29th april,2015 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
www.ricepluss.com
R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine
Page 1
Contact for Newsletter Advertisement
mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com
Cell : +92 321 369 2874
Substance in bag of rice should be wake-up call formillers
APRIL 29, 2015 · BY STAFF WRITER ·
Dear Editor,
This should be a wake-up call for all rice millers who are selling rice on the local and
international market and for them to be more careful when catching rice and sewing the rice bag
from the dump scale.The laboratory technician should take the blame for the carbon powder
which was found in the army‘s bag of rice. A laboratory technician‘s job is to monitor the quality
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter
April 29 , 2015
V o l u m e 5, Issue I

www.ricepluss.com
Page 2
Cell : +92 321 369 2874
of rice being produced from the mill or dump scale, whether it‘s local sales or for overseas
markets.
The Caricom standard was formulated in an effort to improve the quality of rice being produced
and sold on the local and overseas market at each mill.This is a weird case where millers would
use gas tablets in bag rice. This is the first time I am hearing this, as a former rice bond clerk and
laboratory technician working for decades at the government owned Guyana Rice Board (GRB).
I have never seen gas tablets used in consumers rice. I know that the Rhyzopertha dominica is a
serious pest stored in paddy, both larva and adult and are destructive and can make a very small
crack in the husks and enter the grain.
Corcyra cephalonica is a rice moth, primarily a pest of milled rice containing a high percentage
of broken grains. If proper sanitation and storage is neglected, lumps often occur inside the bag
of rice. There are cases where I know that gas tablets are used in bulk paddy for fumigation
purposes, but I never heard of it being used in rice especially in sewed bags of rice. The tablets
would be placed in the paddy at several location or points in the bulk bond which is well sealed,
then covered with a thick plastic. After some time, the gas will explore and kill all the paddy
pests. Any fumigant which kills insects will also harm people, so millers have to be careful who
they employ in their operation.
This carbon powder placed in a brown paper bag into the sewn bag of consumer rice can very
well be an inside job at the warehouse or at the dump scale. The miller needs to investigate
which shift this rice was produced on and he can find the culprit.I personally know Mr Ramesh
Ramlakhan because I used to visit his mills and interact with him during my tenure with the RPA
as a field officer. He is one of the youngest, soft spoken, honest and hardworking rice millers
who rose to the top in the milling industry.
Yours faithfully,
Mohamed Khan
http://www.stabroeknews.com/2015/opinion/letters/04/29/substance-in-bag-of-rice-should-be-wake-up-
call-for-millers/
New saline-tolerant hybrid rice variety developed
Mohamed Nazeer
Rice cultivators in the brackish water paddy tracts of the northern districts of the State, especially
Kattampally here, can now cultivate a new saline-tolerant hybrid organic rice variety developed
as part of the organic plant breeding programme of the Regional Agricultural Research Station
(RARS) at Pilikkode in Kasaragod. The new rice variety, named Ezhome-4, was released

www.ricepluss.com
Page 3
Cell : +92 321 369 2874
exclusively for cultivation in the brackish water (‗kaipad‘ in local parlance) ecosystem which is
being revived in different parts of the northern region, especially in the Kattampally region here.
This was one of the two new hybrid organic varieties commercially released by the RARS under
the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) recently. According to RARS researchers, Ezhome-4
is the result of the series of hybridisation programmes conducted in 2002. ―The new variety is
equally suited for saline-prone naturally organic Kaipad paddy tracts and non-saline flooded
tracts during first crop season and also for ordinary wetlands,‖ T. Vanaja, Principal Breeder and
Investigator under the programme told The Hindu .―It gives high yield in traditional kaipad tracts
as well as in newly rejuvenated Kattampally tracts,‖ she added. It gives an average yield of 5.1
tonne/hectare in the medium saline organic kaipad ecosystem with an average straw yield of 10
tonne/ha, Dr. Vanaja said.
The other new organic rice variety, ‗Jaiva‘ is for ordinary non-saline wetland tracts.Dr. Vanaja
said that the organic rice variety was first put forward in an international conference on organic
agriculture system when a paper on it was presented. She said that the paper was also published
in the international Journal of Organic Farming in 2013. ‗Jaiva‘ is also the result of the
hybridisation programme conducted 13 years ago, she said adding that the variety was successful
in experimental trials in farmers‘ fields. Its average grain yield is 5.2 tonne/ha and straw yield is
nine tonnes/ha under organic management. The research on the two new varieties spanning over
a period of 13 years had been carried out at the RARS and in the Pepper Research Station at
Panniyur here.
Government approves 460 million rice protection program
Wednesday, 29 April 2015By NNT
BANGKOK, 28 April 2015 - The Cabinet has approved a 460 million baht rice protection
program for the 2015 production season.Finance Minister Sommai Phasee announced the
program‘s approval after today‘s cabinet meeting. He said he expected participating farmers
would increase to 1.5 million from last year‘s 800,000.Furthermore the Finance Ministry is
planning to issue 10 and 20 year bond notes totaling 300 billion Baht. Funds received from the
issuance would be used to repay the debt obligations of the State Railway of Thailand, the rice
pledging scheme and the social security fund.
http://www.pattayamail.com/business/government-approves-460-million-rice-protection-program-46607
NFA confirms rampant rice smuggling in Zamboanga
By Rosette Adel (philstar.com) | Updated April 29, 2015 - 6:15pm
An NFA official exposed widespread rice-smuggling in Region 9 which includes Zamboanga
City.Philstar.com/File
MANILA Philippines — A National Food Authority (NFA) official confirmed the widespread
smuggling of rice in Zamboanga City and other parts of Mindanao.NFA Administrator Renan
Dalisay revealed the existence of rice smuggling in the whole of Region 9 which include
Zamboanga City, before the joint House Committees of Agriculture and Food and Food

