18th May, 2015 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Daily
Global
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
Rice E-Newsletter
May 18 , 2015
V o l u m e 5, Issue I
Who actually owns Basmati?

MAY 16, 2015 BY MUHAMMAD UMER SALEEM BHATTI
According to a couple of news items published recently in an English weekly and an Urdu daily
respectively, India has been successful in getting the Basmati brand of Rice registered in its
name in the Indonesian market, whereas it should have been Pakistans prerogative to register it,
because Basmati belongs to Pakistan.Let us just not be investigative about the veracity of the
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news items and try to understand what the real issue is, because the claim of ownership of
Basmati between India and Pakistan has been in the news now for many years and thus far there
is no clear verdict as to who really owns the Basmati; Pakistan, India or both.Owning Basmati
here means that any of the two countries can register it as an exclusive product of their country,
because it is produced in a particular region, having a particular quality, reputation and
characteristics of that region, which bring Basmati or any other such product under the definition
of Geographical Indication (GI).
The claim of Basmati ownership as GI between India and Pakistan is in litigation both in
Pakistani and Indian courts
GI is covered under the scope of World Trade Organisations (WTO) agreement on Trade
Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and if it is established that a particular
product falls under the definition of GI, the country or region producing that product can claim it
as its intellectual property and may not allow any other country to use the same name or
reputation, because it may create confusion among the consumers as to what is the real origin of
this particular product.The claim of Basmati ownership as GI between India and Pakistan is in
litigation both in Pakistani and Indian courts.
According to The Financial Times (January 2015) Basmati Growers Association (BGA) in
Pakistan have Basmati GI tag partially registered in their country and a litigation was going on in
a Pakistan court between them and Indias APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products
Export Development Authority) over the GI tag given to Basmati rice from Pakistan. BGA has
also appealed against granting of GI tag to Indian Basmati rice in Intellectual Property Appellate
Board (IPAB) of India. BGA was of the view that Basmati is a name for a slender, aromatic and
long grain variety of rice grown in the specific geographical area at the foothills of the
Himalayas in Pakistan.On the other hand, APEDA had filed an application with the GI Registry
of India to register the name Basmati for rice covering Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal
Pradesh, Uttarakhand and part of Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Interestingly, the conflict of owning the registration of Basmati is not just between India and
Pakistan, but it also exists within these countries as well.According to Rice Exporters
Association of Pakistan (REAP), the government of Pakistan, and not the REAP or Basmati
Growers Association (BGA) or any other private body, should own the Basmati as GI. REAP is
of the view that by giving the GI right of Basmati to any association, it may monopolise it which
will be uncompetitive and that particular association may also manipulate the prices as per its
wishes.
BGA is of the view that the registration of Basmati as GI is the sole prerogative of the growers
(400 growers approximately in this case), because the concept of GI is area specific and
principally it is the grower which should be given the right as basmati is grown in a particular
region and the farmers or growers belong to a particular region not the exporters.Pakistan doesnt
have any GI law as yet and protects the GI under Trademarks Ordinance 2004. It is noteworthy
here that under Collective Mark provision of Trademarks Ordinance, any private body can apply
for registration of any GI be it Basmati or any other.
As Pakistan is a responsible member of WTO and TRIPS in this case, all the matters
related to disputes are brought in the WTO by a country and not by any association
As per Trade Mark Registry of Pakistans (TMR) standpoint, this problem of Basmati ownership
as GI may never be resolved, because naturally, everyone would like to establish its own
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monopoly and reap all the profits coming out of the export of Basmati in the long run. One
should think of the related negative externalities coming out of it, which are really damaging the
countrys economy.
Anyway, going about it in a rational way, the Basmati should be registered under Certification
Mark Regime (mentioned in Trademark Ordinance 2004) and there should be a Certifying
Authority, which can be Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) or Trading
Corporation of Pakistan (TCP). TDAP and TCP have their presence all over the country and
everyone claiming the right of Basmati should get a certificate of verification from them, which
has now even become the prerequisite in some countries that import Basmati.
