9th july 2020 daily global regional and local rice e newsletter

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Global Regional and Local Rice News

Krishi Vigyan Kendra conducted one-day training on Sali paddy
under APART
9 July 2020 9:51 AM
A Correspondent TEZPUR: A one-day training on Sali paddy under Assam Agri-
Business and Rural Transformation Project (APART) was organized by Krishi Vigyan
Kendra, Sonitpur in collaboration with International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)at
KVK campus. The Head, KVK, Sonitpur, Dr. Pramod Chandra Deka, welcomed the
farmers and dignitaries on the occasion. Addressing the training programme, Dr. Deka
emphasized proper rice growing and management practices and also about safety
measures to be taken during the current pandemic situation. Vivek Kumar, Specialist,
IRRI, was present as a resource person who thoroughly discussed the APART project, its
aims and objectives. He elaborated about the modern rice management practices right
from nursery bed preparation to harvesting and storage. He also spoke about improved
flood and drought-tolerant rice varieties, various modern machineries related to rice
cultivation, proper timings and doses of fertilizer applications, proper weed management
practices and harvesting techniques. A short interactive session was also held between the
IRRI Scientist, APART staff and Scientists of KVK, Sonitpur regarding different aspects
of agriculture. After this some of the farmers shared their experience on farming. Around
30 farmers participated in the programme. Also watch: #NewsMakers: Dr Satyakam
Phukan in conversation with Oineetom Ojah
https://www.sentinelassam.com/north-east-india-news/assam-news/krishi-vigyan-
kendra-conducted-one-day-training-on-sali-paddy-under-apart-487601
Study flags excess pesticide use by rice, cotton growers in
Punjab, Kashmir
Jul 07, 2020 07:07 AM (IST)

Photo for representation only
Ruchika M Khanna
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 6
A joint study, commissioned by the Indian Council of Agriculture Research, has raised
concern about the high use of pesticides by rice and cotton growers in Punjab. The study
said the use of pesticides was maximum in the Kashmir valley while Punjab ranked
second in north India.
High Use Of Chemicals

 The study took into account the use of pesticides and fungicides in Kapurthala,
Jalandhar, Moga and Muktsar
 These areas were selectedas these account for 20 per cent of area under paddy
cultivation in the state
 Paddy growers were using over 20 types of insecticides and nine herbicides
Rice and cotton growers of Punjab, vegetable cultivators of Jammu and apple growers of
Kashmir were found to be exposed to health risks arising from the application of high
quantities of pesticides, said the study conducted by scientists from Punjab Agricultural
University, Ludhiana; Amity University, UP; and Sher-e-Kashmir University of
Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu. The study, published in ‗Environmental
Management‘, also revealed that the official figures of pesticide use were largely under-
reported.
The study took into account the use of pesticides and fungicides by rice farmers in
Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Moga and Muktsar. These areas were selectedas these account for
20 per cent of area under paddy cultivation in the state. They found that paddy cultivators
applied 20 types of insecticides, five insecticide cocktails and nine herbicides. Some of
these have been categorised as hazardous by the World Health Organisation.
Cultivation of BT cottonin early 2000s had led to introduction of pesticides that are to be
given in low dosage. ―Even low dose of pesticides is extremely potent as their toxicity is
greater than that of organochlorimates and carbonates used earlier,‖ it pointed out.
For cotton, Fazilka, Bathinda and Mansa districts were selected. In all these places,
integrated pest management programmes have been run for many years now, but farmers
continue to use 26 insecticides, three readymade cocktail insecticides, nine fungicides,
besides three fungicide cocktails, five herbicides and two bio-pesticides. Pesticide use by
weight in cotton crop was found to be 2.660 kg per hectare. Pesticides belonging to WHO
Hazard Category II were being used here.
In Kashmir, the gross misuse of pesticide was attributed to the lack of integrated pest
management. Though extremely hazardous and highly hazardous pesticides were not

used for apple, the probable and possible carcinogenic pesticide use was 9.039 kg per
hectare.
Principal investigator of the study Rajinder Peshin told The Tribune that pesticide use in
farming had been declining in late 1990s and early 2000. ―Since 2007, it gained an
upward trend. The study points out that apple is a pesticide guzzler with 25.2 kg of active
ingredient per hectare being used. This is followed by cottonand rice areas of Punjab and
vegetable cultivation in Jammu,‖ he said.
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/study-flags-excess-pesticide-use-by-rice-
cotton-growers-in-punjab-kashmir-109410
Customs intercepts 140 bags of foreign rice concealed
in sand
July 8, 2020 Umar Bayo Abdulwahab Business
The Joint Board Drill Team, Nigeria Customs Service, North Central Zone, Sector 3,
Ilorin has intercepted a tipper which concealed 140 bags of foreign rice in sharp sand,
even as the command said it has seized other goods worth N1.2 billion between May and
July 2020.
The Coordinator of the Joint Board Drill Operation, Comptroller Garba Mohammed,
disclosed this Wednesday while briefing Journalists in Ilorin on the activities of the team
comprising Kwara, Kogi, Niger and Benue states.
He said that the sector during the period under review recorded 225 seizures with no
fewer than 53 suspected smugglers arrested through tracing number plates and way bills.
―One of the most exceptional seizures of interception of a Tipper with Reg. No. ZAR 803
XA Carefully concealed One Hundred and Forty (140) Bags of foreign Rice in Sharp
Sand which you‘ve all seen in the course of taking you round the seized goods. It is
disturbing that some die hard smugglers have also resortedto using Keke Napep to
smuggle rice.

―Within the period under review, a Patrol team comprising of Nigeria Customs Officers,
Nigeria Army, Nigeria Immigration Service, DSS, Nigeria Police Force and other
security agencies raided two warehouses at Abayawo and Ita-Merin areas, both in Ilorin
West Local Government of Kwara State, suspected to stockpile with foreign par boiled
Rice. The two stores were raided and a total of 450 and 224 Bags of foreign Parboiled
Rice of 50kg each respectively were discovered to be smuggled into the State.
―This is evident in seizures recorded by border drill operation sector 3, Ilorin, Kwara
State between May this year till date‖ he said.
Other seizures recorded according to Mohammed included 17,490 bags of foreign
parboiled rice (equivalent to 29 trailers of 600) bags each, 310 Kegs of Vegetable oil, 1
locally made pistol with a live cartridge, 944 Drums of AGO and 3,676 Jerry Cans of
petroleum product of 25 liters each.
Others are 355 bundles of textile materials, 28 bags of foreign fertilizer, 66 cartons of
different brand of beers, 67 units of vehicles, 78 motor cycles and one keke Napep, 15
sacks of used shoes and 360 tubers of yam, all valued at N1,207,223,380.00.
―It will be recalled that late last month, the Patrol team covering the Babanna axis of the
Sector in Niger State, intercepted two Mitsubishi Canter with Reg. No XA-241-WEL and
XC-166-SUL respectively loaded with 54 drums of smuggled petrol with a duty paid
Value (DPV) 1.9 Million with two suspects,‖ he added.
https://www.blueprint.ng/customs-intercepts-140-bags-of-foreign-rice-concealed-in-sand/
Rice import duty cut may hurt Aman farmers
Yasir Wardad | Published: July 08, 2020 19:47:54 | Updated: July 09, 2020
09:26:57
The government's decision to reduce duty on rice import could hurt Aman
farmers during the harvesting time, said insiders.
They put emphasis on higher procurement from domestic sources as well as
limited import through government channel.

The food ministry on Tuesday revealed that it would reduce rice import duty
from the last week of this month.
The current duty on rice import is now nearly 65 per cent.
The decision came as millers were not providing rice to government
warehouses at fixed rate of Tk 35-36 a kg.
Food secretary Dr Mosammat Nazmanara Khanum, said a decision has been
taken to deduct rice import duty to bring rice from external sources.
But we will observe the condition until the last week of July whether
government warehouses are getting rice from millers or not, she said.
However, the Food Directorate (DGoF) have procured 0.34 million tonnes of
the staple till July 5.

The target is 19.5 million tonnes by August 31, according to the procurement
division of the DGoF.
The government has a 0.9 million tonnes of rice storage now which was 1.37
million tonnes in the corresponding period of last year.
However, rice prices are static for last one week but it has increased by Tk
2.0-3.0 a kg in a month.
Coarse rice was selling at Tk 42-45, medium quality at Tk 48-54 and finer
variety at Tk 55-65 a kg, according to the state run Trading Corporation of
Bangladesh.
The current price of coarse rice is 16-18 per cent higher now than that of last
year, TCB records showed.
Agri economist and a value chain expert Prof Golam Hafeez Kennedy, said
farmers got some profits this Boro season after long two years.
He said seasonal Brridhan-28 variety of paddy started selling at Tk 750-780 a
maund which is now minimum Tk 920 a maund.
He said despite having all odds and natural calamities, farmers are now busy
for Aman farming after getting handsome prices in Boro.
The government should now provide all logical supports and incenti ves to
farmers to maintain a sound production of rice in this Aman season, he said.
He said any kind of opening of market for imported rice could discourage
farmers in Aman cultivation.
He said if imports start incessantly from August prices of the staple could
drop severely during the Aman harvesting season from November to January.
He said easy import could affect government's ambitious target of 15.6
million tonnes of rice production in Aman season.
Import could only be permitted for now if production dr ops in Boro season, he
said.

