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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
Rice E-Newsletter March 25 , 2015 V o l u m e 5, Issue I
Timeline: Wild rice regulations in Minnesota Environment Elizabeth Dunbar 路 Mar 25, 2015
Citing new science, the state agency charged with keeping Minnesota's water clean says it wants to move away from a law that's been on the books more than 40 years. At issue is a limit on sulfate -- the water quality standard designed to protect wild rice. www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
Timeline 1930s and '40s: Biologist John Moyle, working for the Minnesota Department of Conservation, finds that no large wild rice stands grow in waters high in sulfate. 1973: State adopts a sulfate standard limit of 10 milligrams per liter to be discharged in waters that produce wild rice. The standard affects mining operations, industrial facilities and municipal wastewater treatment plants. The standard receives U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approval. 2008: The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources publishes a study identifying more than 1,200 bodies of water where wild rice grows. February 2010: The EPA says Minnesota regulators must ensure PolyMet Mining's proposed copper-nickel mine meets the state's sulfate standard. That raises questions about to what extent the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is enforcing the standard for existing iron mines. 2010: The MPCA begins asking mining companies to document wild rice plants in lakes and streams where they discharge wastewater. December 2010: The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce sues the state to overturn the state sulfate standard. The case is eventually dismissed but the Legislature starts taking action. July 2011: Gov. Mark Dayton signs environment bill that includes a provision requiring the MPCA to do research on wild rice and complete rulemaking. The legislation provides $1.5 million for the wild rice study. Study results won't be released for another three years. August 2011: U.S. Steel and MPCA strike a deal to clean up Minntac and limit pollution at Keetac, including a plan to reduce sulfate discharge. May 2012: Ramsey County District Court upholds the state's 10 milligram standard after the Chamber of Commerce sues. November 2012: MPCA announces it will begin listing waters around the state as impaired based on inability to sustain wild rice. January 2014: Wild rice study is completed, but MPCA officials decide to hold back on releasing recommendations on what to do with the state's current sulfate standard, saying it's complicated. A peer review panel will be called to evaluate the study. Feb. 26, 2014: Iron Range lawmakers meet with MPCA Commissioner John Linc Stine about upcoming wild rice sulfate standard after reading news media reports about it. March 2014: The MPCA says wild rice study confirms that sulfate affects wild rice but in complex ways, says it needs more time to determine what state's standards should look like.
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine October 2014: Peer review panel called on by the MPCA to evaluate the wild rice study says the work is scientifically valid, and MPCA officials continue work on policy recommendations for the state's sulfate standard. December 2014: The EPA sends a letter to the MPCA saying U.S. Steel's draft revised Minntac permit has problems. The Minntac facility has long exceeded the state's sulfate standard. February 2015: Several bills are introduced in the Legislature to prevent the MPCA from enforcing any sulfate standard for wild rice until rulemaking process is complete, including designating wild rice waters. House committee hears testimony from the MPCA and tribal leaders. The MPCA delays the release of Minntac's revised permit until it has announced a new approach to sulfate regulation in wild rice waters. March 23, 2015: Gov. Mark Dayton tells MPR News the state's existing sulfate standard is outdated and will hurt mining operations in the state. March 24, 2015: The MPCA announces a "new approach" to protecting the state's wild rice waters that uses a formula to calculate sulfate limits for each of the 1,300 lakes and rivers identified as wild rice waters.
Chhattisgarh PDS scam: Congress seeks CM Raman Singh's resignation and judicial probe Wednesday, 25 March 2015 - 9:23pm IST | Place: New Delhi | Agency: PTI The Congress stepped up attack on Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh seeking his resignation and a high-level judicial inquiry into the PDS rice scam, after a diary surfaced containing names of the alleged beneficiaries.The Congress stepped up attack onChhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh seeking his resignation and a high-level judicial inquiry into the PDS rice scam, after a diary surfaced containing names of the alleged beneficiaries. "In the garb of providing rice at Re 1 per kg under the much-touted PDS scheme, the BJP government in Chhattisgarh has created a welloiled corruption machine in connivance with rice mill owners...to earn thousands of crores in kickbacks and commission," the All India Congress Committee (AICC) alleged on Wednesday .At a joint press conference attended by top party leaders from Chhattisgarh and AICC General Secretary B K Hariprasad, Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi also accused the Raman Singh government of resorting to corruption in distribution of commodities like salt, gram flour, kerosene and wheat.
