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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
Rice E-Newsletter April 15 , 2015 V o l u m e 5, Issue I
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
Research and Markets: Parboiled and White Rice Manufacturing Plant Project Report 2015: Industry Trends, Manufacturing Process, Machinery, Raw Materials, Cost and Revenue April 15, 2015 06:24 AM Eastern Daylight Time
DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/8z4d6k/parboiled_and) has announced the addition of the "Parboiled and White Rice Manufacturing Plant Project Report: Industry Trends, Manufacturing Process, Machinery, Raw Materials, Cost and Revenue" report to their offering.
―Parboiled and White Rice Manufacturing Plant Project Report: Industry Trends, Manufacturing Process, Machinery, Raw Materials, Cost and Revenue‖ This study "Parboiled and White Rice Manufacturing Plant Project Report: Industry Trends, Manufacturing Process, Machinery, Raw Materials, Cost and Revenue" provides a technocommercial roadmap for setting up a parboiled and white rice manufacturing plant. The study, which has been done by one of the world's leading research and advisory firms, covers all the requisite aspects of the parboiled and white rice industry. This ranges from macro overview of the market to micro details of the industry performance, processing and manufacturing requirements, project cost, project funding, project economics including expected returns on investment, profit margins, etc. This report is a must-read for entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, consultants, business strategists, and all those who have any kind of stake or are planning to foray into the parboiled rice and white rice industry in any manner. Key Topics Covered: 1 Research Methodology 2 Executive Summary 3 Introduction 4 Global Industry Analysis: Rice, Parboiled Rice and White Rice 5 Myanmar: Rice Industry
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine 6 Trade Data: Rice and Parboiled Rice 7 Parboiled and White Rice Industry: Key Success and Risk Factors 8 Manufacturing Process: Parboiled Rice and White Rice 9 Project Details, Requirements and Costs Involved 10 Parboiled and White Rice Manufacturing Plant: Loans and Financial Assistance 11 Parboiled and White Rice Manufacturing Plant: Project Economics For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/8z4d6k/parboiled_and Contacts Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 Sector: Food Processing
Rice to continue to grow in Australia By Elizabeth Habermann April 15, 2015, 1:30 p.m.
Rice harvest across Australia occurs at a different time to other rice producing countries.Australian rice could grow on the global market according to rice grower and researcher Dr Leigh Vial. To do this we need to develop the ―holy grail‖ of rice. A variety with a soft texture and low low Glycaemic Index (GI). ―Australian rice is
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine already renowned for its soft texture so we want to keep that and add the other element,‖ Dr Leigh said. ―This would secure our place in the market, especially if we own the technology. ―We need to do more to exploit the market.‖Australia has one of the lowest pesticide application rates world-wide but there are many other factors which can be improved upon.
After seven years in Asian rice research, RMB by-election candidate Dr Leigh Vial is glad to be back growing the best japonica rice in the world for Sunrice.Australian rice also has an advantage for freshness. This comes directly from geography with harvest in Australia occurring opposite to that of other countries.When living near Thailand for three years with his family to research rice he experienced how important fresh rice is. ―When cooking rice they might say, ah that smells like fresh rice,‖ Dr Leigh said. Eating rice freshly after harvest means it is softer to eat. While harvest time can‘t be manipulated the milling time can. By default in Australia rice is milled on demand and therefore is generally fresh.―We need to think about rice more like milk, cheese and stone fruit,‖ Dr Leigh said. ―It is relatively fresh anyway but I believe we can do better.‖Clearly displaying the time the rice was harvested and milled could drive the price up in the Asian market and give Australian rice a niche.Adopting these processes and developing a new variety will take time but Dr Leigh is confident the www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine benefits will pay off. The price of rice would remain steady and growers would want to grow it when water is available.He plans on pushing the idea further if elected onto the Rice Marketing Board.
Customs to auction rice seized in Mindanao port By Vito Barcelo | Apr. 15, 2015 at 12:01am
More than P70 million worth of smuggled rice seized in Mindanao will be auctioned, according to the Bureau of Customs.Customs commissioner John Phillip Sevilla said that BOC-Port of Cagayan de Oro will sell 33,480 smuggled sacks—equivalent to 837,000 kilograms—of rice on April 22.The seized goods consist of 64 container vans of glutinous rice, 59 of which were seized from EC Peninsula Commercial and New Dawn Enterprise in November 2014. The other five vans were seized from Gold Friends Enterprises in September of last year. He said that the firms are facing multiple rice-smuggling cases filed by the BOC before the Department of Justice.The seized goods shall be available for public viewing and pre-bid conference on Monday and Tuesday, April 20-21, 2015, according to Sevilla.The public auction through sealed bidding will be conducted at the 2nd floor, BOC Conference Hall, Port of Cagayan de Oro Building, Macabalan, Cagayan de Oro City. http://manilastandardtoday.com/2015/04/15/customs-to-auction-rice-seized-in-mindanao-port/
The pesticides WHO classifies as ‘cancer causing’ are used widely in India Wed, Apr 15, 2015
Five popular brands of chemical pesticides – Glyphosate, Parathion, Malathion, Diazinon and Tetrachlorvinphos – that the research arm of the World Health Organisation (WHO) categorized as ‗probable or possible carcinogenic‘ are widely used in India. While the report has triggered a massive debate in Europe and America on the need to regulate or ban these pesticides, it has been simply glossed over by policy makers, scientists and environmentalists in India. For a country which spends more time discussing pedestrian issues, health and environment are far away from national concerns. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) at Lyon, in France, has categorized the most popularly used herbicide Glyphosate, which comes branded as Roundup, as ‗probably www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine carcinogenic to humans‘. Two of the pesticides – Tetrachlorvinphos and Parathion – have been classified in the 2B category and rates as ‗possibly carcinogenic to humans‘ while three other chemicals – Malathion, Diazinon and Glyphosate – as ‗probably carcinogenic‘ and put in the category 2A. These are all organophosphates. In India, while Roundup is the most popular used herbicide, Methyl Parathion, Malathion and Diazinon too are widely used in agriculture. Tetrachlorvinphos is approved for flies and ticks. Interestingly, many of the chemicals are approved for restricted use, knowing very well there is no way to check its actual application. Take for instance Methyl Parathion. Its use is banned for fruits and vegetables, and also for crops where honeybees are acting as pollinators. How can the Central Insecticides Board expect farmers to make a distinction between honeybee pollinating crops and other when applying Methyl Parathion? Similarly, Diazinon is banned for use in agriculture except for household purposes. Is there any way to police the farmers after they have purchased the chemical from the market? How will you know, given the educational standard of Indian farmers, whether they read the fine print on the pesticides container and apply accordingly? Take Methyl Parathion use in fruits and vegetables. It is officially banned, but it is widely known that traders dip certain vegetables in Methyl Parathion solution as it provides shine to the veggies. The pesticides registration process therefore is a sham. Since it escapes public scrutiny, I haven‘t seen the working of the Central Insecticides Board ever come under the scanner of the investigating agencies.Some 860 pesticides are registered for use in India. As many as 67 pesticides banned in other countries, are being used in India. There is a strong lobby in favour of chemical pesticides, and every time environmentalists question the need for some of these pesticides on health and environment grounds, a court case is often slapped. So much so that film star Aamir Khan too was served legal notices after his show on pesticides inSatyamev Jayate. Nevertheless, I still remember a study published by Dr David Pimental of the Cornell University in the late 1970s wherein he estimated that 99.9 per cent of the pesticides go into the environment and only 0.1 per cent of the pesticides hit the target pests. I had always wondered why this study was never taken seriously by agricultural scientists knowing very well how toxic these chemicals are. The International Rice Research Institute, in Manila, the Philippines, too showed in early 2000 that pesticides on rice in Asia were ‗a waste of time and effort‘. The IRRI study showed how farmers in Central Luzon province of the Philippines, and in Vietnam, Bangladesh and India were producing a bumper rice harvest without using chemical pesticides. Even this report was never taken seriously by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the umbrella organization for farm research in the country. Andwhen I hear Ajay Vir Jakhar, president of the Bharat Krishak Samaj say that pesticides use in wheat has gone up by 300 per cent, a crop which
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine is generally considered to be hardy not requiring much application of chemical pesticides, it clearly shows how ruthlessly harmful pesticides are being promoted. Genetically modified (GM) crops have further pushed the application of chemical herbicides through the spread of herbicide-tolerant crops. The WHO report should therefore be used as a loud warning, and immediate corrective steps are called for. We can ignore the warning signals at our own peril
Research or relaxation? Why Bill Gates was in the Philippines this week Following Microsoft's 40th anniversary, the company‘s co-founder reportedly took a trip to the Southeast Asian country, where he spent time with his team at the International Rice Research Institute, a major Gates Foundation beneficiary. By Jessica Mendoza, Staff Writer APRIL 15, 2015
Lauren Victoria Burke/AP/File Bill Gates has been nothing if not clear about his vision for the future of technology: Access for everyone, regardless of income, age, or gender. A big part of that vision involves technology‘s role in ending poverty and hunger – so it should come as no surprise that, just as Microsoft celebrated its 40th anniversary April 4, the tech giant‘s cofounder and his philanthropy team took a quiet trip to the
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Philippines to drop in on the world‘s leading center for better rice.Senior officers with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation spent several days touring the facilities and getting briefed on the latest projects at theInternational Rice Research Institute (IRRI) at the University of Los Banos in northern Philippines. Year-round giving: 8 family volunteering opportunities PHOTOS OF THE DAY Photos of the Day 04/15 ―We are thankful that the BMGF has come for updates on the food and nutrition security initiatives that they support,‖ Robert Zeigler, IRRI director general, said in a statement. ―The foundation is a staunch partner in applying the best of science so that people in the rice-eating world will not go hungry.‖Agricultural development is among the largest initiatives of the Gates Foundation, which has to date committed more than $2 billion to the effort. A large chunk of that funding goes toward improving rice, a staple food for more than half the world‘s population, including the Philippines, and ―the single largest source of employment and income for rural people,‖ according to a 2010 Oxfam report.Vital as rice is to the global economy and to the lives of millions, growing the crop comes with a host of production and environmental problems. According to Oxfam:Current practices promote genetic uniformity, which makes crops more vulnerable to pests and diseases. They are also wasteful of … resources such as water and fossil fuels, using up about one-quarter to one-third of the world‘s annual supply of freshwater. Heavily fertilized, continuously flooded rice fields produce greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, and misuse of inorganic fertilizers and agrochemicals results in soil and water pollution.―Further,‖ the report continues, ―growing rice is very labor-intensive, with women generally bearing the major burden of work along with their other household and child-rearing tasks.‖Rice‘s nutritional value is another issue: Though high in much-needed calories, the crop is notoriously low in Vitamin A. The partnership with the IRRI is part of a number of Gates Foundation initiatives aimed at increasing productivity, fostering sustainable agricultural practices, and improving crop quality. Among those efforts is a project that has faced heavy opposition from critics of GMO research: The development of genetically-modified, ―golden rice,‖ with the goal of improving the crop‘s nutritional value.Criticism has not kept Gates from pushing for agricultural innovation developing countries, however. In their annual Gates Foundation letter this year, Gates and his wife, Melinda, wrote about developing the types of technology in agriculture, as well as in other industries, that could improve the lives of the poor.―We think the next 15 years will see major breakthroughs for most people in poor countries,‖ they wrote. ―They will have unprecedented opportunities to get an education, eat nutritious food, and benefit from mobile banking. ‖―These breakthroughs will be driven by innovation in technology – ranging from new vaccines and hardier crops to much cheaper smartphones and tablets – and by innovations that help deliver those things to more people,‖ they added.Philanthropy aside, the couple and their family also reportedly spent time at the exclusive Amanpulo island resort on the
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Philippine island of Palawan. They will have spent 12 days in the country, leaving Thursday, April 16 after arriving April 4.