But government is demanding that Boro production was above 20.0 million
tonnes, he said.
Prof Abdul Hameed, chairman of Agrarian Research Foundation, Bangladesh
(ARF), told the FE that withdrawal of import duty hardly could hel p the
government getting rice at cheaper rates.
He said global rice prices (parboiled) are now hovering between $380 -475 a
tonne which is 18-20 per cent higher than a year ago.
He said Indian Swarna-5 or Guti Swarna varieties will cost minimum Tk 36 -
Tk 37 a kg if the existing 65 per cent duty on rice import is withdrawn.
The price is higher than the current mill-gate prices in Bangladesh, he said.
So, sourcing from the global sources is now not a good solution, he said.
"Rather it could give the millers opportunity to reduce prices of paddy
drastically during harvesting season", he said.
He said the government should develop a 5.0 million tonnes of strategic
foodgrain bank following the pandemic to tackle any odd condition.
Paddy should be purchased from farmers and should be preserved at their
home if government warehouses have shortage of storage, he said.
"And in that way, there will be no problem of high moisture on paddy", he
said.
Bangladesh Auto Major Husking Mill Owners Association secretary K M
Layek Ali, said prices of paddy have surged notably in last one and half
months as many rich farmers and seasonal traders are stockpiling paddy for
more benefits.
He said they will be forced to release the produce with beginning of Aus
harvest next month which could help easing prices of rice.
He said government should now import rice only through government channel
for the betterment of farmers.

Rice import was almost zero in the just ended financial year (FY'20) which
was 0.41 million tonnes in FY'19.
The country imports all time high 4.0 million tonnes of rice in FY'18, mostly
from India, according to the food ministry
tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com
https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/economy/rice-import-duty-cut-may-hurt-aman-
farmers-1594216074
Gov’t aid for farmers continues
July 8, 2020 | Filed under: News |
: Tempo Desk
SENATOR Cynthia Villar said the government will continue to fund its assistance
programs for local farmers amid the continued importation of rice and the COVID-19
pandemic.
Villar, in her statement on Monday, said there is no need for additional cash for the Rice
Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) since the Rice Tariffication Act already
guarantees an annual P10-billionbudget.
The chair of the Senate Agriculture and Food Committee was commenting on the P8-
billion fund requested by the Department of Agriculture (DA) for its Rice Resiliency
Project amid the coronavirus outbreak. The Department of Budget and Management
released to the DA last April the requested fund, which included an allocation for
―enhanced RCEF‖.
―The RCEF does not need any additional budget allocated from the COVID-19
prevention,‖ Villar said.
She noted that the DA, aside from the RCEF, has a separate National Rice Program,
which has yearly a P7 billion budget for buying fertilizer and hybrid seeds.
The Republic Act 11203, enacted last year, mandates the provision of an annual P10-
billion budget to the RCEF for six years from the tariffs collectedfrom rice imports.

The RCEF shall be used to help farmers compete with imported rice, by giving them farm
equipment, inbred seeds, low-interest credit, and training. The RCEF is expected to aid in
lowering the cost of local rice.
―This cheaper supply of rice from our own rice farmer helps lower rice prices for Filipino
consumers,‖ Villar said. (Vanne Terrazola)
http://tempo.com.ph/2020/07/08/govt-aid-for-farmers-continues/
US lobby group calls for full taxes on all Cambodian rice
Sorn Sarath / Khmer Times
Cambodian rice being prepared for export to international markets. KT/Chor Sokunthea
Cambodian rice exports to the US could face full tariffs after a lobby group called for the
imposition of full tariffs on the crop.
Currently, the Kingdom‘s rice enjoys some tax-protection under what is known as the
Generalised System of Preferences (GSP)-eligible commodities list.
However, lobbyists USA Rice last month provided virtual testimony to the US
International Trade Commission (USITC) in support of removing Cambodian rice from
the list.
It submitted a petition to the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) in March
advocating for the removal of rice from the list of GSP-eligible commodities. The
petition has since moved forward into the formal review process, including a concurrent
analysis by the USITC.
USA Rice said most developing countries are eligible for duty-free access for parboiled
rice only. However, all rice from the ―least developed countries‖ such as Cambodia and
Myanmar, is eligible for duty-free access into the US.
Lun Yeng, secretary-general of the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) said the move will
not strongly affect Cambodia rice because the country sends a tiny amount of rice to the
US market.

When they remove rice from the GSP-list, we will pay the full tax, but it will have a
small impact on us because we export only about 2,000 tonnes a year to the US market.
That is a small amount,‖ he said.
Yeng said for more than 10 years so far, Cambodia rice exports to the US have not
exceeded more than 2,000 tonnes a year.
―In our plan as a private sector body, we are pushing rice exports to the US but it is still
slow compared with other markets because of the higher cost of transportation and we
cannot compete with Thai rice that has been in the market for a long time with exports of
about 500,000 tonnes per year to the US market,‖ he said.
The US has long provided GSP benefits to developing countries, providing duty-free
access for thousands of imports to help them grow their economies. For Cambodia, only
travel-related products have been granted full duty-free status under the GSP.
Yeng said according to the World Trade Organization (WTO) framework, tariffs on rice
exports under the GSP in some certain countries are between 85 percent and 180 percent,
far higher than garment and textile products. Without the GSP, the product could see
tariffs imposed up to 300 percent.
The GSP programme is set to expire on Dec 31 unless it‘s reauthorised by Congress.
Rice grower organisations representing the six major rice-growing US states signed a
joint letter with their corresponding state farm bureau organisations lending their support
to the USA Rice petition.Cambodia‘s rice sector officially lost its import duty exemption
granted by the EU in January 2019 after the bloc decided to impose tariffs on imports
from the Kingdom and Myanmar to protect European rice farmers‘ interests. That loss
comes into effect on Aug 12.Cambodia‘s milled-rice exports increased 42 percent to
397,660 tonnes, valued at $264.5 million, in the first half of this year from the 281,538
tonnes inthe same period last year.
Rice exports to the EU increased by more than 45 percent. To China they rose by 25.2
percent. Other Asean members increased Cambodian rice imports by about 47.7 percent.
Other market destinations surged by 79.26 percent.Cambodia expects to export between
800,000 tonnes to 1 million tonnes of milled rice this year.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50743069/us-lobby-group-calls-for-full-taxes-on-all-
cambodian-rice/

US rice waits its turn with China, while other commodities
benefit
07/08/20 6:35 AM By Bill Tomson
KEYWORDS CHINA CORN PHASE
ONE RICE SORGHUM SOYBEANS USDA WHEAT
U.S. rice farmers are still waiting for China to begin importing U.S. rice, and optimism is
strong despite years of disappointments.
The optimism comes primarily from the fact that China pledged to buy U.S. rice when
both countries signed the U.S.-China Economic and Trade Agreement, but trepidation
persists after years of China backing away from actual trade and the rising political
animosity between the two countries over COVID-19 and Hong Kong.
Still, Beijing has so far been following through with most of what the Chinese promised
to do under the trade pact — also known as ―phase one‖ — and that is fueling the belief
that in the coming months China will actually become a buyer of U.S. rice.
China lifted trade restrictions on U.S. beef and pork, removed bans on U.S. barley,
blueberries and avocados, and increased the pace of imports of soybeans, corn and wheat.
These actions all provide evidence that China is trying to make "phase one" work.
On Thursday, Chinese importers committed to buy 202,000 metric tons of U.S. corn and
126,000 tons of U.S. soybeans for delivery in the 2020-21 marketing year. That same
day, USDA‘s Foreign Agricultural Service released its latest weekly data for June 19-25,
showing physical exports of 144,300 tons of corn and 125,400 tons of sorghum to China.
Chinese importers also contracted to buy 76,800 tons of sorghum and 594,000 tons of
soybeans.
On Tuesday, FAS reported export sales of 264,000 metric tons of soybeans for delivery
to China during the 2019/2020 marketing year and export sales of 204,000 metric tons of
corn for delivery to China during the 2020/2021 marketing year.
There were no net sales or exports reported for rice, but those could come soon, said says
Peter Bachmann, vice president of international trade policy for the USA Rice
Federation.

