7th december,2020 daily global regional local rice e newsletter

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter
1 | w w w . r i c e p l u s s . c o m , w w w . r i c e p l u s m a g a z i n e . b l o s g s p o t . c o m
December 07 ,2020 Vol 11 Issue 12
www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com
mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com 92 321 3692874

Editorial Board
Chief Editor
 Hamlik
Managing Editor
 Abdul Sattar Shah
 Rahmat Ullah
 Rozeen Shaukat
English Editor
 Maryam Editor
 Legal Advisor
 Advocate Zaheer Minhas
Editorial Associates
 Admiral (R) Hamid Khalid
 Javed Islam Agha
 Zahid Baig(Business Recorder)
 Dr.Akhtar Hussain
 Dr.Fayyaz Ahmad Siddiqui
 Dr.Abdul Rasheed (UAF)
 Islam Akhtar Khan
Editorial Advisory Board
 Dr.Malik Mohammad Hashim
Assistant Professor, Gomal
University DIK
 Dr.Hasina Gul
Assistant Director, Agriculture KPK
 Dr.Hidayat Ullah
Assistant Professor, University
of Swabi
 Dr.Abdul Basir
Assistant Professor, University of
Swabi
 Zahid Mehmood
PSO,NIFA Peshawar
 Falak Naz Shah
Head Food Science & Technology
ART, Peshawar
Rice News Headlines…
 Subsidies state entities go down to P6.31B in October
 Gov’t corporations subsidies P6.3 billion in Oct., down 13%
 Land for new agriculture graduates
 California Farmers Work to Create a Climate Change Buffer for
Migratory Water Birds
 About 838,770 Tons Rice Valuing US $ 499.485 Million Exported
 Rice bran emerging a boon for farmers in State
 Yogi to hold seminar on Purvanchal development
 Using Japanese Rice to Improve Rice in Africa
 Molecular genetics of sterility in hybrids of Japanese and African rice
species.
 In Zabarmari, Nigeria Dies!
 States with stressed groundwater trade most cereals, finds study
 Trio of Food Science Doctoral Students First and Second in Cereals and
Grains Contests
 About 838,770 tons rice valuing US $ 499.485 million exported
 838,770 tonnes of rice valuing $ 499.485m exported

News Detail…
Subsidies state entities go down to P6.31B in October
ByAnna Leah E. Gonzales
December 7, 2020
Subsidies extended by the national government to state-owned firms declined in October, data
from the Bureau of the Treasury showed, with the bulk extended to the National Irrigation
Administration (NIA).
Twenty six government-owned and -controlled corporations got a total of P6.31 billion
assistance during the month, down by 12.8 percent from P7.23 billion in October 2019.
NIA secured P4.26 billion during the month. The agency is responsible for irrigation
development and management in the country.The National Electrification Administration came
in second in subsidies received with P885 million followed by the National Housing Authority
with P252 million.
Also securing assistance in October were the Local Water Utilities Administration, Aurora
Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Cagayan
Economic Zone Authority, Credit Information Corp., Center for International Trade Expositions
and Missions, IBC-13, Lung Center of the Philippines, National Dairy Authority, National
Kidney and Transplant Institute, Philippine Coconut Authority, Philippine Center for Economic
Development, Philippine Children‘s Medical Center, Philippine Heart Center, Philippine Rice

Research Institute, Philippine Institute for Development Studies, Philippine Institute for
Traditional and Alternative Health Care, People‘s Television Network Inc., Subic Bay
Metropolitan Authority, Southern Philippines Development Authority, Tourism Infrastructure
and Enterprise Zone Authority, and Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone.
Year-to-date, government subsidies reached P205.91 billion.
The Social Security System (SSS) got the biggest allocation during the 10-month period with
P51 billion. It can be noted that SSS was the implementing agency of the P 51-billion Small
Business Wage Subsidy (SBWS) program.
Launched in April, the SBWS program provided 3.1 million workers in the formal sector
employed in micro, small and medium enterprises P5,000 to P8,000 wage subsidies for the
month of April and May. The amount of the subsidies depends on the regions where the workers
are employed.In 2019, the government gave away a record P201.52 billion in subsidies.
Subsidies are part of the national government‘s disbursement program.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2020/12/07/business/business-top/subsidies-state-entities-go-
down-to-p6-31b-in-october/806076/
Gov‘t corporations subsidies P6.3 billion in Oct., down
13%
December 6, 2020 | 6:47 pm

NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION
BUDGET SUPPORT for state-run companies fell 13% year on year in October, with the
National Irrigation Administration (NIA) receiving the largest subsidy, according to the Bureau
of the Treasury (BTr).
The BTr reported that the government issued P6.3 billion in subsidies to government-owned and
-controlled corporations (GOCC). The tally was also 12% smaller than P7.153 billion given in
September.
The NIA received P4.266 billion worth of subsidies that month, up 783% year on year, and
accounting for 68% of the month‘s total. Its subsidies were also 63% higher than P2.62 billion it
received the previous month.
The National Electrification Administration received P885 million, up 712% from a year earlier.
This was followed by the National Housing Authority with P252 million. It received no subsidies
a year earlier.
The Philippine Postal Corp. received P125 million while the Philippine Heart Center got P118
million.