www.ricepluss.com
Page 4
Cell : +92 321 369 2874
Security.In a statement, Dalisay recalled his recent visit to Zamboanga before the House. He
observed the very low price of rice in the market which is "a clear indication of a high rice
inventory in the area.
"According to Dalisay, NFA's authority is limited to the verification of import permits and other
documents pertinent to the importation of a particular rice shipment.Meanwhile, the House
House Committees on Agriculture and Food and Food Security, chaired by Representatives
Mark Llandro L. Mendoza (4th District, Batangas) and Agapito H. Guanlao (Party-List-BUTIL),
respectively, deliberated House Resolution 1828 denouncing the rampant rice smuggling to
introduce appropriate measures to stop said illegal activities.Guanlao pointed out that the NFA's
revelation is indeed alarming because Zamboanga is not even a rice-producing province.
Nation ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
Port Manager Liberto dela Rosa of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) Zamboanga backed
NFA's revelation saying that some unscrupulous traders are possibly using the 76 ports in
Zamboanga as drop off points for their smuggled goods.Dela Rosa however admitted that the
PPA has no authority to monitor illegal activities in the private ports.The author of HR 1828,
Lilia Macrohon-Nuño (2nd District, Zamboanga City) said the measure seeks to stop the
smuggling of rice, logs, and sugar not only in Zamboanga City, but all over the country as
well.Macrohon-Nuño added that smuggling activities not only hurt the local farmers and
legitimate traders but also the national economy.

www.ricepluss.com
Page 5
Cell : +92 321 369 2874
"Smuggled goods, particularly smuggled rice, are killing the local rice farmers in Zamboanga
City whose very aim is to send their children to school and to have decent means of living,"
Macrohon-Nuño stressed.Dianne Silva, director of NFA Region IX, the Bureau of Customs is
mandated to enforce the laws on anti-smuggling, including the job of confiscating illegally
imported rice.To develop a protocol on proper coordination among different agencies involved
against smuggling, the joint committees agreed to create a technical working group.The joint
committees will invite resigned BOC Commissioner John Philip Sevilla and BOC Zamboanga
district collector to clarify the issues raised in the next meeting.
http://www.philstar.com/nation/2015/04/29/1449276/nfa-confirms-rampant-rice-smuggling-zamboanga
Rice terraces in northern Vietnam: A view to die for
By Meo Gia, Thanh Nien News
YEN BAI - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 09:35
The northern province of Yen Bai is famous for stunning terraced rice fields, and Lim Mong
Valley is one of the best places to see the fields.The valley is located underneath the mountain
pass Khau Pha. There lie the spectacular terraced fields that have enchanted a large number of
tourists and photographers alike.People usually say the rice terraces in Lim Mong look best in
the harvest season, when the rice plants turn yellow. But they do not know that June is also a

www.ricepluss.com
Page 6
Cell : +92 321 369 2874
very good time to enjoy the beauty of the fields.In June, when first summer rains pour down the
mountain, locals start to channel water from the mountain into the rice fields.The rice fields now
have this brown, sparkling color, as a combination of the soil and the water.
http://www.thanhniennews.com/travel/rice-terraces-in-northern-vietnam-a-view-to-die-for-42657.html
Seed Foundation Facility Headed To Stuttgart
By TALK BUSINESS & POLITICS
The Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board announced plans Tuesday to direct $2
million to help construct a seed foundation facility at the state‘s Rice Research and Extension
Center in Stuttgart.The facility will assist scientists and researchers to bring new higher
yielding, high quality rice varieties to market so Arkansas farmers can profitably grow rice that
meets worldwide demand. The center, along with the new Foundation Seed Facility, is operated
by the University of Arkansas System, Division of Agriculture.
The new facility is expected to cost $8.6 million, and construction will begin this summer and
be completed in 12 months.―The Rice Research and Promotion Board has always been forward-
thinking in how it applies research to advance Arkansas agriculture, and we sincerely appreciate
their commitment to ensuring Arkansas will remain the epicenter of rice production and rice
research,‖ Mark Cochran, vice president for the UA System‘s Division of Agriculture, said.
―The board has been a valuable partner with us for more than 30 years now, and our united
partnership means better results for our state‘s economy and all Arkansans.‖The Arkansas Rice
Research and Promotion Board consists of nine rice producers nominated by industry
organizations and appointed by the governor.
―The cooperative relationship between the University of Arkansas System Division of
Agriculture, the Rice Research and Promotion Board and the rice farmers of Arkansas is alive
and well, as evidenced by the construction of this new Foundation Seed Facility,‖ Marvin Hare,
chairman of the Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board, said. ―This commitment is an
excellent example of the great things we can accomplish when the entire rice industry works
together toward the common goal of sustainable rice production in Arkansas.
‖The $2 million for the new
facility will come through tariff
rate quota funds generated for
domestic rice research from the
U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion
Agreement, which established an
annual tariff rate quota for U.S.
rice exported to Colombia.The
funds are reserved only for
research efforts and are allocated
by the Arkansas Rice Research
and Promotion Board.The