―In the ‗phase one‘ agreement, they committed to purchasing U.S. rice,‖ Bachmann
told Agri-Pulse. ―They didn‘t say whether that was going to be through state trading
enterprises or private importers, but we assume and hope that it will be a mix of both at
some point. We want to make sure they follow through on that commitment.‖
Exactly how much rice China committed to buy in the trade pact is unknown. Neither
country has let slip the amounts of any of the commodities that China has agreed to
purchase under ―phase one.‖
But before that happens, U.S. rice farmers are looking for more signs that China is
serious about its commitments. The country has already liftedits ban on U.S. rice and
approved milling and storage facilities, technically throwing open its border to U.S. rice,
but the trade just isn‘t happening.
The first sign U.S. rice farmers are now waiting for is confirmation that China has
scrapped its subsidies for domestic rice and wheat farmers. That won‘t make it easier to
sell rice to China, but it is expected to remove unfair Chinese competition from the
international and even domestic markets in the U.S.
China promised major reforms to the WTO as well as the U.S. directly in ―phase one,‖
but it‘s still unclear if that has happened. China presented its reforms to setting floor
prices for domestic producers to the WTO dispute panel on June 29 — the day before the
deadline. The U.S. has 20 days to verify China‘s claims, and U.S. government officials
tell Agri-Pulse that review is taking place.
―It‘s distorting the world market when they‘re shipping rice so cheaply,‖ Bachmann said.
―They‘re only exporting about 3 million metric tons right now, but it‘s coming into the
U.S. through Puerto Rico. There‘s roughly 65,000 tons of milled medium grain rice
coming in every year from China at much lower than market prices because of their
subsidies.‖
China‘s subsidies are just as much of a concern to the U.S. wheat sector, says U.S. Wheat
Associates spokesman Steve Mercer.
The group ―continues to watch for changes to the Chinese government‘s minimum wheat
procurement prices,‖ Mercer said. ―We do not think that the policy changes they
announced … put the government in compliance with their WTO obligations yet, and the
resulting supply pressure on U.S. wheat prices continues to cost our farmers hundreds of
millions of dollars each year.‖

The second big breakthrough U.S. rice farmers are watching for is China to follow
through with its promise to transform its tariff rate quota process. The Chinese pledged
nearly 20 years ago as part of their deal to join the World Trade Organization to buy
massive amounts of foreign rice through TRQs, but the country has been manipulating
the opaque process for years.
China has until early October to change the way it runs its rice TRQ by preventing big
government-owned companies from hoarding the quota allocations.
―If they don‘t reallocate and let the private guys bring in rice, then there‘s very little
opportunity,‖ Bachmann said. ―That‘s how (China) has gotten around bringing in rice
from a variety of origins they don‘t want to do business with.‖
But China does import a lot of rice, and the primary route of entry for U.S. rice is
expected to be expensive hotels and restaurants that cater to customers who are willing to
pay more for quality, according to an analysis by FAS officials in Guangzhou.
The primary channel for selling U.S. rice "is initially expected to be through medium- to
high-end restaurants, especially Japanese style restaurants and niche grocery retailers
looking to capitalize on the cachet of U.S. rice,‖ according to the FAS report. ―Pending a
favorable consumer response, U.S. rice could expand its presence into more mainstream
retail and online platforms. Imports of U.S. rice are expected to come packaged for both
retail and (hotel, restaurant, and institutional) use.‖
Interested in more coverage and insights? Receive a free month of Agri-Pulse or Agri-
Pulse West by clicking here.
But before that happens, private Chinese rice buyers need be assured Beijing is OK with
them buying from the U.S. Possibly the best evidence of that is a sale last year that was
paused after political tensions flared up between the U.S. and China.
Ken LaGrande, Sun Valley Rice
The privately owned Chinese company Shenzen Yintuo agreed last summer to buy
medium-grain, Calrose rice, from the California-based Sun Valley Rice, but the sale was
never finalized and the rice never sent.

―The sale was agreed upon,‖ Sun Valley CEO and owner Ken LaGrande told Agri-Pulse,
―but then it was pending for import permission that never materialized. Technically, I
guess you could say we still have an order on the books, but I‘m not holding my breath.‖
It turned out that it was poor timing for the sale. Just a month later, the trade talks
between the U.S. and China unraveled, followed by both sides hitting each other with
new tariffs.
It‘s been months since the U.S. and China signed off on the ―phase one‖ deal in January
and implementation in February, but there‘s still no rice trade, and there likely won‘t be
until Beijing gives the final nod.
―We could sell at any point,‖ Bachmann said. ―It‘s really a matter of when the
government makes the first purchase. They‘ve got to take the first step before private
importers are going to import rice. They‘re probably waiting for our new crop rice to be
available. They want to see what pricing looks like this fall and hoping prices come down
from where they are right now.‖
Eight Cambridge researchers join European molecular
biology pantheon
Eight Cambridge researchers – six from the Universityof Cambridge and two from
the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology – are among 63 scientists from around
the worldelectedthis year as members and associate members of the European
Molecular BiologyOrganisation(EMBO).
EMBO membership honours distinguished scientists who have made outstanding
contributions to the life sciences and the hall of fame includes 88 Nobel Laureates. It is
an international organisation of life scientists, which has more than 1800 members
electedby peers.
Members can actively participate in EMBO‘s initiatives by serving on the organisation‘s
council, committees and editorial boards, participating in the evaluation of applications
for EMBO funding, acting as mentors to young scientists in the EMBO community and
advising on key activities. EMBO‘s administrative headquarters are in Heidelberg,

Germany.
Here‘s a rundown on the Cambridge eight:
Bertie Göttgens is Professor of Molecular Haematology, deputy director of the Wellcome
MRC Stem Cell Institute and a member of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre
Haematological Malignancies Programme.
His research group studies how transcription factor networks control the function of
blood stem cells, and how mutations that perturb these networks cause leukaemia.
Professor Kathryn Lilley is Director of the Cambridge Centre for Proteomics, Department
of Biochemistry, Milner Therapeutics Institute, and a member of the CRUK Cambridge
Centre Cell and Molecular Biology Programme. Her research aims to interrogate how the
functional proteome correlates with complexity.
Dr Serena Nik-Zainal is a CRUK Advanced Clinician Scientist at the University‘s MRC
Cancer Unit and honorary consultant in clinical genetics at Addenbrooke‘s Hospital.

Serena‘s research combines computational and experimental approaches to understand
cellular changes and mutational processes that lead to cancer and age-related disorders.
Giles Oldroyd is Russell R Geiger Professor of Crop Science at the Sainsbury Laboratory
and director of the Crop Science Centre. Giles is leading an international programme of
research that attempts to achieve more equitable and sustainable agriculture through the
enhanced use of beneficial microbial associations.
Uta Paszkowski is Professor of Plant Molecular Genetics at the Department of Plant
Sciences. Uta leads the Cereal Symbiosis Group, which investigates the molecular
mechanisms underlying formation and functioning of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbioses
(beneficial interactions between roots of land plants and soil fungi) in rice and maize.
Anna Philpott is head of the School of Biological Sciences, Professor of Cancer and
Developmental Biology, and member of the CRUK Cambridge Centre Paediatric Cancer
Programme. Her research group at the Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute
studies the balance between proliferation and differentiation during development and
cancer, using a range of models.
Dr Chris Tate is research leader at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology. The
research in Chris‘ lab focuses on understanding the structure and function of the major
cell-surface receptors in humans that are targeted by 34 per cent of marketed small
molecule drugs.
Dr Marta Zlatic is research leader at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology. Marta‘s
lab combines connectomics with physiology and behavioural analysis, in the tractable
Drosophila larval model system, to discover the fundamental principles by which brains
generate behaviour.
https://www.businessweekly.co.uk/news/academia-research/eight-cambridge-researchers-
join-european-molecular-biology-pantheon
Milking algae mechanically:Progress to succeedpetroleum
derived chemicals
SHINSHU UNIVERSITY

IMAGE: MICROGRAPH OF ALGAE
CREDIT: MASAKI IHARA PH.D., INTERDISCIPLINARY CLUSTER FOR
CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES,
SHINSHU UNIVERSITY
Algae holds a lot of untapped potential for use in industry. So far algae has provided
invaluable nutrition in the health food sector but has struggled to be competitive against
petroleum-derived chemical production. Algae is favorable to petroleum from an
environmental standpoint but the production cost of culturing, collecting, extracting and
refining adds up to make it too expensive for practical use. There is a need to improve
production efficiency to reduce the cost of algae derived products in order for them to be
a viable alternative to petroleum-derived products.
A research team led by Alice Uchida and Masaki Ihara of Shinshu University succeeded
in developing a method of cultivating microalgae by solving three issues of cultivation;
collection/recoveryof compounds and extraction/purification of products with this new
method. First, it was necessary not to kill the algal cells during extraction. By preserving
the algae, there is no need to cultivate and multiply the algae. Secondly, the algae they
chose naturally gather together for ease of collection. Thirdly, the compounds wanted for
harvest; polysaccharides (carbohydrates) and phycobiliproteins are released outside of the
algae and bound to the cell surface. There is no need for a solvent for extraction or
purification, dramatically simplifying and decreasing the cost of processing. This non-
destructive continuous milking system is a practical and effective method of algae-
derived chemical production.
In the beginning of the study, the researchers struggled to find a type of algae that could
withstand mechanical shearing. They were not sure such an algae existed. However, after
an extensive search, they were able to find the Tolypothrix filamentous cyanobacteria and
were able to cultivate it continuously for 2 years with little cell damage despite
mechanical shearing of the compounds bound to the cell surface. They grew the algae in
non-sterile agricultural water and performed 87 day milking cycles which yielded 90 to
140 mg/L of extracellular carbohydrates every 3 weeks. Phycobiliproteins are currently in
demand for food additives and cosmetic applications.