The outstanding India-IRRI partnership Written by M.S. Swaminathan.
At the time of establishing the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in 1960, Dr. Sterling Wortman of the Rockefeller Foundation seriously considered India as a potential location for IRRI. However, Los Ba単os in Laguna, Philippines, was chosen as the main location for IRRI based on many factors.Jose Drilon, IRRI's first executive officer, and Arturo Tanco, Philippine Agriculture Secretary, played key roles in getting IRRI established in the Philippines. This has been fortunate since the Philippines has been an excellent host and has also provided highquality human resources for the Institute, apart from land and other facilities.I visited IRRI for the first time in 1964. I was greatly impressed with the germplasm in the field, with emphasis on a new plant architecture, which could make use of soil nutrients and water most effectively. There was also great emphasis on breeding varieties resistant to major pests and diseases. Therefore, I strongly recommended to the Government of India to enter into a mutually beneficial partnership with IRRI. The Institute also invited Indian visionaries such as K.R. Damle, then Secretary of www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Agriculture, to serve on its first Board of Trustees in 1960.During the International Rice Year 1966, the Government of India honored Robert Chandler, the founding director general of IRRI, with the International Rice Prize. Since then, the relationship between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and IRRI has been strong, mutually beneficial, and a proven model for symbiotic partnerships among research institutions.ICAR and IRRI started developing memoranda of understanding and annual work plans in order to provide structure and purpose to the partnership. In association with the Rockefeller Foundation, ICAR also established an All India Coordinated Rice Improvement Project (AICRIP) with headquarters in Hyderabad in 1965. This provided an opportunity for a more targeted relationship with IRRI. In 1966, AICRIP received from IRRI a set of 300 strains of rice containing genes for resistance to pests and diseases and possessing a nonlodging plant architecture. Varieties developed at IRRI have been used in the hybridization program in AICRIP. Another important contribution of IRRI has been in human resource development. A wide range of researchers, including senior scientists and postdoctoral fellows, were given opportunities to visit IRRI and work at the Institute for some time with appropriate counterparts. Several PhD scholars completed their course work at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and other institutions in India and conducted their research work at IRRI.The exchange of genetic material between IRRI and AICRIP was also intensified. In 1981, IRRI delivered cytoplasmicgenetic male sterile (CMS) rice lines to India. CMS is a condition of inablity of a plant to produce functional pollen. It is an important tool in hybrid seed production. Hybrids often exhibit heterosis or hybrid vigor, whereby the traits of a hybrid progeny are enhanced as a result of the genetic combination of its parents. IRRI converted Pusa 167-120-3-2 into a CMS line (IR58025 A). This became an important source for hybrid rice breeding. India also used highyielding and disease- and pestresistant IRRI varieties such as IR20, IR22, IR26, and IR72, among other varieties, in the Indian rice breeding program. IR36 and IR64 are still very popular among Indian farmers. IRRI also identified the Xa21 gene for bacterial blight resistance in wild rice (Oryza longistaminata), which was sourced from India. Also, IRRI and India saw potential in FR13A, a flood-tolerant rice variety grown in limited areas of eastern India from which the famous SUB1 gene was ultimately identified. Scientists from IRRI and India have published several joint papers. The IRRI-India partnership has been an outstanding exercise in promoting collaboration, which advances global rice science and development on the one hand and India‘s rice production on the other. Because of its symbiotic nature, this partnership has not only endured, but has been
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine enriched over the past half century. I am pleased that this issue of Rice Today is chronicling a remarkable example of the power and value of partnership between CGIAR institutions and national agricultural research and extension systems. _________________________________________ Dr. Swaminathan is the founding chairman of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation. He is a former IRRI director general (1982-88) and is known as the father of the Green Revolution in India.
The enduring India-IRRI relationship Written by J.K. Ladha.
As documented in this issue of Rice Today, India and IRRI have had a very successful relationship over the decades. The introduction of rice variety IR8, which helped save India from a massive famine in the 1970s, marked the true beginning of the success of the partnership. Then, some remarkable results followed such as the development of more than 400 disease- and insect-resistant rice varieties, hybrid rice varieties bred through public and private sector programs, streamlined rice production practices, and improved postharvest technologies for better sustainability and productivity.The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and IRRI have trained scientists, providing equitable access to information, and conducting
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine socioeconomic research. India has been actively part of IRRI‘s priority setting, strategic planning, providing scientific advice, and carrying out research work in the region. Senior Indian scientists and government officials have served almost continuously on IRRI‘s Board of Trustees since its creation. Indeed, the partnership has achieved outstanding results—setting a GOLD standard in international research collaboration.As the India-IRRI collaboration has matured, so have the needs, expectations, and environment of doing business in relation to what is happening not only in India but also regionally and globally. India has a strong national rice research program and has increasing participation by the private sector and civil society organizations. IRRI should not take over functions that the public or private sector should have in the country. Our comparative advantage is strong in science and innovation, looking at the ―big picture,‖ training in frontier areas, and catalyzing the transfer of new technologies to those in the value chain. Also, we should maintain or even increase our leadership, physical presence, and impact in strategic regions of India where rice is the predominant crop. Considering this, we should play a key role in revolutionizing the rice sector, particularly, in eastern India. With the establishment of a new regional rice hub in Hyderabad and in close collaboration withICAR and other public and private sector institutions, the India-IRRI partnership can assist countries in South Asia and Africa in strengthening their rice programs. This would allow us to implement the upstream research agenda agreed upon under the India-IRRI collaborative research program. This includes targeted breeding research and training programs that will benefit other South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation member countries.India, with its large diversity of soil and climate, provides unique opportunities to develop situation-specific rice varieties that will also be relevant to its neighboring countries. Although our work will continue to focus on trait and varietal development with many abiotic stresses (drought, submergence, salinity) and biotic stresses (sheath blight and other diseases), we also need to initiate research on emerging problems such as false smut, nematodes, and lowlight intensity. Shorter-duration rice, which can fit in diverse cropping systems, should continue to be a priority. The demand for good grain quality is increasing along with the rising purchasing power of a significant sector of rice consumers. With emerging labor shortages and rising labor wages, we need to focus on conservation tillage and direct seeding of rice. We need to conduct agronomic systems research and develop best management practices for key rice systems. We should aim to maximize the yield potential of new varieties. There is a strong need for technology targeting and the development of extrapolation domains for an efficient uptake of new technologies. Although most research themes and activities will cut across all the top-10 rice-growing states of India, relative priority will differ. www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine As we continue our strong partnership with ICAR, the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, and state agricultural universities, we should develop linkages with India‘s seed industry. The country has a vibrant seed industry with many large and small players. Some seed companies have a very active R&D and breeding program, which includes hybrid rice. IRRI should play a major role in trait discovery and in the development of a new generation of parental lines and varieties, including hybrids, for small and large seed companies that meet consumer preferences and are adaptive to rainfed ecosystems. Institutions like IRRI increasingly face funding constraints and have to work on their goal of full cost recovery. We should continue to explore additional and new project funding, including philanthropic donations and grants from Indian donors. _________________________________________ Dr. Ladha is principal scientist and IRRI representative for India and Nepal.
