, and less than 10 percent of the commodity is produced in the provinces of Isfahan,
Ilam, Kurdistan, Khouzestan and so on.

Based on official statistics, over 620,000 hectares of the country‘s agricultural lands are under
rice cultivation, of which 520,000 hectares are in Mazandaran, Gilan and Golestan provinces.
EF/MA
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/451440/Iranian-customs-bans-rice-imports-as-of-August-22
Minister calls on farmers to plant rice
Filipe NaikasoSenior Multimedia Journalist
Westfnaikaso@fbc.com.fj | @fnaikaso
AUGUST 20, 2020 4:40 PM
CANE FARMERS ARE BEING URGED TO PLANT RICE SINCE 83% OF LOCALLY CONSUMED RICE IS IMPORTED.
Cane farmers are being urged to plant rice since 83% of locally consumed rice is imported.
Speaking during the Rice Field Day in Nawaicoba, Nadi Agriculture Minister Dr Mahendra
Reddy says on average Fiji spends $42.6m on rice imports.
“Fiji was 66% self-sufficient in rice now 17% so we have gone down substantially from 66% to
17%, we want to go back up. I want to go back to 80% or 90% and we can do it.”
Dr Reddy says cane farmers can greatly assist the rice industry in achieving self-sufficiency and
at the same time earn extra cash.

He suggests small portions of cane land can be used to plant rice.
There are at least eight rice farms in Nawaicoba.
https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/news/minister-calls-on-farmers-to-plant-rice/
Southeast to Highlight Rice Variety Development,
Furrow Irrigation at Virtual Missouri Rice Field Day
ome»Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics»Agriculture»Southeast to Highlight Rice Variety
Development, Furrow Irrigation at Virtual Missouri Rice Field Day
ON AUGUST 19, 2020
The latest developments in rice variety development, weed management and furrow
irrigation will be highlighted by Southeast Missouri State University and University of

Missouri faculty at the Missouri Rice Research and Merchandising Council‘s (MRC)
annual Rice Field Day Aug. 20.
This year‘s event will take place virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and researchers have
prepared a series of online presentations that focus on research being conducted across
southeastern Missouri.
Rice Field Day, which will be hosted on missouririce.com, is a chance for the rice producers of
Missouri and their colleagues in Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas to collaborate using
science and technology to provide new rice varieties, said Dr. Michael Aide, Southeast soil
scientist.
It is also a chance for rice producers to improve technologies that maintain an abundant supply of
low-cost and high nutritious rice for American consumers and foreign markets, he said.
―Emerging technologies include real-time crop monitoring using unmanned aerial vehicles to
rapidly detect plant stress, water management, weed management, soil fertility and market
conditions,‖ Aide said. ―Missouri rice is a $250 million investment in the most southern portion
of Missouri which, in turn, supports our local schools, roads and other infrastructures.‖

Topics to be addressed during the virtual field
day are row rice and remote sensing, rice variety
development and potential long grain lines at the
first stage of multi-location field testing, furrow
irrigated bed widths, nitrogen fertilization for
furrow irrigated rice, and complete residual grass
control in rice.Aide will discuss the benefits and
potential issues associated with furrow irrigated
rice, or row rice, which is an increasing practice
among producers of Missouri and Arkansas.
There are several advantages to row rice
including reduce water pumping and field
preparation costs, reduced labor, and reduced energy usage, he said.
―Row rice shows great promise; many producers are very happy with it,‖ Aide said.
Southeast rice breeder Dr. Christian De Guzman will discuss rice variety development and the
potential long grain lines at the first stage of multi-location field testing trials which are being
conducted in the Missouri communities of Fisk, Morehouse, Campbell and Neelyville.
De Guzman‘s presentation will also include information about rice breeding for abiotic stress
tolerance — specifically heat, aerobic germination and seedling flood tolerance.
After extreme heat caused Missouri rice yields to decline several years ago, De Guzman began
developing a heat-tolerant variety capable of producing significant yield that will be available
soon. In all the lines tested, De Guzman said the effects of heat reduce yields, or spikelet fertility,
by about 20%.
Anaerobic germination and seedling flood tolerance trials are being tested now in Southeast‘s
greenhouse, De Guzman said, in response to the problems breeders encounter when newly
planted lines see too much rain right away.
Field trials will begin once researchers have collected enough data from these tests, he said.
Along with Aide and De Guzman in Southeast‘s Department of Agriculture, Rice Field Day
speakers will include Johanna Nelson, research specialist with the University of Missouri; Dr.
Gene Stevens, agronomy extension professor with the University of Missouri Fisher Delta
Research Center; Dr. David Reinbott, agriculture business program with the University of
Missouri Extension, Southeast Region; and Dr. James Heiser, senior research associate with the

University of Missouri Fisher Delta Research Center. Videos from the Aug. 20 event will be
available at missouririce.com.
The Missouri Rice Council hosts the annual Missouri Rice Field Day with support from
Southeast Missouri State University and the University of Missouri Fisher Delta Research
Center. In 2021, organizers plan to resume Rice Field Day in a face-to-face format to showcase
the latest technologies and get feedback from rice producers in person, Aide said.
https://news.semo.edu/southeast-to-highlight-rice-variety-development-furrow-irrigation-at-virtual-
missouri-rice-field-day/
Need ordinance to ensure farmers get MSP
The way these ordinances have been pushed through in haste, bypassing full
deliberations in Parliament, when we are battling the pandemic and the economic
slowdown, is disquieting. Instead of nudging the states through a model draft or
consultations, the Centre has taken the ordinance route on the subject of agriculture,
thus eroding the federal system of the country.
SHARE ARTICLEPosted: Aug 20, 2020 06:39 AM (IST)
Fair play: Any person found purchasing agricultural produce at below the MSP should be made liable for
criminal prosecution.
Bhupinder Singh Hooda
Former Haryana CM
The three ordinances promulgated by the Union government in June and touted as structural
reforms for transforming the agricultural sector have triggered a maelstrom of protests by the
farmers of Punjab, Haryana and other parts of the country. Myriad farmers‘ organisations and
unions have strongly opposed these ordinances, even though the purported aim of these reforms
is to help the farmer get a more remunerative price for crops by unshackling the agricultural
markets through barrier-free inter-state and intra-state agri-trade; by giving the farmers and the
traders the freedom of choice in the sale and purchase of agricultural produce outside the market
premises or mandis; and, by a more informed decision through the digital platform of e-markets
and global markets.