The Ihara lab hopes to enable petroleum-based products to be replaced by algae-derived
products that inflict less strain on the environment. In order to do so, algae production
needs to happen on a much, much larger scale. He continues to look for tough algae that
can survive in a variety of environments. He hopes to be able to collaborate with
researchers from a variety of fields including fermentation engineering, chemical
engineering, polymer chemistry- specifically algal biomass conversion technology,
environmental and forest conservation studies in order to study the effects of large-scale
algae culture on the environment.
The realization of a post-petroleum societywould cause the landscape to be altered,
similar to how rice cultivation changed the landscape of Japan through the introduction of
rice paddy fields. Although the researchers are optimistic about the future potential of
algae, they proceed with caution to consider all the potential effects of change
https://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-07/su-mam070820.php
ADD FRUIT, VEGGIES AND GRAINS TO DIET TO
REDUCE TYPE 2 DIABETES RISK BY 25%, STUDIES
SAY
Adding about a third of a cup of fruit or vegetables to your daily diet could cut your risk of
developing type 2 diabetes by 25%, while higher consumptions o...
Posted: Jul 8, 2020 10:08 PM
Posted By: CNN
Adding about a third of a cup of fruit or vegetables to your daily diet could cut your risk
of developing type 2 diabetes by 25%, while higher consumptions of whole grains such
as brown bread and oatmeal could cut the risk by 29%, according to two new studies
published Wednesday in the journal BMJ.

The studies add to the growing database of literature that shows a healthier diet of whole
grains, fruits and veggies -- along with regular physical activity, no smoking and
maintaining a healthy weight -- can significantly impact your risk of developing the
deadly disease.
Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in 2016, according to the World Health
Organization, and is a "major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke and
lower limb amputation."
Some 463 million adults between the ages of 20 and 79 years were living with diabetes in
2019, according to the International Diabetes Federation. That number is expected to rise
to 700 million by 2045.
Objective look at fruits and veggies
Most studies use questionnaires to quiz study participants about what they ate and when,
which leaves most nutritional studies subject to the vagaries of human recall.
But a group of European researchers used an objective measurement -- a composite score
of blood biomarkers of vitamin C and carotenoids (the richly coloredpigments of yellow,
red and green on fruits and vegetables) -- to measure the amount of fruits and veggies
eaten.
The study compared nearly 10,000 adults with new-onset type 2 diabetes to a group of
nearly 14,000 adults who remained free of diabetes. All were participating in the
European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-InterAct study that
took place in eight European countries.
There was a 25% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes for every 66 extra grams of
fruit and vegetables eaten each day, the study found.
That's not much -- just over 1/3 cup of either fruits or veggies.
"The public health implication of this observation is that the consumption of even a
moderately increased amount of fruit and vegetables among populations who typically
consume low levels could help to prevent type 2 diabetes," the study said.
"It should be noted that these findings and other available evidence suggest that fruit and
vegetable intake, rather than vitamin supplements, is potentially beneficial for the
prevention of type 2 diabetes."

Whole grains good, except popcorn
The second study used questionnaires to measure the whole grain intake of more than
158,000 women and nearly 37,000 men taking part in the Nurses' Health Study, Nurses'
Health Study II, and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. All three studies have been
following the health of Americans free from diabetes, heart disease and cancer over long
periods of time.
Foods and ingredients considered whole grains were: whole wheat and whole wheat
flour, whole oats and whole oat flour, whole cornmeal and whole corn flour, whole rye
and whole rye flour, whole barley, bulgur, buckwheat, brown rice and brown rice flour,
popcorn, amaranth and psyllium.
Results showed that eating two or more servings a week of oatmeal was associated with a
21% lower risk of diabetes, a 15% lower risk for added bran and a 12% lower risk for
brown rice and wheat germ, when compared to eating less than one serving a month.
There was a 19% lower risk of diabetes with eating one or more servings a day of whole
grain cold breakfast cereal and a 21% lower risk for the same amount of dark bread,
again compared to eating less than one serving a month.
These statistics held true even after adjusting for body mass index and other lifestyle and
dietary risk factors for diabetes, the study said.
On average, people who ate the most whole grains -- around four to six servings a week -
- had a 29% lower rate of type 2 diabetes than those who ate none or less than one
serving a month.
On a daily basis, reductions in risk plateaued at about two servings a day for total whole
grain intake, and a half a serving a day for whole grain cold breakfast cereal and dark
bread.
One grain, however, had a negative effect: popcorn. The study found an increased rate of
type 2 diabetes with eating one or more servings of popcorn a day. The effect occurred
only when a full serving of 1 cup or more was eaten.
While popcorn, as a whole grain, has relatively high amounts of fiber and fills us up, the
researchers pointed out that Americans often eat their popcorn with lots of salt and butter,
and sometimes sugar or cheese, which can lessenits healthy properties. In addition, most
Americans don't pop from a whole grain but purchase "ultraprocessed" versions that are
microwaved, home popped, or ready to eat.

https://www.waaytv.com/content/news/571684602.html
High Blood Pressure Could Soon Be Treated With a
Genetically Modified Rice
By Mary Moore | Published on July 8, 2020
Reviewed By Gilmore Health | On: July 8, 2020
Researchers have developed a genetically modified rice to treat hypertension without the
undesirable side effects of Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, a treatment
commonly used for people with hypertension.
Rice
High blood pressure is the most common chronic disease in the US, affecting one in three
adults. As the first preventable cause of stroke, hypertension is characterized by
abnormally high blood pressure in the blood vessels and, when it occurs uncontrollably,
is a major cause of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative complications
(heart attack, stroke, Alzheimer‘s disease…).
Read Also: Working More Than 41 Hours Increases the Risk of Hypertension
Commonly prescribed treatments for hypertension include angiotensin-converting
enzyme inhibitors (ACE), which dilate blood vessels and lower blood pressure. However,
there are many undesirable side effects (headache, dry cough, dizziness, drowsiness,
swelling of the face, mouth, and throat, etc.).
A food for treating high blood pressure without side effects
Researchers are now in the process of genetic modification of rice, one of the most
consumed foods in the world, to introduce several Antihypertensive Peptides. Their work
has been published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Specifically, they
have introduced a gene consisting of nine ACE inhibitory peptides and one vasodilator
peptide into rice plants.
By testing their innovation in hypertensive rats for 5 weeks, researchers discovered that
this genetically modified rice significantly reduced hypertension without causing
undesirable side effects. ―For a person weighing 68 kg, you would only need to eat half a

tablespoon of this rice a day to prevent and treat hypertension,‖ they wrote. Although this
discovery is spectacular, it requires further research, especially into the human organism.
Age and lifestyle
Hypertension is a silent disease that affects more people of advanced age: less than 10%
of patients are between 18 and 34 years old, compared with more than 65% after the age
of 65. It is estimated that half of the people with hypertension would not know it.
According to the CDC, aging favors the loss of elasticity of the arteries, which is ―the
first unalterable risk factor. But other risk factors are determined by habits or lifestyles
that can be modified: obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, high consumption of salt, tobacco,
and alcohol.
https://www.gilmorehealth.com/high-blood-pressure-could-soon-be-treated-with-a-
genetically-modified-rice/
Truckers Cite Corruption, Distress At Pakistan-Afghanistan
Border
July 07, 2020
 Farhad Shinwari
 Abubakar Siddique
Pakistani and Afghan truck drivers say that going through the Torkham border crossing
connecting northeastern Pakistan with eastern Afghanistan in the historic Khyber Pass is
now an obstacle course.
KHYBER PASS, Pakistan – Truckers hauling cargo from Pakistan into Afghanistan
though the main border crossing between the two countries have complained of bribes,
long delays, and harassment by police and transport union officials.
In interviews with Radio Mashaal, several Pakistani and Afghan truck drivers say that
going through the Torkham border crossing connecting northeastern Pakistan with
eastern Afghanistan in the historic Khyber Pass is now an obstacle course that frequently

results in stress and a loss of both business and time.
Muhammad Iqbal Afridi is one among the hundreds of drivers who frequently cross at
Torkham as part of the more than 1,800-kilometer journey from the southern Pakistani
seaport city of Karachi to the Afghan capital, Kabul. He says they are tormented by a
recent government decision that forces truckers to make a stop at a terminal in Bara,
some 50 kilometers from Torkham. Bara and Torkham are towns in the western Khyber
district, which is named after the historic Khyber Pass, a historic trade route and invasion
path.
Afridi has been waiting at Bara‘s Akkakhel terminal for more than two weeks for the
authorities to allow him to take his haul of sugar, flour, and cement into Afghanistan.
―Everyone is forced to wait endlessly,‖ he told Radio Mashaal. ―There is nowhere for us
to sleep or rest in the scorching heat. We are just forced to try to survive in the shadow of
our trucks.‖
Muhammad Gul, an Afghan trucker, has been waiting for three weeks. With his container
truck of rice, Gul reached Bara on June 18. He frequently wipes the sweat from his face,
visibly agitated about the delays in crossing into Afghanistan.