Philippines looks to broaden range of rice suppliers By Reuters April 15, 2015 | 4:00 pm EDT The Philippines' state grains procurement agency said on Tuesday that it would look to import rice from a broader range of countries including Pakistan, India and Myanmar, as it tries to diversify its supplies of the staple food.One of the world's biggest rice importers, the Philippines usually buys from key producers Vietnam and Thailand.But with a longer list of possible suppliers, the nation could keep a lid on the cost of purchases even if emergencies such as typhoons or other natural disasters hit agriculture at home.Renan Dalisay, administrator at the National Food Authority (NFA), said he had coordinated with the embassies of Pakistan, India, Malaysia and Myanmar in Manila, encouraging the countries to enter into a so-called Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Philippines for rice supply. The MOA would allow those countries to participate in rice import tenders that the NFA issues from time to time, similar to agreements the Philippines has with Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, he said.Vietnam and Thailand recently won 500,000-tonne supply deals with the NFA, and hope to get more contracts as they struggle to offload some of their stocks.Dalisay issued the statement after Pakistan, the world's No.4 rice exporter, approached the Philippines for a 50,000-tonne supply deal. A delegation from the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan was in Manila recently to explore deals, he said. Dalisay said Pakistan could sell as much as 50,000 tonnes to the Philippines through the Minimum Access Volume scheme under which local traders are allowed to import an annual volume of up to 755,200 tonnes with a 35-percent tariff. That scheme covers private purchases and is separate from the state-buying seen in NFA tenders.But the NFA Council has yet to open the MAV window this year, with local media reporting the government is looking into the possibility of removing tariffs on rice imports.Other countries that can also sell rice to the www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Philippines under the MAV scheme include China, India, Australia, and El Salvador.The Philippines imported a total of around 1.7 million tonnes of rice in 2014, the most in four years. It may buy 1.6 million tonnes this year, according to a forecast by the United States Department of Agriculture.
http://www.agprofessional.com/news/philippines-looks-broaden-range-rice-suppliers
Japan to reduce Thai rice purchases under TPP Trade pact negotiators to propose buying more grain from US  
15 Apr 2015 at 15:05 4,885 viewed6 comments WRITER: BLOOMBERG NEWS
Japan plans to reduce rice purchases from Thailand and import more from the United States if a trans-Pacific trade pact led by the two countries goes through.Japan bought 330,000 tonnes of rice from Thailand in the fiscal year that ended March 31, according to the Agriculture Ministry in Tokyo. It also purchased and 60,000 tonnes from China.Tetsuro Shimizu, general manager at Norinchukin Research Institute in Tokyo, said if the 12 Asia-Pacific countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership succeed, Japan would buy more rice from the US and reduce imports from non-TPP members Thailand and China.Two officials who have knowledge of the Japan's negotiating position said the country will propose exactly that during meetings in Tokyo this week.Japan may propose increasing purchases of US rice by as much as 100,000 tonnes a year, while leaving a tariff system in place, according to Masayoshi Honma, agricultural and resource economics professor at the University of Tokyo. An accord between the US and Japan about access to each others' markets for products such as rice, pork and automobiles would only take effect if incorporated into the TPP."As Japan wants its rice to be excluded from the tariff-elimination goal of the TPP, the government must come up with an alternative measure to improve foreign access to the Japanese rice market," said Mr Honma, who advised Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his first term.An official at Japan's TPP negotiating office declined to comment as negotiations are ongoing. The official asked not to be named, citing department policy. Mr Abe will visit Washington later this month to meet with President Barack Obama over issues ranging from defence to trade.Rice, wheat, barley, beef, pork, dairy products, sugar and starch crops are considered politically sensitive products that have to be protected, according to Hiroshi Oe, Japan's TPP ambassador. Japanese farmers are a central constituency of Mr Abe's Liberal Democratic Party. WTO portion Japan's Agriculture Ministry must buy 770,000 tonnes of foreign rice every year without tariffs under a World Trade Organization agreement. The country imposes a duty of 341 yen (93 baht) per kilogramme on imports above the quota.Half of the mandatory 770,000 tonnes currently www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine come from the US.Rice futures traded at US$10.09 per 100 pounds on the Chicago Board of Trade at 3.50pm today Tokyo time, heading for the lowest settlement since July 2010.Thai 5% broken white rice, an Asian benchmark, fell to $401 a tonne on April 8, matching the lowest level since June.