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine The magnitude of the scam could be gauged from the fact that during the past 11 years of the BJP rule in Chhattisgar, the amount spent from public exchequer on procurement of paddy as also procurement and supply of various PDS items through the State Civil Supplies Corporation is approximately Rs 1,50,000 crore, the party said.Singhvi alleged that the diary of one Shiv Shankar Bhatt of the State Civil Supplies Corporation revealed the story of "unprecedented corruption of unimaginable magnitude" by the Chief Minister, his wife, sister-in-law and in-laws as also some state ministers and officials.The Congress leader claimed that commissions were paid by millers for adulteration of bad quality rice in good rice meant for distribution under PDS. State Congress Chief Bhupesh Baghel and CLP leader T P Singhdeo were present at the press meet.Singhvi said the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB), probing the scam, has recovered two more diaries exposing the "well-oiled wheel of corruption".Demanding an inquiry by a sitting Supreme Court/High Court judge into the scam, he said this was necessary as the ACB chief has himself conceded that it was beyond him to even think of probing those in the highest echelons of the state.The Congress also wanted Singh to quit as Chief Minister to ensure that there is a "fair and impartial probe". Singhvi said so far only 12 junior level employees of the corporation have been arrested in connection with the scam. http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-chhattisgarh-pds-scam-congress-seeks-cm-raman-singh-sresignation-and-judicial-probe-2071917
Rice mill ‘scam’ triggers CAG audit DEVESH K. PANDEY
The audit began following a complaint by an Odisha-based RTI activist. Millers hiding or under-reporting earnings from their sale The Comptroller and Auditor-General of India (CAG) is auditing the financial dealings between government agencies and rice mills in eight major rice-producing States following a complaint that Rs. 200 crore in black money is generated every day as millers hide or under-report earnings from sale of paddy by-products.―It could be a scam involving over Rs. 10 lakh crore,‖ says Gouri Shankar Jain, a Right to Information activist in Odisha who complained about the nexus to the CAG in August 2012. The Prime Minister‘s Office, which too received his complaint, forwarded it to the CAG in February, he told The Hindu. Confirming the audit, government sources said Mr. Jain‘s complaint had been included in the investigations. By government records, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Haryana, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are the top contributors to the central rice pool.In his first complaint to the CAG, Mr. Jain, who has been raising the issue since 2011 as part of the www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine ―Kishan Krishi Karj Mukti Andolan‖, accused unscrupulous millers of hiding the income from paddy by-products (bran, husk and broken rice), in collusion with tax-assessing officials.―It was all due to the wrong procurement policy and faulty accounting/billing system ... suspicion was aroused when we found that even though the input cost and labour charges had nearly doubled, such millers were willing to work at the 2004-05 rates,‖ he said. No clarity on rice by-products The Union and the State governments procure rice through the custom milled and levy rice mechanisms for the public distribution system. Under the former, government agencies get paddy from farmers at the minimum support price and give it to the mills under an agreement. Under the levy system, millers buy paddy from farmers, mill it into rice and sell it to the government. ―Under both schemes, the government collects 68 kg of parboiled or 67 kg of raw rice per 100 kg of paddy. There is no clarity on the total quantity and pricing of the rest of the 32-33 kg byproducts of paddy, neither in government audited balance-sheets nor in rice millers‘ audited accounts,‖ says Gouri Shankar Jain, a Right to Information activist in Odisha who complained about the financial dealings between government agencies and the millers to the CAG in August 2012. Under the custom milling agreement with the government, rice millers retain by-products such as bran, husk and broken rice. With the millers hiding or under-reporting earnings from the sales of these by-products and the State governments not sending claims for rice procurement along with the accounts audited by CAG-appointed auditors at the end of each season, the fraud remained undetected, he says.This happened because CMR [custom milled rice] rates would remain provisional, not final as required under the rules. In an RTI reply last September, the Department of Food and Public Distribution said the rate for procurement incidentals had not been finalised in most of the States,‖ he alleged saying he had studied the balance sheets of 2,500 rice mills,‖ he says.Rice bran is used to extract oil, husk is used as fuel in power plants, and broken rice is used in breweries and to make laundry starch and products for the food, cosmetics and textile industries. Keywords: CAG audit, rice scam, black money, rice mills, paddy by-products, tax evasion, RTI query, Gouri Shankar Jain
Adding this ingredient to your rice could cut calories in half rice could cut calories in half It seems counterintuitive, but new research finds adding a certain type of healthy fat to rice while it's cooking may actually cut the calories in this starchy, carb-laden food staple.A cup of cooked rice typically contains 240 calories and is made up of both digestible and resistant types of starch. Humans do not have the enzyme to digest resistant starch, which means the body is unable to convert some of that starch to sugar and absorb it into the bloodstream.Researchers at the College of Chemical Sciences in Sri Lanka successfully tested out their theory that using a
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine specific heating and cooling process could increase the presence of resistant starch and thereby minimize the body's calorie absorption. Here's how to cut the calories in your rice by more than half, according to the researchers: Add a teaspoon of coconut oil to boiling water, then add half a cup of rice. Simmer for 40 minutes or boil for 20 to 25 minutes. The cooked rice should then go into the refrigerator for 12 hours, which means you'll need to cook it ahead of time.The researchers say this method causes the oil to enter in starch granules while it cooks and adds a protective layer, which ostensibly changes the structure of the rice granules so they becomes resistant to the digestive enzyme. Ultimately, this means that fewer calories from the rice are absorbed by the body.