―How can we protect ourselves from the coronavirus when we don‘t have soap or water?
It is very difficult to stay away from others in this crammed space where we stay for days
or weeks,‖ he told Radio Mashaal. ―Truckers who pay bribes are allowed to go through.
Our rights are being violated. Someone needs to sort this mess out.‖
Traders in the region say cumbersome border protocols have reduced the number of
trucks crossing daily from 800 earlier this year to around 200. This has also resulted in
decreasing custom revenues for Islamabad, according to reports in the Pakistani media.
But officials in Khyber district deny they are harassing truckers or forcing them to make
bribes. Mazhar Afridi, a senior police official in Khyber, says that based on an
understanding with Afghan officials they are allowing only 200 trucks to pass through
Torkham daily.
―If presented with evidence, we will prosecute any police officers, transport union
officials, or truckers who are involved in giving or taking bribes,‖ he told Radio Mashaal,
alluding to a recent directive by the head of police in Khyber district.
Torkham is the largest of several border crossings along the more than 2,500-kilometer
Durand Line, the 19th-century demarcation that forms the border between the two restive
neighbors. To prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Islamabad closedits border with
Afghanistan in March. But by late June, Pakistani officials said they had reopened three
major border crossings with Afghanistan.
Meanwhile in Chaman, a border crossing connecting Pakistan‘s southwestern Balochistan
Province with southern Afghanistan, traders and activists are protesting border
restrictions. Their monthlong sit-in protest demands the complete reopening of the border
to restore hassle-free trade with Afghanistan, which is the mainstay of the economy in the
arid region.
Abubakar Siddique wrote this story based on Radio Mashaal correspondent Farhad
Shinwari’s reporting from Khyber, Pakistan.
https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/truckers-cite-corruption-distress-at-pakistan-afghanistan-
border/30712380.html
Annual Louisiana Board Meetings Go the Social Distance
By Kane Webb

LAKE CHARLES, LA -- Mid-summer for Louisiana rice farmers has typically been
marked by attending the annual Louisiana State University (LSU) rice field day at the H.
Rousse Caffey Rice Research Station in Crowley, Louisiana. The Research Station also
serves as the ideal venue for both the Louisiana Rice PromotionBoard's and Louisiana
Rice Research Board's members to conduct mid-year meetings to continue in their
mission of advancing the rice industry for Louisiana's rice farmers.
Due to restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Field Day event
went virtual. To adhere to social distancing guidelines, the state's Rice Promotion Board
and Rice Research Board met on different days in a larger venue at the Acadia Extension
Office Research Station with the option for members, guests, and presenters to participate
virtually.
On June 26, the Promotion Board heard reports on the success of the ongoing "Start with
Rice" campaign, along with a USA Rice update on domestic and international
promotions. USA Rice staff including President & CEO Betsy Ward; Michael Klein,
vice president of communications and domestic promotion; and Sarah Moran, vice
president international, joined the meeting virtually since making the trip to southwest
Louisiana wasn't possible this year.
"We always appreciate the opportunity to share results of the work we do on behalf of the
country's rice farmers," said USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward. "This year,
especially, when so much of the nation's economy has been slowed or even shutdown,
America's farmers never stopped. USA Rice followed that lead by adapting our
promotion and research activity funded, in part, by your hard-earned check-off dollars."
The Board unanimously voted to renew its contract with the USA Rice Council.
On July 1, the Research Board met in the same manner to hear updates on the Tariff Rate
Quota program with Colombia, various research committee assignments, reports from
LSU Rice Research staff, and a presentation by USA Rice's Dr. Steve Linscombe on the
work being done by The Rice Foundation and the Rice Leadership Class.

The Louisiana Research Board joined the Arkansas, California, Mississippi, and Texas
research boards in approving funding for research being conducted at the station,
including work done by Dr. Adam Famoso and graduate student Raul Guerra to identify
qualitative and quantitative factors to facilitate breeding new rice varieties for important
Latin American markets.
"Things were definitely different this year," said PromotionBoard Chair John Owen who
farms near Rayville. "We all look forward to getting together at the Research Station,
typically in large numbers, although the large number this year wasn't quantity, but
distance - six feet to be exact. The one thing that didn't change, however, was the
continued support and confidence in USA Rice by Louisiana's rice farmers."

US rice waits its turn with China, while other commodities
benefit
07/08/20 6:35 AM By Bill Tomson
KEYWORDS CHINA CORN PHASE
ONE RICE SORGHUM SOYBEANS USDA WHEAT
U.S. rice farmers are still waiting for China to begin importing U.S. rice, and optimism is
strong despite years of disappointments.
https://www.agri-pulse.com/articles/14022-us-rice-waits-its-turn-with-china
Rice assessment cap vote under way in California
California rice growers and handlers are being asked to vote on an assessment hike to
cover the growing costs to the California Rice Commission of administering the waste
discharge requirements program as ordered by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality
Control Board.

California rice industry is asking growers, handlers vote on an assessment hike to cover
waste discharge requirement costs administered by the California Rice Commission
Todd Fitchette | Jul 07, 2020
A second round of ballots were recently mailed to California rice growers by the state
Department of Food and Agriculture on an increased assessment cap. That vote is asking
growers and handlers to approve a requested hike from 15 to 20 cents per hundredweight
in the assessment cap and will be split evenly between handlers and growers.
Ballots must be returned to the CDFA by Aug. 3.
The industry must vote in sufficient numbers to qualify the initiative, or the entire process
will need to be repeated. This means at least 40 percent of eligible handlers and producers
representing at least half of California rice acreage must cast a ballot. It also means that
of those voting, at least 65 percent of those votes must be affirmative for the increase to
take place.
The California Rice Commission has told growers at various grower meetings that the
increased cost of administering the rice waste discharge requirements, and associated
regulatory costs necessitates the increased assessment.
All information provided in the ballots is kept confidential.
https://www.farmprogress.com/rice/rice-assessment-cap-vote-under-way-california
Drought forces Australia to import rice or risk empty shelves
Bloomberg | Updated on July 08, 2020 Published on July 08, 2020

This season, like almost 90 per cent of Australian rice growers, Rob Massina decided to
skip planting the grain on his land near the tiny town of Jerilderie, about four hours north
of Melbourne.
For the president of the Australian Ricegrowers Association, low water allocations and
years of severe drought meant conditions were too dry to sow the crop on his property at
the southern end of the Murray-Darling Basin.
A lot of the towns in this part of the world have been built on rice, said Massina. It‘s a
way of life for the southern Riverina and it has currently got its challenges, he said,
referring to the name of the local region.
Australian rice planting and output have slumped more than 90 per cent since the 2017-
18 season. Its national 2019-20 crop is expected to be 57,000 tonnes, the second-smallest
output on record and the lowest since the 2007-08, according to a June report from
government forecaster Abares.
Supply gap

Though Australia has always been reliant on imports for certain varieties that can‘t be
grown locally, like Basmati, its supermarkets may be entirely without local supplies by
the end of 2020, according to Rob Gordon, chief executive of SunRice, which buys about
98 per cent of domestic output and supplies local and export markets. The company has a
global appetite for about 1.4 million tonnes a year, meaning Australian production is
meeting only a sliver of that demand.
We‘re already supplementing from Thailand and Cambodia, Gordon said, for fragrant
and long grain rice. As we start running out of domestic supply of our other varieties, we
will start opening up supply chains from elsewhere around the world. We are bringing in
rice from Uruguay at the moment, he said by phone.
Rice represents only a tiny fragment of Australia‘s agriculture industry, and the country is
a small player in global trade. However, shrinking supplies of locally grown rice were
thrown into focus earlier this year when Covid-19 panic buying saw shoppers strip
grocery shelves of everything from rice to flour and pasta.
The government has reassured residents that their food supply is secure— the country of
25 million produces enough food for 75 million and imports only 11 per cent of food and
drink by value — but rice remains a gap in domestic production.
That could create issues amid global food protectionism as governments start trimming
exports in order to shore up domestic supply, Gordon said.
―I believe strongly in international trade but of course during Covid, we saw in April the
Vietnamese borders closedto rice exports and they are about the third-largest exporter of
rice in the world. We saw India not shut its borders, but with a lockdown of its population

they were unable to export large volumes of rice, and they are the biggest exporter. And
we saw Cambodia and Myanmar follow Vietnam‘s lead,‖ Gordon said. It just puts more
risk there.
Water Policies
Gordon and Massina cite government water allocation policies in the Murray-Darling
Basin as a key issue for the future security of production, with rice often less profitable
than other crops and therefore less likely to be planted.
When water does become available, the first priority on his mixed-enterprise farm has to
be the livestock, said Massina. For other producers, almonds and other horticultural
products have taken priority over rice.
Government forecaster Abares said in June water allocations vary from year to year
based on seasonal conditions and farmers can choose how to use them.
In May, Abares described Australian rice production as highly variable and opportunistic,
based on agricultural prices and water availability, and said international trade is a good
way to meet consumer preferences. Current low production is not a cause for food
security concern, as the world has ample supplies and any protectionism is likely to be
short-lived, it added.
Introducing domestic market interventions and failing to support open trade would
disadvantage consumers, and could prejudice Australia‘s market access negotiations for
other agricultural products, Abares said.