The attractive package and media hype around these ordinances have failed to hide the insidious
anti-farmer bias. The grim reality is that through these ordinances, the Union government has
sought to facilitate the corporate sector — exporters, aggregators, processors, wholesalers, large
retailers and suppliers in the value addition chain — all persons with deep pockets. A centralised
‗one nation, one market‘ is sought to be created in the country, which will divest the farmer of a
level playing field by eroding the safety net of MSP (minimum support price) and other checks
and balances.
The common thread running through the Farmers‘ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on
Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, and the Farmers‘ Produce Trade and Commerce
(Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance is that these two seek to deregulate the agricultural
markets in the country by diluting the provisions of the Agricultural Produce Marketing
Committees Act (APMCA), removing inter-state barriers on the sale of crops as also the intra-
state stipulation of sale of crops within the marketing yards or mandis designated under the
APMCA. Both ordinances exempt agricultural transactions in the trade area outside the purview
of the APMCA from market fee, cess or any charge levied under this Act or any other state law.
The dispute redressal mechanism under the two ordinances provides for a conciliation process,
the local SDM being the first port of call to resolve the dispute and revisional/appellate
jurisdiction vesting with the senior officers of the government. It has been envisioned to do away
with the system of intermediaries called arhtiyas or commission agents. This will pave the way
for withering away of marketing yards or mandis set up under APMCA, as in traditional mandis;
market fee and cess would continue to be charged whereas all transactions in the trade area under
these ordinances would be exempt from market fee or cess, thus creating a huge asymmetry
between the two. The traditional mandi system has stood the test of time, and its crumbling is
likely to hurt states like Punjab and Haryana more, as these have a sound mandi/procurement
network. In 2006, Bihar did away with the APMCA. Once the traditional marketing yards or
mandis were out of the picture, unscrupulous traders started fleecing farmers by procuring crops
at rates much below the MSP, wrongly charging the market fee from farmers and pocketing the
same. This is also manifest in the rice millers‘ scam in Haryana, where according to media
reports, wrong stocks of paddy were shown, fake invoices were generated by rice millers,

keeping the leeway for making good the short stocks by sourcing an equivalent produce from
Bihar and other states at rates much below the MSP.
The arhtiya-kisan relationship is symbiotic, the former financing the latter for farm operations,
family functions and other emergent needs. The commission agent makes logistics arrangements
to act as a bridge between the farmer and the procuring agencies. Dismantling this institution
without a better alternative is problematic. The dispute redressal mechanism provided for under
the ordinances does not inspire confidence as it is silent on recourse to the courts of law. The
latter of the two ordinances is an enabling legislation for facilitating contract farming.
Surprisingly, benchmarking for price discovery under this ordinance has been linked to the
APMCA prices, whereas the contract farmers supply seed to seed companies at rates higher than
the MSP. The case of Pepsico suing contract farmers of Gujarat for compensation for hefty sums
should be kept in mind in this context.
The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance amends Section 3 of the Essential
Commodities Act in order to do away with the stock limits on cereals, pulses, potato, onions,
edible oilseeds and oils except in situations of war, natural calamity or extraordinary price rise.
In India, we have been witnessing a regularly recurring phenomenon of prices of agricultural
produce dipping at the time of arrival of crops in the marketing yard and then shooting up in the
off-season. As cereals, pulses, potato and onions will be stocked by exporters, processors and
suppliers in the value addition chain without proper regulation, their rates are likely to fluctuate,
hurting the poor consumer the most as these are part of staple diet.
The way these ordinances have been pushed through in haste, bypassing full deliberations in
Parliament, when we are battling the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic slowdown, is
disquieting. Instead of nudging the states through a model draft or consultations, the Centre has
taken the ordinance route on the subject of agriculture, thus eroding the federal system of the
country. These ordinances will weaken the state finances already challenged due to GST. The
government should remove anomalies in these ordinances and bring in a fourth ordinance
guaranteeing the farmer that the crop would be procured not below the MSP, calculated on the
C-2 formula (covering labour, operational, capital, storage, transport and other incidental
charges) in the Swaminathan Commission recommendations. Any person found purchasing the

agricultural produce at below the MSP should be made liable for criminal prosecution in the
proposed fourth ordinance.
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/need-ordinance-to-ensure-farmers-get-msp-128637
USA Rice Delivers Expert Testimony to Dietary
Committee
By Cameron Jacobs
WASHINGTON, DC -- Last week, USA Rice spokesperson and nutrition expert Dr. Julie Miller
Jones testified on the recently released Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Scientific Report
which will serve as the foundation for the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA).
Dr. Jones, distinguished scholar and professor emerita of foods and nutrition at St. Catherine
University, spoke via video conference, and focused on three components of the report: the
recommendations for grains (whole, enriched, and refined), the significance of fortification, and
the importance of respecting cultural-based preferences in the guidelines.
Dr. Jones applauded the Committee's conclusion that whole grains are an integral part of a
healthy diet. She noted that enriched grains provide important nutrients such as folic acid, and
asked that the final DGA clarify the role of refined grains as a staple food for many cultures that
provide some nutritional benefits.
Her testimony also focused on the role that rice, and rice products, play in increasing the
consumption of certain under-consumed nutrients, and advocated that iron-fortified rice cereal
can help children under two-years-old meet the new recommendation of consuming foods rich in
iron and zinc during the second six months of life among breastfed infants.
Finally, Dr. Jones talked about the importance of respecting cultural-based preferences by
reminding the Committee that rice provides nutritional benefits as a staple food for many
cultures across the U.S. and the world that also is affordable and easily accessible.
"The DGA report recommendations are largely positive for rice, and having an expert like Dr.
Julie Miller Jones testify "in-person" on behalf of the U.S. rice industry is powerful," said
Michael Klein, USA Rice vice president of domestic promotion. "Dr. Jones is a well-respected
voice within the scientific community and her support gives enormous credibility to the USA
Rice recommendations."

Publication of the final version of the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans is expected
later this year or in early 2021.
Rice farmers hope cash infusion spurs Iraqi imports
08/18/20 3:45 PM By Bill Tomson
KEYWORDS EXIM EXPORTS FOOD AID IRAQ RICE USDA
American rice farmers are counting on a recent $450 million loan from the U.S. Export-Import bank to
Iraq to restart the country‘s rice imports.
https://www.agri-pulse.com/articles/14295-rice-farmers-hope-cash-infusion-spurs-iraqi-imports
Punjab tightens noose around pesticide dealers
In the fresh orders to District Agriculture Officers of the state on Tuesday, Secretary Agriculture,
Kahan Singh Pannu has stated that if after testing Basmati grains are found to contain the
residues of nine pesticides banned recently, an inquiry will be ordered.
Written by Kanchan Vasdev | Chandigarh | Published: August 18, 2020 11:33:49 pm
Prof Gian Singh, former Economics Professor at Punjabi University, Patiala, and an expert on farm issues, said
that this committee was promoting Centre‘s controversial farm ordinances. (Representational)
Months after Basmati grains from Punjab failed the Maximum Residual Limit (MRL) test for
several pesticides, the government has now threatened the agro-chemical dealers of the state with
strong action following an inquiry, if the produce is found in the residues in this Basmati season.
In the fresh orders to District Agriculture Officers of the state on Tuesday, Secretary Agriculture,
Kahan Singh Pannu has stated that if after testing Basmati grains are found to contain the
residues of nine pesticides banned recently, an inquiry will be ordered and if any pesticide dealer

is found to have sold the banned pesticide to farmers, then action under the Insecticides Act,
1968 will be taken.
The Act provides for cancellation of licence, and launching of prosecution against the errant
dealer which entails a punishment of three years and a fine of Rs 75,000.
The orders also direct the AOs to not even allow stocking of the banned pesticides and sensitise
farmers that the orders were in their favour so that their produce gets good price in the
international market.
The latest orders come days after Chief Minister Amarinder Singh ordered the ban on Acephate,
Triazophos, Thiamethoxam, Carbendazim, Tricyclazole, Buprofezin, Carbofuron, Propiconazole
and Thiophinate Methyl.
Pannu said, ―We want to make sure that Basmati does not get even the minimum residue of these
banned pesticides and the produce gets a good price in the international market and the produce
also finds favour with the European Union (EU) that had stopped importing Basmati from India
owing to the residue of these pesticides. Now, we will go to the last man to find out who has sold
these pesticides to farmers even though the PAU recommends safer pesticides.‖