The TMRs standpoint sounds plausible as far as the concept of Basmati is concerned. It can also
be said that growers also enjoy the priority rights, but again at the end of the day, the product
would be monopolised and there would be no end to this dogfight. There would be cartels and
monopolies and then Competition Commission would be stepping in and so on.Furthermore, as
Pakistan is a responsible member of WTO and TRIPS in this case, all the matters related to
disputes are brought in the WTO by a country and not by any association. So, later on problems
coming out of the claim of Basmati as GI from any other country, like India, can easily be
pursued by the country itself in WTO.
http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2015/05/16/comment/who-actually-owns-basmati/
Working on the Basics

By Kasturi Ray I Bhubaneswar
Published: 18th May 2015 06:00 AM
Last Updated: 15th May 2015 11:20 PM
it in laboratories, research fields or farmlands, women play an important role in rice production
in Odisha. Particularly, women scientists who have been associated with rice research institutes
like Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Rice Research Institute (ICAR-CRRI),
Cuttack. They conduct backbreaking research in fields related to the crop and apply the same in
fields to boost the crop yield in the 69 per cent of cultivated area and about 63 percent of the total
area under food grains cultivation in the State.
Being the staple food of the State, Odishas economy is directly linked with improvements in
production and productivity of rice in the State. Though research is not an area preferred by
youngsters particularly women who graduate from the State agriculture universities and
colleges, there are a few who have opted to get into research due to their passion for the field and
satisfaction involved though the results could take years to come by. These few have been in the
field for long and proved their mettle setting new trends for youngsters to emulate.
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Young researchers working in the lab at CRRI|PICs: Shamim Qureshy
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Pic courtesy: M Tracy Hunter
Research is a long process and youngsters these

days want to earn fast without having to wait.
Research therefore should be taken up by people
who are ready to go that extra mile and do the hard
work and wait for years to get the result, says
Meera Kar, principal scientist, crop improvement
division at CRRI, Cuttack. She also talks about the
challenges in conducting research which gets
doubled with issues that women face managing the
home.
Explaining about breeding a new rice variety, Meera, the only woman rice breeder in the State
says, the ultimate aim of any breeding programme is to develop varieties superior to existing
ones, with respect to yielding ability, grain quality, resistance/tolerance to biotic and abiotic
stresses or any other characteristics as per the breeding objective.It takes about five-six years to
develop a superior breeding line, depending on the duration of the line. For commercial
utilisation, the superior breeding lines have to be released as varieties by either the Central or
State variety release committees.
The newly developed breeding lines are evaluated for their performance in multi-location trials
conducted by All India Coordinated Rice Improvement Project (AICRIP) for three years. Then
the superior lines, which show outstanding performance over existing varieties for three
consecutive years are identified by Variety Identification Committee (VIC) and subsequently
released and notified by either the Central or State variety release committee, she says.Meera
does not have any fixed timings at the institute.
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We come even on holidays, early mornings and late in the evenings, not because of
compulsions but because our work demands us to take care of what we are working on, she
explains.The process in breeding for developing a variety is also not easy. It begins with
hybridisation, growing the F1 to F6 generations (several combinations of cross-breeding)
followed by selection, preliminary yield trial and seed increase of superior lines, AICRIP Trials
(Initial Variety Trial-Advanced Variety Trial I-Advanced Variety Trial II), Identification by
Variety Identification Committee (VIC) and finally release and notification by either the Central
or State variety release committee, says the 50-year-old scientist, who has completed her PG and
PhD from Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar in Plant Breeding and
Genetics.
She has been the recipient of eight gold medals as topper of the batch in BSc (Ag) and MSc (Ag)
from Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology and received gold medal for outstanding
group performance in Field Experience Training awarded by National Academy of Agricultural
Research Management, Hyderabad in 1995.Her current area of research includes resistance
breeding for multiple insect pests and diseases, breeding rice for higher resource use efficiency,
development of super rice for different ecologies, development of high-yielding varieties for
rain-fed shallow lowlands and using socio-economic approaches, mechanism and transfer of
technologies for sustainable rice productionShe has been trained at International Rice Research
Institute, Philippines as well. She has bred seven high-yielding rice varieties for various
ecologies of rice which include CR Dhan 303, CR Dhan 304, CR Dhan 305, CR Dhan 301, CR
Dhan 306, CR Dhan 205, CR Dhan 206 (Gopinath). Lipi Das, Senior Scientist, Division of
Social Sciences, has been associated with CRRI since 2000 after qualifying through Agriculture
Research Service (ARS).
A PhD from Benaras Hindu University, Lipi feels, it is very important for women to get into
research particularly in the field of agriculture, as most farm work these days is done by women.