www.ricepluss.com
Page 7
Cell : +92 321 369 2874
Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board and the Arkansas Wheat Promotion Board have both
previously made contributions to the new facility as well.
SEED FACILITY WILL SUPPORT ARKANSAS FARMERS
The facility will contain both seed cleaning and storage capabilities with the ability to serve
more than 25 rice, soybean and wheat varieties each year. Along with the ability to clean seeds
to Plant Board-specified guidelines, the facility will be able to handle both genetically modified
and non-genetically modified seeds. Cold storage will also be available for long-term seed
storage.The new facility will continue cooperative research efforts between the promotion board
and the Division of Agriculture that have already resulted in the development of new
technologies related to fertility, pest control, irrigation, and weed control, in addition to the
development of new rice varieties.
BOARD CONTINUES SUPPORT FOR AGRICULTURE RESEARCH
The Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board was formed in 1985 by the General
Assembly to administer the rice check-off program.Under the program, rice farmers contribute
1.35 cents per bushel for rice research and the first buyer of rice contributes 1.35 cents per
bushel for promotion and market development efforts.The program provides approximately $2.5
million to $3 million annually for research efforts conducted by the University of Arkansas
System, Division of Agriculture.
http://ualrpublicradio.org/post/seed-foundation-facility-headed-stuttgart
Ghana government to provide leverage to ignite rice and
cassava chain – Minister
Category: General News APRIL 29, 2015
Fiifi Kwetey – Agric Minister
Mr Fifi Kwetey, Minister of Agriculture, has
given the assurance that government would
provide the leverage to ignite and link up the
value-chain in the production of rice and
cassava.The policy backups, such as, a
mandatory percentage cassava flour inclusion in
wheat flour, should bring real spread-out
opportunities along the chain, he stated.Mr
Kwetey made the remark at Hodzo near Ho on a
two-day familiarization tour of selected key
agricultural firms in the Volta and Eastern
Regions.Rice and cassava production were game
changers, he stressed, adding, the two, could change economic fortunes of individuals and the

www.ricepluss.com
Page 8
Cell : +92 321 369 2874
nation.The Minister, on the first day visited the Brazil Agro-Business Group Limited, producers
of rice on the vast plains around Kpenu, near Dabala and the Caltech Ventures Limited, which is
in cassava production and processing at Hodzo, near Ho.
Mr Kwetey, on the second day visited the rice fields of the Ghana Commercialization of Rice
Programme (G-CORP) at Asutsuare.G-CORP is an Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa
(AGRA), a funded farmer-support project.The Minister also undertook a tour of the 1,200-
hectare banana fields of the Golden Exotics Ghana Limited, a French banana export firm,
sprawling the vast savannahs around Asutsuare.Mr Kwetey said clearly, cassava, a cross-
vegetation root crop and rice were crops with very high stakes in Ghana‘s development.At all the
stops, the Minister promised to actively tackle challenges faced by the firms, including tax
rebates, spares for machinery land acquisition and access roads.
Mr Chris Quarshie, Managing Director of Caltech Ventures, said the company had been in
business for nine years.He said current potential was 3,000 hectares cropping, but was doing
only 1,000.Mr Quarshie said the company was expecting machinery after which, it would start
the production of the derivatives on large scale.Some of the derivatives are ethanol and flour.Mr
Quarshie, who took the Minister round the farms and the industrial production unit, told the
excited Minister that, producing cassava derivatives locally, could save the country half a billion
dollars and more annually.
Mr Roberto Jaconi, General-Manager Brazil Agro-Business Group Limited, briefing Mr Kwetey
through an interpreter, said production was only 15 per cent of the expected 3,500 hectares,
because there was slow response to requests for tax exemptions as incentives for machinery and
other essential supplies.He said Ghana had huge potential in rice production, but the produce
must be ―treated and promoted with the same parameters of quality as the imported rice‖.Mr
Jaconi believed that in the future ―rice production will play a strategic role in the economic and social
aspect of the country‖.Both the rice and cassava enclaves, have out- grower schemes, which bring along
scores of locals into production.
At the Kpong Irrigation Offices, Mr Sampson Kwabla Tetteh-Ekpa, President of the Osudoku
Agricultural Cooperative Society, told the Minister that members suffered 50 per cent post-
harvest losses.He said harvest was largely manual and that almost all equipment supplied the
Cooperative Group, had broken down.The indication was that the Kpong Irrigation Dam was
getting rickety, with pipes choky.Moses Adenusi, Project Co-ordinator of G-Corp, which
provides, services for farmers and farming groups across the country said there was the need for
farmers to have guaranteed source of quality rice seeds.He said brokered deals with millers
against produce of farmers, under the aegis of G-Corp, had kept rice fields busy and the chain
bustling.
Mr Peter Ajoeh, Agronomic Manager Golden Exotics, Ghana Limited, who took the Minister
round the expansive banana fields, said plans were being pursued to eventually produce more
and more of organic bananas, as the company had started the production of compost manure on