He said that the government had been making efforts that there were no residues of these
chemicals but last year despite these efforts the residues were found in the samples of the
produce. Punjab Government Food Safety Laboratory, Kharar indicated that out of 51 samples,
nine samples of rice contained the residue of these chemicals above the MRL (Maximum
Residue Limit) value.
Similarly, Punjab Biotechnology Incubator Agri and Food Testing Laboratory, Sahibzada Ajit
Singh Nagar, Punjab; NABL accredited laboratory of government of Punjab, in its report
submitted that seven number of samples were found to contain pesticide residue in rice above
MRL value.
The EU, having 28 countries in the union, had started rejecting consignments of Indian Basmati
a few years ago after bringing the MRL for all these agro-chemicals, from 0.03 mg to 0.01 mg
per kg except Triazophos for which the MRL is 0.02 mg. This has cost the Basmati growers dear
as India‘s four lakh tonnes Basmati export to the EU earlier had come down to 1.85 lakh tonnes.
The Centre had made a certification of inspection from Export Inspection Council (EIC)
mandatory for Basmati. Many samples had failed the test last year. This had led to a fall in price
of Basmati from Rs 3,700 per quintal in 2018 to Rs 2,700 per quintal in 2019.
Punjab Rice Millers and Exporters Association had also reported that many samples got tested by
them contained the residue value of these pesticides much above the MRL values in Basmati
Rice. The Association requested for ban of these agrochemicals to save the heritage Basmati
produce of Punjab, and to ensure hassle free export of rice to other countries. Following this, the
government has taken strong steps.
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/to-ensure-basmati-finds-takers-in-eu-
punjab-tightens-noose-around-pesticide-dealers-6560327/
Basmati export picks up amid pandemic
Exporters have also received big orders for the coming months.
Written by Anju Agnihotri Chaba | Jalandhar | Published: August 18, 2020 11:49:01 am

Fetches `34k cr in 2019-20 — highest in 3 years.
Not withstanding the Covid-19 pandemic, Basmati rice export from India, mainly Punjab and
Haryana, has seen the highest export in the past three years, in the financial year of 2019-20. The
country has earned Rs 34,000 crore from this cash crop.
April and May of 2020 have recorded export worth Rs 6,488 crore because export orders of
March of the 2019-20 were extended to April and May due to the nationwide lockdown
announced on March 23.
Exporters have also received big orders for the coming months.
According to data provided by the Punjab Rice Millers Export Association (PRMEA), the total
export of Basmati in 2017-18 was 4 million tonnes (40 lakh tonnes) worth Rs 26,870 crore while
in 2018-19 the total export was 4.41 million tonnes worth Rs 32,800 crore. This year 4.45
million tonnes Basmati was exported, fetching around Rs 34,000 crore — an increase of Rs
12,00 crore were witnessed.
―During the pandemic, essential food items, especially rice export, have registered good growth.
Basmati export has almost touched Rs 34,000 crore for the 2019-20 financial year against Rs

32,800 crore in 2018-19,‖ said Ashok Sethi, a leading exporter of Basmati rice and director of
PRMEA, adding that exporters had orders for over 10 lakh tonnes to be delivered in February
and March, but due to lockdown, March orders were not completed and extended to April, while
Ramadan brought in extra cheer with Middle East countries ordering more supplies.
―The lockdown had a big impact on shipments as container movement was halted but exporters
managed to ship several consignments to break the impasse,‖ said a senior member of the
exporters Association.
Exporters said that 60% of the Basmati export had taken place with three countries including
Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran also got Indian Basmati through the indirect way in April and May
months.
―The growth would have been even better as Iran being a major importer of Basmati rice, used to
import around 14 lakh tonnes rice from India annually, but due to the US sanctions, export to
Iran got hit,‖ said an exporter, adding that though indirectly Iran imported some amount of
Indian Basmati via other Middle East countries.
India‘s Basmati export is around 3.75 lakh tonnes monthly but in April and May month the
export 8.67 lakh tonnes (4.33 lakh tonnes monthly) export was recorded against 7.85 lakh tonnes
last year in these two months which is a growth of around 10%, said an exporter.
Exporters said that the Indian government should have a dialogue with the Iran government over
Basmati rice export keeping the oil issue aside as under US pressure, India stopped buying oil
from Iran which impacted the Basmati rice export to Iran since last one year.
―The Punjab Basmati rice industry has been in the forefront in exports since 1981, and now this
premium food item is being exported to more than 100 countries. Punjab and neighboring
Haryana have accounted for around 80 per cent of the total export,‖ said Sethi.
As Pusa Basmati 1121, which is among the high yield varieties of Basmati, covers major areas in
Punjab and Haryana,as it gives 18 to 20 quintals yield per acre.

―1121 saw phenomenal growth and markets around the world, mainly in Arab countries, and has
also made the route to European, American and Canadian markets,‖ said exporter and president
of All India Rice Export Association, Nathi Ram Gupta.
Due to the rejection of some consignments of Indian Basmati by the European Union a couple of
years ago, now exporters and Punjab agriculture department officials have become quite serious
about keeping harmful pesticides away from this crop, which has a great demand worldwide.
―We are happy that pesticides including Tricyclazole and Buprofezin, which are widely used by
farmers on the crop, are being banned in India very soon,‖ said Sethi, adding that the pandemic
has given the industry some break to define new strategies and push hard for controlled use of
harmful pesticides which will boost Basmati export further.
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/basmati-export-picks-up-amid-
pandemic-6559431/
Iranian customs bans rice imports as of August 22
month (July 22) but was postponed to the next month. According to Orounaqi, nearly 800,000
tons of rice was imported into the country and was cleared from various customs in the previous
Iranian calendar year (ended on March 19). The official noted that rice imports have decreased
by about 20 percent in the current year, saying: ―About 390,000 tons of rice has been cleared
through customs, while some cargoes are still stored in customs.‖ According to the Secretary of
Iran Rice Association Jamil Alizadeh Shayeq, Iranian farmers managed to produce 2.6 million
tons of rice during the past Iranian calendar year 1398. The country‘s rice production stood
between 2.2 and 2.3 million tons in the preceding year 1397 (March 2018-March 2019) and the
increase in the production consequently decreased the imports of the commodity. Iran‘s annual
rice consumption stands at about three million tons. That means nearly 400,000 tons of the

product is required to be imported into the country, according to Shayeq. However, customs data
show that nearly 700,000 tons of rice was imported into the country in the first quarter of the
previous year (March 21-June 21, 2019). More than 90 percent of Iran‘s rice is produced in the
northern provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran, and less than 10 percent of the commodity is
produced in the provinces of Isfahan, Ilam, Kurdistan, Khouzestan and so on. Based on official
statistics, over 620,000 hectares of the country‘s agricultural lands are under rice cultivation, of
which 520,000 hectares are in Mazandaran, Gilan and Golestan provinces.
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/451440/Iranian-customs-bans-rice-imports-as-of-August-22
Early rice production in China expands 3.9 percent
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Wednesday that the early rice production in
China saw an expansion of 3.9 percent in 2020 following seven years in a row of declines. The
production came in at 27.29 million tons, rising 1.03 million tons compared to 2019. The stable
rise in the early rice output was mostly over an expansion in the cultivation area, even though
strong floods in parts of southern China resulted in a decline in per unit area yield, according to
Li Suoqiang, an NBS official. A bumper summer harvest along with a rise in early rice output
gave a solid foundation for stable grain output of the year, the official said.
https://menafn.com/1100660555/Early-rice-production-in-China-expands-39-percent
Lagos trains, empowers 800 rice farmers
ON AUGUST 18, 202011:10 PMIN AGRIC
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State. By Olasunkanmi Akoni Lagos State Government
has empowered no fewer than 800 rice farmers in the state with preferred high-yielding Farrow
44 seeds, brand new high-quality knapsack sprayers, rain boots and farm coats. The state Acting
Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, who gave out the empowerment tools on
Tuesday, at the beginning of a three-day capacity building and training of the rice farmers on
current production practices in the rice value chain, explained that the strategic intervention by
the state government was informed by the need to boost the farming activities of rice farmers in