APEDA NEWS International Benchmark Price Price on: 15-04-2015
Product Garlic 1 2
Benchmark Indicators Name
Price
Chinese first grade granules, CFR NW Europe (USD/t) Chinese Grade A dehydrated flakes, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
2100 2000
Chinese powdered, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
1800
Ginger 1 2
3
Chinese sliced, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) Chinese whole, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
4600 5100
3
Indian Cochin, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
3000
Indian 100 mesh 3500 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t) Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps basis, FOB Kandla (USD/t) Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps technical grade, FOB Kandla (USD/t)
4320 1740 3775
Guar Gum Powder 1 2 3 Source:agra-net
For more info
Market Watch Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 15-04-2015 Domestic Prices Market Center
Variety
Bonai (Orissa) Shillong (Meghalaya)
Other Other
2000 3400
2100 3600
3
Gumla (Jharkhand)
Other
2525
2900
1 2
Bayad (Gujarat) Haveri (Karnataka )
Other Local
1750 1550
2180 1625
3
Bonai(Orissa)
Other
1450
1600
Product Rice 1 2
Unit Price : Rs per Qty Min Price Max Price
Wheat
Mousambi 1
Sirhind (Punjab)
Other
2600
3200
2 3
Sirsa(Haryana) Vikasnagar(Uttrakhand)
Other Other
3000 3200
3400 3200
1
Bargarh (Orissa)
Other
1500
1700
2 3
Zira (Punjab) Ateli(Haryana)
Other Other
1300 1050
1500 1090
Brinjal
Source:agra-net
For more info
Egg
Rs per 100 No Price on 15-04-2015
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Product 1 2 3
Market Center
Price 268
Pune Chittoor Hyderabad
263 238
Source: e2necc.com
Other International Prices Product Onions Dry 1 2 3 Cucumbers 1
Unit Price : US$ per package
Market Center
Origin
Variety
Low
Atlanta
Georgia
Yellow
27
Baltimore Detroit
Texas Mexico
Yellow Yellow
22 16.50
Atlanta
Canada
Long Seedless
8.50
Price on 15-04-2015 High Package: 40 lb cartons 27 23 18.50 Package: cartons film wrapped 9.50
2 3
Miami New York
Honduras Florida
Long Seedless Long Seedless
10 8
10.50 8
Grapes 1 2
Atlanta Baltimore
Chile Peru
Red Globe Red Globe
21.50 22
Package: 18 lb containers bagged 23.50 22
Chile
Red Globe
24.50
24.50
3 Chicago Source:USDA
Hybrid rice varieties face new scrutiny By XU WEI (China Daily)Updated: 2015-04-15 06:23
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine China's agricultural authority is set to conduct more comprehensive assessments of hybrid rice varieties following a massive crop failure in Anhui province caused by abnormal weather conditions and rice disease.The evaluations will focus on high yields and also the adaptability of varieties to different growing environments, including resilience to disease and insects, according to Zhang Taolin, vice-minister of agriculture."There will also be evaluations of the efficiency of fertilizers and the grain quality of hybrid rice," he said at a news conference at the State Council Information Office on Tuesday.Hybrid rice seed provider Yuan Longping High-Tech Agriculture Co said on Monday that it will stop selling its Liangyou 0293 variety following widespread low yields or crop failure.This affected more than 650 hectares Yuan Longping, agricultural scientist and Yuan Longping High-Tech Agriculture Co of rice fields in six cities in Anhui in founder [Photo/China Daily] October.The company blamed abnormal weather conditions, including low temperatures and persistent rain in June and July last year, for the crop failure as this variety is susceptible to rice blast fungus disease in such conditions. Inadequate prevention measures also accounted for the crop failures, it said.Agricultural scientist and company founder Yuan Longping, widely dubbed the "father of hybrid rice", said the crop failure in Anhui cannot serve as evidence that there are problems in all hybrid rice varieties."There is a chance that the Liangyou 0293 variety could have suffered a setback in quality after years of cultivation. There could also have been disease mutations," he told Hunan Daily. "The average yield of hybrid rice per mu (0.07 of a hectare) has reached more than 1,026.7 kg to date. Even if the yield is reduced to 70 to 80 percent of that amount ... we can still improve the yield of the country's rice fields remarkably," he said.Zhang, the vice minister, said hybrid rice remains an important part of the national strategy to ensure grain security."We need a variety that can adapt to different cultivation environments. However, evaluation of a variety is usually conducted in a specific area. If that variety is cultivated elsewhere, without adequate assessment, defects in the variety will be exposed," he said.
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine The Anhui crop failure has infuriated farmers, with many blaming the company for misleading advertisements. In Wuhe county, rice farmers were hit hard, with yields plummeting from an expected 500 kg to 50 kg per mu or even to zero.The company said the farmers' losses will be covered by insurance and it will meet with them to discuss further measures.As of last year, hybrid rice accounted for 30 percent of China's rice-growing area, with more than 9.07 million hectares of hybrid rice fields nationwide.
Tokyo, Washington resume TPP talks Jiji Press
Hiroshi Oe, right, Japan‘s deputy chief negotiator for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, shakes hands with Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Wendy Cutler in Tokyo on Wednesday. 9:43 pm, April 15, 2015 Jiji PressJapan and the United States restarted working-level talks as part of Trans-Pacific Partnership multilateral free trade negotiations in Tokyo on Wednesday.High on the agenda will be Japan‘s establishment of an import quota for U.S.-grown rice and U.S. auto parts tariffs, informed sources said.The focus will be to what extent the two countries can come close to each other ahead of a meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington on April 28, the sources said.The previous Japan-U.S. working-level TPP talks took place in Washington last month.Japanese participants in the just-launched Tokyo talks include deputy chief TPP negotiator Hiroshi Oe and Takeo Mori, ambassador for economic diplomacy. Washington is represented by Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Wendy Cutler.―This will be a very important meeting,‖ Oe told reporters just before the start of the talks. ―We will make all-out efforts to narrow the gaps between the two countries as much as possible‖ so that they can move on to the next stage, he added.The participants are expected to hold in-depth discussions on the specific amount of U.S. rice Japan would accept under the planned import quota and conditions for Tokyo to invoke emergency import restrictions on beef and pork.Japan, which wants U.S. auto parts tariffs to be scrapped immediately, is set to encourage the United States to make concessions on the matter. www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine If substantial progress is made in the working-level talks, Japan and the United States would hold a ministerial meeting with the aim of reaching a broad agreement.The two sides are eager to confirm their achievements at the coming Abe-Obama summit in a bid to add momentum to the overall TPP negotiations among 12 countries for an early conclusion of the multilateral talks.