Other state-owned firms that received financial support from the government that month were
the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority; the Cultural Center of the
Philippines; the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority; the Credit Information Corp.; the Center for
International Trade Expositions and Missions; the Lung Center of the Philippines; the Local
Water Utilities Administration; the National Dairy Authority; the National Kidney Transplant
Institute; the Philippine Coconut Authority; the Philippine Center for Economic Development;
the Philippine Children‘s Medical Center; the Philippine Rice Research Institute; the Philippine
Institute for Development Studies; the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health
Care; the People‘s Television Network, Inc.; the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority; the Southern
Philippines Development Authority; the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority;
and the Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone Authority.
In the 10 months to October, subsidies to GOCCs rose 25% year on year to P205.92 billion.
The 10-month total exceeded the reduced P191-billion budget for GOCC subsidies this year by
8%. The government earlier cut the budget assistance to state-run firms after funds were
realigned to support the pandemic containment effort.
The Social Security System received the largest subsidy during the period worth P51 billion,
after it acted as the implementing agency in the government‘s wage subsidy program for
companies.
The government subsidizes state-run firms to cover operational expenses not supported by their
revenue. — Beatrice M. Laforga
https://www.bworldonline.com/govt-corporations-subsidies-p6-3-billion-in-oct-down-13/
Land fornew agriculture graduates
December 7, 2020 | Filed under: Editorial,Opinion | Posted by: Tempo Desk

SECRETARY John Castriciones of the Department of Agrarian Reform announced a program
that, he hopes, will encourage more young Filipinos to engage in farming and, in the process,
help attain the goal of food security for the country.
Fresh graduates of agricultural courses, he said, will be offered three hectares of land each. These
can serve as their ―farm laboratories‖ in which they may apply the theories and practices they
learned in school. The program will help revitalize the agriculture industry with a younger
generation of farmers with greater understanding of modern farm technology.
The idea of granting free land to prospective farmers may have been inspired by the Homestead
Act with which the United States encouraged Americans to go west to farm the vast lands
opening in the new states outside the original 13 American colonies. Signed by President
Abraham Lincoln in 1862, the Homestead Act gave each applicant 160 acres of public land –

about 60 hectares – helping in the westward growth of the young nation. The US has since grown
into a big industrial nation, dominating world trade, but agriculture continues to contribute its
huge share to the US economy.
The Philippine economy today is said to be in transition from one based on agriculture to one
based more on services and manufacturing. The main industries today are electronics assembly,
aerospace, business process outsourcing, food manufacturing, shipbuilding, chemicals, textiles,
garments, metals, petroleum refining, fishing, steel, and rice.
Main imports are electronic products, mineral fuels, machinery and transport equipment, iron
and steel, textile fabrics, grains, chemicals, and plastics. Primary exports are electronic products,
transport equipment, garments, copper products, petroleum products, coconut oil, and fruits.
To most of our people, our most important imports are rice shipments from Thailand and
Vietnam. In 2018, high rice prices were blamed for the inflation rate – market prices – reaching
6.7 percent in September of 2018. The rise was stopped largely by the Rice Tariffication Law
which allowed huge imports of rice. This was great for Filipino customers but not for rice
farmers whose income fell as they could not compete with the cheap imported rice.
Many economists continue to pin their hopes on Philippine agriculture. We should be able to
produce enough rice to feed our people. And we should be able produce more export products
like coconut oil, seafood, processed food, and beverages.
We need to strengthen Philippine agriculture. We have the lands, the climate, the water and other
resources that only need to be mobilized with more irrigation, more modern farm equipment,
more extensive financing, and marketing organization.
The DAR‘s program of encouraging more young people to engage in farming through the
program of land for agriculture graduates will surely help.
http://tempo.com.ph/2020/12/07/land-for-new-agriculture-graduates/
California Farmers Work to Create a Climate Change
Buffer for Migratory Water Birds
Flooded fields offer food and habitat for sandhill cranes, egrets and other species. But changing
crop choices and rising temperatures are a growing threat.
BY LIZA GROSS
DEC 6, 2020
Waste grain is left in harvested fields on Staten Island in the California Delta as forage for
greater sandhill cranes, a state listed endangered species. Credit: Liza Gross
KNIGHTS LANDING, Calif.—On a warm, sunny afternoon in late November, Roger Cornwell
stopped his pickup near the edge of a harvested rice field to avoid spooking a great blue heron