the state. She stressed that the empowerment of the rice farmers was also geared towards
ensuring the sustainable supply of paddy by the rice farmers, particularly bearing in mind the
imminent completion of the state-owned Imota Rice Mill project. ALSO READ: Edo farmers to
cultivate rice, maize, soya beans, others on 10,000 hectares ―It is expected that if these farming
techniques are adopted by the farmers in the next planting season, it will result in an increase in
paddy production in the state to an expected average yield of four tonnes per hour,‖ Olusanya
stated. She explained that the capacity building and training was expected to give all
participating farmers the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in modern and improved rice
farming techniques. Olusanya added: ―Due to the fact that the state has limited agricultural
cultivable land area and with the increasing rate of small and large scale Rice Mills across the
nation, there is a strain on the state getting a constant supply of paddy to feed the mill when it
becomes fully operational.
―It is to this end that the ministry has embarked on the sensitisation of rice farmers to train and
disseminate the current production practices and empowerment geared towards sustainable
supply of paddy by Lagos rice farmers towards the Imota Rice Mill project.‖ She noted that the
32 metric tonne per hour rice mill at Imota was nearing completion, stressing that at full
capacity, it would produce 115,200mt of milled rice which would require about 280,000mt of
paddy per year, hence the need to stock enough paddy to ensure a smooth take-off of the mill.
According to her, the training was necessary in order to bridge the rice demand deficit of the
residents of the state and the Federal Government‘s current ban on importation of rice. She stated
that the training would take place in 20 locations cut across Ikorodu, Epe, Badagry, Gboyinbo,
Idena, Obada, Ito Ikin, and Ise adding that they would be trained on global best practices and the
most effective ways to grow their rice.
Responding, the National Deputy President, Rice Farmers‘ Association of Nigeria, Mr. Segun
Atho, appreciated the state government for the training initiative. He noted that the training and
capacity building would go a long way in providing the needed paddy for rice production for the
nearly-completed Imota Rice Mill, while simultaneously improving the economic status of rice
farmers in the state.
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/08/lagos-trains-empowers-800-rice-farmers/
Iranian customs bans rice imports as of August
August 19, 2020 - 14:19

month (July 22) but was postponed to the next month.
According to Orounaqi, nearly 800,000 tons of rice was imported into the country and was
cleared from various customs in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 19).
The official noted that rice imports have decreased by about 20 percent in the current year,
saying: ―About 390,000 tons of rice has been cleared through customs, while some cargoes are
still stored in customs.‖
According to the Secretary of Iran Rice Association Jamil Alizadeh Shayeq, Iranian farmers
managed to produce 2.6 million tons of rice during the past Iranian calendar year 1398.
The country‘s rice production stood between 2.2 and 2.3 million tons in the preceding year 1397
(March 2018-March 2019) and the increase in the production consequently decreased the imports
of the commodity.
Iran‘s annual rice consumption stands at about three million tons. That means nearly 400,000
tons of the product is required to be imported into the country, according to Shayeq.
However, customs data show that nearly 700,000 tons of rice was imported into the country in
the first quarter of the previous year (March 21-June 21, 2019).
More than 90 percent of Iran‘s rice is produced in the northern provinces of Gilan and
Mazandaran, and less than 10 percent of the commodity is produced in the provinces of Isfahan,
Ilam, Kurdistan, Khouzestan and so on.
Based on official statistics, over 620,000 hectares of the country‘s agricultural lands are under
rice cultivation, of which 520,000 hectares are in Mazandaran, Gilan and Golestan provinces.
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/451440/Iranian-customs-bans-rice-imports-as-of-
August-22

Agri exports grow by 23% to ₹25,553 cr in Q1 of current
fiscal
T V Jayan New Delhi | Updated on August 19, 2020 Published on August 19, 2020
Exports of non-basmati rice, sugar and onion see substantial increase
A substantial increase in exports of non-basmati rice, sugar and onion has helped India push up
exports of agricultural commodities during the first three months of the current fiscal by 23 per
cent to ₹25,553 crore as against the export earning of ₹20,735 crore in the corresponding period
in the last financial year, according to data released by the Agriculture Ministry.
While the export of non-basmati rice went up by 70 per cent to ₹5,800 crore in the first quarter
of 2020-21, that of onions was up by 48 per cent to ₹1,197 crore. However, growth in basmati
export remained flat at ₹8,591 crore while that of tea dipped by nearly 28 per cent to ₹1013
crore.

Exports of refined sugar, on the other hand, shot up by 80 per cent in FY21Q1 to ₹3,863 crore as
compared to ₹2,144 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. Similarly, there is a decent 38
per cent increase in the export of raw sugar, raking in a sum of ₹1,616 crore, up from ₹1,168
crore in the same quarter in the last fiscal.
Soyameal exports fell to ₹751 crore from ₹880 crore in the same period last year, mustard and
rapeseed meal registered a marginal 1 per cent growth to ₹432 crore.
Among other agri commodities that registered handsome increase are kabuli chana (94 per cent
to ₹205 crore), Bengal gram (408 per cent to ₹140 crore) and tur (by 440 per cent to ₹81
crore). There was a slight 5 per cent decline in potato exports, which fetched ₹140 crore this
first quarter of the current fiscal. Soyabean exports too dipped by 8 per cent to ₹84 crore, the
data showed.

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/agri-exports-grow-by-23-
per-cent-to-25553-cr-in-q1-of-current-
fiscal/article32391731.ece#:~:text=A%20substantial%20increase%20in%20exports,in%20t
he%20last%20financial%20year%2C
Rice exporters urged to promote brand through safe
production
Wednesday, 08/19/2020, 23:45
The golden time for Vietnam to promote its rice brand will come once the country is able to
promptly expand production of ST25 rice in line with a safe process, according to rice
exporters.