www.ricepluss.com
Page 9
Cell : +92 321 369 2874
site.He said the company which produces 90 percent of export banana in Ghana was Fairtrade
certificated.Mr Ajoeh said difficulty in the acquisition of land was delaying expansion of the
farms.
Source: GNA
Savanna Agric Institute to enhance rice production
The Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) has secured a $1 million World Bank grant
to enhance local rice cultivation in the northern ecological zones of the country.Dubbed the
―System of Rice Intensification (SRI),‖ the three-year project seeks to train rice farmers on the
correct rice farming practices to ensure higher yields.It is being implemented by SARI in
collaboration with the West African Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAPP).
It will be implemented in six regions, namely the
Northern, Upper East, Volta, Ashanti, Brong
Ahafo, and Kpong and Dahwenya in the Greater
Accra Region.The initiative was first developed
in Madagascar to train rice farmers in good
farming practices and resources to ensure higher
yields in rice production.Speaking at the launch,
the Monitoring and Evaluation officer at WAPP,
Mr Augustine Oppong Dankwa, said the project
was going to train the farmers in the best rice
farming techniques including seed treatment, soil
preparation and the right quantities of manure and water to use during cultivation.
He said also that the application of too much water and seed by some rice farmers was not good
for most of the rice farms.He explained that the farmers would be taken through field
demonstrations on how to manage the amount of water and seeds during cultivation.Dr Dankwa
urged the rice farmers to adopt the SRI initiative, since it as was effective, less tiresome and also
helped the farmers to cultivate more rice from just little seeds.The Research Co-ordinator at
SARI, Dr Wilson Dogbe, for his part, said most of the problems the rice sector faced were due to
the challenges of climate change in the country.
He said although the rice sector had developed in the last 10 years, the country still produced
only 30 per cent of rice, which he said was a very worrying state worrisome.Dr Dogbe added that
the institution was going to develop new technologies and approaches to enable farmers grow
rice in healthy and drought-free environments to promote the sector.Mr Amoah Duncan
Raymond, a rice farmer in the Volta Region, in an interview, said the zone alone contributed 45
per cent of the rice produced in the region.He said some of the land in the zone were not suitable
for the production of rice, since they were very rocky and hilly.

www.ricepluss.com
R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine Page
10
Cell : +92 321 369 2874
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/business/artikel.php?ID=356128
APEDA India News
International Benchmark Price
Price on: 28-04-2015
Product Benchmark Indicators Name Price
Apricots
1 Turkish No. 2 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD/t) 5650
2 Turkish No. 4 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD/t) 4125
3 Turkish size 8, CIF UK (USD/t) 3425
Currants
1 Greek provincial, CIF UK (USD/t) 1433
2 Greek Vostizza, CIF UK (USD/t) 1542
Sultanas
1 Australian 5 Crown, CIF UK (USD/t) 2934
2 Iranian natural sultanas (Gouchan), CIF UK (USD/t) 1695
3 Turkish No 9 standard, FOB Izmir (USD/t) 1700
Source:agra-net For more info
Market Watch
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 28-04-2015
Domestic Prices Unit Price : Rs per Qty
Product Market Center Variety Min Price Max Price
Jowar(Sorgham)
1 Rajula (Gujarat) Other 1250 2875
2 Sangli (Maharashtra) Other 1700 2700
3 Theni (Tamil Nadu) Other 1200 1300
Maize
1 Derol (Gujarat) Other 1300 1300
2 Koraput (Orissa ) Other 1310 1330
3 Haveri(Karnataka) Local 1240 1260
Mousambi
1 Sirhind (Punjab) Other 2000 3000
2 Aroor(Kerala) Other 3000 3200
3 Mechua(West Bengal) Other 2200 2700
Cauliflower
1 Aroor (Kerala) Other 2500 2700
2 Bonai (Orissa) Other 1500 2000
3 Gumla(Jharkhand) Other 1000 1400
Source:agra-net For more info
Egg Rs per 100 No
Price on 28-04-2015
Product Market Center Price
1 Mysore 303
2 Nagapur 241

www.ricepluss.com
11
Cell : +92 321 369 2874
3 Namakkal 280
Source: e2necc.com
Other International Prices Unit Price : US$ per package
Price on 28-04-2015
Product Market Center Origin Variety Low High
Onions Dry Package: 50 lb sacks
1 Atlanta Mexico Yellow 24 25
2 Baltimore Texas Yellow 18 18
3 Detroit Nevada Yellow 15 15.50
Cucumbers Package: cartons film wrapped
1 Baltimore Canada Long Seedless 11 12
2 Chicago Mexico Long Seedless 13 13
3 Miami Honduras Long Seedless 10 10.50
Grapefruit Package: 4/5 bushel cartons
1 Atlanta Florida Red 16 16
2 Baltimore Florida Red 15 18
3 Miami Florida Red 13 13
Source:USDA
USA Rice Partners with Celiac Awareness Group on Video
Urging consumers to get tested
ARLINGTON, VA - May is Celiac Awareness
Month, and USA Rice has partnered with the
National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA)
to help draw attention to this often misunderstood
genetic autoimmune disease with a video targeting
television news."People with celiac disease are
unable to safely eat food containing gluten -
something found in wheat, rye, and barley,"
explained Katie Maher, manager of domestic promotion for USA Rice.
"Since rice is naturally gluten-free, it constitutes a major food source for people with the
disease, and our groups working together seemed obvious."USA Rice produced a three-minute
video for distribution to television news stations around the country to help raise awareness and
encourage people in "at-risk groups" to get tested - since as many as 83 percent of people with
celiac disease are undiagnosed because they show no symptoms. Since the disease is genetic,
anyone who has someone with celiac disease in their family is considered "at-risk," even if they
show no symptoms.