Health worries about arsenic in rice It turns out the cooking process is only part of this magic food chemistry experiment. During the extended cooling process, as the rice starts to "gel," the amylose -- the starchy part of the rice -- leaves the granules. The 12-hour cooling period also leads to the formation of hydrogen bonds between the the amylose and molecules outside the rice grains. This converts it into the starch the body is unable to digest. Thankfully, you won't need to eat your rice cold and gummy to maintain its lower calorie content. The scientists say reheating the rice at a later time doesn't alter the rice's chemical composition. Additionally, the researchers say rice cooked this way won't only help a person maintain a trim waist; it may also result in a healthier gut, since the bacteria in the rice provides a potent energy source to the "good bacteria" in the human body.These findings were presented at the 249th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.Next the researchers plan to conduct studies with humans to find out which varieties of rice work best for this calorie-reduction process, and whether it can also be done with other types of oils.
News shared by PhilRice Museum honors women in rice Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija – The Rice Science Museum established in this city is honoring the women rice workers in celebration of the 2015 National Women‘s Month this March. Following the celebration‘s theme, Juana, Desisyon Mo ay Mahalaga sa Kinabukasan ng www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Bawat Isa, Ikaw Na!, a 10-paneled photo exhibit is showcased to display how women help the other workers in rice. Titled, The Woman of Rice, the exhibit is based on a 2008 study, Who are the Women in Agriculture? by Maria Daryl L. Leyesa of the Centro Saka Inc. The study showed that in general, more women in the rice sector exercise decision-making in most production concerns than men. Women decide matters concerning farm capital, on growing and selling vegetables, and on raising and selling the livestock.Study also showed that men in farming communities depend on the women on household matters such as medication in times of illness, what food to prepare or cook, what household appliances to buy, whom to vote during elections, and where to get money in emergencies.―Taking care or keeping an eye on children is simultaneously done with whatever they are doing in the farm or in the house. Off farm, the women prepare the tools for farm labor, does gardening, food foraging, wood gathering, and poultry or livestock raising,‖ Leyesa said. Leyesa said that women spend as long as 11 hours of daily work during the planting and harvesting seasons and they spend longer times than the men in pesticide application for snails, planting, and weeding.―Women allot 2.33 more days in harvesting than men and 2.75 more days in drying rice,‖ she said.Moreover, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) had emphasized the role of women in agriculture as they comprise about 43 percent of the global agricultural labor force.―Women comprise half or more of the agricultural labor force in many African and Asian countries. The labor burden of rural women exceeds that of men, and includes a higher proportion of unpaid household responsibilities related to preparing food and collecting fuel and water,‖ FAO reported. FAO added that agricultural development, economic growth, and food security will be strengthened and accelerated if ―national governments and the international community build on the contributions that women make and take steps to alleviate these constraints.‖
Alternative impact model to be tried on rice To better guide the policymakers on agricultural investments, an agriculture-based model seldom used in rice economic studies is proposed by a returning scholar based at Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. Dr. Marc Jim Mariano, who recently graduated from Monash University in Australia, said that results derived from Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model are useful for the policymakers in knowing the economy-wide effects of a policy. Holding a PhD in Economics, Mariano intends to construct an agriculture-based CGE model for the Philippines with household microsimulation and updated database – the first CGE model yet developed for PhilRice.―There are many methods used in analyzing the socioeconomic impacts of rice policies and market interventions in the Philippines. However, most of them are partial equilibrium analyses, only taking a part of the market so results are usually focused on one sector at a time. With its ability to capture the relationships and interactions of various agents and sectors in the economy, CGE provides a more holistic approach in assessing economy-wide impact,‖ Mariano explained.
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Amidst the ASEAN integration this year, Mariano said that the model can simulate the possible economic implications of this trade reform; helping the decision-makers craft strategies to ensure food sufficiency and farmer competitiveness.Applying the model in his study, the youngest PhD graduate of PhilRice found that removing the government‘s rice domestic support mechanisms improves economic efficiency due to the re-allocation of labor and land inputs into more productive or higher value uses. Mariano used a CGE model to investigate the effects of removal of price subsidies on paddy production and rice consumption and removal of high tariff restriction on imported rice. ―However, in the event of a sudden severe spike in the world price of Philippine rice imports, the removal of existing rice market interventions makes the country more vulnerable to a loss in the purchasing power of households,‖ he said.Mariano finished Bachelor of Agricultural Economics from the University of the Philippines Los Baños as cum laude. He has a master‘s degree in economics from the University of New England, Australia where he was a recipient of the Australian Leadership Awards scholarship. His thesis was awarded the Best Masters Research by the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
Ilocos Norte exec backs new museum Batac City, Ilocos Norte – Gov. Imee R. Marcos sees the recently launched Rice Science Museum here as way to sustain rice productivity, which the province maintained at more than 200 percent. ―[Our country has] a golden past that is dedicated to rice security. We were one of the first importers in Asia…..[Now, there are challenges including youth engagement in agriculture]. The youth wants to be at everything except in agriculture,‖ the governor, now on her second term, said.The Rice Science Museum aims to reach out to students through displays of artifacts that show the confluence of Cordilleran and Ilukano farmers. Museum features galleries about the Cordillera and Ilocos farming culture, modern farming, traditional and modern seeds, landscapes, and farm implements such as hukikud (dibbles), ganulang (for harvesting), and luhung and lalu (mortar and pestle). ―This second museum dedicated for Philippine rice following the re-launching of Rice Science Museum in Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, aims to feature not only the rice farming culture of the Ilocos but also of other regions covered by PhilRice Batac. PhilRice Batac serves the Northwestern Luzon area including Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Abra, and Apayao. Aside from the students, we are also reaching out to farmers to check on the modern technologies,‖ Maribel Alupay, museum curator said. In her message during the recent launch, Marcos said the average age of Ilukano farmers is 58. Despite challenges of ageing farmers and typhoons in 2014, Ilocos Norte had contributed to the 15,000 metric tons (MT) increase in rice production, making Region 1 among the top four rice producing regions in the country. Ilocos Region has contributed at least 10 percent to the 18.44 million MT national output in 2014. ―Para makatayo tayo sa sariling pagkain, we must increase productivity, production, value of rice; and conduct more studies resulting in simple and barangay-based solutions for water
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine scarcity,‖ the executive who served three terms as Representative of the 2nd District of Ilocos Norte, said.She encouraged farmers to try hybrid rice and diversify their crops by planting highvalue crops such as mushroom and garlic.Last year, the Ilocos Norte was one of the country‘s 12 AgriPinoy Rice Achievers for attaining high rice self-sufficiency at 286 percent and surpassing the province‘s target production by 183 percent.