A large-scale rice field in the Mekong Delta (Source: www.sggp.org.vn)
Opportunities will be opened up for Vietnamese rice to further access the European market as the
EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) became effective at the beginning of August.
The rice variety ST25 won the first prize in the 2019 World‘s Best Rice Contest and is favoured
by domestic consumers.
Major rice exporters from the Mekong Delta are striving to meet demands of stringent markets.
The export price of Vietnamese five-percent broken rice currently hits its peak in the past 10
years, standing at US$473-477 per tonne, announced the Vietnam Food Association on August
18.
This is also the first time that the price of Vietnamese five-percent broken rice has been higher
than that of Thailand.
Vietnam exported 3.9 million tonnes of rice in the first seven months of this year, earning
US$1.9 billion, according to the Department of Agro Processing and Market Development under
the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The export volume fell 1.4% but the value increased by 10.9% over the same period last year.
https://english.vov.vn/economy/rice-exporters-urged-to-promote-brand-through-safe-
production-417541.vov

China's early rice output rises 3.9 pct
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-19 15:44:09|Editor: huaxia
BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- China's early rice output reported a 3.9-percent increase in 2020
after seven consecutive years of decline, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said
Wednesday.
The output reached 27.29 million tonnes, up 1.03 million tonnes from 2019.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-08/19/c_139302089.htm
China's 2020 early rice output rises on year despite
flooding impact
08/19/2020 | 12:49am
China's early rice output in 2020 rose from last year due to a significant increase
in planting acreage, the statistics bureau said on Wednesday, even as flooding
and rains in the southern part of the country affected yields.
China produced 27.29 million tonnes of early rice in 2020, up 3.9% from the previous
year, as various steps pushed farmers to grow more of the grain and favourable
weather during spring planting season facilitated output, Li Suoqiang, head of
agriculture division at the National Bureau of Statistics said.
Beijing had said in May it would draft a food security plan amid the COVID-19
pandemic, and the government has encouraged regions with good growing conditions
to increase planting acreage of rice.
President Xi Jinping also urged the country to maintain a sense of crisis about food
security and called food wastage "shameful," prompting local governments to launch
campaigns and restaurants to raise penalties on buffet wastage.

China's early rice acreage in 2020 rose 6.8% to 4.75 million hectares, as local
governments in major production regions issued grain subsidies to farmers and
encouraged them to grow crops on farmland that used to lie fallow, as per a statistics
bureau statement, citing Li.
However, early rice yield in 2020 fell as continuous heavy rains hit some regions in
the south, including Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan provinces, where flooding
destroyed all crops on some farmland, Li said.
Some regions in southern China were hit by heaviest rains in decades, which have
also caused fresh outbreaks of animal disease, and taken away lives.
(Reporting by Hallie Gu and Tom Daly; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Uttaresh.V)
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:W15vELddnHEJ:https://www.m
arketscreener.com/quote/future/ROUGH-RICE-FUTURES-ZR--3881394/news/China-s-
2020-early-rice-output-rises-on-year-despite-flooding-impact-
31141350/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=pk
Flood waters reach the toes of China's famous giant
Buddha statue
By Rob Picheta, CNN
Updated 0328 GMT (1128 HKT) August 20, 2020
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(CNN)Floods in southern China have caused water from the Yangtze River to rise and reach the
toes of a famous towering statue of the Buddha -- reportedly for the first time in decades.

Leshan's Giant Buddha, a 233 foot (71 meters) sitting buddha carved out of a hillside around
1,200 years ago, is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in China's Sichuan province.
It usually sits comfortably above the waters of the Yangtze -- the world's third longest river --
and tourists gather at its base.
Waters also threatened the Buddha's toes in this photo from August 12.
But the area was closed on Monday as river water rose high enough to touch the buddha's toes,
which has not happened in at least seven decades, according to state-run media outlet Xinhua.
Police and staff put sandbags at the platform under the historic statue's feet, trying to build a dam
to protect it from the rushing water -- but by the next morning, the rising water had already
covered the toes.
The area remains closed as thousands of citizens evacuate to safety, and as emergency personnel
begin search and rescue operations. Officials on Chinese social media posted that the area may
re-open later this week after safety assessments are carried out.
This file photo shows tourists at the feet of the giant Buddha, which is usually untroubled by
river water.
Summer flooding is not uncommon in the region -- but this year has seen the worst floods in
decades, destroying the homes and livelihoods of millions of people as the country struggles to
revive an economy battered by the coronavirus pandemic.
The floods, which began in earnest in June, have impacted at least 55 million people -- more than
the entire population of Canada.
Some 2.24 million residents have been displaced, with 141 people dead or missing, the Ministry
of Emergency Management said in July.
China's Three Gorges Dam is one of the largest ever created. Was it worth it?
At least 443 rivers nationwide have been flooded, with 33 of them swelling to the highest levels
ever recorded, the Ministry of Water Resources said in July.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Water Resources raised the national emergency response alert
for flood control to level 2 -- the second highest in a four-tier system.
In Sichuan, where Leshan's Buddha is located, authorities activated the highest level of flood
control response on Tuesday for the first time ever. Sections of the river and basin in the area
were hit by floods "rarely seen in a hundred years," according to Xinhua.
The majority of these flooding rivers are in the vast basin of the Yangtze River, which flows
from west to east through the densely populated provinces of central China. The river is the
longest and most important waterway in the country, irrigating large swathes of farmland and
linking a string of inland industrial metropolises with the commercial hub of Shanghai on the
eastern coast.
'Everything is gone.' Flooding in China ruins farmers and risks rising food prices
The flooding has not only washed away people's homes and communities -- but their farms and
food supply as well. Last month, floods destroyed thousands of acres of farmland in Jiangxi
province alone. The broader Yangtze River basin accounts for 70% of the country's rice
production.
China's Ministry of Emergency Management pegs the direct economic cost of the disaster at $21
billion in destroyed farmland, roads and other property.
Beijing has so far been able to secure food supplies by importing vast amounts of produce from
other countries, and by releasing tens of millions of tons from strategic reserves -- but analysts
warn that such measures can only be useful for so long.
CNN's Nectar Gan and Shanshan Wang contributed to this report.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/19/asia/leshan-giant-buddha-flooding-scli-intl/index.html
Chefs reveal the one piece of equipment they couldn‘t
live without
BY BRINKWIRE ON AUGUST 19, 2020

The Michelin-starred Social Eating House maestro has one very simple, traditional item on his
must-have list.
He says: ‗A good knife is your best friend in the kitchen – I prefer my Florentine‘s cook knife.
‗But for extra thin slicing, you need a Japanese mandolin.
‗Get wafer thin potatoes for dauphinoise or boulangère. It‘s great for salads and makes light
work of slicing.‘
A Japanese mandolin, also known as a vegetable slicer, works by quickly cutting through
veggies such as carrots and potatoes in the same way a grater does but only using just a single
blade.
British-Iranian Chef and food writer Sabrina Ghayour has dozens of awards to her name and
hosts a very popular supper club in London, specialising in Persian and Middle Eastern flavours.
For her, the most important item in her kitchen is her food processor.
She told FEMAIL: ‗I can‘t live without my Cuisinart food processor. It makes chopping and
mixing a doddle in the kitchen. I can live without everything else! This small one is perfect for
more snug kitchens too.
Last year, the world-famous Dorchester hotel announced the appointment of their youngest ever
head chef in the restaurant‘s 88-year history, 26-year-old Tom Booton.
Tom, who‘s worked in New York, Copenhagen and Iceland says his essential equipment is a
simple – but high quality – pot, which will last a lifetime.
‗For me, it has to be a Le Creuset pot,‘ he told FEMAIL.
‗From being great for slow cooking, roasting and even better for all the new budding sourdough
bakers out there, it‘s multi-purpose and stylish too.‘
Known as a culinary classic and the Rolls Royce of pots and pans, the Le Creuset casserole dish
has been loved by cooks across the world for nearly a century.