Unless we make them understand our new implements, seeds, technology and demonstrate it to
them, how will they benefit? As a woman, I am at an advantage to make them listen to me and
convince them, says Lipi who uses gender sensitive approaches to rice farming and
participatory extension research apart from women entrepreneurship development.As most of the
manual drudgery in the field is still handled by women, an action research was undertaken in
Sankilo village of Nischintakoili block of Cuttack district by Lipi and her team.A Womens
Development Group named Ananya Mahila Bikash Samiti was mobilised with 30 farm women.
Suitable rice production technologies were demonstrated to the group and they were given
training and taken on exposure visits, apart from supporting them with continuous technical
back-stopping and establishing value chains with two private companies for marketing of rice
and rice-based value-added products to ensure greater economic benefit for the women.
The farm women were competent enough to manage both their farm and home efficiently. They
could be efficient drivers of national agricultural growth and development, if they can be made
socially-empowered and technologically competent through gender sensitive approaches, says
Lipi. She had also been in a project to identify gender issues in technology generation and
adoption in rice-based production systems. We had conducted a study in five rice growing
districts, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Balasore, Bargarh and Ganjam of Odisha. An on-farm trial was
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conducted to evaluate selected drudgery-reducing implements with the participation of 30 farmwomen in rice-based production systems.
We found that except threshing and winnowing, all the production activities were carried out in
traditional methods. So on the basis of identified issues, an on-farm trial was conducted in
Salipur cluster of Cuttack district to evaluate selected technologies keeping in mind the womens
perspectives in rice-based production system, with four interventions namely, farmers practice
(where an intervention is developed keeping in mind the usual practices farmers adopt with
regard to seeding, weeding and harvesting) (T1), planting by transplanter with hand weeding
(T2), planting by transplanter with mechanical weeding by finger weeder (T3), manual planting
in rows with hand weeding (T4).
The farm women favoured use of these technologies and the feedback helped us to recommend
refinement of programmes on farm implements for women, she says.She, however, feels, the
participation of women in research is lower than expected. This is an area which has immense
potential. Challenges from the home front are there for women in all spheres but research could
open new avenues, which could bring about a revolution in the sector, she adds.Mayabini Jena,
principal scientist and head, division of crop protection, at the institute has been attached to
research ever since she completed her PhD in Zoology from Utkal University in 1986. She joined
CRRI, Cuttack in 1990 as a scientist through ARS and since then has been into research in the
area of plant protection.
She has been instrumental in identifying 10 highly resistant donors against brown plant hopper
by screening about 2,000 genotypes in green house conditions. She has also found 13 highly
BPH (Brown Plant Hopper) resistant breeding lines in the background of identified donor. She
has also contributed towards development of scented rice varieties CR Sugandh Dhan 907,
Poornabhog, Nua Kalajeera, Nua Dhusara and Nua Chinikamini. Another area of her work is
pest control she has evolved effective insecticides for the control of important rice insect pests
in relation to field application as well as to the basic work of persistent toxicity and immediate
knock down effect (an immediate treatment to tackle pests).Research was a fascination for me.
It was a long-term goal to achieve excellence in research, and today I am proud to be associated
with this field where opportunities for recognition are many. Here, there are more prospects than
constraints.
For example, I have worked with toxic substances all my life but I have never felt any danger as
I was helped by my seniors at CRRI. In the initial days, I would watch them handle toxic
substances and they would keep me away till I learnt the tricks of the trade. Now, I reprise the
role when youngsters join us, explains Mayabini.She feels, women prove better researchers,
provided they are given the right kind of environment to work in. Physical strains apart, women
can handle research work better than men, she says. I come on holidays to nurture the pests
which are my subject of study, while other scientists also come to observe their fields. It is a 24hour job but you have the convenience of flexibility.
If you are an achiever, your efforts will never go unnoticed and there is no bossism in the field
of research, she adds.Director of CRRI, Cuttack, T Mohapatra, quite upbeat about the women
working at CRRI says, in comparison to earlier times, now women can be seen at most research
institutes. We have quite a few women scientists here who are doing exceptionally well.