With early rainfall, prospects are better for the next growing season. Massina will later
this year look at water availability and decide whether to plant a rice crop. Overall, he
said the future of the Australian rice industry will depend on whether Australian
consumers want Australian rice on supermarket shelves.
We‘re getting down to the bottom of the cupboard in terms of Australian rice supplies, he
said.
Published on July 08, 2020
export and import
rice (commodity)
Generic 1st 'RR' Future
12.14
For a fresh perspective on the stories that matter for Australian business and
politics, sign up for our new weekly newsletter.
This season, like almost 90% of Australian rice growers, Rob Massina decided to skip
planting the grain on his land near the tiny town of Jerilderie, about four hours north of
Melbourne.
For the president of the Australian Ricegrowers‘ Association, low water allocations and
years of severe drought meant conditions were too dry to sow the crop on his property at
the southern end of the Murray-Darling Basin.

―A lot of the towns in this part of the world have been built on rice,‖ said Massina. ―It‘s a
way of life for the southern Riverina and it‘s currently got its challenges,‖ he said,
referring to the name of the local region.
Australian rice planting and output have slumped more than 90% since the 2017-18
season. Its national 2019-20 cropis expected to be 57,000 tons, the second-smallest
output on record and the lowest since the 2007-08, according to a June report from
government forecaster Abares.
Read More: Australia‘s Water is Vanishing
Though Australia has always been reliant on imports for certain varieties that can‘t be
grown locally, like Basmati, its supermarkets may be entirely without local supplies by
the end of 2020, according to Rob Gordon, chief executive of SunRice, which buys about
98% of domestic output and supplies local and export markets. The company has a global
appetite for about 1.4 million tons a year, meaning Australian production is meeting only
a sliver of that demand.
―We‘re already supplementing from Thailand and Cambodia,‖ Gordon said, for fragrant
and long grain rice. ―As we start running out of domestic supply of our other varieties,
we‘ll start opening up supply chains from elsewhere around the world. We‘re bringing in
rice from Uruguay at the moment,‖ he said by phone.
Rice represents only a tiny fragment of Australia‘s agriculture industry, and the country is
a small player in global trade. However, shrinking supplies of locally grown rice were
thrown into focus earlier this year when Covid-19 panic buying saw shoppers strip
grocery shelves of everything from rice to flour and pasta.
Rice Drought
Australian planting and production has slumped amid water shortages
Source: Abares
^estimate
The government has reassured residents that their food supply is secure -- the country of
25 million produces enough food for 75 million and imports only 11% of food and drink
by value -- but rice remains a gap in domestic production.

That could create issues amid global food protectionism as governments start trimming
exports in order to shore up domestic supply, Gordon said.
―I believe strongly in international trade but of course during Covid, we saw in April the
Vietnamese borders closedto rice exports and they are about the third-largest exporter of
rice in the world. We saw India not shut its borders, but with a lockdown of its population
they were unable to export large volumes of rice, and they are the biggest exporter. And
we saw Cambodia and Myanmar follow Vietnam‘s lead,‖ Gordon said. ―It just puts more
risk there.‖
Water Policies
Gordon and Massina cite government water allocation policies in the Murray-Darling
Basin as a key issue for the future security of production, with rice often less profitable
than other crops and therefore less likely to be planted.
When water does become available, the first priority on his mixed-enterprise farm has to
be the livestock, said Massina. For other producers, almonds and other horticultural
products have taken priority over rice. ―What the water-policy setting seems to be doing
is favoring water going to only the very highest return, which is almonds at the moment,‖
said Gordon.
Government forecaster Abares said in June water allocations vary from year to year
based on seasonal conditions and farmers can choose how to use them.
In May, Abares described Australian rice production as ―highly variable and
opportunistic,‖ based on agricultural prices and water availability, and said international
trade is a good way to meet consumer preferences. Current low production is not a cause
for food security concern, as the world has ample supplies and any protectionism is likely
to be short-lived, it added.
Read More: Rice Giant India‘s Exports to Rise as Drought Hits Thai Output
―Introducing domestic market interventions and failing to support open trade would
disadvantage consumers, and could prejudice Australia‘s market access negotiations for
other agricultural products,‖ Abares said.

With early rainfall, prospects are better for the next growing season. Massina will later
this year look at water availability and decide whether to plant a rice crop. Overall, he
said the future of the Australian rice industry will depend ―on whether Australian
consumers want Australian rice on supermarket shelves.‖
―We‘re getting down to the bottom of the cupboard in terms of Australian rice supplies,‖
he said.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-07/drought-forces-australia-to-
import-rice-or-risk-empty-shelvesBasmati Rice Market Grows with Surge in Export
Basmati Rice Market Grows with Surge in Export Demand
July 8, 2020
Gayathri Arvind
In 2018, the European Union slapped import restrictions on Indian rice exports. It was
due to the traces of fungicide in the Basmati rice above the permitted limits. But this year,
export demand has increased despite the lockdown.
Increase in Both Domestic and Overseas Demand
Trade with Iran halted in 2018 because of US sanctions in the country. But Mr Gurnam
Arora the joint managing director of Kohinoor Foods Ltd, said that the new markets in
the far east and Saudi Arabia have compensated for the loss of trade in Iran. The lack of
demand has affected a lot of sectors during the pandemic. But fortunately, the basmati
rice industry has seen an increase in both the overseas and domestic market. According to
Mr Ashok Sethi, the director of Basmati Exports Association, Punjab exports 20 lakh
tonnes out of India‘s total 40 lakh tonnes of exports. He said that this would increase to
23-24 lakh tonnes.
Export Demand Spikes Basmati Rice Market
Demand Pushes Prices Up
High demand, low carry overstocks and the weakened rupee have pushed up the prices of
Basmati rice by up to 10%. Mr Gurnam Arora also stated that the increase in prices was
due to the sudden emergence of demand from the domestic as well as international

market.
Increase in Exports Despite Lockdown
There has been a marked increase in export orders despite the lockdown when it comes to
this sector. Some attribute it to the slow resurgence in the restaurant industry after the
relaxation of the lockdown. Despite the increase in the orders, the shortage of labour due
to the pandemic has slowed down exports.
Note that the increase in demand and prices will benefit both farmers and exporters of
Basmati rice in India.
https://www.grainmart.in/news/basmati-rice-market-grows-with-surge-in-export-demand/

FCI has highest rice, wheat stock since 2005. Modi govt
continuing legacy of bad economics
It is clear from the rising stock of rice and wheat that the government has been buying more from
farmers than what it requires during a pandemic.
VIVEK KAUL 8 July, 2020 5:54 pm IST
An employee inspects a godown of Food Corporation of India (FCI) where rice bags are
being stored during the nationwide lockdown | PTI file photo
How did the Food Corporation of India come about holding such massive stocks of rice
and wheat? As of June 2020, the FCI had 832.69 lakh tonnes of rice and wheat in stock.

This is considerably more than what the FCI needs to maintain, as both operational as
well as strategic stock — 210.40 lakh tonnes as of 1 April every year, which goes up to
411.20 lakh tonnes as of 1 July.
The current stock of rice and wheat is the highest that the FCI has
maintained since 2005. The last time the stocks were near such high levels was in June
2012, when the total amount of rice and wheat in the godowns of the FCI was 823.17
lakh tonnes.
Procurement of rice and wheat by the FCI and other state agencies on behalf of the
government has gone up over the years. In June 2016, the total stock of rice and wheat
with the FCI stood at 534.29 lakh tonnes. This increased to 555.40 lakh tonnes in June
2017, 680.25 lakh tonnes in June 2018, 741.41 lakh tonnes in June 2019, and now 832.69
lakh tonnes in June 2020.
The FCI and other state procurement agencies buy rice and wheat directly from the
farmers all over India at a minimum support price (MSP) announced by
the central government. While the government announces an MSP for 23 different crops,
it primarily buys rice and wheat. It has started buying some pulses lately as well.
Rice and wheat are bought mainly to be distributed at a highly subsidised price through
the public distribution system (PDS), more popularly known as ration shops, to meet the
requirements of food security.
A legacyof excess buying
Given the fact that stocks of rice and wheat have gone up over the years, it is clear that
the government has been buying more from farmers than what it requires to meet the
needs of food security.