standing still as a statute, alert for prey. He pointed to a dozen or so great egrets at the opposite
end of the field as a chorus of killdeer sang a high lonesome tune in the distance.
"We started bringing in the water this morning," said Cornwell, general manager of River
Garden Farms, which grows rice, alfalfa, corn, walnuts and other crops on 15,000 acres just west
of the Sacramento River, in California's Central Valley. "When we push water across a field,
we'll have tons of egrets in it because the mice and moles are being flushed."
In the Central Valley, where agricultural and urban development have claimed 95 percent of the
region's historic wetlands, flooded croplands provide food and habitat that help egrets, sandhill
cranes and other iconic water birds get through the winter. Inundating fallow fields mimics the
way rivers breached their banks 150 years ago, before engineers built thousands of miles of
levees, and funneled Sierra Nevada snowmelt through a vast network of aqueducts and canals to
farmers and more than 27 million Californians.
But many farmers are moving toward wine grapes, olives and other "permanent crops" that don't
provide the same habitat benefits as row crops. And now these land use changes, combined with
the uncertain effects of a warming world, have left scientists scrambling to safeguard critical
habitat in one of most important wintering regions for water birds in North America.
"Our wetland birds are among those showing the biggest declines," said Khara Strum, who
works with Cornwell as conservation manager for Audubon's Working Lands Program.
Rising global temperatures have placed two-thirds of North American birds at risk of extinction,
Audubon scientists warned last year. Some 3 billion birds have vanished from the continent
since 1970, another team of scientists reported in the journal Science. Avoiding the collapse of
bird populations, they said, requires urgent action to mitigate ongoing threats like habitat loss
and agricultural intensification, "all exacerbated by climate change."
With most historic wetlands now on private agricultural land, conservation groups are partnering
with farmers to develop wildlife-friendly practices. In the Sacramento Valley, which produces 95
percent of California's rice, farmers started flooding their fields to decompose postharvest
stubble in the 1990s, after the state restricted traditional straw burndowns to protect air quality.
Water birds soon took to the flooded fields as if they were wetlands, speeding stubble
decomposition in the process.
Climate change models predict decreased precipitation in the Central Valley and the Sierra,
which could reduce spring snowmelt and water flows for irrigation. So scientists
are experimenting with ways to use less water more strategically to provide maximum benefit to
water birds as well as the state's critically endangered salmon.

"We've long realized the benefits these rice fields provide to water birds," said Strum. "We're
using these fields as insurance that they won't get as imperiled as our salmon."
Farming for Cranes
An hour's drive south of River Garden Farms, a patchwork of protected sites in the Sacramento-
San Joaquin Delta support millions of wintering waterfowl and thousands of sandhill cranes.
Widespread habitat destruction and overhunting nearly wiped out these long-lived stately
waders. Greater sandhill cranes are listed as threatened in California, while lesser sandhills are a
species of special concern.
A hotspot for cranes in the network of islands and connecting waterways that makes up the Delta
is Staten Island, managed by The Nature Conservancy for the past two decades as a proving
ground for wildlife-friendly agriculture.
Before the conservation nonprofit took over the 9,200-acre island, farmers had already
determined what conditions cranes need, including optimum water depths for nighttime roosts,
said Dawit Zeleke, associate director of the California Land Program at the conservancy. "The
managers at the time really fell in love with the cranes and started tailoring their practices to
make sure the cranes would come back," he said. "When the property came on the market, we
saw a great opportunity to show that you can have agriculture and wildlife."
But they quickly realized how vulnerable Delta islands are to rising sea levels. So they flood
strategically, both to create crane roost sites and to improve water quality by flushing out
saltwater, which can reduce grain yields for farmers and birds. And unfortunately, corn, a
favorite crane food, contributes to another risk of Delta agriculture: soil subsidence.Sandhill
cranes greet the dawn at Woodbridge Ecological Reserve, a favorite roosting spot for cranes and
other migratory water birds in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Credit: Liza Gross
Oxidation decomposes the island's peat soils and releases carbon dioxide. That makes growing
corn in the Delta unsustainable, said Dennis Baldocchi, a professor of biometeorology at the
University of California, Berkeley. Staten and other Delta islands face the double whammy of
sea level rise and soil subsidence, which increases the risk of levee failure, he said. Plus, water
comes in under the levees to create extended wet spots. "Farmers are not going to be able to farm
the land indefinitely because there's going to be a breakpoint, where the soils can't dry out to
cultivate and produce the corn."
Growing rice would help reduce carbon emissions and protect the soil. But right now rice is
concentrated in the Sacramento Valley, Baldocchi said, and it's not easy to simply switch crops,
given market demands.