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The opportunities elsewhere are so many that not only girls, even boys shy away from entering a
hard-working arena like research, that too rice cultivation. Research is a long-term process, says
Mohapatra. He says, Balancing both home and work well, our scientists have come up with
very good materials. They have been lone fighters like Barbara McClintock (an American
scientist, whose revolutionary discovery of jumping genes and many other contributions to the
field of genetics earned her the Nobel Prize in 1983). So, promoting them and identifying
potential researchers is important. We want more women to be a part of agricultural research; it
will help in the development of the field and accelerate the realisation of development goals, he
adds.
kasturi@newindianexpress.com
http://www.newindianexpress.com/education/edex/Working-on-the-Basics/2015/05/18/article2816343.ece
Yingluck ready to defend herself in court

THE NATION May 16, 2015 1:00 am
FORMER prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday she would attend the first hearing
at the Supreme Court's Criminal Division on Holders of Political Positions on Tuesday for a case
in which she is accused of negligence in connection with her government's controversial ricepledging scheme.Yingluck said she was ready to defend herself in her opening statement before
the court.She was speaking to reporters at her sister Yaowapa Wongsawat's birthday party at the
latter's home in Chaeng Wattana area north of Bangkok.
Yaowapa was also a key figure in the then-ruling Pheu Thai Party.In March, the court accepted
the case against Yingluck and declared that she would have to stand trial. Yingluck is charged
with dereliction of duty and abuse of authority as well as violating the Criminal Code and the
Anti-Corruption Act. She is accused of failing to prevent corruption in the rice-pledging scheme,
which resulted in estimated losses of over Bt500 billion to the state. If found guilty, she could
face up to 10 years in jail. She is required to appear in court on the first day of hearing, when the
court will decide if she will be granted bail. On Thursday, a subcommittee of the National AntiCorruption Commission (NACC), which took the case to court, resolved to bring charges against
Yingluck and 33 of her former Cabinet members for misconduct and abuse of power in relation
to her government paying compensation to red-shirt protesters and supporters.
Yingluck and the 33 others were informed in writing of the NACC's allegations and have 15
days to respond, Vicha Mahakhun, head of the panel responsible for the case, said. Red-shirt
compensation queried.During Yingluck's tenure, some Bt2 billion was paid in compensation to
protesters who were injured and relatives of those who died during protests held between 2005
and 2010. Asked to comment on these allegations yesterday, Yingluck said it was not the right
time - as she wants things to be carried out in line with required process. "Today is an auspicious
day and I don't want to discuss the details of this case," she said. Vicha said there was no law to
back the disbursement of payouts as approved by Yingluck's cabinet. There was also a conflict of
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interest in her government's approval of the payments because the recipients were the main
supporters of her political party.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Yingluck-ready-to-defend-herself-in-court-30260236.html
4-H Science of Agriculture Challenge deepens students'

understanding of science in Minnesota
By NANCY MADSEN Associated Press
MAY 18, 2015 12:05AM
NEW PRAGUE, Minn. Brian and Anna Prchal and Tyler Fromm are teenagers making and using
biodiesel. They're also part of a possible solution for a growing need for employees in
agriculture.There are 25,700 new jobs for management and business in agriculture and 14,600 new
jobs in agriculture and science engineering each year, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture
analysis of job figures. The gap between expected job openings and agriculture and related fields
graduates is roughly 1,000 each year.For junior high and high school students, "4-H involvement
could lead to college, university or even trade school and an ag-related job," said Josh Rice, who runs
the science of agriculture programming at University of Minnesota Extension.
"Agricultural awareness is a very important piece of this. There are ag jobs out there and it's not just
production agriculture. It can be marketing, processing, distribution and even social
science."Minnesota is the first state to start a 4-H Science of Agriculture Challenge, which is a team
competition showing science and engineering understanding, The Free Press (http://bit.ly/1FZEx0j )
reported. The teams have three or four members between grades six and 12 who share a common
interest. A coach guides them through the scientific or engineering process. The teams also meet with
a mentor from the industry, who gives guidance and an inside view of an agricultural career.Brian and
Anna Prchal of Montgomery and their cousin Tyler Fromm of New Hope teamed up to work on
biodiesel. Jodi Prchal, Brian and Anna's mother and a fifth-grade teacher, is their coach.
Brian created biodiesel from used fryer oil at a local restaurant. He describes the process in detail on
how to transform that oil into fuel."You can burn straight filtered vegetable oil in a diesel engine, but it
gums up the engine," Brian said.After filtering it, the major step in the process was carefully
combining the oil with methanol and potassium hydroxide, which separates the fatty acids from the
glycerin, which settles to the bottom. The fatty acids bond with methanol to transform the molecules
into biodiesel. That is followed by "washing" the biodiesel with water to cause even more separation,
leaving a transparent light orange liquid.Jodi Prchal says the critical moment came when they tried it
in an engine. Brian had bought a single-cylinder, nine horsepower diesel engine and it ran smoothly
on the biodiesel.