Farmers’ field school benefitted Tarlac rice growers A season-run Farmers‘ Field School (FFS) had improved the practices and knowledge of rice growers in Victoria, Tarlac. Charisma Love Gado, senior science research specialist at Philippine Rice Research Institute, found that farmer-cooperators of an International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-funded project became more skilled, knowledgeable, and confident after project implementation. According to Gado, the rice sector banks on extension as a pathway in increasing productivity as it can influence rice yield by at least 15 percent. Under the Improving Livelihoods and Overcoming Poverty in the Drought‐prone Lowlands of South and Southeast Asia project of IFAD, farmers‘ capacity in the rainfed areas are enhanced through interventions including the FFS.―Although Tarlac farmers are into rice production for an average of 20 years, they still rely on technicians when it comes to rice information. But after joining the FFS, farmers claim that they now ‗have the knowledge of some of their technicians,‘ which complements their experience,‖ Gado said.In her interviews with the farmers, she found that rice tillers gained more knowledge on pest and disease management, nutrient management, and varieties and certified seeds. FFS facilitators taught farmers the integrated pest management, a practice that discourages the nonstop use of pesticides; Leaf Color Chart, a four-stripped plastic ―ruler‖ used in assessing nitrogen status of rice plant; and certified seeds, which can improve yield by 10 percent.―Although the farmer-cooperators‘ average age is 44, they did not hesitate to try the new recommendations they learned from the FFS and implemented changes in their farming traditions. After joining the project, farmers made significant changes in their land preparation, crop establishment, and management of pests, nutrient, and water,‖ she said. The development communication specialist also noted that farmers developed a sense of discipline in farming as they have learned the value of regularly monitoring their field.Farmers also said that they previously learned few information but have difficulties recalling them. By attending FFS classes, however, they said that their stock knowledge were refreshed and updated.―My results show that farmers are quick to learn with field monitoring, tour, and video showing. For them, the FFS serves as their guide in rice farming and a way in becoming an expert and in improving their quality of life,‖ she said. News shared by Philrice
MPCA seeks lake-by-lake plan to protect wild rice
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine EnvironmentElizabeth Dunbar , Tom Scheck · Mar 25, 2015 A wild ricer propelled a canoe through a wild rice bed with a forked pole. Dan Kraker | MPR News 2014 1. LISTEN MPCA seeks lake-by-lake plan to protect wild rice part 1 4min 36sec 2. LISTEN MPCA seeks lake-by-lake plan to protect wild rice part 2 4min 41sec Citing new science, the state agency charged with keeping Minnesota's water cleanannounced Tuesday that it wants to move away from a law that's been on the books more than 40 years. At issue is a limit on sulfate — the water quality standard designed to protect wild rice. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency says using the same limit for every river or lake where wild rice grows doesn't make sense, because many factors influence whether wild rice will thrive. • Tuesday: Dayton: Outdated clean water standard could doom mining industry • Feb. 14: New standards for MN mine delayed for wild rice study • Feb. 11: U.S. Steel fights new environmental standards for MN mine A biologist named John Moyle sampled lakes and rivers throughout the state in the 1930s and '40s. He found that wild rice doesn't grow well when the water has high concentrations of sulfate. Sulfate is a compound that occurs naturally, but it's also released by iron mining operations and wastewater treatment plants.Wild rice has long been a part of Minnesota's heritage, and it's especially important to Native Americans. So in 1973 the state developed a rule that limits the amount of sulfate in waters where wild rice grows. The limit is 10 milligrams per liter, which translates to roughly 7 gallons in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Now, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency wants to change that."The 10 [milligram limit] wasn't wrong," said Rebecca Flood, assistant commissioner of the MPCA. "It's just imprecise." Sulfate itself doesn't kill wild rice. But when it mixes with the bacteria found in the muck at the bottom of lakes and rivers, it's converted into something that is toxic to wild rice: sulfide. And recent research has shown the approximate maximum levels of sulfide that wild rice can tolerate. But MPCA officials say predicting the sulfide level isn't as simple as looking at how much sulfate is in the water. Wild rice appears to grow just fine in some waters that have high sulfate concentrations. They say iron is a factor. So is organic carbon.Shannon Lotthammer, who directs the environmental analysis and outcomes division at the MPCA, said the agency is proposing a formula to predict whether wild rice will be able to thrive in a given lake or river. Shannon Lotthammer Tom Scheck | MPR News "The available data we have just don't show a general pattern of iron and organic carbon in water bodies in Minnesota," she said. "They're very independently variable. That's why that science led us to this proposed approach of an equation and using specific information from each site to then www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine calculate what the protective level of sulfate would be."Those proposed sulfate values have been calculated for only a handful of lakes, but Lotthammer said the sulfate concentrations could vary from less than 1 milligram per liter to 140 milligrams per liter.It was clear