James Cochran, who made his name at the two Michelin-starred Ledbury, says the famous
£1149 Thermomix is his go-to item.
James, who starred in BBC‘s Great British Menu in 2018, told FEMAIL: ‗My favourite tool or
piece of equipment would have to be the Thermomix. It‘s an integral piece of machinery which
can do so many things from making soups, to sauces, purées, ice cream bases – but then can be
used a water bath and steamer too. It‘s like your own personal sous chef!‘
Owned by German company Vorwerk, the Thermomix is a 20-in-1 device that sous-vides,
ferments, acts as rice cooker, and carameliser – and even cleans itself.
Alex Claridge, the chef owner of modern British fine dining establishment The Wilderness,
warns that home cooks shouldn‘t be fooled into buying too many on-trend items for the kitchen.
He says: ‗Don‘t be fooled into buying lots of gadgets, Lakeland is not your friend.
‗Good cookery needs very little in terms of equipment; when I first started I had a few hobs and
my knives.
‗Invest in a great stick blender (Bamix is my choice), and if you‘re a baking enthusiast, a
KitchenAid – which, if you look after it, will look after you for years to come.
‗Most importantly though, make sure you have great chefs‘ knives – they are more important
than any dehydrator, bread machine or waffle maker.‘
Chef Tom Brown, who runs the Cornerstone in east London told Femail: ‗A good gadget to have
in the kitchen which instantly upgrades dishes is a microplane – essentially a hand-held grater,
which retails at around £10.
‗It‘s perfect for finely zesting citrus for baking and dressings and mincing garlic, so you don‘t
have great big chunks. And even adding a ‗cheffy‘ dusting of parmesan or truffle!‘
Tom Aikens, one of the UK‘s most acclaimed chefs, became the youngest British chef ever to
be awarded two Michelin stars aged just 26.
He told FEMAIL: ‗I think, given so many of us – myself included – have been baking like crazy
at the moment, it‘ll have to be my KitchenAid! I‘ve got a few, but my go-to is the Kitchen Aid 9
speed hand mixer.

‗The higher speeds mix heavy doughs and thick batters, and it also whips the perfect still egg
whites too.
‗If you fancy making a bit of an investment though, I would recommend the stand mixer.
‗This machine can handle anything! It can be used for baking, breads, meringues, and also has an
attachment for a juice extractor, vegetable sheet peeler and more. It‘s so useful and
multipurpose!‘
British-Turkish chef Hus Vedat started his career working at his family‘s butcher shop before
training as a chef working in various top hotels.
He now runs Yosma, a Turkish tavern in Soho. He told FEMAIL: ‗Well, aside from your tongue
– the most important tool in the kitchen, I would say, is my speed peeler.
‗It makes peeling carrots and potatoes take just minutes without accidentally removing too much
and it‘s a non-expensive gadget to help improve every kitchen.
‗I would recommend buying quite a number though – I always end up throwing mine away with
the peelings or losing them!
‗I also love my falafel scoop – essential for me, though I imagine not for everyone…‘
https://en.brinkwire.com/news/chefs-reveal-the-one-piece-of-equipment-they-couldnt-live-without/
Comparisons of sampling methods for assessing intra-
and inter-accession genetic diversity in three rice
species using genotyping by sequencing
 Arnaud Comlan Gouda,
 Marie Noelle Ndjiondjop,
 Gustave L. Djedatin,
 Marilyn L. Warburton,
 Alphonse Goungoulou,
 Sèdjro Bienvenu Kpeki,
 Amidou N‘Diaye &

 Kassa Semagn
Scientific Reports volume 10, Article number: 13995 (2020) Cite this article
 Metricsdetails
Abstract
To minimize the cost of sample preparation and genotyping, most genebank genomics
studies in self-pollinating species are conducted on a single individual to represent an
accession, which may be heterogeneous with larger than expected intra-accession
genetic variation. Here, we compared various population genetics parameters among
six DNA (leaf) sampling methods on 90 accessions representing a wild species (O.
barthii), cultivated and landraces (O. glaberrima, O. sativa), and improved varieties
derived through interspecific hybridizations. A total of 1,527 DNA samples were
genotyped with 46,818 polymorphic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using
DArTseq. Various statistical analyses were performed on eleven datasets
corresponding to 5 plants per accession individually and in a bulk (two sets), 10 plants
individually and in a bulk (two sets), all 15 plants individually (one set), and a
randomly sampled individual repeated six times (six sets). Overall, we arrived at
broadly similar conclusions across 11 datasets in terms of SNP polymorphism,
heterozygosity/heterogeneity, diversity indices, concordance among genetic
dissimilarity matrices, population structure, and genetic differentiation; there were,
however, a few discrepancies between some pairs of datasets. Detailed results of each
sampling method, the concordance in their outputs, and the technical and cost
implications of each method were discussed.
Introduction
The levels and distributions of intra-accession (within-accession) genetic diversity in
genebank collections provide invaluable information for diverse purposes, including
(a) deciding the number of seeds (plants) per panicle (ear) and the number of panicles
per accession (or variety) that should be sampled and conserved to capture given
attributes; and (b) serving as baseline data for germplasm management and
distribution as well as monitoring genetic variation and integrity during conservation
and regeneration1,
2,
3,
4. Using limited numbers of accessions and/or agro-

morphological traits and markers in different species, previous studies assessed intra-
accession genetic diversity using morphological and isozymes5, amplified fragment
length polymorphisms (AFLP)3,
4,
6, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)7,
inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR)8,
9, and simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers10.
RAPD, AFLP, and ISSR markers are currently becoming obsolete for germplasm
characterization for multiple reasons, including dominant inheritance, low
reproducibility, low throughput for genotyping thousands of collections conserved at
most genebanks, low marker density (genome coverage), poor resolution associated
with the size-based fragment analysis system, and difficulty in merging multiple
datasets generated by different collaborators or labs11. SSR markers are codominant
and more reproducible, with better genome coverage than AFLP, RAPD and ISSRs;
however, they are not well suited for large-sale characterization of genebank
collections, primarily due to lower throughput, high genotyping cost, and difficulty in
merging genotypic data generated by multiple collaborators or labs due to their ability
in detecting multiple alleles, stuttering, and addition or omission of a nucleotide
during polymerase chain reaction (± A) that causes ambiguity in automated fragment
analysis systems using capillary DNA sequencers12,
13,
14.
The availability of low-cost next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies that
generate high-density genome-wide SNPs is providing genetic resource scientists
tremendous opportunities to enhance the quality, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of
genebank operations15,
16. These include germplasm curation17; generation of high-
density reference genotypic data18 and molecular passport data19; gene discovery
using genomewide association studies and selective sweep analysis18,
19,
20,
21,
22;
understanding the genetic profiles of the entire collection19,
23; identifying redundant
collections and creating subsets of genetically unique accessions for genetic and
breeding studies19,
24,
25; and correcting mislabeled, taxonomically misclassified and/or
misidentified collections26,
27. Using GBS, for example, nearly 33% of the 22,626
barley accessions at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research‘s
(Gatersleben, Germany)19 and 50% of the 1,143 accessions of a wild relative of wheat
(Aegilops tauschii)17 were found to be potential duplicates.
Recently, our team at the AfricaRice center implemented a pilot study to characterize
4,115 rice accessions representing Oryza barthii A. Chev., O. glaberrima Steud.
(African rice) and O. sativa L. (Asian rice) using DArTseq technology28. The
DArTseq-based SNPs were highly useful for a wide range of purposes, including (1)

understanding the genetic diversity, population structure, and genetic differentiation
among African rice (Oryza glaberrima Steud.) collections, and developing core and
minicore sets25; (2) developing species- and subspecies-diagnostic SNP markers to
minimize misclassification, misidentification and mislabeling errors during
germplasm acquisition and routine genebank operations26; (3) identifying candidate
genes using selective sweep analysis21; and (4) comparing the extent of genetic
variation and relatedness among various landraces and improved intraspecific and
interspecific rice varieties developed by AfricaRice breeders with those developed by
other institutions29. Based on the pilot study, we aim to genotype the entire rice
collection conserved at AfricaRice using DArTseq and use the data to improve our
germplasm curation. We will create subsets of the most genetically diverse accessions
for further field evaluation, gene discovery, trait donor selection, and pre-breeding,
which will ultimately promote the use of the collections in rice improvement. To
reduce genotyping costs per accession, most molecular characterization studies in
self-pollinating species are conducted by randomly sampling a single plant to
represent an accession. This has been the case in our previous studies and other
studies in rice25,
30,
31, barley19, and wild relatives of wheat17. Single plant samples
have provided invaluable data for assessing inter-accession genetic diversity,
relatedness and population structure in self-pollinating species, but are not suitable for
measuring intra-accession diversity, which forms one of the bases of the current study.
Furthermore, a single plant genotype data may be misleading when the extent of intra-
accession diversity is greater than expected for different reasons, including a higher
level of outcrossing32,
33, phenotypic heterogeneity, seed admixture, pollen
contamination and off-types, which is another basis for this study. For example,
sorghum landraces and wild rice showed an outcrossing rates that varied from 5 to
40%32 and from 4 to 25%33, respectively. As a result, there is concern among the
genetic resources scientists that results based on a single individual genotype may not
be comparable with multiple plants per accession, genotyped either individually or in
bulks17.
Bulk segregant analysis34,
35 refers to the genotyping of bulks of individuals using
either plant tissue bulking or DNA pooling36. In outcrossing species, the bulking
method has been commonly used for quick and economic genotyping of inbred lines,
populations, and open-pollinated varieties for different purposes37,
38,
39. In selfing
species, however, bulk segregant analysis has been used primarily for mapping genes
and quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with target traits of importance in
breeding34,
40,
41,
42,
43,
44. Some researchers have recommended bulking (pooling) method

for characterizing multiple individuals per accession as the basis for evaluating
genetic identity and diversity within accession in self-pollinating species15,
17, but this
method also has its limitations, including knowing the minimum number of
individuals required in the bulk15, and the sensitivity of the genotyping platforms in
detecting rare alleles due to allele dilution problems38,
45. The alternative method of
genotyping multiple plants per accession individually may be ideal for capturing rare
alleles and estimating intra-accession genetic diversity but will increase the
genotyping costs per accession multi-fold. The objectives of this study were,
therefore, to: (1) assess intra-accession and inter-accession genetic diversity in 90 rice
accessions, each represented by six leaf sampling methods (a randomly selected single
plant, 5 plants, 10 plants and 15 plants, bulks of 5 plants and bulks of 10 plants); (2)
compare the concordance among the different sampling methods with respect to
species (O. barthii, O. glaberrima, and O. sativa) and genetic backgrounds of the
germplasm (wild vs. landraces vs. improved); and (3) compare the outputs of the
different datasets and assess if there were cases where one method provided obvious
advantages over the others as well as the cost and technical implications of each
method for large-scale germplasm curation and characterization in selfing species.
Methods
Plant materials and genotyping
This study was conducted using a total of 1,527 DNA samples from 90 accessions and
varieties (all referred here as accessions) that represented a wild O. barthii (18),
landraces of cultivated species of O. glaberrima (21), O. sativa subsp. indica (19), O.
sativa subsp. japonica (18), and improved interspecific varieties/genotypes derived
from crosses between O. glaberrima and O. sativa (14) (Supplementary Table S1).
The 90 accessions were part of the rice germplasm used in our previous studies for the
development of species- and subspecies-diagnostic SNP markers26 and for comparing
diversity indices and selective sweeps21. Each accession was represented by 17 DNA
samples (Fig. 1) comprised of 15 single plants, a bulk of 5 plants (plants numbered 1–
5), and another bulk of 10 plants (plants numbered 6–15). The detailed procedures for
genomic DNA extraction and SNP genotyping using DArTseq have been described in
our previous study25. Each DNA sample was genotyped with 67,728 SNPs by the
DArT Pty Ltd, Australia (https://www.diversityarrays.com). Three DNA samples had
over 70% missing data points and were excluded from the dataset. The genotype data

of the remaining 1,527 samples were imputed using Random Forest46, which is
implemented as ―randomForest‖ in the R package47.
Figure 1
Outline of the DNA (leaf) sampling methods used in each of the 90 accessions. Each
accession was originally represented by 15 individuals (plant numbered from 1 to 15),
a bulk of 5 plants (plant #1–5), and another bulk of 10 plants (plant #6–15).
Full size image
Statistical analyses
To evaluate the accuracy of the imputed SNPs in genetic diversity and population
structure analyses, we first computed identity-by-state (IBS)-based genetic distance
matrices from the 67,728 SNPs before and after imputation and compared the two
distance matrices using the Mantel test48 implemented in NTSYSpc v2.149. Because
genotyping errors may account for about 1% of observed differences26,
50,
51, it is often
difficult to consider SNPs with minor allele frequency < 0.01 as polymorphic sites.
For that reason, we filtered the imputed genotype data using a minor allele frequency
(MAF) of 0.01 and maximum heterozygosity of 0.50, which formed dataset Set-1 that
consisted of 15 individual samples and two bulks. In this study, we used
heterozygosity for simplicity to refer both to heterozygosity in the individuals (single
plants) and heterogeneity in the bulks. Eleven additional subsets of data were created
from Set-1 corresponding to all 15 plants individually (Set-2), a bulk of 5 plants (Set
3), another bulk of 10 plants (Set-4), and randomly selected individuals from Set-2
repeated 6-times (Set-5 to Set-10), 5 plants individually (Set 11) and 10 plants
individually (Set 12).
Most of the statistical analyses were performed as described in previous studies20,
25.
Briefly, heterozygosity, IBS-based genetic distance matrices, and principal component
analysis (PCA) were computed using TASSEL v.5.2.5852. The first two principal
components (PCs) from the PCA were plotted for visual examination in XLSTAT
2012 (Addinsof, New York, USA; www.xlstat.com) using species/subspecies and
predicted group memberships from phylogenetic and population structure analyses as

categorical variables. The correlation between pairs of genetic distance matrices was
computed using the Mantel test48 implemented in NTSYSpc v2.149. The HapMap
format of each dataset was exported to PHYLIP interleaved format using TASSEL
v.5.2.57, which was then converted to MEGA X53, STRUCTURE v.2.3.454 and
ARLEQUIN v.3.5.2.255 formats using PGDSpider v.2.1.1.356. We used Molecular
Evolutionary Genetics Analysis (MEGA) X to compute the pairwise maximum
composite likelihood (MCL)-based genetic distance between DNA samples and
accessions, for constructing phylogenetic trees using the neighbor-joining method,
and for computing number of segregating sites (S), the proportion of polymorphic
sites (Ps), Theta (θ), and nucleotide diversity (π). A site (SNP) was considered
segregating if it had two or more nucleotides at that site; π refers to the average
number of pairwise nucleotide differences between two sequences (samples), while θ
was used as another estimator of diversity parameters based on the number of
segregating sites in the samples. Phylo.io57 was used for comparing pairs of
phylogenetic trees side-by-side as well as for computing Robinson-Foulds (RF)
distance58 and number of subtree prune-and-regraft (SPR) distances59,
60 between pairs
of phylogenetic trees. For such purposes, Newick files were generated for each dataset
using MEGA X and used as inputs into Phylo.io.
Population structure was analyzed using the model-based method implemented in the
software package STRUCTURE v.2.3.454 as described in the previous studies20,
25,
61.
DNA samples and accessions with membership probabilities > 60% were assigned to
the same clusters (group), while those with probabilities < 60% in any group were
assigned to a ―mixed‖ group. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA)62 and FST-
based pairwise genetic distance matrices63 were computed among and within groups
using ARLEQUIN v.3.5.2.255. Accessions were assigned into 3–5 groups
(populations) based on their species/subspecies, ecologies or group membership
predicted from the phylogenetic and population structure analyses.
Results
Intra-accession diversity
Of the 67,728 SNPs used for genotyping the 1,527 DNA samples (Supplementary
Table S2), the proportion of missing data per SNP and sample before imputation
varied from 0 to 64.1% for single plants and from 4.2 to 61.1% for bulks, with an

overall average of 20.8%. In the initial genotyping data set, 69.1% of the markers
(46,818 SNPs) were polymorphic across the 1,527 samples (Set-1), each with a minor
allele frequency varying from 0.01 to 0.050 (Supplementary Table S3). Pearson
correlation coefficients between minor allele frequency and heterozygosity estimated
before and after imputation were high, at 0.983 and 0.998, respectively. The Mantel
test performed on genetic distance matrices computed from all SNPs before and after
imputation also revealed a very high positive correlation (r = 0.987). Hence, detailed
results are presented only for the imputed version of the 46,818 polymorphic SNPs.
We assessed intra-accession diversity from Set-2, Set-11, and Set-12 that consisted of
genotypic data of 15, 5, and 10 individuals, respectively. The percentage of SNP
polymorphism, allele frequencies, heterozygosity, θ, π, and genetic distance between
pairs of individuals belonging to the same accession are used as indicators of intra-
accession genetic diversity. The level of SNP polymorphism across the 90 accessions
was highly similar across the different datasets (Fig. 2), which was 99.5–99.7% for
single plants, 98.8–99.9% in the 5–15 individual plants, 98.9–99.2% in the bulks
(Table 1, Supplementary Table S2). Observed heterozygosity per accession computed
from 5, 10 and 15 DNA samples ranged from 0.5 to 25.7, from 0.2 to 12.3% and from
0.2 to 25.7%, respectively (Supplementary Table S1, Fig. S1). Only 11 accessions had
observed heterozygosity exceeding 6% for at least one individual (three accessions in
all Set-2, Set-11, and Set-12; four accessions in both Set-2 and Set-11; four accessions
in both Set-2 and Set-12), which is the expected average outcrossing rate reported in
cultivated rice30,
64. The average heterozygosity per accession estimated from all sets
of 5, 10 and 15 individuals ranged from 0.5 to 5.6%, from 0.5 to 4.0% and from 0.5 to
3.8%, respectively (Supplementary Table S1).
Figure 2
Summary of the percentages of polymorphic SNPs used for statistical analyses of all
accessions (N = 90), O. barthii (18), O. glaberrima (21), O. sativa subsp. indica
(19), O. sativa subsp. japonica (18), improved interspecific genotypes (14),
lowland O. sativa (30), and upland O. sativa (21). See Supplementary Table S1 for
germplasm summary and Table S2 for details on the number of polymorphic SNPs for
all datasets.

Full size image
Table 1 Summary of polymorphic SNPs selected for statistical analyses of 90
accessions in all datasets.
Full size table
As summarized in Fig. 3 and Supplementary Table S4, θ and π computed within every
accession ranged from 0.017 to 0.205 based on 5 plants per accession; from 0.019 to
0.149 based on 10 plants, and 0.019–0.140 based on 15 plants, which is an indication
of a relatively low intra-accession diversity and more homogenous seed lot within
most accessions. Values for θ and π estimated from Set-2, Set-11 and Set-12 within 90
accessions were highly correlated (0.967 ≤ r ≤ 0.996) and very low, with 81 of the 90
accessions showing < 0.06 θ and π values (Supplementary Fig. S2, Supplementary
Table S4). However, nine O. sativa accessions adapted to the lowland (WAB0009756,
WAB0023634, and WAB0032222) and upland (WAB0007857, WAB0010251,
WAB0013330, WAB0021280, WAB0029923, WABTMP106) ecologies had θ and/or
π values ranging from 0.061 to 0.205 in at least one of the three datasets, which may
be due to broader intra-accession diversity or to errors that might have occurred
during genotyping and/or sample preparation (e.g., seed mix up during planting,
labeling error, contamination during leaf sampling or DNA extraction). To determine
the cause of such unexpectedly large intra-accession diversity within these accessions,
we compared pairwise IBS-based genetic distance for the 15 individuals in Set-2.
Figure 4 and Supplementary Table S1 summarizes the minimum, maximum, and
average genetic distance between pairs of individuals within each accession. Pairs of
individuals belonging to the same accession differed between 1.6 and 41.2% of the
scored alleles, of which 48 accessions differed by ≤ 6% of the alleles of the 46,818
SNPs. The remaining 42 accessions showed at least a pair of individuals that differed
by > 6% of the scored alleles, which is due to either greater intra-accession diversity
or due to the presence of outliers. Figure 5 and Supplementary Fig. S3 demonstrates
intra-accession diversity of some accessions with and without potential outliers.
Figure 3

Summary of nucleotide diversity (π) computed as measures of intra-accession genetic
diversity in O. barthii (18), O. glaberrima (21), lowland O. sativa (30) and upland O.
sativa (21). Each accession was represented by 15 single plant DNA samples
genotyped with 48,818 SNPs. See Supplementary Table S1 for germplasm summary
and Table S4 for molecular diversity indices of each accession.
Full size image
Figure 4
Comparisons of minimum, maximum, and average genetic distance values computed
between pairs of 15 individuals sampled per accession in Set-2, each genotyped with
48,818 SNPs. See Supplementary Table S8 for details.
Full size image
Figure 5
A plot of identity-by-state-based genetic distance values computed within 4
accessions, each represented by 15 single plant DNA samples genotyped with 48,818
SNPs. Genetic distances between pairs of individuals within WAB0029281 and
WAB0029923 were within the expected range for self-pollinated species, while
WAB0023634 and WAB0021280 have outlier individuals. See Supplementary Figure
S3 for 10 more accessions that had larger than expected intra-accession diversity.
Full size image
Figure 6 shows a neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree and a principal component
analysis plot of the 1,347 individuals in Set-2. In the phylogenetic tree, all individuals
from 61 of the 90 accessions (67.8%) tend to be more similar to each other and
clustered together as expected, while 25 accessions (27.8%) had 1–4 individuals that
clustered with other accessions belonging to either the same or a different
species/subspecies. Overall, 47 of the 1,347 individuals (3.5%) from 25 accessions

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