www.ricepluss.com
12
Cell : +92 321 369 2874
The video contains interviews with a representative of NFCA, a world-renown gastroenterologist
specializing in pediatric celiac disease, and representatives of the food service industry who are
often on the front lines dealing with food allergies."Not only is the video informative, but it talks
about the importance rice can play in treating this disease and it showcases a lot of rice being
utilized," Maher added.The video will be released to the media tomorrow and will be available
for all of May for use by local television news in its entirety or to help stations with their own
stories. It coincides with NFCA's new PSA campaign, "Seriously, Celiac Disease" that urges
family testing. You can preview the video here and learn more about NFCA at
www.celiaccentral.org.
Contact: Michael Klein (703) 236-1458
CCC Announces Prevailing World Market Prices
WASHINGTON, DC -- The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation
today announced the following prevailing world market prices of milled and rough rice, adjusted
for U.S. milling yields and location, and the resulting marketing loan-gain (MLG) and loan
deficiency payment (LDP) rates applicable to the 2014 crop, which became effective today
at 7:00 a.m., Eastern Time (ET). Prices are unchanged from the previous announcement.
World Price
MLG/LDP
Rate
Milled
Value
($/cwt)
Rough
($/cwt)
Rough
($/cwt)
Long-Grain 15.44 10.00 0.00
Medium-
/Short-Grain
15.04 10.13 0.00
Brokens 9.31 ---- ----
This week's prevailing world market prices and MLG/LDP rates are based on the following U.S.
milling yields and the corresponding loan rates:
U.S. Milling
Yields
Whole/Broken
(lbs/cwt)
Loan
Rate
($/cwt)
Long-Grain 57.21/12.55 6.64
Medium-/Short-
Grain
61.89/8.83 6.51
The next program announcement is scheduled for May 6, 2015.

www.ricepluss.com
13
Cell : +92 321 369 2874
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for April 29
Month Price Net Change
May 2015 $10.160 + $0.195
July 2015 $10.430 + $0.195
September 2015 $10.700 + $0.195
November 2015 $10.955 + $0.195
January 2016 $11.205 + $0.195
March 2016 $11.255 + $0.195
May 2016 $11.255 + $0.195
Japan needs to cut its rice farmers down to size
BY WILLIAM PESEK
BLOOMBERG
APR 27, 2015
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been vowing for years to take on the vested interests impeding
his country‘s economy. Until now, he hasn‘t done much to make good on those promises. But he
was recently handed a perfect opportunity to do just that.Japan‘s 3.3 million rice growers, who
together comprise only 2.5 percent of the population, now seem to be the biggest obstacle
preventing Japan from completing one of history‘s biggest trade deals, the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific
Partnership. By agreeing to cut Japan‘s tariffs on rice, Abe could save the TPP deal — and show
the country‘s other powerful economic interests that he means business.Why is the rice lobby so
powerful? It‘s a combination of history, culture and patronage.
An island nation poor in natural resources, Japan has long been obsessed with self-sufficiency,
particularly when it comes to food. Rice isn‘t just the country‘s staple grain — it‘s an emotional
symbol of nationalism; for millennia, Japanese have been taught that their cherished short-grain
rice is the envy of the rest of the world. It‘s no coincidence that the Japanese word for
rice, gohan, also means meal.In recent decades, rice has also become central to Japanese politics.

www.ricepluss.com
14
Cell : +92 321 369 2874
Farmers are the key constituency of Abe‘s Liberal Democratic Party, which has ruled with little
interruption since 1955. Thanks to decades of careful gerrymandering, the votes of a few
Japanese farmers working the land in Hokkaido or Kyushu now pack more punch than thousands
of ballots cast in Tokyo or Osaka. No surprise, rice farmers have used their outsized influence to
win massive tariffs on their foreign competitors.
Although it‘s easy to see why Abe‘s party would be reluctant to confront rice farmers over those
tariffs, it would be well worth the effort. And this isn‘t just about saving the TPP deal. Twenty-
eight months into office, Abe desperately needs to initiate structural reforms to pull Japan‘s
economy out of its rut. The Nikkei stock exchange has nearly doubled under his leadership, but
those gains won‘t hold for long if the country‘s economic fundamentals don‘t justify them.
Abe‘s government has already made some efforts to dilute the power of farmers, but they‘ve
been timid, at best. The LDP is revising the agriculture laws that regulate Japan‘s farm
cooperatives. Set up in the 1940s to fight famine, those cooperatives have evolved into
conglomerates that regulate supplies and sales, and dominate rural lending. Abe‘s government
would like to open the farming industry to more diverse corporate ownership. It has also said it
wants to double food exports, particularly beef, by 2020.But none of this addresses the so-called
―778 percent problem.
‖ That‘s how high Japan‘s rice import levies can run. Tariffs on sugar, another so-called sacred
product, are as high as 328 percent. Japan should scrap these comically exorbitant taxes — or at
least chop them down to double digits.If Abe does so, he should prepare for a prolonged fight.
Japanese farmers have plenty of practice at complaining about globalization, and it‘s not clear
where the sympathies of the Japanese public would lie. Many Japanese profess concern that their
national culture is in danger of being trampled by outside influences — and they‘re liable to
include rice in their picture of national heritage.
The vast majority of Japanese still say they would never consider buying rice from Thailand,
India, Vietnam, Pakistan or the United States, no matter how cheap.Abe would also have to
muster the political will to take on his own party. He could start by following U.S. President
Barack Obama‘s lead in framing a trade deal as a geopolitical imperative. The first casualty of
China‘s Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, after all, has been Tokyo‘s global stature.
A TPP trade deal would strengthen Japan‘s U.S. alliance, and link both countries with others
nations that together comprise 40 percent of the world‘s gross domestic product.The TPP deal
would also act as a Trojan horse for further domestic economic reform. Once Japan commits to
opening its economy, its most inefficient businesses will have no choice but to change. Rice
farms are undoubtedly among them, and Abe shouldn‘t shy from forcing them to get a head start.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2015/04/27/commentary/japan-commentary/japan-needs-to-cut-its-rice-farmers-down-to-
size/#.VUDjgyFVhBc?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+April+29%2C+2015&utm_campaign=Friday%2C+December+13%
2C+2013&utm_medium=email
Tanzania: Pakistan Rice Imports Frustrate Farmers