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This excess procurement is an excellent example of bad economics that all
Indian governments, and not just the current one led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
have practised. However, the excess procurement has helped the government distribute
free rice, wheat and pulses in these tough times of a pandemic. Recently,
the Modi government extended the free distribution of ration under the Pradhan Mantri
Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana until November 2020.
Sceptics may see this as a move to influence the voters in the Bihar state assembly
election scheduled later this year, and that might be the case, but distributing rice and
wheat for free in these tough times is a good idea.
So, does that mean that the government was right in all the excess procurement over
the past few years? Not really. In economics, there are seen effects and then there are
unseen effects. The seen effect here is that the Modi government ended up storing much
more rice and wheat than what was required and then was able to distribute those
once the coronavirus pandemic struck.
The unseen effect here is that the government ended up spending a lot of money in
buying rice and wheat, which it couldn‘t use elsewhere. That money could have been
easily spent on public health infrastructure, which India so badly lacks.
Moreover, between April and November 2020, a total of 320 lakh tonnes of rice and
wheat will be distributed for free through the public distribution system. Despite this, the
FCI will continue to have excess stock of rice and wheat. Hence, it makes sense to
continue the free distribution beyond November. The FCI typically tends to divert old

stock for other purposes such as ethanol production and feed. It is better to distribute the
excess stock among the people in need than use it for other purposes.
Fixthe lacunae
India‘s excess procurement policy needs a relook. It incentivises farmers to
produce more rice and wheat than what the country requires. As the Economic Survey of
2015-16 had pointed out: ―Public procurement at MSP has disproportionately focused on
wheat, rice and… perhaps even at the expense of other crops such as pulses and oilseeds.
This has resulted in buffer stocks of paddy and wheat to be above the required norms, but
also caused frequent price spikes in pulses and edible oils.‖
Another thing the government must look into is the disproportionate focus on certain
states when it comes to excess procurement. More than 95 per cent of paddy farmers In
Punjab and close to 70 per cent in Haryana are covered under procurement operations.
This encourages them to grow rice in what is largely a semi-arid area, resulting in
depletion of groundwater levels.
In comparison, only 3.6 per cent of paddy farmers in Uttar Pradesh, 7.3 per cent in West
Bengal and 1.7 per cent in Bihar, the other major rice-producing states, are covered under
procurement operations. This is like the government promoting inequality across
different states and it needs to end. The procurement operations in other
states must improve.
But all these measures can be effective only under a robust agricultural marketing
system, which India currently lacks.

Vivek Kaul is the author of Bad Money. Views are personal.
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Govt to import rice as price unchanged
Wednesday, July 8, 2020
Staff Reporter :
Despite different initiatives taken by the government, prices of all kinds of rice are still
high across the country adding to woes of the consumers during the Coronavirus
pandemic.
Vendors alleged that prices of the rice have increased due to manipulation of the mill
owners and the wholesalers.
As part of the government's measures, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder held a
meeting with the traders and mill owners through video conference recently. After the
meeting, the Minister directed all the Divisional Commissioners to supervise the rice
markets closely.
He has also directed the Director General of the Food to catagorise rice mills as A, B and
C to evaluate the millers.
But no measures have yet brought any success to control the rice markets. As a result, the
government has decided to import rice by reducing import duty to keep the rice price
stable and to prevent price manipulation.
The Food Minister on Tuesday said that there has been a bumper production of crops this
year and farmers are getting fair prices. "If the rice market is destabilised despite this and
the millers make delay in supplying rice to government warehouses defying deals with
them, the government will import rice, if necessary, by reducing import duty," Sadhan
Chandra said, according to a ministry press release.
http://m.thedailynewnation.com/news/257310/govt-to-import-rice-as-price-unchanged
MRF Steps into Rice Market to Stabilize Rice Price
ByMyanmar Business Today
July 8, 2020

အအအအအအအအအ အအအအအအအအအ အအအအအအအအအအအအအအအအ
Myanmar Rice Federation will sell rice from the state rice reserve to retail rice selling
shops in an attempt to stabilize rice prices.
They will sell a rice variety called Lone Shae/Aemahta at the price of K1000-1,100 per
bushel. Currently, it is sold around K10,00-1,500 in the market.
The federation will sell a 108 lb bag of rice at K22,800 to retailers, who can buy up to
200 bags a time. Retailers who want to buy rice will have to apply to the federation filling
the forms it released. In addition to retailers, factories with a large number of workers can
also apply for it.
Consumer Departments will inspect the selling process to make sure there is no monkey
business.
The government and federation purchased 25 percent well-milled and polished rice from
rice exporters in late April and early May, to secure food security of the country amid
COVID-19.
https://mmbiztoday.com/mrf-steps-into-rice-market-to-stabilize-rice-price/

Impact on Kingdom‘s rice unclear as US mulls tariffs
May Kunmakara | Publication date 08 July 2020 | 23:00 ICT
A man stacks sacks of rice at a warehouse in Phnom Penh last year. The US is deciding
whether to remove rice from its Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) programme as
growth in imports is affecting US farmers. Hong Menea
The US is deciding whether to remove rice from its Generalised System of Preferences
(GSP) programme as growth in imports is affecting US farmers.
It is unclear at the moment how such a move would impact Cambodia. Although the
Kingdom is technically not a GSP recipient, it receives duty-free access as a least-
developed country (LDC).
USA Rice Federation (USA Rice), a global advocate for all segments of the US rice
industry, testifiedat the US International Trade Commission (USITC) hearing late last
month, supporting the removal of rice from a list of eligible commodities under GSP.

USA Rice said the US has long provided GSP benefits to developing countries, providing
duty-free access, though it is only for parboiled rice.
For LDCs like Cambodia and Myanmar, all rice is eligible for duty-free access into the
US.
USA Rice submitted a petition to the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) in
March, which has since moved forward into the formal review process.
―US rice continues to face adversity in export markets where domestic industries claim
import-sensitivity and use tariffs and non-tariff barriers to entry.
―It is time to acknowledge that US-grown rice is also import-sensitive and therefore we
respectfully request the removal of GSP benefits for rice imports,‖ the petition said.
Information seen by The Post on Wednesday said as part of the 2020 Annual Review for
modification of the GSP programme, the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) has
decided to accept certain product petitions for review.
―USTR accepted the petition to remove rice products from GSP. It‘s under consideration.
USITC held a hearing on whether rice should be removed.
―USITC will submit a confidential report to USTR by August 31. USTR is expected to
issue a ruling on or before October 31, and becomes effective on or before November 1,‖
the TPSC said.
It said the countries affected are Thailand, India, Pakistan, Brazil, Vietnam, Argentina
and Cambodia.
Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) president Song Saran said as an emerging market for
rice exports, he will organise a meeting to deal with the issue.
―We will have a committee meeting on this. We have been supplying mostly organic
jasmine rice and special aromatic rice to Asian communities in the US.
―It would surely have an impact on exports to the US considering that we are an LDC
country and our competitiveness is still low. I ask the US to consider putting Cambodian
rice in the GSP. It would be a boon for our small farmers,‖ Saran said.

He said Cambodia exported around 2,000 tonnes of jasmine rice to the US last year and
2,000 tonnes in the first six months of this year. ―The volume may be small but it has an
impact for small farmers growing jasmine rice,‖ he said.
Ministry of Commerce spokesman Seang Thay told The Post that Cambodia has never
received GSP from the US for rice. ―Presently, we only get GSP on travel goods which
will expire by the end of this year,‖ he said.
Cambodia‘s milled-rice exports gained 41 per cent to 397,660 tonnes in the first half of
this year from the 281,538 tonnes shipped in the same period last year, data from the
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said.
Contact author: May Kunmakara
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/impact-kingdoms-rice-unclear-us-mulls-
tariffs
Vietnamto increasericeexportsto EU under EVFTA
09-Jul-2020 Intellasia | VNS | 6:02 AM
Rice quotas for Vietnam under the EVFTA are expected to push Vietnam‘s rice exports
up from the second half of this year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade
(MoIT).
Under the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) effective from August 1, the EU
pledges to provide an annual rice quota of 80,000 tonnes to Vietnam and completely
liberalise trade in broken rice. After three to five years, tariffs on rice products will be
slashed to zero per cent.
Tran Thanh Hai, deputy director of MoIT‘s Import and Export Department, said that in
2019, Vietnam had a modest value at $10.7 million from rice exports to the EU because
of high import tariffs in this market.
At present, the EU‘s import tariffs for Vietnamese rice is 175 euros ($198) per tonne of
milled rice, 65 euros per tonne of broken rice and 211 euros per tonne of paddy.