"Rice had been tried on Staten in the 1990s, but it was too cold and never formed a seed head,"
Zeleke said. "Now there are varieties that are more tolerant to cold, and we're not having the cold
mornings we used to. We just harvested our second crop."
They're also following experiments on other Delta islands that are attempting to create wetlands
that stop oxidation and rebuild soil, a process that can take decades. The conservancy aims to
have all the peat soils on Staten Island underwater as wetlands or rice by 2025, Zeleke said.
"We'll see if we can produce as many calories in the wetlands for the cranes as we do in the
cornfields and rice fields."
Planning for an Uncertain Future
California experienced a historic drought and two of the hottest years on record between 2011
and 2015, leading to a severe water shortage. "It was tough on everybody," said Cornwell.
"There wasn't winter water for refuges and getting water for rice decomposition was a struggle."
Droughts have traditionally pit farmers against conservationists in a state with a history of water
wars. But Cornwell saw an opportunity to work with scientists to find better management
practices that benefit birds and other species.
Greg Golet, a Nature Conservancy senior ecologist, works with Cornwell and other farmers to do
just that. The biggest challenge is having enough flooded landscape at the right time of year, he
said. Drier winters can lead to water shortfalls in the early fall and late spring, when shorebirds
need to rest and replenish energy reserves exhausted on long-distance flights between Alaska and
Patagonia.
These shoulder seasons are getting increasingly drier with rising global temperatures and
creating a mismatch with the birds' schedules, Golet said. "We're really focused on trying to
identify ways to make up for lack of habitat at these critical times."
The effects of drier winters are compounded by the loss of habitat to wine grapes and almonds,
the most rapidly expanding crops in the Delta. Permanent crops aren't like field crops, which
you can decide to sacrifice for a year, Golet said. "So when you get drought, trees get water
before the birds do."
Matt Reiter, an ecologist with the conservation science nonprofit Point Blue, studies the likely
impacts of changing crop patterns, changing sea level rise and other climate change scenarios on
migrating water birds. "One of the things we find hardest to deal with is cropland conversion," he
said. That's because it's so hard to predict human behavior and an individual farmer's decision-
making process.

The expansion of crops incompatible with cranes in the Delta is a major concern for Gary Ivey, a
researcher with the International Crane Foundation. "A lot of the favorite crane spots are lost
already," he said. "That's an alarming trend."
Conservation groups have considered getting funding for a greater sandhill recovery plan that
restricts farmland development to row and grain crops, Ivey said. But that won't reverse rising
temperatures in crane breeding grounds.
"In the Intermountain West, where the greaters are breeding, we're getting drier summers and
less wetland habitats," Ivey said, referring to the cranes. And in dry years, they don't reproduce
as they should. Plus, the permafrost is melting in the Arctic, where lesser sandhills breed. Once
they lose the ice that supports summer wetlands, he said, they'll have to crowd into remaining
habitats, which increases disease risk. "That won't work very well."
That's why conservation scientists like Reiter keep running different scenarios of land use
changes, sea level rise, subsidence and levee failure to predict what the birds will need. They're
trying to find "no regrets" solutions that keep farmers in business without harming birds.
"We need to figure out where we can start developing new roost sites on the periphery of the
Delta that may be less likely to be impacted by these large climate drivers," Reiter said.
It's an open question whether the birds will switch to new sites, but history suggests there's a
good chance they will if the conditions are right. The challenge will be to identify places and
practices that will be resilient to climate change over the long term. "If we do it that way," Reiter
said, "it will provide benefits today but it will also provide benefits a hundred years from now."
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/04122020/california-staten-island-sandhill-cranes-water-birds-
agriculture
About 838,770 Tons Rice Valuing US $ 499.485 Million
Exported
Sun 06th December 2020 | 01:30 PM
ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Dec, 2020 ) :About 838,770
metric tons of rice valuing US $ 499.485 million exported during first four months of current
financial year as compared the exports of 1,176,228 metric tons worth US $ 633.797 million of
corresponding period of last year.

According the data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, rice exports from the country during the
period from July-October, 2020-21 decreased by 21.19 percent as compared to the exports of
the same period of last year.
During the period under review about 170,729 metric tons of� Basmati rice worth US
$168.745 million exported as against the exports of 283,458 metric tins valuing�
259.099 million of same period of last year.
The exports of basmati rice during the period under review reduced by 34.87% as compared
the exports of same period of last year, the data reveled.
However, during last four months, exports of vegetable grew by 20.16% as about 156,286 metric
tons of vegetables worth US $ 66.554 million exported, which was recorded at 197,596 metric
tons valuing US $ 55.386 million of same period of last year.
During the period from July-September, 2020-21, exports of meat and meat preparation
registered growth of 5.83 % as 30,403 metric tons of meat and meat products worth of US $
102.968 million exported as compared the exports of 25,442 metric tons valuing US $
97.300 million of same period of last year, it added.
It is worth mentioning here that in last four months of current financial year food group imports
into the country grew by 43.49 percent as different food commodities costing US $
2.272 billion imported as against the imports of 1.583 billion of the same period of last year.
On the other hand, food group exports from the country during the period review went down by
16.77 percent as it was recorded at US $ 1.331 billion from July-October, 2020 as compared to
US $ 1.359 billion of the corresponding period of last year.
On month on month basis, the exports of food commodities post 13.42 percent reduction in
month of October, 2020 as compared the same month of last year, whereas imports into the
country during the period under review grew by 15.14 percent.
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/business/about-838770-tons-rice-valuing-us-499485-1105940.html
Rice bran emerging a boon for farmers in State
Sunday, 06 December 2020 | PNS | BHUBANESWAR
Rice bran, once considered not of much use beyond cattle feed and fuel in Odisha, is emerging as
a boon for farmers because of the Government‘s agri technology popularisation initiatives.