www.ricepluss.com
15
Cell : +92 321 369 2874
Tanzania
By Finnigan Wa Simbeye
IN Kilombero District, hundreds of kilometres from East African Community headquarters in
Arusha, smallholder rice farmers are still struggling to sell their rice from 2012/13 season."Prices
are still very low but have slightly appreciated from 600/- to 750/- a kilogramme on average,"
said Ms Christina Magwila.
The mother of four said prices plummeted by more than 50 per cent last year when Kilombero
Plantation Limited, the single largest client of her rice, failed to buy the commodity from over
5,000 smallholder farmers due to saturated local market."I sold my rice at a loss because I
needed school fees for my two secondary school girls and their primary school sibling," said Ms
Magwila who like many other smallholder rice farmers in the country, is struggling to absorb the
huge loss caused.
KPL Chief Executive Officer, Mr Carter Coleman said his company posted a whopping 4bn/-
loss as a result of the Pakistan rice imports in 2013 and a similar amount due to a 25 per cent
price fall caused by a bumper harvest in 2013/14 season."Some 40,000 tonnes of cheap Pakistani
rice that was exempt from the Common External Tariff of the East African Community was
imported, dropping the wholesale price by 54 per cent and impoverishing hundreds of thousands
of rice smallholders," Mr Coleman said while responding in an interview.The government had
initially issued permits for the importation of 120,000 tonnes of rice to offset an alleged shortage
in the local market but suspended the imports in March last year after an outcry by commercial
and smallholder rice farmers.
KPL still had 1,000 tonnes of rice from the 2012 season and another 5,000 tonnes from 2013
season which could not be sold at a profitable price due to the cheap imports by mid last
year.Local rice producers further faced problems to export the grain to Rwanda and Uganda
because crooked traders blended local rice with Pakistan imports forcing governments of the two
countries to slap a 75 per cent import duty. Coleman is angry with Ugandan authorities for
continuing to impose the 75 per cent duty on Tanzanian rice exports contrary to EAC's Customs
Union Protocol.
"There is no substantial Pakistani rice in Tanzania, please get your government to lift the tariff
on our rice as you are bankrupting Tanzanian farmers," said Coleman in an emotional message
directed at former Ugandan Ambassador to China, Philip Idro.In his response, Ambassador Idro
argued that so long as local rice was blended with Pakistan rice, it will continue attracting hiked
duty because it violates the rules of origin as per EAC Customs Protocol. "This means that we
have to do our part and that is why Uganda is going ahead to hold onto the 75 per cent tax, even
if alone," Ambassador Idro stressed.

www.ricepluss.com
16
Cell : +92 321 369 2874
He warned that local rice producers who create jobs and add value to the economy should
regularly update policy makers on the disaster which imported rice is causing on the EAC
region's economies.But the jinx of Pakistan rice imports does not only seem to haunt local
farmers, but also their peers in Kenya where the government has a bilateral agreement with
Pakistan to swap tea and rice trading.Last week, a delegation of East African Farmers Federation
led by its President Philip Kiriro, visited East Africa Cooperation Minister, Dr Harrison
Mwakyembe and raised the issue of Pakistan rice imports frustrating regional trade.
EAFF Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Muchiri said Kenyan rice farmers are failing to exploit
the EAC Customs Union Protocol because their commodity to Rwanda and Uganda is slapped
with a 75 percent duty."You know Kenya has a trade agreement with Pakistan whereby they buy
tea while we import their rice. Unscrupulous businessmen are mixing the Pakistan rice with local
rice in Kenya which has attracted a 75 per cent import duty in Uganda and Rwanda," Mr Muchiri
said."I understand this problem has also affected rice farmers here, I hope that you as Chairman
of the Council of Ministers can help us address this," he pointed out saying EAFF is working
with United States Agency for International Development in assisting farmers acquire skills,
identify markets and observe quality and standards.
Currently after investing heavily in rice production, local farmers produce over 1.2 million
metric tons of the commodity against annual demand of less than one million tonnes.Responding
to the EAFF delegation's request, Dr Mwakyembe said he will raise the matter with his peers
during the next Council of Ministers meeting scheduled for Thursday, April 3. "Much of this rice
is smuggled into our region, we should find a solution against this," said Dr Mwakyembe.He
pointed out that EAC's biggest trading prowess lies in agriculture produce which involves the
majority of people in the region hence the need to protect the market for such commodities.
Dr Mwakyembe invited EAFF officials to make their presentation before an EAC Council of
Ministers which will thereafter deliberate on the matter.Earlier this year, EAC Finance Ministers
agreed a 35 per cent Common External Tariff (CET) on imported rice for the region, a move
which has strongly been opposed by rice farmers and former Minister for Agriculture, Food
Security and Cooperatives Minister, Christopher Chiza.
"I was not consulted on this issue which is detrimental to our farmers," Engineer Chiza said
promising to strongly oppose the attempt. He said Kenya which includes Pakistan rice on its list
of sensitive products, imposes a 35 per cent duty hence wants the whole block to adopt the
rate."My fear is that Kenyan rice imports with a lower rate will continue be smuggled into
Tanzania," Eng Chiza who has since been shifted to Prime Minister's Office, warned. Finance
Minister, Saada Mkuya Salum said the CET is negotiable and can be hiked by individual
countries if need arises to curb cheap imports.