―The rice quotas of 80,000 tonnes to Vietnam according to the commitments in the
EVFTA is an opportunity for Vietnam to enhance its rice exports to this market, which
has annual demand of about 2.5 million tonnes of rice,‖ Hai told the Hai quan (Customs)
newspaper.
Meanwhile, the EU also sets a range of conditions for those quotas such as origin
certificates on Vietnamese rice. The rice exported to EU must have authenticity
certificates issued by Vietnamese authorities.
To take advantage, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the
MoIT are compiling a draft decree guiding the registration process for certificationof rice
categories exported to the EU to submit to the government for approval.
According to this draft, eligible rice varieties exported to the EU must meet Vietnam‘s
technical standards and regulations on quality, region cultivating rice varieties, and
processes of harvesting, preserving, grinding, milling and packaging rice.
Pham Thai Binh, general director of the Trung An High-tech Agriculture Joint Stock
Company in Can Tho City, said Vietnamese rice reaching those requirements to enter the
EU with low tariffs would help Vietnam increase its rice exports in the future.
―When the tariff for Vietnamese rice is reduced to zero per cent, it gives local rice
products more advantages in competing with rice from Cambodia and other countries in
the EU market,‖ Binh said.
The agriculture sector expects to significantly increase exports of many key products
until 2025 thanks to the EVFTA, such as rice (up 65 per cent), sugar (8 per cent), pork (4
per cent), forest products (3 per cent), and cattle and poultry meat (4 per cent).
However, those products must overcome many trade barriers of the EU, such as technical
barriers on origin, product quality and intellectual property protection.
Therefore, experts said that local farmers and businesses in the agriculture sector have to
improve production capacity and product quality, find export markets and build brands
for agricultural products.
In the long term, strict regulations on quality standards for exported Vietnamese
agricultural products, including rice, would force the agriculture sector to undertake
comprehensive restructuring in production and business.
According to MARD, Vietnam earned $1.71 billion from exporting nearly 3.5 million
tonnes of rice in the first half of this year, up 17.9 per cent in value and 4.4 per cent in

volume year-on-year. In June alone, 409,000 tonnes of rice worth $207 million was
shipped abroad.
The Philippines was the top buyer between January and May, importing 1.3 million
tonnes of Vietnamese rice worth $598.6 million, or 40 per cent of total rice exports. They
were up 23 per cent in volume and 42 per cent in value from a year earlier.
During the first five months, markets to which the value of rice exports enjoyed the
strongest year-on-year growth were Senegal (18.3-fold), Indonesia (2.9-fold), and China
(2.3-fold).
Meanwhile, rice export prices increased 13 per cent from the same period last year to
average $485 per tonne
https://www.intellasia.net/vietnam-to-increase-rice-exports-to-eu-under-evfta-792440
Agri-tech project in PH resumes at 90%
capacity
By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora July 8, 2020, 7:38 am
Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian

MANILA – The Philippine-Sino Center for Agricultural Technology - Technical Cooperation
Program Phase III has resumed at 90 percent capacity, the Chinese Embassy in Manila said
Tuesday.
"Ninety percent of the Chinese and Filipino staff are now working on the program that has
resumed (at) 90 percent capacity, with no confirmed case," the embassy said in a statement. "On
February 5, they had a conference to plan out the prevention and control measures. Since then,
they have adjusted the working plan, adopted flexitime schedules, taken the stringent
management over the on-site staff, provided all the staff with sufficient anti-pandemic supplies,
and sanitized the site on a daily basis."
The program was launched in October 2018 to boost the country's palay (unhusked rice)
production.
It is jointly implemented by the Department of Agriculture, the Central Luzon State University,
and the Yuan Longping High-tech Agriculture Co., Ltd.
Since the start of the project, the embassy said at least 1,334 Filipino trainees were given on-site
technological training, including hybrid rice seeding, cultivation, and mechanical transplanting.
Over the past three cropping seasons, the program has also cultivated 5,960 pieces of breeding
materials with improved crop traits, 3,239 test mating pairs, and 1,958 heterosis combinations
and finally selected 58 hybrid heterosis combinations and nine combinations with high yields,
good quality, and high resistance.
The program has established techno-demo farms with a total area of 34 hectares in Tarlac,
Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, and Davao Oriental, cultivating five varieties of hybrid rice.
"So far, it has produced a total of 18,000 hectares of hybrid rice, increased the yield by 21,000
tons, and brought benefits to over 9,370 households," the embassy said.
The statement came after a virtual conference between Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian and
the Philippine-Sino Center for Agricultural Technology on Tuesday. (PNA)
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1108259
Organic formula to raise rice yield by 40%

Agricultural expert says new method helps save water
Our CorrespondentJuly 09, 2020
LAHORE:
Agricultural experts claim that through the use of an organic liquid formula, the rice
yield per acre is likely to increase by 30% to 40%.
An expert , Syed Babar Ali Bukhari, told The Express Tribune that to increase the
production per acre of rice in Pakistan and reduce the production cost, the Super
Basmati variety has been cultivated in different districts of Punjab with the help of the

organic liquid formula whose yield is noticeably more than that of a normally
cultivated crop.
He said the use of the formula increases production by 30 to 40%. “The water
requirement of the crop also drops to less than half,” said Bukhari.
He maintained that the formula developed by him is being used successfully in
different crops.
"Hundreds of acres of rice crop has been cultivated in different parts of Sindh and
Punjab by our experts through this non- traditional method,” he said.
He highlighted that traditionally, after plowing the field, it is watered and the land is
prepared with the help of a tractor and then seedlings are cultivated in the water.
“But we have not done that this time. We watered the field with very little water and
after that, when the soil softened, the field was plowed six-inch deep. Then the organic
liquid is applied in the fields and after that seedlings are sown in the semi-dry soil that
is later watered,” said the agricultural expert.
Agronomist Mohammad Rafique said the size, height and colour of the seedlings
grown in this way in three weeks are much better than the normally grown seedlings.
“It doesn't even need much water,” he said.
However, he maintained that in Sindh, a lot of water is used for the cultivation of
seedlings. Rafique says the organic formula has saved both fertiliser and water.
Agricultural experts claimed that the rice crop grown with the formula is protected
from diseases and the size of rice is longer with added fragrance. It is also rare for the
rice to break during processing, they said.
"We need to bring innovation in traditional farming methods and adopt new methods
to increase our yield per acre," Rafique added.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2253994/organic-formula-to-raise-rice-yield-by-40

Pakistan faces 1.4m wheat shortfall
Decrease in yield likely to aggravate flour crisis in coming months.
Zafar BhuttaJuly 09, 2020
A Reuters file image.
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan is facing a shortfall of 1.4 million tons of wheat because of a decrease in yield,
a development that is set to aggravate the existing flour crisis in the coming months.
The Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA) was informed about the impending crisis
during a meeting held on Wednesday to review the Khareef season.

The wheat production target last year was set at 27 million tonnes. This year, there is a
shortfall of 1.4 million tonnes and 79.95% procurement target has been achieved.
Speaking during the meeting, Federal National Food Security and Research Minister
Syed Fakhar Imam stressed the need to increase wheat production.
“We need a breakthrough in high-yield wheat variety through genetic engineering,” he
added.
“Our country has the best irrigation system which is not being used properly. Wheat is
grown on 36% of the country’s cultivated area.”
Food Security Commissioner Dr Waseem informed the participants of the meeting that
after many years, the country had exceeded the chickpea production target at 540,000
tonnes.
“This year, there will be saving of Rs87 million as there will be less chickpea import,”
he added.
The potato production this time is 4.43 million tonnes against 4.4 million tonnes last
year. Balochistan recorded a bumper crop of tomato this year.
Imam said there was a need to increase the production of oil seeds (sunflower, canola,
rosehip and mustard).
The Indus River System Authority representative informed the participants of the
meeting that there would 9% more water available for Khareef season this year.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) representative said Potohar and
Kashmir region would receive heavy rainfall in the next three months that could be
devastating for crops.
The State Bank representative told the meeting that 95% target of agriculture credit
would be achieved this year.
The rice production target is 7.9 million tons this year, maize 6.7 million tons, moong
lentil 140,000 tons and black (mash) lentil 10,300 tons.
The food security commissioner asked the participants to update participants about
status of last year’s FCA meeting decisions.

The official of the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSC&RD)
said they was working on mechanism for the production of lentils and fodder seed in
Balochistan and met with three companies in the province.
A representative from Balochistan informed the participants that the provincial
agriculture department was working on it and needed support from the FSC&RD.
A mechanism for delegating FSC&RD powers to provinces to inspect seed at
distribution level was It was also discussed.
The PMD said weather forecast was provided to farmers on a daily basis.
Dr Falak Naz, the DG of the Department of Plant Protectio, briefed the meeting about
white fly insecticide products.
Imam said white flies were becoming resistant to insecticides so more sophisticated
products were needed.
The federal minister also directed the authorities concerned to create awareness
among growers about the international protocols for the export of fruit and vegetables.
Govt to rent out 4 lakh flats to migrant workers
By FPJ Bureau
PM Modi

New Delhi
The Union Cabinet took a slew of decisions on Wednesday including the ones aimed at
benefiting the urban migrants and the poor. The steps will bring a positive change in the
lives of many people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said. Referring to the move to
approve development of Affordable Rental Housing Complexes for urban migrants and
poor that will make housing available at an affordable rent, he said a house is not just a
boundary wall made of brick and mortar.
The government will rent out 1.08 lakh flats of one room, built in ARHCs, in cities like
Mumbai and Delhi to migrant labourers and students. It has also approved construction of

more such complexes to rent out another 3 lakh flats to those coming from rural areas and
small towns for better opportunities. "This is where our dreams take shape and our
aspirations take flight. Today, important decisions of the cabinet will bring positive
changes in the lives of many people," he said in a series of tweets in Hindi.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Anna Yojana, free foodgrains and pulses will be given
to 81 crore PDS beneficiaries for five months till November. This will address the
concerns of the poor and empower them during the coronavirus crisis, said the PM.
PMGKAY scheme was initially rolled out for three months till June to ensure no poor
goes hungry during the COVID-19 crisis. Under the scheme, five kg of wheat or rice and
one kg of pulses per month are being provided free of cost.
The Prime Minister had announced that the scheme will be extended till November end in
his recent address to the nation.
https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/govt-to-rent-out-4-lakh-flats-to-migrant-workers

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