China's hybrid rice varieties face new scrutiny after massive crop failure Xu WeiChina Daily/Asia News NetworkWednesday, Apr 15, 2015
China's agricultural authority is set to conduct more comprehensive assessments of hybrid rice varieties following a massive crop failure in Anhui province caused by abnormal weather conditions and rice disease.The evaluations will focus on high yields and also the adaptability of varieties to different growing environments, including resilience to disease and insects, according to Zhang Taolin, vice-minister of agriculture."There will also be evaluations of the efficiency of fertilizers and the grain quality of hybrid rice," he said at a news conference at the State Council Information Office on Tuesday.Hybrid rice seed provider Yuan Longping HighTech Agriculture Co said on Monday that it will stop selling its Liangyou 0293 variety following widespread low yields or crop failure. www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine This affected more than 650 hectares of rice fields in six cities in Anhui in October.The company blamed abnormal weather conditions, including low temperatures and persistent rain in June and July last year, for the crop failure as this variety is susceptible to rice blast fungus disease in such conditions.Inadequate prevention measures also accounted for the crop failures, it said.Agricultural scientist and company founder Yuan Longping, widely dubbed the "father of hybrid rice", said the crop failure in Anhui cannot serve as evidence that there are problems in all hybrid rice varieties. "There is a chance that the Liangyou 0293 variety could have suffered a setback in quality after years of cultivation. There could also have been disease mutations," he told Hunan Daily."The average yield of hybrid rice per mu (0.07 of a hectare) has reached more than 1,026.7 kg to date. Even if the yield is reduced to 70 to 80 per cent of that amount ... we can still improve the yield of the country's rice fields remarkably," he said.Zhang, the vice minister, said hybrid rice remains an important part of the national strategy to ensure grain security."We need a variety that can adapt to different cultivation environments. However, evaluation of a variety is usually conducted in a specific area. If that variety is cultivated elsewhere, without adequate assessment, defects in the variety will be exposed," he said.The Anhui crop failure has infuriated farmers, with many blaming the company for misleading advertisements. In Wuhe county, rice farmers were hit hard, with yields plummeting from an expected 500 kg to 50 kg per mu or even to zero.The company said the farmers' losses will be covered by insurance and it will meet with them to discuss further measures.As of last year, hybrid rice accounted for 30 per cent of China's rice-growing area, with more than 9.07 million hectares of hybrid rice fields nationwide.
Lifting of rice levy from next kharif to prove costly to ryots, consumers B. CHANDRASHEKHAR Lifting of rice levy, compulsory procurement of paddy from farmers and rice from millers, by the Centre completely from 2015-16 kharif marketing season (KMS) is being feared to have a telling impact on farmers and consumers by denying most of them the minimum support price and the commodity getting dearer in the market, respectively.In the absence of any procurement of paddy by the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the first and direct impact would be on the farmers as they would have to largely depend on whatever purchases to be done by the State Government agencies such as Civil Supplies Corporation, Markfed and IKP for getting the MSP or else left to the mercy of traders and millers, who seldom pay MSP to farmers. Against the MSP of Rs.1,400 and Rs.1,360 per quintal, at which the government agencies procure the produce from farmers, fixed by the Centre for common and super-fine varieties of www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine paddy, the traders and millers would pay at the most Rs.1,200. ―I have not seen traders paying more than Rs.1,200 per quintal during KMS 2014-15,‖ a field official overseeing the procurement in a North Telangana district told The Hindu .―Denial of MSP to farmers by traders and millers, however, will not provide any respite to the end-consumers. Millers will have the freedom to sell the rice stocks anywhere and resort to hoarding to create artificial shortage and increase the price heavily,‖ sources in the Civil Supplies Department stated.The super-fine quality rice whose wholesale price is about Rs.32 per kg is being sold between Rs.42 to Rs.52 per kg in the open market even when the procurement is being done by government agencies, officials pointed out. http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/lifting-of-rice-levy-from-next-kharif-to-provecostly-to-ryots-consumers/article7103650.ece
Weekly Rice Sales, Exports Reported WASHINGTON, DC -- Net rice sales of 34,300 MT for 2014/2015 were down 44 percent from the previous week and 53 percent from the prior four-week average, according to today's Export Sales Highlights report. Increases were reported for Costa Rica (14,000 MT, including 7,000 MT switched from unknown destinations), Mexico (6,700 MT), Guatemala (5,800 MT, switched from unknown destinations), Panama (5,100 MT), and Haiti (4,700 MT). Decreases were reported for unknown destinations (12,200 MT) and Colombia (1,800 MT). Exports of 82,600 MT were up 37 percent from the previous week and 35 percent from the prior four-week average. The primary destinations were Colombia (32,200 MT), Costa Rica (12,100 MT), Haiti (11,800 MT), Guatemala (5,900 MT), and Panama (5,100 MT).This summary is based on reports from exporters from the period April 3-9.
New Trade Promotion Authority Bill Could Jump Start Trade Negotiations Chairman Orrin Hatch Chairman Hatch -- on the fast track
WASHINGTON, DC -- Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation was finally introduced in Congress today with a bill from Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) and House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) making an appearance following lengthy
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine negotiations between the leaders.In introducing the bill, Chairman Hatch said, "we must engage with other nations through trade...[t]he renewal of TPA will help American workers and job creators unlock new opportunities for growth...here at home." Hatch has indicated his intention to mark-up the bill, The Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 (TPA-2015), late next week. Many believe TPA is necessary to allow U.S. negotiators to make progress on ongoing trade negotiations, specifically, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). "TPA sends a clear signal to other countries that Congress is serious about letting the President wrap up these deals," said Bob Cummings, USA Rice's chief operating officer. "It puts some pressure on negotiators from other countries who can't now hide behind our Congress as a stalling tactic." TPA guarantees a solitary "Yea" or "Nay" vote on trade deals. The alternative - 535 Members of Congress tweaking any aspect of the negotiated deals - renders the deals "Dead on Arrival" and provides no incentive for negotiators to conclude their talks. "We support TPA from a practical matter as it will help negotiators finish their work," continued Cummings. "But the specifics of TPP and TTIP with regard to rice remain to be seen, and it is those details that will ultimately decide how we come down on things."
