5th march,2015 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

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UN Representative Concludes Mission On GMOs World NewsInside AfricaMar 2, 2015 0

A UNITED Nations (UN) representative undertaking a weeklong visit to the Philippines expressed her

opposition to the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) as she concluded her mission to

evaluate the country‘s food problems.

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter

March 05 , 2015 V o l u m e 5, Issue I




Hilal-Elver

At a news conference at the Holiday Inn and Suites in Makati, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to

Food Hilal Elver said a number of questions remain unanswered about the GMO approach, including

long-term health effects and the business models practiced by multinational seed companies.―GMOs are a

huge thing and there is a huge discussion on it. I am against GMOs for several reasons… We don‘t know

the health impacts of GMO in the long term,‖ Ms. Elver told reporters.

She added that the aggressive defense of seed patents by

multinationals has led to small farmers being accused of

infringing on their intellectual property.―They take away the

farmers‘ seeds from them and the corporations make a

business from it,‖ she said.For these reasons, ―the use of

GMOs should be carefully studied, and, I‘m not sure if it

should be accepted,‖ she said.

The UN representative, who is part of the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights

system, launched her visit on Feb. 20. The final report of her findings, Ms. Elver said, will be sent to the

UN Human Rights Council in March 2016.The UN representative‘s remarks come as the Philippines

struggles to achieve self-sufficiency in rice, and triggered a response from stakeholders who defended

genetic modification methods.The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the Los Baños-based non-

profit research body, said that some crops — particularly rice — do not have sufficient nutritional value

in their unmodified form, making it necessary to fortify these staples.

―The unique advantage of genetic modification lies in its ability to incorporate novel genes with useful

traits into new rice varieties. These include genes from plants and organisms unrelated to rice that could

not be transferred using other breeding methods,‖ the IRRI said in a statement emailed to BusinessWorld

by its Head of Communication, Antonio G. Lambino II.For his part, Biotechnology Coalition of the

Philippines (BCP)Executive Secretary Abraham J. Manalo said that GMO technology has been certified

as safe reputable global and national institutions.―All internationally-recognized science organizations

have declared that food from modern biotechnology is as safe as their non-biotech or traditional

counterparts,‖ he said.

These include the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the American

Medical Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the U.S. National

Academy of Science, the Food Standards Australia New Zealand, the French Academy of Science, the

UK Royal Society of Medicine, the Union of German Academics of Sciences and Humanities, and our

very own (Philippine) National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and (Philippine) Food and

Drugs Administration,‖ Mr. Manalo said in a statement emailed to Business World.―It is important that

farmers be given the choice as to the seed type and variety they want to plant and harvest. In the

Philippines, more than 300 thousand corn farmers have decided to use biotech seeds for their corn fields,‖

he added.




http://www.spyghana.com/un-representative-concludes-mission-on-gmos/

APEDA NEWS

Market Watch

Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 02-03-2015

Domestic Prices Unit Price : Rs/Qtl

Product Market Center Variety Min Price Max Price

Jowar(Sorgham)

1 Amreli (Gujarat) Other 1495 3000

2 Kota (Rajasthan) Other 1400 1431

3 Manvi (Karnataka) Other 1000 1050

Maize

1 Amirgadh (Gujarat) Other 1425 1425

2 Deoli (Rajasthan) Other 1200 1350

3 Pune(Maharashtra) Other 1450 1550

Pine Apple

1 Aroor (Kerala) Other 3200 3400

2 Sirhind(Punjab) Other 2000 3000

3 Nagpur(Maharashtra) Other 1000 3200

Cabbage

1 Aroor (Kerala) Other 2600 2800

2 Bonai (Orissa) Other 1000 1500

3 Sirhind(Punjab) Other 600 800

Source: agmarknet for more products

http://www.spyghana.com/un-representative-concludes-mission-on-gmos/

http://agriexchange.apeda.gov.in/ind_prices/ind_prices.aspx




Egg Rs per 100 No.

Price on 02-03-2015

Product Market Center Price

1 Ahmedabad 280

2 Ajmer 265

3 Chittoor 283

Source: e2necc.com

International Benchmark Price

Price on: 02-03-2015

Product Benchmark Indicators Name Price

Garlic

1 Chinese first grade granules, CFR NW Europe (USD/t 1800

2 Chinese Grade A dehydrated flakes, CFR NW Europe (USD/t) 2000

3 Chinese powdered, CFR NW Europe (USD/t) 1300

Ginger

1 Chinese sliced, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 4600

2 Chinese whole, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 5100

3 Indian Cochin, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 3000

Guar Gum Powder

1 Indian 100 mesh 3500 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t) 4230

2 Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps basis, FOB Kandla (USD/t) 1550

3 Indian 200 mesh 5000 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t) 2950

Source:agra-net for more products

Other International Prices Unit Price : US$ / package

Price on 02-03-2015

http://e2necc.com/

http://agriexchange.apeda.gov.in/int_prices/international_price.aspx




Product Market Center Origin Variety Low High

Potatoes Package: 50 lb cartons

1 Atlanta Idaho

Russet 23 25

2 Baltimore Canada Russet

15 15

3 Chicago Idaho

Russet 18.50 20

Carrots Package: 30 1-lb film bags

1 Atlanta California Baby Peeled

24.50 26.50

2 Detroit California

Baby Peeled 23 25

3 Miami California

Baby Peeled 27 29

Grapefruit Package: 4/5 bushel cartons

1 Atlanta Florida Red

14.50 15

2

Salmon raised in rice fields head out to sea

Salmon that were born in a hatchery but spent the past month in flooded rice fields are on their

way to the Pacific Ocean. (Wednesday, March 4, 2015) News10/KXTV

George Warren, KXTV6:45 a.m. PST March 5, 2015

(Photo: George Warren, News10/KXTV)

WOODLAND - Tens of thousands of salmon that

were born in a hatchery and spent the past month in

flooded rice fields are on their way out to the Pacific

Ocean with a far greater chance of survival than their

hatchery-released counterparts."They can grow two to

five times faster in these fields than we typically see in

the river or the hatchery," said Jacob Katz, regional

director of the conservation group California Trout.




"And what that means is these fish get the boost they need to make it in the ocean."The pilot

project, now finishing its fourth year, involves a collaboration of California Trout, the UC Davis

Center for Watershed Sciences and the California Department of Water Resources.Forty-five

thousand hatchery-bred Chinook salmon were released into the flooded fields at Knaggs Ranch

Feb. 5 and will be gone by the time the grower is ready to plant the spring rice crop.Katz said the

rice fields, located in the Yolo Bypass, replicate winter conditions found in the Central Valley

before the rivers were constrained by levees.

"When you spread rivers out into their historical flood plains, you can expect a lot of food to be

built," Katz said, explaining that the shallow, placid water leads to algae growth that supports

insects."To a young salmon, that's filet mignon," he said.DWR program manager Louise Conrad

pointed out the water flooding the fields is headed for the ocean anyway and is simply borrowed

for the fish before being returned to the Sacramento River.

"And we've demonstrated over four years that the juvenile salmon grow remarkably well," she

said.The effort is called the "Nigiri Project," named for a form of sushi that combines raw fish

with a clump of rice.The project involves a total of roughly 120 acres of flooded farm land at

several sites.Katz would like to see the program expanded in the next several years to cover

3,000 acres with 1 million fish.

Watch Video On-Line:

http://www.news10.net/story/news/local/2015/03/04/salmon-raised-in-rice-fields/24405853/

China says to spend 33 percent more on grain stockpiling

BEIJING Wed Mar 4, 2015 7:58pm EST

(Reuters) - China's Finance Ministry said the country will spend 154.6 billion yuan ($24.66 billion)

on stockpiling grains, edible oils and other materials in 2015, a rise of 33 percent on the year.Beijing

will also maintain minimum purchasing prices for wheat and rice in 2015 and target total grain

output at more than 550 million tonnes, the National Development and Reform Commission said

separately on Thursday.The NDRC said in its report published during the opening of the full session

of parliament that it would also return 667,000 hectares of agricultural land to forest and grassland in

2015 in a bid to improve the environment.

($1 = 6.2701 yuan)

(Reporting by Dominique Patton; Editing by Ed Davies)

http://www.news10.net/story/news/local/2015/03/04/salmon-raised-in-rice-fields/24405853/

http://bit.ly/1stY9j6

http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=ed.davies&




http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/05/us-china-parliament-agriculture-idUSKBN0M103820150305

FAO food price index declines further in February, led by

sugar

2014 crop production seen at record level; first 2015 wheat forecast made

Combine harvesters work the fields in France.

Europe enjoyed a bumper wheat crop in

2014.Rome, 5 March, 2015 - The FAO Food Price

Index declined to a 55-month low in February,

dropping 1.0 percent from January and 14 percent

below its level a year earlier. Lower prices for

cereals, meat and especially sugar more than offset

an increase in milk and palm oil prices.The FAO

Food Price Index averaged 179.4 points in

February, down from 181.2 points in January and

208.6 points in February 2014. Its ongoing decline -

to its lowest level since July 2010 - reflects robust

supply conditions as well as ongoing weakness in many currencies versus the U.S. dollar, which appear

set to continue, said Michael Griffin, FAO's dairy and livestock market expert. "The first thing to flag is

the favorable outlook for production of a number of crops in 2015," he said. "Stocks are also very strong"

for most cereals, he added.FAO's Food Price Index is a trade-weighted index that tracks prices of five

major food commodity groups on international markets. It aggregates price sub-indices of cereals, meat,

dairy products, vegetable oils and sugar.

Wheat and sugar prices drop, powdered milk and palm oil rise

The FAO Cereal Price Index averaged 171.7 points in February, down 3.2 percent from January, with

booming prospects for wheat output explaining the bulk of the decline. Rice prices were more stable, with

aromatic rice quotations increasing markedly, compensating for much the declines observed in the other

rice varieties.The FAO Sugar Price Index averaged 207.1 points in February, down 4.9 percent from

January, the sharpest move of any commodity. The drop reflected optimism on production prospects in

Brazil after recent rainfalls, as well as India's announcement it will subsidize exports to boost sugar sales

abroad.

The FAO Meat Price Index averaged 187.4 points in February, down 1.4 percent from its revised

January value. Beef and mutton prices declined, largely due to a stronger U.S. dollar against the Brazilian

real and the Australian dollar. Pigmeat prices rose for the first time in eight months, helped up by the

European Union's decision to provide aid for private storage in the sector.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/05/us-china-parliament-agriculture-idUSKBN0M103820150305




The FAO Dairy Price Index rose for the first time in a year, averaging 181.8 points in February,

representing a 4.6 percent increase from the previous month. The increase was driven by milk powders

and reflects both a seasonal slowdown in European output as the quota for the season draws to a close and

a crimped supply from New Zealand and Australia. Cheese quotations remained largely unchanged.

The FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index averaged 156.6 points, up 0.4 percent from January. This reflected

a sizeable rise in palm oil prices - resulting from recent floods in Malaysia and from a hike in Indonesian

domestic biofuel subsidies expected to stoke demand - even as soy oil prices continued to decline given

prospects of bumper soybean harvests in South America.

2015 wheat output seen dipping slightly from record 2014 level

FAO has further raised its estimate of 2014 world cereal production, now seen at 2.542 billion tonnes,

amounting to 20 million tonnes or one percent higher than in 2013. The bulk of the increase reflects

wheat production gains in Argentina, Central Asia and Europe.With the 2015 winter wheat crop already

developing in the northern hemisphere, FAO forecasts that production for the year would amount to 720

million tonnes, or one percent below the record output of 2014, discounting normal yields in the

European Union and Central Asia after strong levels last season.

Globally, 1.107 billion tonnes of cereals are forecast to be used for food consumption in 2014/15,

resulting in a slight increase in average per capita intake to 153.3 kilograms. Cereals used for animal feed

are anticipated to grow by 4.0 percent and account for 877 million tonnes.FAO forecast for world cereal

stocks at the close of the 2014/15 crop seasons has been raised by about 8 million tonnes since last month

to a 15-year high of 631 million tonnes, with part of the revision resulting from reviewed estimates of

previous years' stock levels in China and Ukraine.

For more details, see FAO's latest Cereal Supply and Demand brief.

http://www.fao.org/worldfoodsituation/csdb/en/

FAO Cereal Supply and Demand Brief

The Cereal Supply and Demand Brief provides an up-to-date perspective of the world cereal

market. The monthly brief is supplemented by a detailed assessment of cereal production as well

as supply and demand conditions by country/region in the quarterly Crop Prospects and Food

Situation. More in-depth analyses of world markets for cereals, as well as other major food

commodities, are published biannually in Food Outlook.Monthly release dates for 2015: 05

February, 05 March, 02 April, 07 May, 04 June, 09 July, 10 September, 08 October, 05

November, 03 December.



http://www.fao.org/GIEWS/english/cpfs/index.htm


http://www.fao.org/GIEWS/english/fo/index.htm




More optimistic expectations about 2014 cereal production and 2015 carry

over stocks; Wheat output in 2015 forecast slightly below the record of

2014

Release date: 05/03/2015

FAO has further raised its 2014 world cereal

production estimate and its global cereal stock

forecast for 2015. World cereal production in

2014 is now gauged at 2 542 million tonnes, 8

million tonnes higher than reported in February,

with most of the revision resulting from increases

for wheat (Canada and Argentina) and coarse

grains (the CIS, India and Nigeria). The latest

2014 global production estimate represents a

growth of about 1 percent (20 million tonnes)

compared to 2013, much of which accounted for

by wheat production gains in Argentina, the CIS

and the EU. The 2015 winter wheat crop is

already developing or soon to come out of

dormancy in the northern hemisphere, which

accounts for the bulk of the global output, while

spring plantings are underway in some countries. FAO‘s first wheat production forecast for 2015

stands at 720 million tonnes, including an early projection for the southern hemisphere countries

that will begin planting in August. At this level, production would be 1 percent below the record

output of 2014, predominantly reflecting an expected decline in Europe, as yields in the EU and

the CIS region are forecast to return to average levels from the previous year‘s high. In North

America and Asia, the outlook is more favourable mostly on account of an expected

improvement in yields; however the larger anticipated crop is not forecast to offset the reduction

in Europe.

Word cereal utilization in 2014/15 is expected to reach 2 475 million tonnes, 8 million tonnes

more than projected in February with most of the revision resulting from greater anticipated feed

use of sorghum and barley. At the current forecast level, world cereal utilization in 2014/15

would grow by 2.6 percent (over 63 million tonnes) from the previous season. Total feed use of

cereals is projected at 878 million tonnes, up 4.0 percent (34 million tonnes) from 2013/14, led

by a 3.6 percent (nearly 20 million tonnes) expansion in maize feed utilization. Among the other

cereals, feed use of sorghum is anticipated to increase by 10.5 percent (2.7 million tonnes), with

much of the rise concentrated in China, where it is seen growing by 1.8 million tonnes (43

percent) from the previous season.

Feed use of barley is now projected to match last season‘s level, at around 96 million tonnes,

about 1.5 million tonnes more than earlier anticipated, due to an upward revision in China.

World consumption of cereals as food is forecast to grow by 1.4 percent (15 million tonnes) to

1 108 million tonnes in 2014/15, resulting in an average per caput intake of 153.3 kg, which is

slightly above the 2013/14 figure. Food consumption of wheat is projected at 488 million tonnes,


www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine Page

10


1.3 percent higher than in the previous season, keeping the average per caput level steady at 67.6

kg. As for rice, about 416 million tonnes are currently anticipated to be consumed as food in

2014/15, 1.5 percent more than in 2013/14, fostering a small increase in the annual per caput

level from 57.3 kg to 57.6 kg.

The FAO forecast for world cereal stocks by the close of crop seasons ending in 2015 has been

lifted by 1.3 percent (8 million tonnes) since February, to 631 million tonnes. The upward

revision is partly explained by the more optimistic expectations about production in 2014.

However, it was also the result of a review of estimates of stocks from seasons preceding

2014/15, mostly in China and Ukraine. At the current level, world cereal stocks would be as

much as 8.6 percent (50 million tonnes) above their opening levels and the largest in fifteen

years.

Given the expected sizeable build-up of inventories, the global cereal stock-to-use ratio would

rise from 23.5 percent in 2013/14 to 25.4 percent in 2014/15, hitting a 13-year record. Global

wheat stocks are projected at 199 million tonnes in 2015, 6 million tonnes more than previously

anticipated and up 11 percent (20 million tonnes) from 2014. Total stocks of coarse grains are

now set to reach 256 million tonnes, 3 million tonnes more than anticipated in February and the

highest since 1986/87. Against this general tendency, the FAO forecast for global rice

inventories in 2015 has been reduced by more than 1 million tonnes since last month, resulting in

a 0.8 percent year-to-year decline to 176 million tonnes. This month‘s revision was mainly on

account of Thailand, where the government is continuing to launch regular tenders to curtail the

size of its public rice stockpile.

The forecast for world cereal trade in 2014/15 has been raised by almost 3 million tonnes since

the previous report to 344 million tonnes, but this would still imply a 3.7 percent (13 million

tonnes) decline from the 2013/14 record. The upward revision from last month concerns coarse

grains, mainly reflecting higher expected imports of sorghum by China. World coarse grain trade

is now forecast to reach 152 million tonnes, some 2.3 million tonnes more than previously

anticipated, but still 4 percent (7 million tonnes) below the previous season‘s record level. Total

trade of sorghum is projected at 10 million tonnes, some 53 percent (3.5 million tonnes) higher

than last season.

The forecast for maize trade remains unchanged at 114.5 million tonnes and nearly 8 percent (10

million tonnes) below the 2013/14 level. Global trade in wheat is also unchanged from the

previous month, at 151 million tonnes, or 3.6 percent (5.6 million tonnes) below the estimated

2013/14 record. Wheat exports by the United States are anticipated to decline most, although

smaller shipments are also likely from India and Kazakhstan. On the other hand, compared to

last month, the forecast for trade in rice in 2015 (calendar) was slightly raised to 41.4 million

tonnes, a volume still pointing to a 1.6 percent contraction from the all-time high level currently

estimated for 2014.

For more detail see the March issue of Crop Prospects and Food Situation.

http://www.fao.org/giews/english/cpfs/index.htm



11


Summary Tables



12


Download full dataset

1/ Production data refer to the calendar year of the first year shown. Rice production is

expressed in milled terms.

2/ Production plus opening stocks.

3/ Trade data refer to exports based on a July/June marketing season for wheat and coarse grains

and on a January/December marketing season for rice (second year shown).

4/ May not equal the difference between supply and utilization due to differences in individual

http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/worldfood/Reports_and_docs/Cereal_supply_and_demand_data.xls



13


country marketing years.

5/ Major wheat exporters are Argentina, Australia, Canada, the EU, Kazakhstan, Russian

Federation, Ukraine and the United States; major coarse grain exporters are Argentina, Australia,

Brazil, Canada, the EU, Russian Federation, Ukraine and the United States; major rice exporters

are India, Pakistan, Thailand, the United States, and Viet Nam. Disappearance is defined as

domestic utilization plus exports for any given season.

FAO Cereal Supply and Demand Brief

The Cereal Supply and Demand Brief provides an up-to-date perspective of the world cereal

market. The monthly brief is supplemented by a detailed assessment of cereal production as well

as supply and demand conditions by country/region in the quarterly Crop Prospects and Food

Situation. More in-depth analyses of world markets for cereals, as well as other major food

commodities, are published biannually in Food Outlook.

Monthly release dates for 2015: 05 February, 05 March, 02 April, 07 May, 04 June, 09 July, 10

September, 08 October, 05 November, 03 December.

More optimistic expectations about 2014 cereal production and 2015 carry over stocks; Wheat

output in 2015 forecast slightly below the record of 2014

Release date: 05/03/2015

FAO has further raised its 2014 world cereal

production estimate and its global cereal stock

forecast for 2015. World cereal production in

2014 is now gauged at 2 542 million tonnes, 8

million tonnes higher than reported in February,

with most of the revision resulting from

increases for wheat (Canada and Argentina) and

coarse grains (the CIS, India and Nigeria). The

latest 2014 global production estimate

represents a growth of about 1 percent (20

million tonnes) compared to 2013, much of

which accounted for by wheat production gains

in Argentina, the CIS and the EU.The 2015

winter wheat crop is already developing or soon

to come out of dormancy in the northern

hemisphere, which accounts for the bulk of the

global output, while spring plantings are underway in some countries. FAO‘s first wheat

production forecast for 2015 stands at 720 million tonnes, including an early projection for the

southern hemisphere countries that will begin planting in August. At this level, production would

be 1 percent below the record output of 2014, predominantly reflecting an expected decline in

Europe, as yields in the EU and the CIS region are forecast to return to average levels from the

previous year‘s high. In North America and Asia, the outlook is more favourable mostly on



http://www.fao.org/GIEWS/english/fo/index.htm



14


account of an expected improvement in yields; however the larger anticipated crop is not forecast

to offset the reduction in Europe.

Word cereal utilization in 2014/15 is expected to reach 2 475 million tonnes, 8 million tonnes

more than projected in February with most of the revision resulting from greater anticipated feed

use of sorghum and barley. At the current forecast level, world cereal utilization in 2014/15

would grow by 2.6 percent (over 63 million tonnes) from the previous season. Total feed use of

cereals is projected at 878 million tonnes, up 4.0 percent (34 million tonnes) from 2013/14, led

by a 3.6 percent (nearly 20 million tonnes) expansion in maize feed utilization. Among the other

cereals, feed use of sorghum is anticipated to increase by 10.5 percent (2.7 million tonnes), with

much of the rise concentrated in China, where it is seen growing by 1.8 million tonnes (43

percent) from the previous season.

Feed use of barley is now projected to match last season‘s level, at around 96 million tonnes,

about 1.5 million tonnes more than earlier anticipated, due to an upward revision in China.

World consumption of cereals as food is forecast to grow by 1.4 percent (15 million tonnes) to

1 108 million tonnes in 2014/15, resulting in an average per caput intake of 153.3 kg, which is

slightly above the 2013/14 figure. Food consumption of wheat is projected at 488 million tonnes,

1.3 percent higher than in the previous season, keeping the average per caput level steady at 67.6

kg. As for rice, about 416 million tonnes are currently anticipated to be consumed as food in

2014/15, 1.5 percent more than in 2013/14, fostering a small increase in the annual per caput

level from 57.3 kg to 57.6 kg.

The FAO forecast for world cereal stocks by the close of crop seasons ending in 2015 has been

lifted by 1.3 percent (8 million tonnes) since February, to 631 million tonnes. The upward

revision is partly explained by the more optimistic expectations about production in 2014.

However, it was also the result of a review of estimates of stocks from seasons preceding

2014/15, mostly in China and Ukraine. At the current level, world cereal stocks would be as

much as 8.6 percent (50 million tonnes) above their opening levels and the largest in fifteen

years.

Given the expected sizeable build-up of inventories, the global cereal stock-to-use ratio would

rise from 23.5 percent in 2013/14 to 25.4 percent in 2014/15, hitting a 13-year record. Global

wheat stocks are projected at 199 million tonnes in 2015, 6 million tonnes more than previously

anticipated and up 11 percent (20 million tonnes) from 2014. Total stocks of coarse grains are

now set to reach 256 million tonnes, 3 million tonnes more than anticipated in February and the

highest since 1986/87. Against this general tendency, the FAO forecast for global rice

inventories in 2015 has been reduced by more than 1 million tonnes since last month, resulting in

a 0.8 percent year-to-year decline to 176 million tonnes. This month‘s revision was mainly on

account of Thailand, where the government is continuing to launch regular tenders to curtail the

size of its public rice stockpile.

The forecast for world cereal trade in 2014/15 has been raised by almost 3 million tonnes since

the previous report to 344 million tonnes, but this would still imply a 3.7 percent (13 million

tonnes) decline from the 2013/14 record. The upward revision from last month concerns coarse

grains, mainly reflecting higher expected imports of sorghum by China. World coarse grain trade

is now forecast to reach 152 million tonnes, some 2.3 million tonnes more than previously



15


anticipated, but still 4 percent (7 million tonnes) below the previous season‘s record level. Total

trade of sorghum is projected at 10 million tonnes, some 53 percent (3.5 million tonnes) higher

than last season. The forecast for maize trade remains unchanged at 114.5 million tonnes and

nearly 8 percent (10 million tonnes) below the 2013/14 level. Global trade in wheat is also

unchanged from the previous month, at 151 million tonnes, or 3.6 percent (5.6 million tonnes)

below the estimated 2013/14 record. Wheat exports by the United States are anticipated to

decline most, although smaller shipments are also likely from India and Kazakhstan. On the

other hand, compared to last month, the forecast for trade in rice in 2015 (calendar) was slightly

raised to 41.4 million tonnes, a volume still pointing to a 1.6 percent contraction from the all-

time high level currently estimated for 2014.

For more detail see the March issue of Crop Prospects and Food Situation.

Summary Tables

http://www.fao.org/giews/english/cpfs/index.htm



16


Download full dataset



17


1/ Production data refer to the calendar year of the first year shown. Rice production is

expressed in milled terms.2/ Production plus opening stocks.3/ Trade data refer to exports based

on a July/June marketing season for wheat and coarse grains and on a January/December

marketing season for rice (second year shown).4/ May not equal the difference between supply

and utilization due to differences in individual country marketing years.5/ Major wheat exporters

are Argentina, Australia, Canada, the EU, Kazakhstan, Russian Federation, Ukraine and the

United States; major coarse grain exporters are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, the EU,

Russian Federation, Ukraine and the United States; major rice exporters are India, Pakistan,

Thailand, the United States, and Viet Nam. Disappearance is defined as domestic utilization plus

exports for any given season


Thai Commerce Ministry to auction aged rice after legal

procedures finish

BY LARRY BANKS ON 2015-03-05 THAILAND

Commerce Ministry to auction aged rice after legal procedures finish

BANGKOK, 5 Mar 2015, (NNT) – According to the Ministry of Commerce, degenerate rice in

government stock which is currently being investigated by the officials will be put in auction

when the legal proceeding is over.Director-General of the Department of Foreign Trade

Duangporn Rodpaya explained that the investigation aimed at bringing the culprits involved in

the sales of low-grade rice is expected to be over by August, after which the auction can be

conducted.She said that several companies, both local and foreign, have expressed their interests

in the aged grains for use in various industries.

http://news.thaivisa.com/thailand/thai-commerce-ministry-to-auction-aged-rice-after-legal-procedures-

finish/35386/

Farmers demand water till April 10 to save standing paddy

crop

Farmers in Ballari taluk and Alur taluk of Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, have urged the

authorities to extend release of water to the low-level canal up to April 10 to save the standing

paddy crop in Ballari taluk.Addressing a joint press conference here on Thursday, Darur

Purushotamgouda president of district unit of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene,

and Ramreddy Samadgeri, farmer leader from Holagund Kurnool district, said that the quota for

Karnataka comes to an end on March 31. Due to climatic change, the growth of paddy crop was

affected and needed wetting till April 10.


http://news.thaivisa.com/thailand/thai-commerce-ministry-to-auction-aged-rice-after-legal-procedures-finish/35386/

http://news.thaivisa.com/thailand/thai-commerce-ministry-to-auction-aged-rice-after-legal-procedures-finish/35386/



18


―Farmers of Ballari taluk are demanding extension of release of water for ten days to save the

standing crop and also the farmers to get good yield. If not, the farmers will undergo losses. To

prevent this they will have to draw water from Andhra quota ultimately leading for clash

between farmers‖, they said.Purshotamgoud informed that the Tungabhadra dam had excess

storage of seven tmc feet. Release of one tmc feet was all that was required to save the standing

crop and avoid the possible clashes.Endorsing his views Ramareddy said extending Karnataka‘s

quota will help farmers of both the districts to reap good yield.Purushotamgouda urged the

minister and elected representatives of Ballari to take up the cause of the farmers with the

Tungabhadra Board and ensure that farmers interest is protected by extending the release of

water to Ballari taluk by ten days.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/farmers-demand-water-till-april-10-to-save-standing-

paddy-crop/article6962512.ece

Rabi rice coverage lower by 14%

OUR BUREAU

NEW DELHI, MARCH 5:

The area sown for rice for the Rabi season was around 14 per cent lower than last year. As of

Thursday, acreage stood at 32 lakh hectares (lh) as compared to 37.19 lh during the

corresponding period in 2013-14, according to the latest data released by the Agriculture

Ministry.Preliminary data on the area covered by summer oilseeds across Karnataka stood at

2.07 lh, Andhra Pradesh at 0.25 lh and Odisha at 1.01 lh. Oilseeds coverage in Tamil Nadu has

touched 0.51 lh, in Gujarat at 0.28 lh, in Chhattisgarh at 0.21 lh, while Maharashtra and

Telangana recorded 0.02 lh and 0.21 lh respectively. The Ministry‘s statement also pegged 0.13

lh in Karnataka under coverage of summer pulses.

(This article was published on March 5, 2015)

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/agri-biz/rabi-rice-coverage-lower-

by-14/article6963421.ece

Perennial Rice: In Search of a Greener, Hardier Staple Crop

Scientists have long sought to create a perennial rice that would avoid the damage to the land

caused by the necessity of planting annually. Now, Chinese researchers appear close to

developing this new breed of rice, an achievement that could have major environmental benefits.

BY WINIFRED BIRD

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/farmers-demand-water-till-april-10-to-save-standing-paddy-crop/article6962512.ece

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/farmers-demand-water-till-april-10-to-save-standing-paddy-crop/article6962512.ece



19


Ten thousand years ago, China‘s ancient inhabitants

harvested the grains of wild rice, a perennial grass

growing up to 15 feet tall in bogs and streams. The

grains were small and red, maturing in waves and often

shattering into the water. Their descendants transformed

that grain into the high-yielding annual crop that today

feeds half the world‘s population. When agronomist F.

H. King toured China‘s meticulously maintained rice

terraces in 1909, he called the men and women who

tilled them ―farmers of forty centuries.‖ To him, they seemed to have unlocked the secret to

Fengyi Hu shows a perennial rice plant, which has deeper roots than cultivated rice varieties.

conserving soil and maintaining agricultural fertility indefinitely.

Today, with the climate changing and far more land under intensive cultivation, rice farmers face

a less certain future. In parts of Asia, melting glaciers threaten to dry up water supplies for

irrigated paddies, while higher temperatures and unpredictable rainfall stress rain-fed fields. In

uplands worldwide, where farmers grow rice on steep hillsides using slash-and-burn techniques,

fallow periods are growing shorter and severe erosion is undermining both productivity and

ecosystem health. An international network of scientists is working toward a radical solution:

perennial rice that yields grain for many years without replanting.

By crossing domesticated rice with its wild predecessors, they hope to create deep-rooted

varieties that hold soils in place, require less labor, and survive extremes of temperature and

water supply. Plant breeders have been trying to do the same for wheat, sorghum, and other

crops for decades. With rice, the vision is finally nearing reality. Chinese scientists are preparing

to release a variety that they say performs well in lowland paddies and, with more breeding

work, could eventually thrive on marginal land as well. ―This line of research foreshadows a

more sustainable way of raising crops in the uplands,‖ says Casiana Vera Cruz, an expert on

upland agriculture at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines. She says

the research could especially impact women, because they are most

Critics argue that perennial grains will never be able to feed the growing population.often

responsible for the hard work of hand-planting rice each spring on small mountain farms.

The biggest strides are taking place in China, where geneticist Fengyi Hu and his colleagues at

the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences are completing nearly a decade of trials on

http://irri.org/



20


perennial rice varieties, including PR23, a strain they claim yields harvests close to those from

conventional rice for four years or more. One agricultural company in Yunnan will test PR23 and

similar varieties on more than 1,500 acres this year, and researchers are trying out PR23 in Laos

as well. If Yunnan‘s government approves the new rice for widespread release to farmers, it will

be among the world‘s first perennial grains to be grown beyond experimental fields.

Critics argue, however, that perennial grains like PR23 will never be able to feed the world‘s

growing population. Kenneth Cassman, an agronomist at the University of Nebraska whose work

focuses on global food security, says devoting a greater share of the world‘s limited agricultural

research funding to perennial rice research would be a mistake. ―The goal is not just to increase

agricultural productivity, the goal is to lift people out of poverty and provide adequate nutrition

and health,‖ says Cassman, who worked at IRRI in the mid ‗90s. ―And there‘s no way that low-

yielding perennial grains grown on small, marginal farms can lift anyone out of poverty.‖

Instead, he argues that farmers should grow drought-resistant trees or pasture — not grains — on

steep hillsides to stabilize soils, and scientists should focus on improving annual grain yields in

environments that are truly suited to them, such as flat fields with adequate water.

Nevertheless, those involved with the perennial rice research in China say it could have global

environmental implications. Millions of farmers in Asia and Africa grow rice in marginal upland

areas at the cost of massive soil loss (steep, unterraced rice fields in Laos, for instance, lose soil

around twenty times faster than the average global rate at which new soil forms). The same is

true for other crops on other continents. Half the world‘s population depends on marginal lands

for food, according to a 2010 paper in Science, and annual plowing often degrades these fields

further. Meanwhile, population — and demand for grain — is growing rapidly.

One widely promoted answer is called ―ecological intensification,‖ in which sustainable farming

techniques such as cover crops and polycultures are used to increase yields without expanding

the area of land under cultivation or the environmental harm it causes. But proponents of

perennial grains argue that agriculture needs a more fundamental fix — in

Perennial grasses divert more energy toward building roots for long-term survival.

http://www.landinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/PF_FAO14_ch03.pdf

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/328/5986/1638

http://www.fao.org/agriculture/crops/thematic-sitemap/theme/biodiversity/ecological-intensification/en/



21


essence, a shift away from humanity‘s 10,000-year-old habit of clearing the ground each year

and starting anew. ―So many problems that we think of as being part of the package of

agriculture — nutrient leakage, soil erosion, carbon loss, weed invasion — are actually attributes

of this highly disturbed ecosystem,‖ says Timothy Crews, research director at the Land

Institute in Kansas, which was founded in 1976 with the goal of developing grain fields that

mimic prairies. ―They‘re very predictable in ecology. And yet if you go out and you look at

mature native [grassland] ecosystems you do not have those problems.‖

Developing perennial versions of rice and other grains is a difficult task, however. While

domesticated annual grains pour thirty to sixty percent of their energy into producing seeds,

perennial grasses divert much more toward building roots for long-term survival. To boost

perennial yields, Crews explains, plant breeders must coax perennials to allocate a bigger slice of

the energy pie to seed production. They can also take advantage of the fact that perennials tend to

have a larger energy pie to start with: They generally start growing earlier than annuals each

spring and photosynthesize sunlight for more days each year.

For years, Land Institute staff were among only a scattering of scientists pursuing the

development of perennial grains. Recently, though, interest has grown significantly. In 2013 the

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations held an expert workshop on the

topic, and is planning another this fall. The U.S. Agency for International Development

is investing in perennial sorghum research, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is

funding a study on the risks and benefits of perennial wheat, sorghum, and pigeon pea in five

African nations.

Still, progress is uneven due to differences in genetics, breeding techniques, growing conditions,

and research interest for various grains. Perennial wheat — a key crop at the Land Institute —

remains decades from yield parity with annual wheat, according to Crews. Perennial maize

research is even farther behind. Among major staples, only perennial rice is ―approaching

reality,‖ according to the proceedings of the 2013 FAO meeting.

The first reports of crosses between perennial and annual rice emerged in the 1980s. Inspired by

these signs of success, IRRI established a breeding program in the mid-1990s aimed at helping

poor subsistence farmers combat erosion on steep slopes. They dropped it in 2001 due to shifting

research priorities, but by then, Dayun Tao, a geneticist at the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural

Sciences, had made the promising cross that would eventually lead to PR23.

This was a significant achievement. Perennial and annual rice are closely related but distinct

species, which makes crossing them difficult. Often, fertilization occurs but the embryo is not

viable. Tao used what plant breeders call ―embryo rescue,‖ a procedure that Crews likens to

placing a premature baby in an incubator. Once the plants got through that

http://www.landinstitute.org/

http://www.landinstitute.org/

http://www.fao.org/3/a-i3495e.pdf

http://www.icrisat.org/newsroom/latest-news/happenings/happenings1591.htm

http://anrcom.msu.edu/anrcom/news/item/bringing_perennial_grain_crops_to_africa_is_aim_of_new_gates_foundation_fun



22


Perennial rice is not ready to withstand the rigors of poor soil and scant water in uplands.

bottleneck, future generations were able to reproduce normally.

The next step for Tao and his colleagues, including Fengyi Hu, was to improve the crosses and

choose the best ones. With funding from China‘s National Science Foundation and, more

recently, the Land Institute, they launched a series of field trials, using conventional growing

practices in typical lowland fields. Hu says PR23 and several other varieties are now good

enough to release to farmers in Yunnan, although he has not yet published any papers on their

performance in peer-reviewed journals.

Perennial rice is by no means ready to withstand the rigors of poor soil, scant water, and extreme

temperatures in the uplands, however. One challenge will be bringing in genes that instruct the

plant to become dormant and shut down leaf production during the dry season to conserve water;

another is adapting plants to the acid soils common in upland areas. ―As we go to more and more

extreme environments, we‘ll have to develop better and better materials with more traits to get

them adapted,‖ says Len Wade, a perennial grain expert at Australia‘s Charles Sturt University

who is advising Hu‘s team and coordinating the trials in Laos. ―So there‘s no one answer here. It

takes a series of answers or a series of targets.‖

Yet those further improvements are key, because the very places that most desperately need an

alternative to conventional rice also tend to have the toughest growing conditions. In the

mountains of northern Laos, for instance, farmers typically burn patches of forest in March or

April and scatter rice seed over the ashes. Before the plants have had a chance to grow strong

roots, heavy rains wash away soil and leach nutrients. Yields fall, weeds invade, and farmers

move on after two to three years. ―Soil quality is decreasing very fast,‖ says Pheng Sengxua, a

Lao agronomist involved in the trials, which for now are taking place only in more favorable

southern areas where the terrain is flatter and soils better. ―The population has increased and the

forest is being destroyed by upland farmers. The Lao government wants to decrease upland

farming systems like slash and burn to reduce erosion and deforestation.‖

That has led to government interest in the new varieties from China, which promise benefits that

go beyond grain, Wade says. A rice crop that stayed in the ground for years on end could

conserve soil and provide hay, fodder and fuel during the dry season, making it a key element of

a sustainable farming system in hilly areas.That vision — of a perennial rice tough enough to

flourish in some of the world‘s most difficult growing conditions — is still a distant one. But

within the next few years, Chinese farmers could have access to PR23, a variety unlike any other

in the long history of rice farming. For the perennial grains research community, that alone

would be a significant milestone.



23


POSTED ON 05 MAR 2015 IN BIODIVERSITY BIODIVERSITY CLIMATE SCIENCE &

TECHNOLOGY SUSTAINABILITY ASIA CENTRAL & SOUTH

AMERICA HTTP://E360.YALE.EDU/FEATURE/PERENNIAL_RICE_IN_SEARCH_OF_A_GREENER_HARDIER_STAPLE_CROP/2853/

USA Rice Launches MyPlate Video Search for Kids

Lights! Camera! MyPlate!

ARLINGTON, VA -- To kick-off March National

Nutrition Month, USA Rice joined six other MyPlate

National Strategic Partners to develop and host the

Check Out MyPlate Video Search for kids. This

promotion is a project of the MyPlate Kids Partner

Group organized to reach children and parents with

healthy eating messages, tools, and activities."When

kids think MyPlate, we want them to think rice," said

Katie Maher, manager of domestic promotion

programs. "Participation in MyPlate promotions like this gives us a larger platform to demonstrate the

role of U.S.-grown rice in healthy diets for children."

The Check Out MyPlate Video Search is challenging kids across the country to submit a video about

how they eat healthy using MyPlate and get moving with their favorite physical activity. The video must

be 60 seconds or less, include an image of MyPlate, at least one healthy eating tip, and a favorite physical

activity. Videos may be submitted in the following age categories: 2 - 10, 11 - 13, and 14 - 18. Each age

category will have one Grand Prize winner ($1,000) and one Runner-Up ($300).

"The goal of the video contest is to encourage kids to practice healthy eating and exercise habits, and to

raise awareness about MyPlate and the First Lady's Let's Move! initiative," said Maher. "Being part of a

project like this, with such high level support, is invaluable for rice."

The website and search will go live Friday, March 6, and submissions will be accepted through April 30.

MyPlate and Let's Move! will help promote the search to their consumer audiences and will serve as final

round judges.A promotion kit including a flyer, suggested newsletter, and sample social media posts will

be sent to all MyPlate partners and posted on CheckOutMyPlate.com. A fun, informational video about

the search, created by USA Rice, will be featured on the website home page and available for all to share

for promotional purposes. If you are interested in promoting the search and encouraging kids to feature

U.S.-grown rice in their video, please email Katie Maher for more details.

Contact: Michael Klein (703) 236-1458

http://e360.yale.edu/content/topic.msp?id=25






http://e360.yale.edu/content/region.msp?id=15





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Weekly Rice Sales, Exports Reported

WASHINGTON, DC -- Net rice sales of 69,300 MT for 2014/2015 were down 27 percent from the

previous week and from the prior four-week average, according to today's Export Sales Highlights report.

Increases were reported for Colombia (15,000 MT), Japan (12,000 MT), Mexico (8,600 MT), Saudi

Arabia (8,600 MT), Ghana (7,000 MT), and Guatemala (6,800 MT, including 5,500 MT switched from

unknown destinations and 1,000 MT switched from El Salvador).

xports of 33,400 MT were down 64 percent from the previous week and 32 percent from the prior four-

week average. The primary destinations were Saudi Arabia (9,200 MT), Guatemala (8,500 MT), El

Salvador (5,400 MT), Jordan (2,800 MT), and Mexico (2,500 MT).This summary is based on reports

from exporters from the period February 20-26.

European Union lifts ban on import of mangoes from India

Ban had been imposed in April 2014; India's exports of the fruit to EU in 2013 stood at $11

mn

Press Trust of India | New Delhi

March 4, 2015 Last Updated at 15:02 IST

The European Union (EU) has lifted the ban on import of

Indian mangoes that it had imposed in April last year,

Parliament was informed today."The EU has notified

lifting of the ban on mango through commission

implementing number... Of February 12, 2015," Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala

Sitharaman said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.In April last year, the 28-member

European Union had temporarily banned import of Alphonso mangoes.

It also banned import of four vegetables -- taro, bitter gourd, snake gourd and eggplant -- from

India from May 1, 2014.Export of Indian mangoes to the EU during 2012 and 2013 were valued

at $6.73 million and $10.09 million, respectively."Ban on import of vegetables from India has

not been notified," she said."Standard operating procedure has been developed by the

government for pest-free export of fresh vegetables to the EU, wherein the vegetables are

processed in pack houses approved by Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export

Development Authority (APEDA), under the supervision of plant quarantine before export to the

EU, she added.

In a separate question on basmati rice exports, the Minister said that exports of the commodity

has declined by 3 per cent year-on-year to $3.37 billion during April-December 2014-15.The

http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&q=European+Union

http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&q=Mangoes

http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&q=Nirmala+Sitharaman

http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&q=Nirmala+Sitharaman

http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&q=Alphonso

http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&q=Snake+Gourd

http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&q=Eggplant

http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&q=Basmati+Rice



25


decline in quantity terms is about 6 per cent. India exported 25.72 lakh tonnes of basmati rice

during the period as against 27.41 lakh tonnes.Sluggish demand from Iran is one of the main

reason for dip in exports."In Iran, import of rice is monitored through a system of issue of import

permits. Due to excessive carry-over stocks from imports in the previous year and domestic

production in the current year, Iran has put a temporary ban on issue of permits for import of rice

from all origins with effect from October 19, 2014," she added.

The other major export destinations for basmati rice include Saudi Arab, Iraq, UAE, Yemen,

USA, UK, Jordan and Oman.Replying to a separate question on tea, the Minister said tea

exports too have declined in value and volume terms during January-November 2014 as

compared to the corresponding period a year ago.She said that the decline in exports is

"attributable to the loss of Assam Orthodox tea production to the tune of almost 20 million kg

during May-July 2014 caused by delayed rains, lower demand in high value markets such as the

US, Iran and Russia and lower prices of tea from Africa at $2 per kg".India ranks second in

world production of tea and fourth in exports.

http://www.business-standard.com/budget

Maharashtra bans beef: 5 years in prison for those

who eat it

The law on the slaughter, consumption and sale of cows, bulls and steers approved after 19

years. 80% of the country's population is Hindu, a religion that worships the cow. Major

consequences for the Muslim community, responsible for beef trade. Christian Association:

"Religion is something personal, and the government should not mix it with their norms".

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - Five years in prison and a fine of

at least 10 thousand rupees (145 €) is what people who

sell, own or eat beef in Maharashtra will face. Yesterday

the President of India approved a law banning the

slaughter, sale, export and consumption of cows, bulls

and steers in the western state of India. As of today only

the consumption of buffalo meat is only allowed, whether

at home or in a five star hotel.It took 19 years for the

Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendmrnt) Bill to

become law. Introduced for the first time in 1995 by the

coalition government Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, Hindu

http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&q=Tea+Exports

http://www.business-standard.com/search?type=news&q=Tea+Exports

http://www.asianews.it/files/img/INDIA_-_0304_-_Manzo_(IT).jpg



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nationalists) - Shiv Sena (Marathi regional party), in 1996 it made its way to the president's table,

but without ever being approved. After its victory in the general elections last year, the BJP again

pushed for the decree becomes law.

Out of a total population of 1.2 billion people, 80% are Hindu. In Hinduism the cow is

considered sacred and this is why many Indian states have restrictions on the consumption and

sale of beef, even though the law introduced in Maharashtra is considered the strictest in the

country. In fact, most of the beef sold in India comes from water buffalo, which are not

considered sacred. However, this meat is considered of inferior quality and in Maharashtra

accounts for only 25% of the market.

Precisely because of religious issues and restrictions already in several states, most of the beef is

exported: with a 20% share of the global market and exports for more than 4 billion dollars a

year, it now represents the country's biggest export product, even beating the famous basmati

rice.The law will affect about 10.5 million people who depend on the beef trade, a market

controlled mostly by the Querishi Muslim community. Dalits ("untouchables") are involved in

the trade of leather and transport of cattle.

In Mumbai alone - the capital of Maharashtra and "financial" capital of India - there are 900 beef

stalls, and as many unlicensed. Mohammed Ali Querishi, president of Mumbai Beef Dealers

Association, says: "Each one employs at least four people, plus thousands associated with

transportation. All these people will be affected by the ban."Even members of the Christian

community have protested against the law. Gordon D'Souza, president of the Bombay Catholic

Sabha, said that the beef is an important part of the non-vegetarian diet. "Religion - he explains -

is something personal, and the government should not mix it with their laws".

www.asianews.it

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures

CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for March 5

Month Price Net Change

March 2015 $10.350 - $0.115

May 2015 $10.595 - $0.130

http://www.asianews.it/

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001V7HRLy2GNA291FUOpJ7f6XyAZTcCI4kPE8zvbK4rn3pEMV7Z64IwczDQy0mresjgrBOE9Y85zfp2VU_5YQa7IxMwsE2HuMqnmmEy4MLsrKVQujApm2zudd5QazBsvbxjEdKISco_9HzrM9v9fqqjGbv5B6EWgO9yKdvw2Gs9uyPs_4ibYQ3PWtAW5ck4dN2qNaXbpaFVDjtlgrvpN83mcn-MH6bI0SHOaTHBmQ8BrfNoPdaiJ0RzAE-Ef8VUpaQXxP-qUkM5homTwPqdy_Fzpn87r-V1YVteiXOktiCJhtMSz-YA0TzcTPvtxWcpUsX4KDVioWoaA1votl2tmmafNadkTo2nVQYAF2RAVTKJ-RQCdVsgGKojEcq3BkEk8ob_IHslkGLWArhyvi1g3Al1OP2Y63jPSZcWmEriddUzGiKI77ylcKbkChUjCd3uvznS_JxvG-r8Neu9gzKGn55nIc7AqCeyyjus&c=5VXUNRxNQaBBC0hiHDDb40e57rUF0mQAHhpe6R4RF_BUikHqwFpgWg==&ch=R-c1GCh7Pvtu-tmPkUzkb5ghuWUFEnshN8Vo1qbPyBWd9Lq0dIZSrw==



27


July 2015 $10.855 - $0.120

September 2015 $10.995 - $0.150

November 2015 $11.155 - $0.150

January 2016 $11.290 - $0.145

March 2016 $11.290 - $0.145

Wild rice stirring debate at state Capitol A battle regarding how water quality may affect the state grain is heating

up in St. Paul.

By Moira Blodgett By Allison Kronberg

March 05, 2015

Wild rice is a delicate plant, valuable to those who

harvest it, and a habitat for much wildlife, but

Minnesota‘s state grain is stirring up debate at the state

Capitol.Though water quality standards to protect wild

rice were established almost half a century ago, the

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency only began

consistently enforcing them six years ago. Now, those

regulations are frustrating iron and copper-nickel

mining operations that have to filter their wastewater,

which could cost billions of dollars. In response, some state leaders, like Sen.

David Tomassoni, DFL–Chisholm, have introduced bills to the state Legislature to address the

issue.―All of the sudden we‘re endangering peoples‘ jobs and asking tax payers to pay billions of

dollars to enforce this,‖ said Tomassoni, who introduced a bill last month to suspend the

standard. ―It doesn‘t make sense.‖

http://www.mndaily.com/users/akronbergmndailycom

http://www.mndaily.com/graphic/2015/03/05/352015wildrice



28


He said the MPCA needs to identify exactly what waters in the state are wild rice waters, clarify

the process to add new waters to that list and further confirm the relationship between water

quality and wild rice growth before it can enforce a standard.But MPCA assistant commissioner

for water policy Rebecca Flood said that could take years.

The agency‘s first priority is meeting the federal Environmental Protection Agency‘s Clean

Water Act rules, she said, but she understands the financial concern.―It‘s not the Pollution

Control Agency‘s objective to make municipalities go bankrupt because of the need to meet

permit requirements,‖ Flood said. ―We really are working hard with permittees to not have them

be financially stressed to the point that it would drive them out of business.‖But many people,

like University of Minnesota-Duluth American Indian studies professor Erik Redix, say

protecting wild rice from endangerment is worth the cost.Redix has harvested wild rice since he

was a teenager, he said, and the grain remains a primary food source for his family.

While harvesting, he said he‘s noticed that some rice beds will fluctuate from year to year in

their productivity.―I assume that that‘s just due to the natural cycle of the plant, but you don‘t

know if it‘s something else [like water quality],‖ Redix said.Minnesota Department of Natural

Resources records reported that there were nearly eight times less harvesting licenses issued

from the 1960s to the 2000s, which could mean there‘s less wild rice in the state, but it can‘t be

confirmed. State wild rice waters weren‘t identified, recorded or studied until 2008.

After the waters were identified, the 1854 Treaty Authority, an inter-tribal resource management

agency, alerted the MPCA that several of them were downstream from mines.Only after that did

the agency start enforcing the standard consistently through permits.State legislation in 2011

required the agency to validate the standard through research. So it commissioned the University

of Minnesota to study the correlation between sulfate levels and wild rice.Since then, research

has been mounting to show the relationship between sulfate — which is the component of

wastewater regulated by the standard — and wild rice survival.

But the relationship is complicated, said UMD adjunct biology professor John Pastor, who

researched sulfate and wild rice for the MPCA.Sulfate is released when oxygen hits rocks in

mines during the mining process, he said, and then it travels into nearby water. When sulfate

eventually settles in the sediment at the bottom of lakes, bacterial decomposers sometimes

convert the sulfate to a new form called sulfide, Pastor said.While researchers like Pastor have

found that sulfate alone doesn‘t impact wild rice growth even at concentrations much higher than

the state standard, he said it‘s harmful to wild rice when converted to sulfide, even at very low

concentrations.



29


Research in state lakes and control tanks found that the more sulfides are in water, the less wild

rice is produced.―You really can‘t, from our data, raise the concentration of sulfate all that much

before the sulfide starts to become toxic,‖ Pastor said.Sulfate content in mining wastewater can

be up to hundreds or thousands of parts per million, but the standard requires the operations to

reduce the content to just 10 parts per million, which is expensive.Iron, however, can keep

sulfate from turning to sulfide, Pastor said. But more research needs to be done to tell where iron

is stopping that conversion in lakes and how that affects wild rice growth.

The MPCA will present all the research it has gathered up until now that validates the standard to

the state Legislature at the end of the month. But Tomassoni‘s and other bills could still suspend

the standard.If the standard were suspended, it would save mining companies and taxpayers‘

money, but it would interfere with federal EPA standards — which still have the final say.Redix

said he worries that the more society industrializes, the less protection there will be for wild

rice.―It‘s something that‘s really important,‖ he said. ―It should be studied, and these rules should

remain in place to protect this resource by any means necessary.‖

http://www.mndaily.com/news/metro-state/2015/03/05/wild-rice-stirring-debate-state-

capitol?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+March+5%2C+2015&utm_campaign=Friday%2C+December+13%2C+2013&utm_medium=email

The Misguided War on Rice

That box of Uncle Ben‘s in your pantry is likely a lot safer than Consumer Reports would lead

you to believe.

CHRISTOPHER KIM

MAR 4, 2015

Consumer Reports has been on a crusade against rice, with the January 2015 issue promoting

―new rice rules‖ that raise the alarm against elevated levels of arsenic found in rice and rice

products. But what if the worry is not all it‘s cooked up to be?

The magazine cites the risk of higher rates of a host of

cancers, with particular concern for infants and toddlers

due to their lower body weight and the abundance of rice-

based cereals and drinks aimed at children. A video on the

magazine‘s website goes so far as to bluntly instruct you

―Why Your Child Should Eat Less Rice.‖Rice is indeed an

efficient scavenger of trace elements; as the only grain grown entirely under water, it readily

http://www.mndaily.com/news/metro-state/2015/03/05/wild-rice-stirring-debate-state-capitol?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+March+5%2C+2015&utm_campaign=Friday%2C+December+13%2C+2013&utm_medium=email

http://www.mndaily.com/news/metro-state/2015/03/05/wild-rice-stirring-debate-state-capitol?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+March+5%2C+2015&utm_campaign=Friday%2C+December+13%2C+2013&utm_medium=email

http://www.psmag.com/author/christopher-kim

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/01/how-much-arsenic-is-in-your-rice/index.htm

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/video-hub/3895955742001/



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absorbs arsenic that exists naturally in soils and is also introduced through pesticides. And yes,

arsenic is a well-known carcinogen and poison that has contributed to a number of serious global

health issues, although primarily in the dissolved form through contaminated drinking water.

But conflating these two facts doesn‘t make the box of Uncle

Ben‘s in your pantry equivalent to a box of rat poison.If rice

consumption was a dominant predictor of cancer, you‘d have

a hard time explaining why Asian and Hispanic populations

have 35 percent and 20 percent lower rates of cancer

incidences, respectively, than white populations.For one, there

is a big difference between measuring total inorganic arsenic

levels through a powerful acid digestion process, as Consumer Reports did in a survey of several

hundred rice products, and determining experimentally how much of the arsenic you consume

through food is actually ―bioaccessible‖ (soluble, e.g. in your stomach) or ―bioavailable‖

(incorporated into your body and not immediately excreted).

The method utilized by Consumer Reports, instead of more realistic animal or population

studies, may dramatically overestimate arsenic exposures.Then there‘s the fundamental question

of whether long-term, low-level exposure to arsenic even correlates at all with increased cancer

risk. There is no consensus about this, due to a lack of controlled studies on statistically

significant population sizes (many are now underway). But if rice consumption was a dominant

predictor of cancer, you‘d have a hard time explaining why Asian and Hispanic populations, with

highly rice-centric diets, have 35 percent and 20 percent lower rates of cancer incidences,

respectively, than white populations, according to the most recent numbers from the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention.

http://www.psmag.com/health-and-behavior/does-consumer-reports-really-think-its-going-to-get-us-to-stop-eating-rice-

lol?utm_source=USA%2BRice%2BDaily,%2BMarch%2B5,%2B2015&utm_campaign=Friday,%2BDecember%2B13,%2B2013

&utm_medium=email

http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/basicinformation/arsenic.cfm

http://www.greenerchoices.org/pdf/CR_FSASC_Arsenic_Analysis_Nov2014.pdf

http://www.greenerchoices.org/pdf/CR_FSASC_Arsenic_Analysis_Nov2014.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/data/ethnic.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/data/ethnic.htm

http://www.psmag.com/health-and-behavior/does-consumer-reports-really-think-its-going-to-get-us-to-stop-eating-rice-lol?utm_source=USA%2BRice%2BDaily,%2BMarch%2B5,%2B2015&utm_campaign=Friday,%2BDecember%2B13,%2B2013&utm_medium=email



http://www.psmag.com/nature-and-technology/do-you-know-where-your-seafood-comes-from

5th march,2015 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

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