Tuesday that, although the MPCA said it was basing its proposed new standards on science, politicians were also playing a part. One indication was the timing: MPCA officials accelerated their announcement after Gov. Mark Dayton described the current standard as outdated and potentially catastrophic for mining in northeastern Minnesota. • Timeline: Wild rice regulations in Minnesota "I'm standing up to what I think is best for Minnesota," he said. "And the standard that's antiquated, that's not even based on current science directly related to the conditions we're trying to deal with, to me doesn't make any sense."Dayton has been actively involved in discussions about regulating pollution from taconite plants. Over the past several months, he has spoken about it with U.S. Steel executives, Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan, the Environmental Protection Agency and state legislators from the Iron Range. But the MPCA's Flood said her agency's scientists didn't develop the standards as a result of pressure from Dayton or anyone else. MPCA Assistant Commissioner Rebecca Flood Tom Scheck | MPR News "This is something that we've been working on for years now," she said. "This is a part of our normal way of operating in developing normal water quality standards."But the agency was getting it from all sides. State lawmakers who worried about mining and wastewater treatment plants were pushing legislation that would undermine the current sulfate standard. Rep. Jason Metsa, DFL-Virginia, called the MPCA's announcement a step in the right direction."On a statewide level, this has a broad impact and it's time to just find a solution that's reasonable to everyone," he said.Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, said he'll continue to pursue legislation that prevents the MPCA from enforcing the current standard. It hasn't been enforced widely, and he blamed environmental groups for attempts to enforce it now. He said their push to more closely regulate the taconite operations is an indirect attempt to block future copper/nickel mining in the state. "The crux of it is they just don't want any additional mining in Minnesota," Bakk said. Environmental groups said the issue has less to do with new mining and more to do with enforcing the clean water laws already on the books. • Interactive map: Minnesota's wild rice waters Moving from a uniform standard for every body of water in the state to a formula for individual bodies of water could create openings for political pressure, said Kathryn Hoffman of the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy."You have introduced a lot of uncertainty that is vulnerable to politics," she said.U.S. Steel, which owns two taconite plants on Minnesota's Iron Range that are affected by the sulfate standard, praised state officials for reviewing it.John Pastor, a scientist at the University of Minnesota Duluth who researched the relationship between wild rice and sulfate for the MPCA, said concentrations could have different effects on wild rice from lake to lake.
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine He said the agency is right to scrutinize the level of sulfide.But he said the MPCA's proposed formula isn't close to being the solution."That equation at this point is just a hypothesis," he said. "The onus is on them to show it could work. They have not done that here."Some environmental groups were asking what would happen while the new proposal is being studied.Attorney Paula Maccabee, representing the group WaterLegacy, which has pressured the MPCA to enforce the existing standard, said the MPCA proposal didn't mean the current limit can be ignored."The law is clear," she said. "We have a 10-milligrams-per-liter sulfate standard. What's going to happen in rulemaking — hard to predict. But what shouldn't be hard to predict is that what happens now is enforcing our existing rule." The MPCA said it will seek comments from researchers and others. Once it comes up with a formal rule, which is expected in late summer, it will initiate a two-year administrative process that allows for plenty of public input before the rule becomes final.MPCA officials said they've briefed federal officials on their proposal but couldn't say whether the existing standard will be enforced in the meantime.U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., wrote a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy earlier this month warning her not to support any efforts to weaken water quality standards in Minnesota.A spokesman for McCollum said she would have serious concerns about any proposal that would put Minnesota wild rice at risk. Timeline: Wild rice regulations in Minnesota 1930s and '40s: Biologist John Moyle, working for the Minnesota Department of Conservation, finds that no large wild rice stands grow in waters high in sulfate. 1973: State adopts a sulfate standard limit of 10 milligrams per liter to be discharged in waters that produce wild rice. The standard affects mining operations, industrial facilities and municipal wastewater treatment plants. The standard receives U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approval. 2008: The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources publishes a studyidentifying more than 1,200 bodies of water where wild rice grows. February 2010: The EPA says Minnesota regulators must ensure PolyMet Mining's proposed copper-nickel mine meets the state's sulfate standard. That raises questions about to what extent the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is enforcing the standard for existing iron mines. 2010: The MPCA begins asking mining companies to document wild rice plants in lakes and streams where they discharge wastewater. December 2010: The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce sues the state to overturn the state sulfate standard. The case is eventually dismissed but the Legislature starts taking action.
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine July 2011: Gov. Mark Dayton signs environment bill that includes a provision requiring the MPCA to do research on wild rice and complete rulemaking. The legislation provides $1.5 million for the wild rice study. Study results won't be released for another three years. August 2011: U.S. Steel and MPCA strike a deal to clean up Minntac and limit pollution at Keetac, including a plan to reduce sulfate discharge. May 2012: Ramsey County District Court upholds the state's 10 milligram standard after the Chamber of Commerce sues. November 2012: MPCA announces it will begin listing waters around the state as impaired based on inability to sustain wild rice. January 2014: Wild rice study is completed, but MPCA officials decide to hold back on releasing recommendations on what to do with the state's current sulfate standard, saying it's complicated. A peer review panel will be called to evaluate the study. Feb. 26, 2014: Iron Range lawmakers meet with MPCA Commissioner John Linc Stine about upcoming wild rice sulfate standard after reading news media reports about it. March 2014: The MPCA says wild rice study confirms that sulfate affects wild rice but in complex ways, says it needs more time to determine what state's standards should look like. October 2014: Peer review panel called on by the MPCA to evaluate the wild rice study says the work is scientifically valid, and MPCA officials continue work on policy recommendations for the state's sulfate standard. December 2014: The EPA sends a letter to the MPCA saying U.S. Steel's draft revised Minntac permit has problems. The Minntac facility has long exceeded the state's sulfate standard. February 2015: Several bills are introduced in the Legislature to prevent the MPCA from enforcing any sulfate standard for wild rice until rulemaking process is complete, including designating wild rice waters. House committee hears testimony from the MPCA and tribal leaders. The MPCA delays the release of Minntac's revised permit until it has announced a new approach to sulfate regulation in wild rice waters. March 23, 2015: Gov. Mark Dayton tells MPR News the state's existing sulfate standard is outdated and will hurt mining operations in the state. March 24, 2015: The MPCA announces a "new approach" to protecting the state's wild rice waters that uses a formula to calculate sulfate limits for each of the 1,300 lakes and rivers identified as wild rice waters.
Ministries amend regulations on cross-border rice exports VietNamNet Bridge - Watchdog agencies are drafting a farm-produce export development strategy, planning to tighten control over cross-border rice exports to minimize risks for Vietnamese exporters. The Chinese government has granted rice import quotas to businesses, portending an increase in exports to the market, especially exports across border gates. According to the Vietnam Food Association (VFA), Vietnam exported 6.3 million tons of rice in 2014 worth $3 billion. Of this amount, 30 percent was exported to China through official channels, while 2 tons of rice were exported to the market across border gates.The director of an An Giang-based export company said he was negotiating with Chinese businesses on the consignments of rice to be exported in April. www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine
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He noted that Chinese prefer importing rice from Vietnam through unofficial channels across the border line – to cut costs.If they import rice through official channels, they would have to pay a quota fee of $80 per ton, VAT and import tax, which would cost them $160 per ton. As such, if they bought Vietnam‘s 5 percent broken rice, which is sold at $460 per ton, they would have to pay $620 per ton.The director said that the Chinese demand for cross-border rice has been increasing because of higher domestic demand and increasingly high prices in China. Vietnamese businesses also like exporting rice to China because lower quality products are accepted there. However, Ho Cao Viet from the Southern Agriculture Science & Technique Institute, said it was risky to trade with the market. In most cases, Chinese businesses pay only 20 percent of the consignments‘ value in advance and make payments only after they receive goods. Viet said the risks faced by Vietnamese businessmen are high.If the Chinese importers are smugglers, the risks would be even higher, because the consignments of goods would be seized by Chinese customs agencies and Vietnamese businessmen would not get paid for exports.This is why Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) has repeatedly called on Vietnamese businessmen to export products through official channels. However, Professor Vo Tong Xuan, a leading Vietnamese rice expert, believes it is impossible to stop the cross-border import/export activities. Therefore, it would be better to tighten control over cross-border exports to minimize risks rather than request exporters to say ‗no‘ to the crossborder trade.―Vietnamese exporters must not negotiate with Chinese importers through intermediaries, but directly with importers,‖ he said. Xuan said that in case negotiations fail, Vietnamese businesses will need support from other Vietnamese businesses and the Vietnam Food Association which is responsible for protecting Vietnamese businesses. DDDN
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/business/126377/ministries-amend-regulations-oncross-border-rice-exports.html
PM Will Not Entertain Cheap Imported Rice posted (March 25, 2015) www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Since Friday we‘ve been reporting on the situation with the rice industry. Importer Jack Charles says he can bring in rice from Guyana, which will retail for as little as 69 cents per pound – which is 50 cents cheaper than the one dollar and twenty cents per pound or more that you‘re currently paying at the store.But, government doesn‘t want to give him a permit to import that rice because it will likely destroy the local rice industry. Charles says that those local rice producers need stiff shot of competition, basically because they are price gouging – and you‘re paying for it.Charles has got six containers with half a million pounds on standby and he‘s just waiting for government‘s go ahead to bring it in. But, for government it‘s not quite that simple; the matter was discussed at Cabinet yesterday and the Prime Minister agreed that local producers have to do better:… Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister "We believe that the situation can be managed in such a way as to bring the price of rice, locally produced rice down for the consumer in such a manner as would make it unnecessary for them to want to consume instead the imported rice. But it's a work in progress, the situation is still flowing.” Jules Vasquez "Would you then agree that the producers have been charging an unfair markup for local rice because they have a monopoly on the market and also because there's no price control enforced?" Hon. Dean Barrow "Admittedly the price control or the prices set by the price control regime have not been honoured, have been violated. The question of who really is responsible is a fairly complicated one, suffice it to say that this have galvanised both the producers who fear the possibility of begin wiped out by cheap or cheaper imported rice from Guyana. And the ministry to come with a solution that optimally should preserve the local rice industry.”"We have to work with those producers to ensure that the consumer is not being as short changed as it is now clear, the consumer has been - so that in seeking to prevent the importation of rice, we don’t have to make a choice between the interest of the consumer and the interest of the producer." Jules Vasquez
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine "However, should you see to the enrichment or the sustaining of unsustainable rice producers at the detriment to the consumers who can't pay 70 cents a pound, so said Mr. Jack" Hon. Dean Barrow "That's precisely the point. I'm not sure of Mr. Charles' figures but undoubtedly you can import the rice at it appears now more cheaply." "Put it like this I don’t think most consumer would say - listen, I don't care if the rice industry and all that depends on that in this country is whipped out as long as I can get cheaper rice prices. I believe that if we can ensure cheaper rice prices for the consumer in Belize – but not as cheap as those prices would be if you simply imported. And you explained that in terms of the larger picture you’re going to be better off, perhaps not as better off as you. Could be we just open the flood gates. We're going to be better off and as well we're going to help to save an industry. Your people would understand it so it really is a matter of working this thing out so that consumers get a well deserved break, see a well deserved reduction in the retail price they pay. But certainly not by way of simply allowing unrestricted importation of cheaper rice.” Government issued a release today saying that all relevant ministries are conducting an in-depth review of the rice industry, quote, ―with an aim to ensuring the best action for Belize as it relates to the production and supply of rice to the Belizean public.‖ Government says it will first consider a number of factors including The various factors affecting the price and market channels of domestically produced rice, a review of the price control mechanisms, the importance of food security and Belize‘s obligations as a member of CARICOM – where barriers to free trade within CSME cannot be imposed.And so where do you fit into all this, as the consumer? In its last paragraph, the release says quote, ―any action taken in respect to the rice industry in Belize will consider the need to reduce the cost of living as a high priority. ‖We note that until importer Jack Charles started pressing the issue, what is now called a ―high priority‖ was of no priority at all – and everyone in officialdom seemed content leaving the uncontrolled high prices just as they were.In fact, last year when the marketing board imported 3.1 million pounds of processed white rice from Guyana – for 52 cents per pound and then resold by the same producers for 94 cents wholesale under their own brand labels, no one said anything. That rice was still retailed for one dollars twenty cents a pound with the wholesalers and retailers making all the profit – while the consumers got no benefit.
http://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=31996
Tillage radishes defeated by dense soil, but hold promise as winter nutrient lay-away By Mary Hightower, University of Arkansas Extension March 25, 2015 | 10:19 am EDT
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Research radishes at the Southeast Research and Extension Center have found that the only way to grow is up.Trent Roberts, soil scientist with the University of Arkansas System's Division of Agriculture, said that the root vegetables' usual downward growth habit lends to their promotion as a tool to reduce soil compaction and cut the need for deep tillage in crop land. Nutrient sponges"Unfortunately for these tillage radish, our soils -- heavy textured and poorly draining -- did not allow them to root down or drill through the plow pan or restrictive layers like they do in the upper Midwest," he said. "A lot of producers who have attempted to use tillage radish have only seen the deep rooting on very sandy soils, where compaction is not always a major concern."At SEREC, the soil was so dense, even the largest 6- to 8- inch long and 3-inch wide radishes surrendered, growing tubers above ground. While not so good for tillage, Roberts said the vegetables still hold promise: "I think tillage radish have a place in Arkansas as a winter cover crop, but I see them playing a completely different role. ‖"Tillage radish are amazing at nutrient scavenging and nutrient retention," he said. "The great thing about tillage radish is that their large tubers soak up nutrients like a sponge and hold on to them during our winter months that are often very wet and would result in a high level of leaching and ultimately nutrient loss."Those absorbed nutrients that are released very quickly and are readily available for whatever crop is being planted in the spring. "I think we could get some huge benefits from the radishes from a nutrient retention standpoint rather than compaction alleviation," Roberts said. The tillage radishes are part of a larger winter cover crop study funded by the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board. Roberts said the study is looking at the influence of planting date and nitrogen fertilizer rates on radish establishment and what effect that might have on soybean growth the following season. In addition to SEREC, the cover crop trials are being conducted at Division of Agriculture‘s Pine Tree Research Station at Colt, the Rice Research and Extension Center in Stuttgart and the Vegetable Research Station at Kibler. For more information about crop production, visit www.uaex.edu or contact your county extension office.
http://www.selectscience.net/industry-news/hua-zhi-and-lgc-cooperate-to-increaseglobal-rice-production/?artID=36768
The paella in this restaurant is the real thing Clinton Palanca
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Philippine Daily Inquirer 12:16 AM | Thursday, March 26th, 2015 PAELLA ValencianaThere is a story, often abrogated but never entirely repealed, that Eskimos have over a hundred words for snow; simply because they have so much snow, and it informs every aspect of their lives, so they need different words to describe it. By the same reasoning, people from Manila should have hundreds of words for traffic: the infuriatingly slow but crawling type, the stop-and-start kind, the hopeless kind where you might as well pitch camp for the night.
Interesting varieties But the Philippine languages are nothing if not descriptive, even if the rules for using a particular word rather than another are impossible to describe. Rice has its own set of vocabulary, from the whole process of saing, to the individual portions of the ritual, such as the pag-inin.And kanin, heaven forbid, must never be mistaken for bigas (uncooked rice), and the average stall at a commercial market will sell at least three or four varieties.There was a time when the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), based in Los Baños, Laguna, was at the forefront of research for new breeds of hybrid rice and the preservation of worthwhile strains of ―heirloom‖ rice. I was excited when I heard that ArroZeria had partnered with IRRI, because we as consumers are literally tasting only a handful out of hundreds of interesting new varieties coming out; we have more rice that we can find names for.I was expecting ArroZeria to be a showcase of local rice varieties, like a single malt bar but for rice. Or perhaps a restaurant that served rice dishes from around the world: Perhaps African jollof rice and Malaysian claypot rice rub shoulders on the menu. Or perhaps a selection of different rice types from around the world and the myriad ways in which they are steamed, boiled, simmered, etc. But perhaps the owners decided that this would not have been a very marketable idea as a restaurant. After all, people go out to eat, not to have a lesson in taxonomy.Yet we are remarkably sensitive to the quality of the rice we eat. Even while pinching pennies, the lower middle class will still spend a few extra pesos for a better grade of rice. If the rice is good, they say, then you don‘t need as much of a main course to go with it. Rice-based dishes Apart from the emphasis on the rice-based dishes (paella and other more soupy dishes such as caldoso and risotto), ArroZeria doesn‘t stray very far from typical Spanish-restaurant fare. This is a bit disappointing for those, like me, who know the restaurant is run by the same people behind the dauntingly expensive Vask, and were hoping to get a bit of the Vask experience in a
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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine less formal atmosphere and at more down-market prices.There is a bit of that in the appetizers, and most of the meat dishes are cooked with the aid of sous vide techniques, which in itself is not a guarantee of anything other than that the meat has a greater chance of having been rendered tender over the long cooking time. We ordered a variety of appetizers, including an interesting and memorable basket of shrimp in black batter with a rather timid interpretation of mojo picon sauce. For the paella we were given the choice of al dente and thin or soft and wet. The waiter recommended we get the soft and wet.We decided to get the al dente and thin instead, and were glad we did. The paella is the real thing, and though I haven‘t done a comprehensive survey of paella around the city, this ranks among the best I have had, here or elsewhere: properly burnt crust where the rice meets the pan, and chewy rice full of flavor, a great wide circle of it, almost like a pizza made out of rice.I haven‘t tried their soft and wet, but that more or less describes most paellas you get in the city: mushy stodge ladled into a paella pan and baked perfunctorily. Main dish At this point we were happy to move on to our main dish, a rib-eye chuleton. This was something of a downer after the high note of the paella. Among other things, the waiter seemed INTERIORS reluctant to accept our insistence that we wanted the meat rare and suggested medium-rare.We insisted on rare; it came medium-rare anyway. It was also a medium rare that was tough, bland and tasteless, and managed to lodge various bits and bobs in my teeth. I couldn‘t think of any reason for the steak to be bad apart from the meat being substandard in the first place, which is disproportionate to its price at P495 per 100 grams.As a point of comparison, the truly excellent steak at Stockton Place, which I keep going back to, is P490 per 100 g, and veined with buttery marbling and a deep, mellow flavor. All said, ArroZeria is a bit of a curate‘s egg; I‘m not sure I would deliberately make my way there for anything else, but I would stop by there for the paella, which is worth a detour.But to get the Vask experience, it seems that I‘ll really have to break open the piggy bank and pay up for Vask prices. ArroZeria is at 4/F Century City Mall, Makati City. Call tel. 0920-9744742 http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/188827/the-paella-in-this-restaurant-is-the-real-thing
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