This was known from a review meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Asit
Tripathy recently wherein MSME Principal Secretary Satyabrata Sahu outlined the issues for
discussion.
Considering the State‘s potential for production of rice bran oil, Tripathy wanted to make a
demand assessment of the rice bran oil and the availability of the raw material for promotion of
small and medium enterprises in this sector.
Tripathy said, ―Since rice bran oil contains immune supporting nutrients and unsaturated fat, it
can be developed to an attractive enterprise for young entrepreneurs.‖ He added, ―Proper
assessment of the market demand and economy involved in the trade will be a reliable guide for
the young entrepreneurs.‖
Sahu said, ―Incentives like interest subsidy @ 5% per annum for 5 years on term loan from the
date of commercial production, 75% net SGST reimbursement for 5 years up to the limit of
100% investment on plant and machinery, exemption of electricity duty up to contract demand of
500 KVA for 5 years, assistance for quality certification, employment cost subsidy and technical
knowhow now available for the sector.‖
Director of Industries Reghu G appraised that as of now, 12 rice bran units are operating in the
State, out of which seven are in Bargarh district, two in Koraput, one each in Jajpur, Khordha
and Baleswar. A total amount of Rs 1,115.34 lakh incentive/subsidy has been provided to the
eligible units.
Assistant Director of Industriea Madan Mohan Patra said that around 800 milligram of healthy
edible oil can be extracted from the bran generated from one quintal of paddy.
This oil is sold at a higher price in market than that of the normal refine oil. There is potential for
more such units through local entrepreneurs in paddy-rich districts.
https://www.dailypioneer.com/2020/state-editions/rice-bran-emerging-a-boon-for-farmers-in-state.html
Yogi to hold seminar on Purvanchal development
News Desk 1Published: 6th December 2020 10:25 am IST
Lucknow, Dec 6 : Stakeholders from every field will deliberate for three days from December 10
to 12, at a National Webinar- cum- Seminar to prepare a roadmap for expeditious progress of
eastern Uttar Pradesh comprising 28 districts and a large population.

With over 250 research papers from across the world already reached in advance, participation of
NRIs from the US, Europe, Australia and other countries, a battery of development experts is
expected.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath initiated the idea of this brainstorming event at
Gorakhpur in order to ensure development of Purvanchal.
According to the government spokesman, the seminar is being organised by UP Planning
department in collaboration with Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University under the banner
of the Purvanchal Development Board.
Yogi Adityanath will be present in the inaugural session of the seminar based on ‗Development
of Purvanchal: Issues, Strategy and Future Directions‘.
He will also address the programme, organised with doctors at the AIIMS, Gorakhpur campus on
the same day, with a thrust area of healthy Purvanchal which emanated from the fact that his
personal efforts rid this region of deadly Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in last three years.
The seminar will be divided into five categories — primary, manufacturing, services, social, and
water and will have nine sessions in every field. There will be a total of 45 sessions in which
experts, academicians, and policymakers from India and across the world will take part.
K.V. Raju, the economic advisor of the Chief minister, who is looking after the whole event, said
this is the first of its kind event in 50 years which is focused on the development of this region,
which remained neglected for years.
The seminar will also be attended by state ministers, top officials, head of departments, and
representatives of various government and non-government organisations (NGOs).
He said ways and means will be evolved during the seminar as to how to eradicate poverty,
diseases, unemployment, and illiteracy from the region and also stop migration by providing the
desired employment to the youth of the state.
Several departments, including agriculture, agricultural marketing, food processing, fish and
fisheries, forest and wildlife, infrastructural and industrial development, MSME, export
promotion, handloom and textile, energy, housing and urban planning, Panchayati Raj, revenue,
information technology and electronics, tourism and others will also take part in the seminar.
The major institutions, including the International Rice Research Institute, Agricultural
Universities, Research and Development Institutes, Non-Government Organisations, Federation

of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Information Technology and tourism firms,
cultural Organisations, UNICEF, and other prominent organisations will also be participating in
the seminar that will be held in Gorakhpur University.
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:6RHBbZKbk98J:https://www.siasat.com/yogi-
to-hold-seminar-on-purvanchal-development-2039305/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=pk
Using Japanese Rice to Improve Rice in Africa
Molecular genetics of sterility in hybrids of Japanese and
African rice species.
Rice is a staple food in Japan, and the scenery of rice fields is a traditional image of the Japanese
countryside. It is not surprising then, that the country‘s researchers have made great efforts
towards rice research and that the Japanese people are proud of the high quality rice grown in the
country. I am seeking to improve rice in Africa by using the knowledge obtained from Japanese
rice research. I found that hybrids of African and Japanese rice grow vigorously. However, these
inter-specific hybrids do not produce seeds because of a harmful interaction between genes of the
two species. I am investigating the molecular mechanisms of seed sterility in inter-specific rice
hybrids in order to overcome that problem.
Yohei Koide, PhD
Assistant Professor, the Hakubi Center for Advanced Research / Graduate school of Agriculture
http://sites.google.com/site/yoheikoidehp/home/english
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:WBHzHIRdJRMJ:www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/cutting-
edge/fostering/page07.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=pk
In Zabarmari, Nigeria Dies!
December 6, 2020 3:33 am
The November 28 massacre of over 43 rice farmers in Zabarmari, Borno State, by Boko
Haram terrorists, speaks to a fundamental state failure, impossible to be further garbed in
pretentiously respectable robes, writes Louis Achi

“What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.”
– Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832)
In terms of sheer malevolent messaging intent, the Zabarmari massacre takes the cake in the
bloody laundry list of the terrorist Boko Haram‘s over decade-long depredations. Here is why.
Expansion in rice acreage, rises in rice yield, and multiple cropping have powered flourishing
civilizations in Asia and Africa. The lowly swamp plant has provided the impetus for accelerated
progress in national economies, cultural improvements, and population increases in many Afro-
Asian countries during the past two millennia.