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Brian's goal, he said, is to be able to have a diesel truck and run it on his own biodiesel."I've always
been really interested in renewable energy," he said.He made 1 liter of biodiesel for this project but
wants a setup that will allow him to make 30 gallons at a time with less intervention. "It would cost 70
cents a gallon if you do it right versus $4 per gallon of diesel, when diesel was high," Brian said.He
tested the efficiency and the acidity of the biodiesel against diesel."Biodiesel is not as efficient as
conventional diesel," he said. "But the pollutants were far less. The pH didn't go up a lot. Diesel has
some sulfur in the exhaust, so biodiesel is better for the environment."Anna's and Tyler's projects
branch off of Brian's.
Anna tested his biodiesel against kerosene and ethanol for pollutants and energy. She created a
calorimeter by suspending a pop can with some water over burners of biodiesel, ethanol and kerosene.
She judged pollutants by burning the fuels inside a cylinder with a coffee filter covering the top
end."The kerosene had the most soot, I was in the basement and there was soot all over," Anna said.
"Ethanol had nothing and biodiesel had some spots. Kerosene had the highest temperatures, then
ethanol and biodiesel. The better option would be ethanol than biodiesel."Tyler researched fuels and
talked to professionals. After sharing the research with Brian and Anna, he tested the wear of engines
when using regular diesel and biodiesel.
"The biodiesel was better for wear," he said.The three have all been around farms their whole lives
and have been involved in 4-H, frequently competing at the Minnesota State Fair. The team has been
working on the project since October. In June, they'll give a presentation to a panel of judges.
Questions from the judges will follow the presentations."That's what highlights the deeper learning
that's taken place," Rice said. "There has been a lot of time that the youth have been engaged in active
learning."There are 14 teams competing for scholarships $1,000 for each teammate for first, $750
for second and $500 for third.The scholarships can be used at any accredited trade school, college or
university, for any major because, Rice said, "Any college major that we talk about, we can make a
connection to agriculture."Students are also eligible to participate each year from sixth grade to high
school graduation, even if they have already won one or multiple scholarships.After getting the
feedback from the trial year, Rice said he hopes to more than double the number of teams next year.
"Over the next five years, we're hoping for a national program," Rice said. "Once other states offer the
same program, there may be a national contest."But, at the basic level, the program may attract young
people to science and engineering fields, deepen their understanding, allow them to take more
advanced science classes in high school, and eventually lead to the qualified employees that
agricultural businesses know they're going to need."This could potentially change what agriculture
looks like," Rice said. "This can help students know they have the capability of being scientists and
engineers."On Team Prchal-Fromm, that's already understood.Brian knows he's going to double major
in mechanical and agricultural engineering at college in the fall.
His sister, in eighth grade, knows she wants to work with animals or the environment. And Tyler, also
in eighth grade, wants to work for the Department of Natural Resources.Brian joked, "That's just
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because you want to fish and get paid for it."Tyler shrugged and said, "That would be great."This is an
AP Member Exchange shared by The Free Press
Paddy buying up 21% in kharif

Till May 13, rice millers in the state have already delivered 1.48 million tonne of rice
BS Reporter | Bhubaneswar
May 17, 2015 Last Updated at 20:31 IST
Paddy procurement in the state in the kharif season of 201415 has moved up 21 per cent over the previous year, a top
government official said here."The chief secretary reviewed
the performance of the kharif season. We have procured four
million tonne of paddy equivalent to 2.72 million tonne of
rice.", said M S Padhee, secretary, food supplies and
consumer welfare.Till May 13, rice millers in the state have
already delivered 1.48 million tonne of rice. Rice delivery
this time is 60 per cent higher than the last year, said Padhee.
The district collectors have been asked to review procurement at regular intervals and ensure that
millers deliver the entire rice by September 30, he added.For the Rabi season, the state has set a
target of procuring 730,000 tonne of rice and this is expected to be finished by June 30.Odisha
produces close to eight million tonne paddy in a year, the fifth largest in the country. While 60
per cent of the total production is processed in the state, the rest is exported to other states.
Jute mills look towards policy support

By Ritwik Mukherjee May 17 2015
Tags: Commodities
Falling demand and rising wages have the 160-year-old industry in throes of death
The Rs 8,000 crore plus jute industry is in the throes of a demand crisis. Jute mills in the
organised sector, especially in West Bengal, are finding it tough to cope with rising costs of
wages and electricity.Members of the Indian Jute Mills Association (IJMA) as well as jute mill
owners outside the organisation met a group of ministers from the West Bengal government last
Thursday to discuss the issue.Among those present were finance and commerce minister Amit
Mitra, agriculture minister Purnendu Basu, higher education minister Partha Chatterjee, labour
minister Moloy Ghatak and panchayat and rural development minister Subrata Mukherjee.West
Bengal is home to 75 per cent (64 out 84) jute mills in the country. According to industry
officials, jute mills in the state had been running at 60 per cent of the capacity and a large
number of workers had been rendered jobless.
It further witnessed a 30 to 40 per cent reduction few months ago because of lack of orders.We
hope that the state government will soon announce a policy to ensure a vibrant, profitable and
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committed jute industry, not for the industrialists but for the 40 lakh rural farmers and 3 lakh
workers employed in the sector. The 160-year-old industry with rich legacy and heritage cannot
be allowed to die, especially when the state government is committed to meet the aspirations of
common man, said IJMA chairman Raghavendra Gupta.A large section of jute mills in the state
have been rendered financially sick. Working capital in most cases stands eroded and the units
are crippled with mounting liabilities.
To survive, jute mills need to modernise for which they require large funds. Permission may be
granted to the mills to use their existing infrastructure and surplus land for alternate purposes to
generate funds.According to analysts, the demand crisis can be resolved if the state government
steps in and makes the policy announcement that rice millers and potato growers in West Bengal
must pack their produce in jute bags. They can be used even for packaging levy rice procured by
the West Bengal government. IJMA has informed the state food and supplies department that the
jute mills are willing to supply bags to rice millers provided indents are raised by the
government. Also, payment will be accepted for jute bags from the state government as and
when the Union government makes it.
However, this will be a stop-gap arrangement and last till such time the West Bengal
government can arrange the Rs 130 crore required for the supply of jute bags through the
DGS&D mechanism.Further, the organised jute sector is unable to cope with the rising costs of
labour and power. In fact, jute manufacturing in about 50 mills in and around Kolkata is
becoming unviable. Same is the case with manufacturing units in other states of India, Nepal and
Bangladesh.The April 2 tripartite agreement has further increased the cost of wages for jute mills
in West Bengal. According to sector analysts, to stay competitive, production and productivity
will have to be ensured in the jute mills. During negotiations for a wage settlement, the mill
managements were assured that within a month of signing the agreement, a productivity study
for individual mills would be carried out and the same would be implemented in mills.
Unless wages are linked to productivity, survival of the jute mills would become difficult. The
concept of time-rated and piece-rated workmen has been prevalent in the jute industry over
decades and it is only over time that it has lost its significance. Productivity-linked wages were
part of wage agreements of 2002 and 2010, but they were not implemented.The turnaround in the
jute sector will also depend on how soon the 100 per cent productivity-linked wages through a
jute policy is re-introduced.
ritwikmukheree@mydigitalfc.com
http://www.business-standard.com/article/markets/paddy-buying-up-21-in-kharif-115051700784_1.html
Kharif paddy procurement up 21% in Odisha

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, May 16:
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With total procurement of around 40 lakh metric
tonne (LMT), paddy procurement during khariff
2014-15 in Odisha has gone up 21 percent over
last year.This was revealed at the State Level
Procurement Committee meeting presided over
by chief secretary GC Pati at the State
Secretariat here today.Briefing newsmen after
the meeting, commissioner-cum-secretary, Food
Supplies & Consumer Welfare, Madhusudan
Padhi said there has been 21 percent growth in
paddy procurement and 65 percent growth in
delivery of customed mill rice over last year.
Stating that around 14.84 LMT of rice has already been delivered to Food Corporation of India
(FCI) and Rice Receiving Centres (RRCs), he said Rabi procurement will be taken up in 2-3
days in all the mandis and the number of procurement days will be extended to six days a
week.The chief secretary directed all Revenue Divisional Commissioners (RDCs) to review the
progress of the recovery of rice from the millers and take follow-up action wherever
warranted. He directed them to initiate criminal actions against defaulting millers.
Reviewing the modalities of procurement, the chief secretary advised the department to review
the online system of farmers registration put in place last year and link farmers registration with
Aaadhar numbers.It was decided that fresh farmers registration for the coming khariff season
will be done in advance by the banks/PACS at the time of advancing crop loans. As per available
data, 7,82,917 farmers for Khariff and 1,55,493 farmers for Rabi have been registered online.The
Paddy Procurement Automation System (P-PAS) has successfully been implemented in 60 highprocurement blocks last season. Around 46 percent of the total paddy procured has been
transacted through this automated system, which has benefited around 2,28,816 farmers.For Rabi
procurement, the P-PAS will be applied in 36 blocks of 12 high-procurement districts.The chief
secretary asked the department to extend the system to 160 blocks during coming Khariff
procurement, undertake an assessment study on satisfaction of the farmers with P-PAS system
and to get inputs from them for further improvement.
Among other things, issues relating to collection of rice from millers, strategy and preparedness
for Rabi paddy procurement, creation of new rack points in railway, modernization of existing
rice mills and establishment of new rice mills in deficient districts were discussed at the
meeting.The meeting was attended by principal secretary, Agriculture, Rajesh Verma; principal
secretary, Cooperation Manoj Ahuja; director, Agriculture Pramod Meherda; registrar,
Cooperative Societies, Dhiren Kumar Patanik; RDCs and senior officials of the concerned
departments.
http://odishasuntimes.com/127934/kharif-paddy-procurement-up-21-in-odisha/
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Thai rice prices at 11-month low on weak demand

May 17, 2015
RECORDER REPORT
Thai rice prices were mired at their weakest level in 11 months this week as demand remained
low, but rates for the grain from Vietnam rose slightly on hopes key buyer Philippines would
soon issue an import tender, traders said on Wednesday. Thailand's 5 percent broken white rice
stood unchanged at $385 a tonne, free-on-board (FOB) basis, the lowest since June 2014. "I don't
know where else prices can go, there are no buyers," a Thai trader based in Bangkok said, adding
that prices were expected to change little for the rest of the month.
The Thai government may consider a tender at a meeting next week as it seeks to sell 10 million
tonnes this year, Duangporn Rodphaya, a director at the Commerce Ministry said on Tuesday. In
Vietnam, the world's third-largest rice exporter after India and Thailand in 2014, prices edged up
due to prospects of a possible tender in the Philippines, traders said. Vietnam's 5-percent broken
rice rose to $360-$363 a tonne, FOB basis, from $355-$360 a tonne a week ago, and the 25
percent broken rice rose to $340 a tonne, from $330-$335 last Wednesday. Manila may buy
between 200,000-310,000 tonnes or rice via a tender, industry sources in Thailand and the
Philippines have said.
The Philippines, one of the world's top rice importers, usually buys most of its rice from
Vietnam. But increasing global rice supplies could drag on Vietnam's rice export prices this
month, the government said in a report this week, citing a projection by the Finance Ministry-run
Price Control Department. Purchases by China, Vietnam's top rice buyer, have not picked up
even though many Chinese traders have been to Vietnam in recent weeks, traders in Ho Chi
Minh City said. China has surplus rice and to curb cheap imports and cut state reserves, the
government allocated 2015 import quotas only to mills which also buy from state reserves.
China's output in the 2014/15 marketing year is expected to edge up 1.4 percent to 144.5 million
tonnes of milled rice, the US Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service said in a
report for May.
http://www.brecorder.com/agriculture-a-allied/183/1187146/
Saudi rice imports from India rise 58% to SR4.5bn in

2014
JEDDAH: ARAB NEWS
Published Sunday 17 May 2015

Last update 16 May 2015 9:34 pm
The value of Saudi rice imports to the Kingdom from India grew by 58 percent, reaching $1.19
billion (SR4.46 billion) by the end of 2014, compared to $752.67 million (SR2.82 billion) in
2013, according to Indian Consul General Bawa Syed Mubarak.Speaking to local media, the
Indian diplomat said that Saudi rice imports from India dropped by 1 percent in 2013, due to the
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emergence of certain obstacles but jumped to record levels in the following year (2014)."At the
global level, Indian rice exports fetched $7.78 billion (SR29.17 billion) in 2014, comprising a
growth rate of more than 25 percent in one year, of which the Saudi share exceeded 15.35
percent," Mubarak said.
The diplomat stressed that the Saudi market is considered a key importer of Indian rice
worldwide. He noted that rice represented nearly 10 percent of the overall Indian exports to the
Kingdom.The volume of trade exchange between the two countries reached more than $48.62
billion, where Indian exports to the Kingdom amounted to $12.21 billion by the end of 2014 in
total, an increase of 12 percent, whereas Saudi exports to India reached $36.40 billion, an
increase of 8 percent relative to previous years.
http://www.arabnews.com/economy/news/747741
DA-PhilRice introduces eco heating technology

May 17, 2015
QUEZON CITY, May 17 -- The Department of Agricultures Philippine Rice Research Institute
(PhilRice) has started the introduction and pilot testing of a machine that processes rice hull into
biochar which can be used for cooking, baking, sterilizing and heating brooding
chicks.Biocharcommonly called charcoalis obtained from the pyrolysis of biomass, a
process that heats and carbonizes biomass in the absence or under reduction of oxygen.The
cogeneration of biochar and heat from rice hull has been made possible with the development of
the continuous rice hull (CtRH) carbonizer by PhilRice scientist Dr. Ricardo Orge, who leads the
research institutions Coping with Climate Change Program.
Dr. Orge is also the Central Luzons 2015 Gawad Saka Outstanding Agricultural Scientist.The
CtRH, being a smokeless carbonizer, and which uses agricultural waste such as rice hull, is not
only environment friendly but is also cost-efficient.While the machine processes rice hull into
biochar, it generates heat that is then recovered in the carbonizer attachments. These include
high-volume cooker, baking oven, sterilizer for mushroom fruiting bags, or heater for brooding
chicks. Using the CtRH-generated heat replaces conventional sources such as those produced
using LPG or electricity.The high-volume cooker is now being pilot-tested in Bulacan and
Aurora.
It was developed for farmers who want to sell cooked agricultural products such as corn, banana
and peanuts, Dr. Orge said. Dr. Orge added that blueprints are being finalized for its
commercialization, together with the CtRH carbonizer. The biochar produced from rice hull,
which could otherwise be burned into useless ash or biodegrade to greenhouse gases, can be used
as organic fertilizer when combined with animal manure. The biochar also resists degradation
and traps carbona greenhouse gas that contributes to global warmingin soils for hundreds of
years. Hence, biochar has a significant carbon sequestration value. Dr. Orge said that based on
studies, biochar is a potential solution to address some of the most urgent environmental
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problems the world currently face such as global warming, soil degradation, water pollution by
agro-chemicals, and waste management.
Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said that inventions similar to Dr. Orges are important to
make agricultural production less costly and harmful to the environment, more efficient, and
more adaptable to climate change. He encouraged stakeholders to utilize these technologies, and
support efforts to improve and replicate these. (JPD/, DA)
http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1781431686660/da-philrice-introduces-eco-heatingtechnology#sthash.oTRDDvtt.dpuf
Experts: Bangladesh lacks proper food marketing chain

Abu Bakar Siddique
Bangladesh still lacks a proper food marketing chain despite having ample food production in the
country, according to food experts.Speaking at a discussion titled South-South Cooperation for
Food Security at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka yesterday, the experts said the country
still needed an improved food distribution and storage system in order to meet the growing
demand of food in the increasing urban population around the country.Mike Robson, country
representative of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Bangladesh, said the country
needed to take initiatives such as low-energy post-harvest food processing and storage,
integrated models of resource use and safety measures to avert pre- and post-harvest damage of
foods to ultimately strengthen food security.
In addition, Bangladesh should emphasise on introducing more high-yielding, short-duration and
stress-tolerant crop varieties to meet the growing demand of food, he said.According to the
government, the country currently produces around 34m tonnes of rice around 3.5 times the
amount produced in 1970.Dr Rafiqul Islam Mondol, director general of Bangladesh Agricultural
Research Institute (BARI), said the government had already taken several initiatives to develop
several short-duration and stress-tolerant crop varieties, including rice, wheat, maize and
vegetables.
Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture
(BINA) has already developed rice varieties tolerant of different stressful condition, such as
salinity, drought, submergence and cold, in recent years.Mike Robson also suggested that the
government take necessary measures to check the abundant use of fertiliser to produce more food
in the country, as it causes damage to the soil fertility to some extent.He also expressed concern
over the excessive use of groundwater for irrigation in some areas, which could make a vast area
of arable land barren in near future.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2015/may/18/experts-bangladesh-lacks-proper-food-marketingchain#sthash.kMBGq9Pv.dpuf
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