www.ricepluss.com
17
Cell : +92 321 369 2874
Seed foundation facility headed to Stuttgart
Posted: Apr 29, 2015 7:29 AM PSTUpdated: Apr 29, 2015 7:29 AM PST
By Talk Business staff
The Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board announced
plans Tuesday to direct $2 million to help construct a seed
foundation facility at the state's Rice Research and Extension
Center in Stuttgart.The facility will assist scientists and
researchers to bring new higher yielding, high quality rice
varieties to market so Arkansas farmers can profitably grow rice
that meets worldwide demand.
The center, along with the new Foundation Seed Facility, is operated by the University of
Arkansas System, Division of Agriculture.The new facility is expected to cost $8.6 million, and
construction will begin this summer and be completed in 12 months.―The Rice Research and
Promotion Board has always been forward-thinking in how it applies research to advance
Arkansas agriculture, and we sincerely appreciate their commitment to ensuring Arkansas will
remain the epicenter of rice production and rice research,‖ Mark Cochran, vice president for the
UA System's Division of Agriculture, said.
―The board has been a valuable partner with us for more than 30 years now, and our united
partnership means better results for our state's economy and all Arkansans.‖The Arkansas Rice
Research and Promotion Board consists of nine rice producers nominated by industry
organizations and appointed by the governor.―The cooperative relationship between the
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, the Rice Research and Promotion Board
and the rice farmers of Arkansas is alive and well, as evidenced by the construction of this new
Foundation Seed Facility,‖ Marvin Hare, chairman of the Arkansas Rice Research and
Promotion Board, said.
―This commitment is an excellent example of the great things we can accomplish when the
entire rice industry works together toward the common goal of sustainable rice production in
Arkansas.‖The $2 million for the new facility will come through tariff rate quota funds generated
for domestic rice research from the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, which
established an annual tariff rate quota for U.S. rice exported to Colombia.The funds are reserved
only for research efforts and are allocated by the Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion
Board.The Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board and the Arkansas Wheat Promotion Board have
both previously made contributions to the new facility as well.
SEED FACILITY WILL SUPPORT ARKANSAS FARMERS
The facility will contain both seed cleaning and storage capabilities with the ability to serve more
than 25 rice, soybean and wheat varieties each year. Along with the ability to clean seeds to Plant

www.ricepluss.com
18
Cell : +92 321 369 2874
Board-specified guidelines, the facility will be able to handle both genetically modified and non-
genetically modified seeds. Cold storage will also be available for long-term seed storage.
The new facility will continue cooperative research efforts between the promotion board and the
Division of Agriculture that have already resulted in the development of new technologies
related to fertility, pest control, irrigation, and weed control, in addition to the development of
new rice varieties.
BOARD CONTINUES SUPPORT FOR AGRICULTURE RESEARCH
The Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board was formed in 1985 by the General Assembly
to administer the rice check-off program.Under the program, rice farmers contribute 1.35 cents
per bushel for rice research and the first buyer of rice contributes 1.35 cents per bushel for
promotion and market development efforts.The program provides approximately $2.5 million to
$3 million annually for research efforts conducted by the University of Arkansas System,
Division of Agriculture.
Ali Baba: A Shawarma Oasis
Ali Baba Grill brings speedy — and tasty — no-frills Middle Eastern street eats to deep East
Oakland.
By Luke Tsai @theluketsai
Ali Baba Grill
10151 1/2 Foothill Blvd., Oakland
510-632-2222
Hours: Daily 11 a.m.-9 p.m., closed Fri. 1-2:30 p.m.