In effect, rice is synonymous with life and any threat to its cultivation and harvest – especially in
Nigeria – bespeaks death in its starkest interpretation. Hence the most basic message from the
Zabarmari annihilation by the Boko Haram is that – ‗we‘ve got you by the jugular.‘
More, the importance attached to production of the crop made it a key flagship project of the
Muhammadu Buhari presidency. This policy footing drove the transformation of Nigeria from
being the world‘s second largest rice importer some years back, to becoming the largest rice
producer in Africa. This was the outcome of robust collaboration between the Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in their quest to drastically reduce the
country‘s huge import bill.
Astute observers would not have failed to notice that extensive flooding in the North West earlier
in the year destroyed thousands of hectares of rice, and food prices rose substantially in 2020
mainly due to insecurity in food-producing regions.
But by bloodying the lilting poetic cadence of the town‘s name – Zabarmari – with a single gory
strike that the nation‘s security intelligence could not foresee – wiping out innocent rice farmers
– the Boko Haram terrorists have simply and disdainfully laughed in the face of Buhari.
That the overburdened Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba
Shehu, told the BBC on Monday that the slain farmers did not secure military clearance to go to
the farm hardly enlightened the fundamental issues.
His words: ―Much of those areas have been liberated from Boko Haram terrorists but there are a
number of spaces that have not been cleared for the return of villagers, who have been displaced.
So, ideally, all of these places ought to pass the test of military clearances before farmers or
settlers resume activities on those fields.‖
It was important that Shehu clarified his statement later and reassured Nigerians that he was not
blaming the victims.
Strangely, many miss the point that in the indescribable pain of the rice farmers whose lifeblood
drained from savagely slit throats, the unbelievably diminished meaning and dream of the
Nigerian state also dies.

It‘s worth recalling that Valéry Giscard d‘Estaing, former president of France, who incidentally
died at 94, four days after the Zabarmari massacre, had counselled statesmen and world leaders
that, ―There can be no response to history without effort.‖ d‘Estaing was born in the First World
War and saw action in World War 2.
An unwillingness or incapacity to respond to the peculiar history of the Nigerian state has
apparently, effectively hobbled the Buhari presidency. The overarching constitutional mandate of
protecting the lives and property of citizens has been violated with consequences probably made
impossible by blind regime loyalty to the extant quirky structures of the state.
According to former Borno State governor, Senator Shetima, who spoke at plenary, ―Last
weekend‘s beheading happened about 20 kilometers from Maiduguri. Boko Haram insurgents
are virtually ruling all our rural areas. They kill and abduct people at will. They‘re targeting
farmers and this will create hunger in the North. Government officials keep saying that Boko
Haram has been ‗technically defeated‘. This claim is not true.‖
Several brazen killings and abductions of innocent citizens by bandits in Zamfara, Sokoto and
Kaduna States speak to the same existential quandary. Even the governor of Katsina State, the
president‘s home state, has expressed similar sentiment following several killings and kidnaps.
Out of understandable exasperation, Professor Babagana Zulum, the plucky scientist and Borno
State governor, has urged the federal government to quickly engage mercenaries to fight the
Boko Haram insurgents. The underlying message here is hardly missed by close observers of the
unfolding tragedy.
Following the Zabarmari massacre, so many angles have taken the field – from the security
agencies, important stakeholders to the presidency and the national parliament. So much
movement – but where is the motion? Beyond the quirky blame-game footing, specific,
audacious action is needed to retrieve Nigeria.
In a poignant observation at the turn of national events, erudite economist and scholar, late Dr.
Pius Okigbo, once noted that what was unfolding in the nation‘s socio-political arena was

comparable to an Athenian tragedy but lacking the majesty of a Greek drama. A verdict
delivered many years ago, Okigbo‘s insight, strangely relevant, simply distils the damming
failure of the ruling political leadership.
Being Africa‘s demographic and natural resources centre of gravity, much of the world believes
Nigeria ought to lead the journey of transformative change on the continent. She ought to
provide the leadership to raise Africa to her next level. But then charity must begin at home.
https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2020/12/06/in-zabarmari-nigeria-dies/
States with stressed groundwater trade most cereals, finds
study
Jacob Koshy
NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 05, 2020 11:30 IST
Rice and wheat dominate cereal production and it's also known that they are
intensely water-consumptive crops.
States with critically low groundwater reserves were responsible for 41%,
or about 38.6 million tonnes of India's domestic cereal trade. This worked
out to nearly 39% of India's total groundwater being used up in producing
and trading cereal among States. Moreover, a further 21% (19.6 Mt) of
domestically produced cereals were exported from six States with 'semicritical' to 'critical'
groundwater status equivalent to 32% of groundwater, according to an analysis by
scientists spanning multiple institutions in India and abroad. The study appears in the peer-
reviewed Environmental Research Letters.
Cereals are the source of about half the energy that an average Indian gets from her diet.
Within them, rice and wheat dominate cereal production and it's also known that they are
intensely water-consumptive crops. For this study, the researchers relied on mathematical
modelling and used data-sets from 2011-12—the most updated they say—that had
information on interstate trade of cereals, domestic cereal production, cost of

transportation by rail and road between states. From this the 'water footprint' of producing
and transporting cereals were estimated.
Previous studies of embedded-water flow in agricultural production have usually focussed
on international movements, for instance the amount of water that was lost when a country
imported a food crop from another, whereas this focussed on domestic movements and
incorporates the role of the public distribution system as well as international outflows, the
authors note.
Trade patterns varied between PDS (Public Distribution System) and non-PDS cereals.
The majority (58%; 58.0 Mt) of interstate cereal trade occurred through the PDS. The total
volume of embedded water traded through PDS rice and wheat amounted to 54.3 cubic km
of green water and 36.7 km3 of blue water. As the main PDS contributors, the States
exporting the most water through the PDS were Punjab (20.9 km3), Andhra Pradesh (12.6
km3) and Madhya Pradesh (9.9 km3). In addition, 35.8 Mt of non-PDS cereals were traded
between States, corresponding to 45.1 km3 of green water and 17.3 km3 of blue water.
'Green' and 'blue water' refer to the volume of precipitation water that is consumed during
crop production, either from evapotranspiration, transpiration, or incorporated into the
final crop product. The blue water is that withdrawn from ground- and surface-water
sources and consumed during crop production, or incorporated into the final crop product.
―Our findings reiterate the substantial potential for balancing water resources through the
trade of crops in India, either in addition to or in place of large-scale infrastructure
projects,‖ say the authors. The institutions involved in the study were the Kalinga Institute
of Technology, Bhubaneshwar; Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the
Environment, Bengaluru; London School of Hygeine and Tropical Medicine, University
College London and Brandenburg University of Technology, Germany.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/states-with-stressed-groundwater-trade-most-cereals-find-
study/article33255740.ece
Trio of Food Science Doctoral Students First
and Second in Cereals and Grains Contests

Dec. 03, 2020
Rosa Buescher
From left, Rebecca Bruce, Annagret Jannasch and Ana Gonzalez, all doctoral students in food
science, finished either first or second in national contests held by the Cereal & Grains
Association.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Annagret Jannasch and Rebecca Bruce, who are conducting rice
research in U of A's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, recently
finished first and second in a video contest while Ana Gonzalez won first place in a presentation
category.
All three are food science doctoral students and competed in the Cereals & Grains Association
virtual annual meeting student competition.
Jannasch and Gonzalez both work under the direction of Ya-Jane Wang, professor of
carbohydrate chemistry, and Bruce under the guidance of Griffiths Atungulu, associate professor
of food processing and post-harvest system engineering. Wang and Atungulu are members of the
faculty, as well as researchers and scientists with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station,
the research arm of the U of A System Division of Agriculture.
Jannasch's three-minute video presentation was "Limited-Water Parboiling: A Novel and
Sustainable Method to Fortify Rice." Bruce's four-minute video was "Microwave Drying of
Rice."
Their videos can be viewed here.

Micronutrient deficiency disorders are common in predominantly rice-consuming countries,
especially South Asia. Fortifying rice through parboiling has shown to increase retention rate of
nutrients while maintaining acceptable sensory characteristics, but the conventional soaking step
in the process generates large amounts of nutrient-rich wastewater. Without treatment, the
wastewater can lead to nutrient overload in soil. Jannasch developed and evaluated a limited-
water soaking method to fortify rice with minerals and vitamins.
"The results showed that the limited-water soaking method reduced the amount of effluent by 89
percent and the amount of total solids in wastewater by up to 85 percent, on average, while the
uptake of the nutrients were comparable or only slightly lower than the conventional excess-
water soaking method," said Wang. "Therefore, the limited-water soaking method can reduce the
cost of fortification and wastewater treatment without affecting rice quality attributes."
Bruce's study is part of a USDA-NIFA funded Small Business Innovation Research project with
the scope of engineering alternative energy-efficient rice drying systems.
"Rebecca is developing a novel, energy-efficient, material state-gradient controlled, single-pass,
915 MHz microwave-assisted drying technology for freshly-harvested and parboiled rice to
improve energy use, recovery of head rice and preserve overall rice quality," said Atungulu. "The
conventional heated-air rice drying process requires elaborate drying infrastructure and space
footprint, uses fossil fuel, which significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, and
cannot complete drying parboiled or freshly-harvested, non-parboiled rice to safe storage
moisture content in a single pass. The more the drying passes and tempering stages used, the
larger the drying energy input and longer the drying duration within the constraints of limited
rice drying capacity and typical short rice-harvesting 'window.' Rebecca's research is critical to
identify alternative energy-efficient drying technology that can help recover higher head rice
yields and preserve rice quality."
Gonzalez won the Best Student Research Presentation Award sponsored by Megazyme Ltd. in
the Carbohydrates Division. Her research is "Surface Removal Enhanced the Formation of a
Porous Structure in Potato Starch."
Porous starches are attracting attention from both food and pharmaceutical industries because
their adsorption ability can protect bioactive components sensitive to processing and storage
conditions. Porous starches are commercially prepared by digestion of cereal starches with
amylases, but not potato starch. The limited amylolytic digestion of potato starch is attributed to
its absence of surface pores, granules and crystalline structure. Gonzalez's study investigated the
impact of granule surface on potato starch susceptibility to amylases. After the combination of
surface removal and digestion by amylases, a more defined porous structure was observed in
potato starch, which may enhance the degree of binding and hydrolytic activity amylases.
The Cereals & Grains Association Cereals & Grains Association is a global, nonprofit
association of nearly 2,000 scientists and food industry professionals working to advance the
understanding and knowledge of cereal grain science and its product development applications
through research, leadership, education, superior technical service and advocacy. Its goal is to be
the global authority in cereal grain science and technology.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College
provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the
businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human
quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders,
innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former
Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and
international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and
follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.
About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally
competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic
programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied
research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional
disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 3 percent
of colleges and universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News
& World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research
universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and
maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/business/pakistan-japan-discussed-investment-opportuni-1104930.html
About 838,770 tons rice valuing US $ 499.485 million
exported
APP 06 Dec 2020
ISLAMABAD: About 838,770 metric tons of rice valuing US $ 499.485 million exported during
first four months of current financial year as compared the exports of 1,176,228 metric tons
worth US $ 633.797 million of corresponding period of last year.
According the data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, rice exports from the country during the
period from July-October, 2020-21 decreased by 21.19 percent as compared to the exports of the
same period of last year.
During the period under review about 170,729 metric tons of Basmati rice worth US $168.745
million exported as against the exports of 283,458 metric tins valuing 259.099 million of same
period of last year.
The exports of basmati rice during the period under review reduced by 34.87pc as compared the
exports of same period of last year, the data reveled.

However, during last four months, exports of vegetable grew by 20.16pc as about 156,286 metric
tons of vegetables worth US $ 66.554 million exported, which was recorded at 197,596 metric
tons valuing US $ 55.386 million of same period of last year.
registered growth of 5.83 pc as 30,403 metric tons of meat and meat products worth of US $
102.968 million exported as compared the exports of 25,442 metric tons valuing US $ 97.300
million of same period of last year, it added.
It is worth mentioning here that in last four months of current financial year food group imports
into the country grew by 43.49 percent as different food commodities costing US $ 2.272 billion
imported as against the imports of 1.583 billion of the same period of last year.
On the other hand, food group exports from the country during the period review went down by
16.77 percent as it was recorded at US $ 1.331 billion from July-October, 2020 as compared to
US $ 1.359 billion of the corresponding period of last year.

On month on month basis, the exports of food commodities post 13.42 percent reduction in
month of October, 2020 as compared the same month of last year, whereas imports into the
country during the period under review grew by 15.14 percent.
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40037912
838,770 tonnes of rice valuing $ 499.485m exported
APP
December 07, 2020
ISLAMABAD - About 838,770 metric tonnes of rice valuing $499.485 million exported
during first four months of the current financial year as compared the exports of 1,176,228
metric tonnes worth $ 633.797 million of the corresponding period of last year. According to the
data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, rice exports from the country during the period from July-
October, 2020-21 decreased by 21.19 per cent as compared to the exports of the same period of
last year. During the period under review about 170,729 metric tonnes of Basmati rice worth
$168.745 million exported as against the exports of 283,458 metric tonnes valuing 259.099

million of the same period of last year. The exports of basmati rice during the period under
review reduced by 34.87per cent as compared the exports of the same period of last year, the
data revelled. However, during last four months, exports of vegetable grew by 20.16per cent as
about 156,286 metric tonnes of vegetables worth $66.554 million exported, which was recorded
at 197,596 metric tonnes valuing $55.386 million of the same period of last year.
registered a growth of 5.83 per cent as 30,403 metric tonnes of meat and meat products worth of
$102.968 million exported as compared the exports of 25,442 metric tonnes valuing $ 97.300
million of the same period of last year, it added. It is worth mentioning here that in last four
months of current financial year food group imports into the country grew by 43.49 per cent as
different food commodities costing $ 2.272 billion imported as against the imports of 1.583
billion of the same period of last year. On the other hand, food group exports from the country
during the period review went down by 16.77 per cent as it was recorded at $ 1.331 billion from
July-October, 2020 as compared to $ 1.359 billion of the corresponding period of last year.
https://nation.com.pk/07-Dec-2020/838-770-tonnes-of-rice-valuing-dollar-499-485m-exported

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