Contact: Michael Klein (703) 236-1458
Weekly Rice Sales, Exports Reported WASHINGTON, DC -- Net rice sales of 34,300 MT for 2014/2015 were down 44 percent from the previous week and 53 percent from the prior fourweek average, according to today's Export Sales Highlights report. Increases were reported for Costa Rica (14,000 MT, including 7,000 MT switched from unknown destinations), Mexico (6,700 MT), Guatemala (5,800 MT, switched from unknown destinations), Panama (5,100 MT), and Haiti (4,700 MT). Decreases were reported for unknown destinations (12,200 MT) and Colombia (1,800 MT). Exports of 82,600 MT were up 37 percent from the previous week and 35 percent from the prior four-week average. The primary destinations were Colombia (32,200 MT), Costa Rica (12,100 MT), Haiti (11,800 MT), Guatemala (5,900 MT), and Panama (5,100 MT). This summary is based on reports from exporters from the period April 3-9.
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for April 16 Month
Price
Net Change
May 2015
$9.965
- $0.130
July 2015
$10.210
- $0.135
September 2015
$10.465
- $0.135
November 2016
$10.690
- $0.125
January 2016
$10.920
- $0.125
March 2016
$10.970
- $0.125
May 2016
$10.970
- $0.125
A schoolboy at heart: Celebrated Indian scientist speaks his mind IRRI Pioneer Interview conducted by Gene Hettel
The legendary Ebrahimali Abubacker Siddiq, 78, began his long and enduring rice research career in 1968 as a cytogeneticist at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in New Delhi, including 7 years there as a senior scientist. In 1983-86, he spent 3 years as a breeder for the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Egypt. Returning to IARI, he was appointed professor of genetics (1986-87). In late 1987, he became project director at the Directorate of Rice Research (DRR). In 1994, he assumed the position of deputy director general (crop science) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). In
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine 2000-05, he served as a member of the Institute’s Board of Trustees from 2000 to 2005. His 35 years of research in plant breeding contributed to the development and release of high-yielding semidwarf basmati and nonbasmati varieties, which have boosted rice production in India. Upon retirement from his regular ICAR service in 1997, ICAR named him a national professor (1997-2002). In 2002, he joined the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics of the Department of Biotechnology, in which he served as the Distinguished Chair until 2007, when he continued there as an adjunct scientist. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Hyderabad and IARI and is an honorary professor of biotechnology at Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University in Hyderabad.Here are some excerpts from his pioneer interview conducted in April 2014 in Hyderabad.
A long association with IRRI My professional association with IRRI started in 1968. When I was a rice breeder at IARI, IRRI provided me opportunities to participate in its international symposia and conferences. Starting in 1987, as project director of DRR, my association with IRRI became even closer. As project director (1987-94), I progressively strengthened the relationship between India and IRRI. My roles as a scientist, project director, deputy director general (crop science) at ICAR, and later as a member of IRRI‘s Board of Trustees enabled me to know and discover what India could gain through collaborative activities with IRRI, particularly in germplasm exchange and human resource development on all aspects of rice science.
Rewarding stint for IRRI in Egypt When I was a senior scientist at IARI, IRRI, with M.S. Swaminathan as its director general, was keen to develop rice research in Egypt. I was chosen to be the rice breeder to join the USAID-supported project for establishing the National Rice Research and Training Institute. In 1983, I joined the project, which was technically coordinated by the University of California-Davis, and contributed to shaping and strengthening Egypt‘s rice breeding program. Overall, the project team did a lot of good by streamlining research, training local scientists, and helping many get their PhD degrees. That 3-year exposure was really a wonderful experience personally for me and I feel, even today, that I achieved all that was expected of me as a breeder there.
Critical issues while on the IRRI Board Keeping INGER. While serving on the IRRI Board, there were several issues I was concerned about during the early 2000s when Ronald Cantrell was Institute‘s director general. It was a time when funding support from major donor sources to CGIAR institutes, including IRRI, was declining. To cope with the situation, IRRI was
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine contemplating projects and programs which should be continued and which ones might be pruned. Whether IRRI should continue or not with the International Network for the Genetic Evaluation of Rice (INGER) was one of the issues before the Board for a decision. I impressed upon fellow board members that it was INGER that provided IRRI with true visibility in the rice world. Connecting almost all rice-growing countries through international testing and exchange of germplasm, it was INGER that enabled rice-growing countries to strengthen their rice breeding research and develop varieties suited to their own different ecosystems. I emphatically said, don‘t prune INGER because what you are spending on it is not that much but what you gain is much more. Luckily, I and other INGER proponents on the Board won out and INGER thrives today. Into Africa. Except for the limited INGER testing program, IRRI was not doing anything substantial for Africa. The Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice, formerly WARDA) was there addressing rice production constraints. Even so, given the large underexploited potential in Africa, I and other board members insisted that IRRI should emphasize and focus on improving rice productivity and production on the continent. So, the Board urged IRRI to give needed emphasis to Africa. That is when the first African national—Angeline Kamba—became the chair of the IRRI Board and when IRRI started to send more scientific staff to the continent to strengthen rice research there. Focusing on the rainfed lowlands. Throughout my time on the Board, I insisted that IRRI should also focus on rainfed ecosystems, particularly the rainfed lowlands, where drought and submergence are major constraints. Although not so prominent in many Southeast Asian countries, this ecosystem constitutes a large area in South Asia, particularly in eastern India and Bangladesh. We cannot rely indefinitely on the irrigated ecosystem alone to meet our future rice demands. There has to be a balance across the irrigated and rainfed ecosystems. I am happy that India and IRRI are working together to address this issue through the development and adoption of submergence- and drought-tolerant rice varieties in eastern India through theStress-Tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia (STRASA) project. Don’t cut hybrid rice. There was a feeling that, unlike in China, hybrid rice research at IRRI was not making the expected level of progress. So, the issue came up before the Board if it were justified to prune the hybrid breeding program. I urged that the hybrid rice program be further strengthened, not pruned, because it is the only technology available with proven capability to raise the genetic yield ceiling. Even though it probably would not reach the levels achieved in China, certainly India and a few other countries in the region could gain from the technology in the coming years. I pleaded with the Board not to curtail ongoing support for hybrid rice research. The suggestion was accepted broadly and so the hybrid rice program at IRRI continues today. I understand that today around 2.4 million hectares are being planted to hybrid rice in India. If our breeders come up with hybrids that can satisfy both farmers and consumers with appropriate growth duration, resistance to insect pests and diseases, and high grain quality, I am optimistic that, 3 or 4 years from now, Indian farmers should be planting 5 million hectares of hybrid rice. And even with a relatively small hybrid area, India is second only to China in bringing hybrid rice to farmers‘ fields.
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A career achievement with basmati rice My major work as a breeder was to develop high-yielding varieties with basmati quality. The unique quality characteristic of basmati rice is a complex genetic trait. Nearly all the physicochemical properties of starch are not simply inherited. Combining all the quality features of traditional basmati in a high-yielding background, therefore, was not an easy task.At one stage of the breeding process, some people commented, ―You are working for so many years; still, you‘re not coming out with high-yielding basmati varieties.‖ While visiting the field, one critic sarcastically asked, ―Should we bring in Norman Borlaug (the father of the Green Revolution) to develop the kind of basmati rice you are trying to achieve for so long?‖ I was hurt by this remark and was compelled to respond that, with all respect to Norman Borlaug, I told him in the presence of many that you can bring not one, but many Borlaugs, but it will not make any difference in progress, given the complex trait we are dealing with. I explained how difficult and timeconsuming it is to combine so many complexly inherited indices of basmati quality in a high-yielding background. I remember how I, along with my small staff, used to be in the field all day selecting productive plant types in the breeding populations and the long hours we spent into the night cooking rice to evaluate the promising lines for the desired quality trait combination. Yet, we failed to reach the targeted genotype for years. It took us nearly 24 years to finally succeed in developing Pusa Basmati 1 (PB1), the first-ever high-yielding semidwarf basmati variety, released in 1989. Just like with the miracle high-yielding IR8, which would not have sustained us had we not come up with progressively improved versions of it with acceptable grain quality and resistance to insect pests and diseases, PB1 also provided the genetic base for evolving better and better varieties and hybrids.
Breeding for the rice-wheat rotation I was also very interested in developing an appropriate rice variety that would enable timely harvest and thus timely planting of wheat in Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh. With the fertile soil there, high fertilizer application causes modern rice varieties to lodge before harvest hence the rice cannot be combineharvested. Keeping this problem in mind, we had introduced Pusa 44 in 1994.Pusa 44 does not lodge at all because of its strong straw. This variety has helped sustain the rice-wheat system by enabling combine harvesting that clears the field quickly for proper land preparation and timely wheat planting. This is why the rice-wheat rotation in the region is such a great success. By virtue of this trait along with its long, slender, and clean grains as well as resistance to most pests and diseases, it is still popular in the region. Even today, there is no variety yet to replace Pusa 44.
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Adding biotechnology to the toolbox I looked into the prospects of the application of biotech tools for directed and speedy rice improvement. After a full day‘s discussion with me, Gary Toenniessen, representing theRockefeller Foundation, agreed to support a rice biotechnology program in India, if we organized and coordinated it. Thus, the India Rice Biotechnology Network started. For 10 years, I coordinated this program involving rice researchers engaged in biotechnology. Under this program, the Foundation helped India by training our young researchers in advanced laboratories abroad and providing all needed equipment. Although the funding support was not high, I must admit that, if not for that initial support, it would not have been possible for India to have built its rice biotechnology research to the level we have today.
The future challenge for India: keeping rice farming sustainable The challenge for the next 20 years and beyond is achieving production targets on a sustainable basis— ecologically and economically. Whereas the unfolding technological advances will hopefully make farming ecologically secure, the real challenge is going to be in making farming economically viable because it is becoming increasingly a losing profession.Farmers are not a happy lot in this country today. They don‘t have secure livelihood opportunities in the rural areas because rice farming and agriculture, in general, are not is a large-scale migration of rural families to urban areas in search of better livelihood opportunities. It used to be 60–40%, rural to urban population; now, the reverse is being reflected. Today, many farmers do not want to see their sons becoming farmers like them. They want them to go for better-paid jobs in the cities. A recent survey conducted across India showed that more than 60% of the farmers don‘t find farming socioeconomically attractive. They feel they are losers and they want to migrate to urban areas. So, unless we come up with appropriate strategies and policy measures to sustain farmers in farming, it is not going to be easy to meet our future food demands.
A schoolboy in retirement, freely sharing knowledge Now in retirement, among other things, I am an adjunct professor at my old institute, IARI. Whenever I go to Delhi, I give lectures to students and interact with the staff on many agricultural issues. I really enjoy this kind of activity in retirement. My wife says, ―You are retired, but you still act like a schoolboy.‖ Maybe so; however, for a scientist, there is really nothing like retirement. I now have time to read and think about the new developments in science and share those ideas with students and younger colleagues.Many companies have asked me, ―Why don‘t you do some sort of consultancy?—whatever you want, we will arrange.‖ I said, no. I don‘t need financial support from anybody. I have my pension; I have my lifetime savings to survive and act as I wish. If anybody wants a free consultancy, there‘s no problem. I am available. Otherwise, I am leading a peaceful life!_________________________________________ Mr. Hettel is editor-in-chief of Rice Today.
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