www.ricepluss.com
19
Cell : +92 321 369 2874
Reservations not accepted
Cash, all major credit cards
Sample Menu
Combo Shawarma ... $8.99
Fried Chicken Wings (6) ... $5.99
Gyro Sandwich ... $5.99
Philly Cheesesteak ... $5.99
Hummus ... $2.99
If you're looking for the comforts of a sit-down restaurant experience, Ali Baba, a Palestinian-
owned shawarma and kebab joint that opened recently deep in East Oakland, might not be what
you have in mind. The restaurant is just as small as the "1/2" in its street address indicates —
maybe a hundred square feet, occupying the smaller half of a building whose primary tenant is a
fairly standard liquor store. You order through a plexiglass takeout window, and the only
available seating is a window counter and a single round table, around which three of us sat on
high stools on a recent weeknight, trying in vain to fit our bevy of styrofoam containers — each
filled to overflowing with grilled meats, turmeric-tinged basmati rice, and wedges of warm pita
bread — onto the limited surface area.
But if you've explored Oakland's endlessly surprising food scene for long enough, then you know
that this is the part of my review where I talk about how there is more than meets the eye. And
that's true in this case yet again. Ali Baba is located on a stretch of Foothill Boulevard mostly
occupied by auto repair shops in a section of town that could perhaps best be described as a kind
of food desert.But I'll be back — mostly for the shawarma, the Middle Eastern take on a spit-
grilled meat preparation that's a close cousin to the Greek gyro and the Turkish doner kebab. In
America, this mostly consists of a compressed-meat mixture of minced, heavily seasoned lamb
and beef that, in its final form, falls somewhere on the spectrum between a sausage patty and a
lamb-y stir-fry, with a saltiness and a crisp-edged tenderness that will appeal to both the Spam
lover and the connoisseur of charcuterie.
I'm told that shawarma tastes best when the meat is shaved directly off the vertical spit, though
for takeout orders, which form the bulk of Ali Baba's business, it seems the cooks mostly grill
pre-cut slices on the flat-top. In any case, I had no complaints. Nine dollars buys a combo
shawarma plate (mine came with the lamb and chunks of well-seared and well-seasoned
chicken). The meat had been tossed with grilled onions and bell peppers, everything seasoned
beautifully. The rice was perfectly cooked. And a house-made cucumber-yogurt sauce provided
just enough tartness to cut into the shawarma's salty richness. I ate it like a rice bowl, mixing in
fiery chili-seed-flecked Asian-style sambal and the yogurt sauce to taste. There was also toasted
pita so that you could make your own little sandwich.
The East Bay is not without its share of exemplary sit-down Middle Eastern restaurants,
including downtown Oakland's small cluster of Afghan kebab houses. But the kind of quick-and-
dirty Mediterranean street meat that reigns supreme in say, Chicago's Greektown, or that you can
buy from the ubiquitous Halal chicken carts of New York City, is a relative rarity here in the Bay
Area. (A half-hour wait is part and parcel of the experience, even at a casual, takeout-oriented

www.ricepluss.com
20
Cell : +92 321 369 2874
place like Temescal's Oasis Food Market, which, in Oakland, is Ali Baba's only peer in the
shawarma-grilling arts.).According to Ali Jaber, the restaurant's owner, namesake, and chef, this
is Ali Baba's biggest selling point — that the food is served quickly, even though everything is
cooked fresh to order, and most of the ingredients are all prepared in-house and are of a higher
quality than you might expect. The meats are all Halal-certified, and many of them soak for at
least 24 hours in Jaber's top-secret marinade before they hit the grill.
The marinade is key to Ali Baba's other signature item, its kebabs, or grilled meat skewers — the
oblong lamb meatballs known as kefta kebab, and, for the less adventurous, spice-rubbed,
golden-yellow cubes of chicken breast — slightly dry, in the way that grilled chicken breast
tends to be, but delicious when dunked into that bright, tangy yogurt sauce.Even though Jaber is
Palestinian, Ali Baba also dabbles in the other Mediterranean cuisines, including a no-nonsense
version of a gyro sandwich that consisted almost entirely of meat, with just a dab of tzatziki and a
little bit of lettuce and tomato to lighten it up. (The meat, incidentally, was the same as for
the shawarma, as far as I could tell — just cut into thicker slices and served with different
condiments.).
The falafel and hummus combination suffered only in comparison to the restaurant's more meat-
centric pleasures. The uniform, sesame-seed-flecked, and vaguely fancier-shaped falafels —
"made here from A to Z," according to Jaber — were just fine, even if they weren't quite as
crunchy or as light as the best versions in town. The hummus, on the other hand, was top-notch
— airy in texture, just garlicky and lemony enough, and crowned with a generous drizzle of
high-quality olive oil. A side order, served with a foil-wrapped bundle of toasted pita, will only
cost you $2.99 — it's hard for me to imagine a trip to Ali Baba without picking up a tub.
Like many of the ethnic eateries in deep East Oakland, Ali Baba has a handful of menu items
designed to appeal to local tastes, which run more toward traditional soul food — batter-fried
fish and shrimp being the most obvious concession here. (The restaurant's previous tenant was a
fish fry joint, after all.).Yet even the most blatantly Americanized parts of the menu yielded
pleasant surprises. For instance, while the fried chicken wings were served with a tub of
traditional Buffalo-style dipping sauce on the side, these were a step above your typical soggy,
mass-produced victims of freezer burn. Instead, Ali Baba's cooks toss the wings in fresh herbs,
spices, and panko-like bread crumbs to order, resulting in flats and drumettes with exceptional
crunch, packed with enough flavor to render the hot sauce mostly irrelevant.
Meanwhile, the Slow-Food-powers-that-be and the Food Authenticity Police will surely seek to
revoke my credentials after I ordered the heavily processed, decidedly un-Palestinian Philly
cheesesteak. A cheesesteak at a shawarma joint? Once the cook started to make my sandwich,
though, it made perfect sense. The melted cheese was standard American, and the bread was a
squishy sesame roll that fell apart too easily. But the meat was neither freshly grilled steak, nor
the pre-frozen Steak-umm supermarket variety, but rather slices of that same tender, heavily
seasoned shawarma meat I'd previously enjoyed over basmati rice. The technique was the same —
meat stacked atop a pile of sliced mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions on the flattop so that the
vegetables soaked up all of the juices and rendered fat as they cooked down. Meanwhile, the cook used
metal spatulas to chop away at the shawarma right on the grill, in true Philly style.Oh sure, it was a bit of
a salt bomb — salty meat combined with salty processed cheese. But I'm not ashamed to admit I polished
the whole thing off.

29th april,2015 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (19)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (16)

Similar to 29th april,2015 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

Similar to 29th april,2015 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (13)

29th april,2015 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine