20th January 2022

Daily Rice E-Newsletter

www.riceplusmagazine.blosgpost.com

Pakistan, Japan agree to enhance bilateral trade

January 20, 2022

Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan Mitsuhiro Wada called on the Federal Minister of National
Food Security Syed Fakhar Imam in Islamabad on Thursday.
Speaking on the occasion, Fakhar Imam said that the two countries can immensely benefit from
exchange in agriculture research and value-added technologies.
He praised the quality of mechanization in Japan and said that Japan and Pakistan have huge
trade potential. The two dignitaries agreed to enhance bilateral trade especially agriculture trade.
Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan told the federal minister that Pakistani agricultural products
have huge potential if they are converted into value added products through processing.
He said that Pakistan is one of the biggest exporters of Shrimp, Mangoes, Dates and Rice to
Japan.
The Ambassador of Japan showed great interest in importing Rice from Pakistan in addition with
fisheries.
He said that Japan imports rice from Pakistan and has a substantial market for fisheries.
He said that Japan was greatly interested in increasing trade between the two countries.
https://www.radio.gov.pk/20-01-2022/pakistan-japan-agree-to-enhance-bilateral-trade

Prices Of Essential Commodities Re-fixed In District

Muhammad Irfan Published January 19, 2022 | 06:38 PM

The district administration in consultation with wholesalers, retailers, traders and consumer
representatives re-fixed the wholesale and retail prices of various essential commodities

FAISALABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Jan, 2022 ) :The district administration
in consultation with wholesalers, retailers, traders and consumer representatives re-fixed the
wholesale and retail prices of various essential commodities.
In this regard, a meeting of District Price Control Committee was held here on Wednesday with
Deputy Commissioner Ali Shahzad in the chair. The meeting reviewed the current market prices
of essential items, fluctuation in their availability and fixed new prices for the open market.
According to details, the price of basin will be Rs 145 per kg in wholesale, while the
retail price is fixed at Rs 148 per kg. Similarly, gram white (mota) Rs 195 per kg and Rs 200 per
kg, respectively. White gram (small) Rs 182 per kg and Rs 185 per kg, black gram (mota) at Rs
138 per kg and Rs 140 per kg, black gram (small) at Rs 130 per kg and Rs 132 per kg, pulse
gram (moti) at Rs 136 and Rs 140 per kg. Pulse gram small Rs 130 and Rs 132 per kg, pulse
mash washed Rs 250 and Rs 254 per kg, pulse mash unwashed Rs 223 and Rs 225 per kg.
Pulse Masoor will be sold at Rs 191 and Rs 195 per kg, pulse masoor (small) at Rs 205 and 209
per kg. Rice Super Basmati (Old) at Rs 125 and Rs 140 per kg. Iri Rice will be sold at Rs 52 and
Rs 58 per kg, milk at Rs 95 per kg, yoghurt at Rs 100 per kg, meat at Rs 950 per kg, Beaf at Rs
450 per kg, flour 20 kg bag at Rs 1100, 10 kg bag at Rs 550, open flour at chaki would be sold at
Rs 62 per kg. Roti Rs 8 weighing 100 gram, khameri roti Rs 8, naan 120 gram at Rs 10 and coal
would sold at Rs 80 per Kg.
The prices of fruits and vegetables will be auctioned in the daily markets, while the prices of
poultry products will be provided by the Livestock Poultry Association to the
Secretary Market Committee at 7 am daily in consultation with the Livestock Poultry
Association.
The Deputy Commissioner said that price control magistrates were active in carrying out raids in
the markets and there would be no concession from illegitimate profiteers.
He asked the consumers to register complaints regarding over price at Toll freenumber
080002345.
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/prices-of-essential-commodities-re-fixed-in-d-1451515.html

Exclusive-Indian rice traders stop new export deals as

freight train shortage blocks shipments
FILE PHOTO: Workers lift a sack of rice to load onto a truck at a wholesale grain market in the
northern Indian city of Chandigarh February 9, 2012. REUTERS/Ajay Verma/File Photo
17 Jan 2022 05:59PM(Updated: 17 Jan 2022 05:58PM)

MUMBAI : Nearly a third of India's rice exports for this month are stuck due to a shortage of freight
trains and most traders have stopped signing February export contracts to avoid demurrage charges,
industry officials told Reuters.

The slowdown in exports from India, the world's biggest rice exporter, has allowed rival suppliers
such as Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam to increase overseas sales at higher prices.Slowing exports
could force the Indian government to increase procurement from farmers.
Shipments of more than 500,000 tonnes of non-basmati rice that need to be transported to ports on
India's east coast from the central state of Chhattisgarh have been stuck due to the shortage of freight
trains, dealers said.

They are part of around 1.5 million tonnes of rice that India had planned to export this month.

"Cargoes cannot move from producing centres to ports because of freight train scarcity," said Nitin
Gupta, vice president of agricultural commodities trader Olam India's rice business.

"There is no clarity on the availability of trains so nobody is offering fresh cargoes."

Railway authorities have diverted wagons to ship fertilizers and to serve thermal coal power plants to
ensure adequate power supply this winter after power plants ran out of coal a few months ago.

The delay in Indian shipments is hitting exporters hard as vessel rates have risen to $30,000 per day
and some exporters need to pay as much as $500,000 in demurrage charges, wiping out their entire
margin, said Himanshu Agarwal, executive director at Satyam Balajee, India's biggest rice exporter.

Traders have started quoting higher prices for overseas shipments to cover higher demurrage charges,
and prices for India's 5per cent broken parboiled variety of rice have risen to $380 per tonne, the
highest in six months.

Higher prices and shipping delays are prompting some buyers to switch to rival suppliers such as
Thailand and Myanmar, said B.V. Krishna Rao, president of India's Rice Exporters Association.

Thailand's 5per cent broken rice prices rose last week to their highest since mid-July 2021 at $404-
$405 per tonne.

"We have requested the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to help us by increasing railway wagons'
availability," Rao said.

India's Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Ministry of Railways did not immediately respond to
requests for comment on Monday.

In the past traders use to switch to road transport in the absence of railway wagons, but truckers have
substantially raised freight charges in the past six months after diesel prices jumped to a record high,
said a dealer with a global trading firm.

"At least for near-month shipments, Asian and African buyers are switching to Thailand, Myanmar
and Pakistan. Indian exports could fall in the March quarter," he said.
India cornered nearly half of global rice shipments in 2021 as its exports surged 45per cent from 2020
to a record 21.4 million tonnes, or more than the combined exports of the next three largest exporters
Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan, according to provisional government data.

India's rice production has jumped to a record high in the current year and prices are still competitive,
but logistics' bottlenecks are limiting exports, said Himanshu of Satyam Balajee.

(Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav; Editing by Susan Fenton)

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/exclusive-indian-rice-traders-stop-new-export-deals-
freight-train-shortage-blocks-shipments-2440816

Volatile rice price arrives to normal position soon:

minister

Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha . Dhaka | Published: 19:24, Jan 19,2022

Agriculture minister M Abdur Razzaque on Wednesday said that the volatile rice price is
expected to come in a stable position soon as the new harvest will arrive in market shortly.
‗The rice price will come down to a normal level soon as the government has 20 lakh tonnes of
food stock which is a record than any other times in the past new harvest will arrive on April,‘ he
said.

The minister said this while exchanging views with the journalists after addressing as the chief
guest at the conference of the Deputy Commissioners at Osmani Memorial auditorium in Dhaka
Wednesday morning.
At present, food ministry has a record food stock of 20 lakh tonnes which is topmost than any
other times in past, he said, adding that ‗even the government will open market sale at the
upazila level from Thursday.‘
Besides this, new rice harvest also will come to the market from the month of April.
Explaining the rising trend of the staple food price, Razzaque, also a presidium member of the
ruling Awami League, said that rice price recently has been mounted to an instable position as
the food price also has increased abnormally at the international market.
Food minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder, food secretary Mst Nazmanara Khanum and
agriculture secretary M Sayedul Islam, among others, attended the programme.
Citing the wheat price, the minister said that wheat price was in between $230 to $280, per
quintal at the international market, now it has been gone to $450, said the minister.
In 2020-21, country‘s wheat import was 48 lakh tonnes while it is only 16 lakh tonnes till
January during the current 2021-22 fiscal year. The wheat import has been declined due to
excessive price at the international market.
As a result, the price of ata and maida has sharply increased in the market compare to the price of
rice. ‗But the country has no food crisis and it is unlikely in future also,‘ he told the reporter.
Referring to exorbitant price hike between the growers and the consumers, the agriculture
minister said that the farmers usually sell a product at price of Tk 15, per kg while it rise to Tk 40
to 45, a kg, in the capital.
So, the deputy commissioner, cabinet division and the ministry of agriculture will conduct a joint
study to unearth the reason behind the huge price difference of the commodities between the
growers and the consumers, he added.
Then the government will take action nationally to resolve the problem.
Meanwhile, the food minister said that the government will begin selling of rice and ata through
the OMS at upazila level from tomorrow. The programme will start through 1,760 dealers. The
rice price has been fixed at Tk 30 per kg and flour at Tk 18 per kg.
Instructions have been given to the deputy commissioners for operating the OMS properly, he
said, saying that monitoring team has been formed at the ministry and the directorate.
Directives have been given to form vigilance team at district and upazila level. Even mobile
court and fine also will be conducted in order to identify the illegal hoarders.
https://www.newagebd.net/article/160412/volatile-rice-price-arrives-to-normal-position-soon-
minister

Subsidised sales of rice, flour begins at upazila level

today

FE REPORT | Published: January 20, 2022 09:16:45

The government will start selling rice and flour (ata) at a subsidised rate through its
open market sale (OMS) programme at the upazila level from today (Thursday).

The government has taken the initiative amid the price spiral of the two essential
commodities in the market.

As part of the move, the Ministry of Food (MoF) has appointed a total of 1,760
dealers to ensure that the grassroots level consumers get rice and ata at affordable
prices from the OMS outlets.

Price of a kilogram (KG) of rice under OMS programme has been fixed at Tk30
while the price of flour at Tk18 a kg.

A consumer could purchase at a time five kgs of rice and five kgs of flour.

Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder made the disclosure while talking to the
media after attending DCs' Conference at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the
capital on Wednesday.
"OMS programme is being run throughout the year by 730 dealers. It (OMS) will
now be at the upazila level under 1 ,760 dealers from Thursday (today)," he said.

The OMS programme will continue at the upazila level until issuance of further
notice, he added.

"We (the government) have sufficient stock of quality rice. We hope people will
consume this rice," he said.

The MoF directed the deputy commissioners to oversee the OMS programme at the
grassroot level properly, he added.

Besides, directives were also given to the local administration to identify the illegal
hoarders and fined them and even give them jail term if ne cessary through mobile
courts.

He said necessary instructions were also given to form monitoring teams at the
district and upazila levels to ensure hassle -free and flawless operation of the OMS
programme.

The government spent Tk36/Tk 37 for importing a kg of rice, and considering

consumer interests it is now being sold at Tk30 a kg through OMS.

The OMS programme is widely expected to meet the poor people's food demand in
the wake of the rising transmission of the coronavirus across the country.

Prices of all varieties of rice, including the coarse ones, have now shot up
remarkably in the kitchen markets.

talhabinhabib@yahoo.com

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/trade/subsidised-sales-of-rice-flour-begins-at-upazila-level-today-
1642648605

Abuja Shows Off Impressive Rice Yield in Bid to Stop

Rice Imports

/ January 20, 2022 / 1 minute of reading

Nigeria‘s President Muhammadu Buhari has unveiled what one of his media aides has dubbed
the ―world‘s largest rice pyramids‖ – made with one million bags of rice – in the capital, Abuja.
The temporary ―rice pyramids‖ were aimed at showcasing the government‘s efforts to boost rice
production, and to make Nigeria – Africa most populous state – self-sufficient in food. It was one
of the main electoral pledges that Mr Buhari made when he took office in 2015. Mr Buhari‘s
media aide Bashir Ahmed tweeted that the initiative has led to a sharp reduction of Nigeria‘s
annual rice import bill – from $1.5bn in 2015 to $18.5m.

The bags of rice for the pyramids were collected from farmers across Nigeria, whose efforts to
increase production received financial backing from the central bank in a scheme known as the
Anchor Borrowers‘ Programme. ―As a critical policy of the government, the Anchor Borrowers‘
Programme is expected to catalyse the agricultural productive base of the nation, which is a
major part of our economic plan to uplift the economy, create jobs, reduce reliance on imported
food and industrial raw materials, and conserve foreign exchange,‖ Mr Buhari was quoted by
local media as saying at the event.

SOURCE: BBC

Rice prices will stabilise soon: Razzaque

Star Business Report

Wed Jan 19, 2022 06:55 PM Last update on: Wed Jan 19, 2022 07:00 PM
Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque was addressing a session of agriculture and
food ministries at the deputy commissioners‘ conference at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in
Dhaka on Wednesday. Photo: Collected

Amid a sharp rise in the price of rice, Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque
today said the price of the staple food grain will be stabilised soon.

The minister said the food ministry currently has the highest amount of food stock of 20 lakh and
open market sale (OMS) of rice at upazila level will start from Thursday.

Meanwhile, new rice will hit the market in April. As a result, rice prices will soon be stable and
normal, he said.

He was briefing media after taking part in a session of agriculture and food ministries at the
deputy commissioners' conference at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka.

Over the last one month, retail prices of rice edged up as much as 6 per cent in the markets in the
capital.

Today, retail prices of medium grain were Tk 52-58 per kilogramme, up from Tk 48-Tk 56 a
month ago, data from the state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh showed.

Explaining the reasons behind the rise in the rice prices, the Razzaque said recently the price of
rice has been somewhat volatile and upward in the country. "Food prices have also risen sharply
in the international market. Wheat prices, which was $230-280 per tonnes, has risen to $450."

"In the fiscal year 2020-21, 48 lakh tonnes of wheat were imported but only 16 lakh tonnes were
imported till January in this fiscal year. Wheat imports are declining due to rising prices. As a
result, the price of flour is higher than that of rice, but the price of flour was always lower than
that of rice," he said.

Besides, there are 10 lakh Rohingyas in the country and 22-24 lakh new faces are being added
every year, he continued.

Apart from that, some of the rice is also being used as animal feed, he said. "With these, the
demand and consumption of rice have increased. However, there is no food crisis in the country
at the moment and nor will there be in the future."

The minister, however, questioned, "Why should the price of the crop which farmers sell at Tk
15 per kg at the field level become Tk 40-45 per kg when it comes to Dhaka?"

"There are middlemen all over the world, but why is there such a difference in price? There are
many unforeseen costs involved in transportation, including extortion."

He said deputy commissioners, cabinet division and agriculture ministry will jointly conduct a
study to find out the cost of a track from the field stage to reach Dhaka.
Then, action will be taken nationally to resolve the issues raised through the study, Razzaque
added.

https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/rice-prices-will-stabilise-soon-razzaque-2942621

Federal Govt Bans Importation Of Rice Through

Seaports

by Yusuf Babalola,

Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Wednesday said the federal government has placed full ban
on importation of foreign parboiled rice through the seaports.
LEADERSHIP reports that the federal government had banned importation of rice through the
land borders in 2016.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has since 2015 refused to give forex for the importation of
rice through the seaport making, it impossible to import foreign rice through the seaports.
Addressing journalists yesterday, Customs Area Controller in charge of PTML Command,
Compt. Festus Okun said the command intercepted containers loaded with foreign parboiled rice
which he said are not expected to be allowed into the country whether through land borders or
seaports due to the ban placed on them by the federal government.
ADVERTISEMENT
Compt. Okun who however disclosed that the command generated N224.4billion revenue from
importation of vehicles and other general cargoes in 2021 said due to the ban placed on the
importation through the borders, importers now falsely declare foreign rice as other consignment.
―It‘s a policy by the federal government that we should encourage local production of rice and it
was on that basis that importation of rice was prohibited and when they say ban through borders,
it means both land and sea borders and for our purpose here. I want to say categorically that this
is a border area because goods from overseas come in through here so it‘s a border area so we
have land and sea border and our is the sea border and the prohibition covers everywhere.
―One of the major instruments is that people cannot access forex going through the CBN for
importation of rice so, if you don‘t go through CBN, how do you source your fund to import rice
and because of this nobody declares that they are importing rice so, its false declarations and we
seize on that basis. I will say both lands and seaports are not expected to allow importation of
rice into the country.‖
https://leadership.ng/federal-govt-bans-importation-of-rice-through-seaports/

Pacquiao: PH should be a fish exporter, not importer

Dennis Gasgonia, ABS-CBN News

Posted at Jan 19 2022 05:23 PM

PROMDI presidential candidate Sen. Manny Pacquiao said Wednesday the Philippines should be
a fish exporter, not importer, after the agriculture department announced it will import 60,000
metric tons of pelagic fish to address a shortage.

Pacquiao said the admission of Agriculture Sec. William Dar that the country is facing fish
shortage shows the government‘s inability to optimize the country‘s rich aquatic resource.

―This is unbelievable. Saan ka naman nakakita ng bansang napapaligiran ng mga dagat pero nag-
iimport ng mga produktong galing sa dagat?" said Pacquiao, who hails from General Santos
City, the country's tuna capital.

"Sobrang kawawa na nga ang ating mga magsasaka dahil sa pagpasok ng napakaraming
imported at smuggled na mga bigas at gulay, tapos ngayon naman ang mga mangingisda naman
natin ang gustong parusahan,‖ he added.
 (Where do you see a country surrounded by seas that imports fish products? Our farmers are still
reeling from the effects of imported and smuggled rice, and now it's the fishermen's turn to
experience such ordeal.)

Pacquiao said the DA should protect the interest of Filipino farmers and fisherfolk. But the
government, he lamented, is not doing anything to improve the country‘s fishing industry.

The presidential aspirant noted that the Philippines is an archipelagic nation and is regarded to
have the world‘s 5th longest coastlines, which make it ideal for fishing and aquatic farming.

This advantage of the Philippines could make it one of the world‘s leading providers of marine
and other aquatic products if only the government harnesses the country‘s full potential as a
fisheries hub.

―Dapat tayo ang nag-eexport ng mga isda lalung-lalong na yang mga isdang gaya ng galunggong
at makerel dahil marami niyan sa Pilipinas. Paano nangyari na tayo ngayon ang nag-iimport
samantalang napakaraming Pilipino ang mangingisda?‖ Pacquiao said.

(We should be the one exporting fish especially galunggong and makerel, because there is lots of
them in the Philippines. How did it happen that we become importers despite the huge number of
fishermen in our country?)

Pacquiao questioned the DA's approval of the importation of 60,000 MT of fish for the first
quarter supposedly to ensure sufficient supply in the country despite the pronouncement of the
National Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (NFARMC) that the country has
enough fish supply.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/19/22/pacquiao-ph-should-be-a-fish-exporter-not-importer

Is Murmura (Bhel) deep fried? Are you really snacking healthy?

TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Last updated on -Jan 19, 2022, 18:35 ISTShare

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
01/3Are you really snacking healthy?

Are you really snacking healthy? Is not just a day-to-day question, but what if the foods you have
been enjoying all these years labeled as healthy, were not actually healthy? One of the most
traditional desi snacks consumed in several parts of India is a Murmura also known as Puffed
rice, which is believed to be the most healthy option to snack on, but is it deep fried? From Jhal
Muri to Bhel Puri to Chidva to Murmura ladoos, Murmura has been a part of our desi munching.
Let's find out how it is made and is it healthy or not?
02/3What is Murmura? Is it healthy?

Murmura is basically puffed rice, which is loaded with health enriching nutrients like proteins,
magnesium, vitamin B6, thiamin, calcium, iron and dietary fibers to name a few. Murmura is
made with rice and it is prepared by heating or tossing the rice kernels. The process of preparing
decides its health quotient.

Traditionally, Murmura was made by sun drying the clean rice kernels, which were tossed in hot
salt till they fluffed up. However, in some places commercially prepared puffed rice is also made
by cooking in the rice kernels in hot oil, which cooks it instantly, but is unhealthy. In fact,
cooking it in oil adds on to the calories and destroys its nutrients. Thus, it all depends on how
you cook the rice kernels to make puffed rice.

READMO RE
03/3How to make Puffed rice at home
To make puffed rice in the age-old way, you need to clean and wash the rice kernels.
Then take a large bowl and soak 2-3 cups of rice kernels in warm/hot water for an hour.
Drain the water, spread the rice kernels on a tray and let it sun dry till it is dried.

Next, heat a large pan and add salt. Once the salt is hot, add the dried rice kernels and
toss it nicely over high flame, till it fluffs up. Remove the excess salt by using a sieve
and enjoy homemade Murmura.

Images from Timesfood.com

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food-news/is-murmura-bhel-deep-fried-are-you-really-
snacking-healthy/photostory/88998104.cms

Amy’s Kitchen Voluntarily Issues Allergy Alert on

Undeclared Milk in a Single Lot of Vegan Organic Rice Mac
& Cheeze

January 19, 2022 at 9:03 pm EST

Amy‘s Kitchen is initiating a voluntary Class I recall of Lot 60J0421 of the Vegan Organic
Rice Mac & Cheeze due to the potential of having trace amounts of milk, which is not declared
on the product label. The company is recalling this single lot out of an abundance of caution to
ensure the safety
Forecast from Meteorologist
https://www.wftv.com/news/recalls/amys-kitchen/HQBTNQZPIHH3Q5BRA4H7RLKHGA/

Rice bran oil 'a green solution for industry'

JANUARY 19, 2022

by SciDev.Net
A new study reports that rice bran oil, which is extracted from rice husks, may potentially be
used as a replacement of petroleum-based oils used for cooling and lubricating lathes and other
cutting machinery. Credit: Nabajyoti Sarmah from Pixabay
Rice bran oil can potentially replace the petroleum-based oils currently used for cooling and
lubricating lathes and other cutting machinery, says a study.
Sneha Edla, lead author of the study, published this month in Biomass Conversion and
Biorefinery, and researcher at the Advanced Tribology Research Centre, College of Engineering
Trivandrum, Kerala, India, says that regular exposure to mineral oil-based cutting fluids, which
have toxic additives, has been linked to cancer.
"Rice bran oil, a potential base oil for bio-lubricant formulation, uses food-grade emulsifiers
along with bio-additives," says Edla. "It is found that addition of herbal oils as additives
improves oxidative stability, corrosive stability, emulsion stability, and the tribological [science
of interactive surfaces in motion] properties of the 'green' cutting fluid as compared to
commercially available cutting fluid," she tells SciDev.Net.
The researchers say that performance tests on a lathe machine used for turning showed that green
cutting fluid formulated from rice bran oil was comparable to that of commercial cutting fluid.
Rice bran oil, extracted from the hard, brown covering layer of rice called chaff or rice husk, is
popular as a cooking oil in many Asian countries.
Mineral cutting oils, often a by-product of refining crude oil, can lead to skin disorders (such
as skin irritations, oil acne and rashes); eye, nose, and throat irritation; or respiratory symptoms
(such as cough, asthma, and other breathing issues). Safe disposal of cutting oil is problematic
since it is insoluble and can cause soil contamination.
According to the researchers, earlier studies carried out on various vegetable oils extracted from
rapeseed, oil palm, shea butter, coconut, neem, sunflower, avocado, pongamia, cottonseed,
sesame, jatropha and groundnut were not as successful. They were surpassed in performance as a
green cutting fluid by rice bran oil formulated with holy basil oil and clove oil as bio-additives.
Ananthan Thampi, co-author of the study, says many vegetable oils suffer from disadvantages
like poor oxidative stability and low-temperature behavior, although these may be improved by
chemical modifications or by blending with additives.
"In this research work, using rice bran oil, we rectified almost all disadvantages. The evaluated
properties of the formulated green cutting fluid are noted to be almost the same as that of
commercial cutting fluid, and at higher temperatures, the thermal stability of modified rice bran
oil was found to be better than commercial oil," he says.
India is among the world's largest producers of rice bran oil, accounting for most of the total
global production, and is followed by China and Japan.
K. Prabhakaran Nair, an expert in bio-lubricants and former director of the National Institute of
Technology Calicut, Kozhikode, says: "Rice bran oil possesses comparatively better oxidation
stability because of the presence of natural anti-oxidants like gamma oryzanol, tocopherols and
tocotrienols. Also, it has a balanced unsaturated and saturated fatty acids composition which
helps in formulating a better bio-lubricant."
"India produces about one million metric tons of rice bran oil annually but it can go up to 1.6
million metric tons if all the rice bran available in India is efficiently used to extract oil," says
Nair.
He also emphasizes that the essential oils used as additives act as anti-oxidants, biocides and
anti-corrosive agents without significantly increasing the final product because only small
quantities are needed
https://techxplore.com/news/2022-01-rice-bran-oil-green-solution.html

FG Unveils Rice Pyramids in Abuja

Agriculture

Wednesday, January 19, 2022 / 03:16 PM / by CSL Research / Header Image

Credit: Government of Nigeria

Recently, President Muhammadu Buhari unveiled 1 million bags of rice paddy stacked as 13
pyramids in Abuja to reduce the country's import bill by conserving the limited foreign exchange
reserves. The President disclosed that one of the continued government's interventions vis-a-vis
the apex bank's Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) in supporting smallholder farmers drove
the increase in rice production. He also admonished agricultural commodity associations yet to
participate in the ABP to set the ball rolling to support the nation's food sufficiency target.

Still, for a better understanding of the rice production value chain, the apex bank offtakes the
bags of rice paddy from the smallholder farmers which is then sold to rice millers at a reduced
price, leading to the eventual sale of processed rice to the public. Also at the event was the CBN
governor, Godwin Emefiele, who noted that the rice production in the country rose to 9.0m MT
in 2021 from 5.4m MT in 2015. However, official statistics from the USDA puts Nigeria's milled
rice production at 5.0m MT as of October 2021, while total consumption and residual was 6.95m
MT as of October 2021.

Since 2011, the government has been making substantial efforts to encourage the domestic
cultivation of rice aimed at completely eliminating inports using incentives such as subsidized
loans, cheap fertilizers, free farm land, and tax rebates. However, as local production still lagged
rising demand, smuggled imports have been left to plug the shortfall. Meanwhile, in the last one
year, the government has buckled up in improving local production evidenced by the launching
of rice pyramids in states such as Kebbi and Ekiti.

The efforts at improving rice production in the country is laudable as it gradually closes the
supply gap in the country. As of October 2021, Nigeria produced 5.0m tons of milled rice,
which, if compared to the total consumption of 6.95m tons within the same period, still shows a
supply gap. Beyond that, while the government improves production, we think the government
needs to pay more attention to the rice value chain in the country as many consumers complain
about the poor processing of local rice which still makes consumers resort to imported rice.

https://www.proshareng.com/news/Agriculture/FG-Unveils-Rice-Pyramids-in-Abuja/60903

Senate Pass Bill to Establish National Rice Development

Council
January 19, 2022
By
Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Senate has passed a bill seeking to establish the National Rice Development Council as part
of the federal government‘s effort to cut down on rice importation and improve the country‘s
foreign exchange earnings.

The passage of the bill followed the consideration of a report by the Committee on Agriculture
and Rural Development.

Speaking at the presentation, the Chairman of the Committee, Mr Abdullahi Adamu, said the
council will support the comprehensive development of the rice sector and the organisation of
rice stakeholders to enhance local production of rice in Nigeria.

He explained that the organisation will transform the activities of rice farmers, rice processors,
millers, researchers, marketers and other important stakeholders across the entire rice value
chain, particularly the clusters of smallholder rice farmers and small scale millers spread all over
the country.

―Mr President and distinguished colleagues, with our natural comparative advantage in the area
of rice production as a country, Nigeria should consider the need to put in place a National Rice
Development Council and a fail-safe comprehensive national rice development roadmap that will
guide us not only into a regime of self-sufficiency in production but also for export purposes,
employment generation for our teaming youth and growth of our economy.
―The Nigerian rice industry exists in the abstract as there appears to be no form of coordination
in the absence of a properly structured rallying point.

―Today, we have Paddy Rice Dealers Association of Nigeria (PRIDAN), Rice Farmers
Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN), Rice Millers
Association of Nigeria (RIMAN) and many more.

―This Bill seeks to establish that rallying point and a comprehensive national operational and
governance structure for a complete rice value chain process.

―Mr President and distinguished colleagues, this Bill on its own merit will improve government
efforts for efficient policy and regulatory framework for the Nigerian rice industry; promote
enabling business and investment environments for rice stakeholders; support the growth of the
rice industry in Nigeria and in the sub-region as well as promote the sustainability of foreign
exchange earnings put at about $2 billion annually for Rice related importation to the country.
https://businesspost.ng/economy/senate-pass-bill-to-establish-national-rice-development-council/

Nigeria: Prices of Rice, Other Food Items to Crash Soon,

Buhari Assures

Premium Times
The rice pyramids project is a collaboration of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) with Rice
Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) aimed to showcase the government's efforts to boost
rice production.
19 JANUARY 2022

This Day (Lagos)

By Deji Elumoye, Chuks Okocha and James Emejo

Abuja — President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that prices of food items,
especially rice will soon come down.
The president, who gave the assurance yesterday, during the official unveiling of the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN)/Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) Rice Paddy Pyramids in
Abuja, urged Nigerians to exercise some patience, saying the growing food production in the
country, especially expansion in rice farming would eventually bring down prices of food,
making it more affordable for all.
This was just as the Governor of the CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, revealed that following the
successes recorded in the implementation of the CBN-led Anchor Borrowers' Programme (ABP),
the country had been able to significantly reduce rice importation from Thailand by over 99.83
per cent within the past seven years.

But reacting to yesterday's unveiling, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday mocked the
APC and its governments, describing it as another shameless media stunt to again beguile
Nigerians ahead of 2023 elections. According to the leading opposition political party, the
unveiling of bogus rice pyramids in Abuja, was nothing but, "pyramids of lies."

However, Buhari's assurance to Nigerians on cheaper food items came on a day he personally
presented awards to Emefiele and five other state governors for their contributions to the
development of agriculture in the country.

The state chief executives included Governors of Ekiti, Mr. Kayode Fayemi; Kebbi, Alhaji Atiku
Bagudu; Cross River, Prof. Ben Ayade; Ebonyi, Mr. David Umahi, and Jigawa, Alhaji Abubakar
Badaru.

The president said: "Today rice production in Nigeria has increased to over 7.5 million metric
tons annually. Prior to the introduction of APB, the average production in Nigeria between 1999
to 2015 was less than four metric tons annually.

"I am aware that the bags of paddy will be moving straight from here to rice milling plants across
Nigeria, which lead to the release of processed rice to the markets by the rice millers. The
measure will aid our efforts at reducing the price of rice in Nigeria.

"Before this administration launched the ABP, there were only 15 standard Rice mills in Nigeria.
As at today, we have over 50 Standard and integrated Rice mills creating jobs and reducing
unemployment. We expect additional significant output when two new mills are started in Lagos
and Katsina," he said.
The president said the large margins in the business of rice had also encouraged more people to
show interest in investing in agribusiness.

"Fellow Nigerians, our gathering here today, is no doubt a testament to the fact that the Anchor
Borrowers' Programme is working. Indeed, these sky-high pyramids which we are gathered here
to commission are part of our commitment at achieving national food security and economic
diversification through home-grown policies targeted at securing food for all Nigerians.

"As a critical policy of the government, the Anchor Borrowers' Programme is expected to
catalyse the agricultural productive base of the nation, which is a major part of our economic
plan to uplift the economy, create jobs, reduce reliance on imported food and industrial raw
materials, and conserve foreign exchange.

"In the implementation of the programme, adoption of high-yielding seedlings, quality inputs
and best farming practices were essential features.

"For instance, the improved rice seedlings have helped to ensure our achievement of rice
sufficiency, as they are disease-resistant and have an average yield of about 5 metric per hectare,
compared with the traditional national average of 1.5 metric tonnes.

"This has resulted in bridging our rice consumption gap, a significant reduction in rice imports,
and saved us foreign exchange," he added.

President Buhari said the commissioning of the rice pyramids was an indication that the country
was making steady and assured progress towards self-sufficiency in food production, adding: "It
is my desired hope and expectation that other agricultural commodity associations that are yet to
participate under the Anchor Borrowers' Programme will emulate the Rice Farmers Association
of Nigeria in supporting our administration's drive for food self-sufficiency."

The president noted that, about three years ago, the first set of sky-high pyramids of rice harvests
were showcased in Argungu, Kebbi State, which was followed by another set in Minna, Niger
State, about a year ago and barely three months later in Zauro, Kebbi State, rice pyramids were
again, unveiled.

President Buhari said in May 2021, the CBN unveiled the first rice pyramids in the South-west in
Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State.

"Those events were historic as first, they remind us of our yester-year's agricultural commodity
pyramids, such as the groundnut pyramids in Kano and secondly, they symbolize that we can
produce what we eat.

"The significance of today's occasion can be better understood by looking at the various
economic strides the administration has achieved through agriculture.
"When we assumed the reins of leadership of this country in 2015, the administration identified
the Anchor Borrowers' Programme as an essential policy instrument for achieving economic
diversification through agriculture.

"To achieve this, the Anchor Borrowers' Programme was designed to encourage investments in
agriculture and empower smallholder farmers as drivers of transformation in the agricultural
sector and as critical enablers of economic growth.

"I am indeed delighted that the Anchor Borrowers' Programme continues to receive
commendations, since its introduction six years ago, as it has become one of the reference points
in the administration's agricultural revolution effort.

"In fact, the Programme speaks loudly in its giant strides as it has increased access to finance by
our rural farmers, who before now were virtually excluded from the financial system," he said.

Buhari commended the CBN over its efforts at resuscitating the Nigerian Commodity Exchange
following approval to do so.

This, he said, had been done in the hope that farmers could have ready buyers of their produce,
thereby resolving the current logistical challenge of moving their produce from farm to markets.

"Let me also commend the Governor and staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria, as well as the
leadership of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria for the successful delivery of these
pyramids, which hopefully is just the first of many that will be unveiled this year across
Nigeria," the President added.

Speaking further, Emefiele, at the unveiling of the mega rice pyramids, said rice importation
from Thailand alone was valued at 1.3 million metric tons as at 2014, adding that by 2016,
importation from same country had fallen to only 58,000 metric tons.

The CBN governor further disclosed that as of the end of 2021, Thailand only exported 2,160
metric tons to Nigeria, thereby saving the country foreign exchange and helping preserve local
jobs.

He said the ABP was launched in 2015 to curtail excessive imports, adding that, "we have seen
incremental reductions in rice imports from Thailand."

Emefiele, pointed out that as at the end of December 2021, the CBN had financed 4.48 million
farmers who cultivated 5.30 million hectares across 21 commodities through 23 Participating
Financial Institutions (PFIs) in the 36 States of the Federation and Federal Capital Territory
(FCT).

He said, "We are delighted that these efforts have yielded fruits in not just increasing the
availability of rice, but also in moderating prices, reducing imports and increasing job creation in
the country."
Emefiele, nonetheless, said beyond increasing national output from about 5.4 million metric tons
in 2015 to over nine million metric tons in 2021, there had also been significant improvement in
the productivity per hectare of the smallholder farmer from about 2.4 metric tons per ha in 2015
to about 5 metric tons per ha in 2021.

He noted that these expansions have not only made Nigeria the largest rice producer in Africa,
but had also unlocked enormous private sector investment in the rice value chain.

He said the number of Integrated Rice Mills grew astronomically from six in 2015 to over 50 in
2021 with many more in various stages of completion.

The CBN governor added that today, Nigeria's milled rice matches the foreign competition in
quality.

He added that taking a cue from the success in the rice value chain, the apex bank had also
commenced the "Brown Revolution" last year in line with its mantra for the transformation of
the wheat value chain in the country.

According to him, wheat remained the third most consumed grain in the country after maize and
rice, stressing that the country only produce about one per cent (63,000mt) of the 5-6 million
metric tonnes of wheat consumed annually in Nigeria.

He said, "This enormous demand-supply gap is bridged with over $2 billion annual importation
of wheat. As a result, wheat accounts for the second highest food import bill in Nigeria, thereby
putting pressure on the nation's foreign exchange reserves.

"We have concluded the first major wet season wheat farming in Plateau State and planted over
100,000 hectares of wheat across 15 States in the 2021 dry season. This strategic intervention
will herald progressive reduction in our wheat import bills over the coming years."

The CBN governor also commended smallholder farmers in the country and the leadership of the
various commodities associations, "for the diligence, bravery, patriotism and adaptability."

"The past few years have been quite challenges for these farmers as they have battled with
insurgency, banditry, lockdown and other related setbacks. Indeed, we lost some of our farmers
to attacks by insurgents nationwide, while some could not assess their farms for several months.

"Yet, the kept faith, they did not give up and the persevered. They did not abandon our fight for
food self-sufficiency. Today's event therefore is a celebration of their doggedness and
appreciation of their commitment to food security in Nigeria.

"The ABP has catalysed the rural economy and has built a sustainable framework for financing
small holder farmers in Nigeria."
Emefiele also added that the CBN established a Strategic Maize Reserve with the stock of maize
submitted as loan repayment by farmers, pointing out that this will provide a buffer for price
modulation for the poultry and feed mills nationwide.

He said, "A total of 241,656.76 MT was aggregated in the 2020 wet and dry seasons, out of
which 217,218.53 MT has been disposed to 18 millers and poultry farmers through the Poultry
Association of Nigeria.

"The programme was able to stabilise the poultry and livestock sectors during the pandemic and
saved the industry and consumers over N10 billion in raw material costs."

He said, "Our experience over the years has been transformed to operational efficiency of the
programme. We have added several layers of controls to improve on transparency and
accountability among all stakeholders and what you are witnessing today is a demonstration of
our growth and a strong indication of the enormous potential in the country's agricultural space.

Emefiele, however, noted that the current progress was still a far cry from the desired goal,
pointing out that the "growth processes reaffirm our belief in the potential inherent in our
agricultural space and we can hopefully harness them to lead the diversification agenda of the
economy."

He said, "The mega pyramids being launched today represents aggregated paddy rice submitted
as repayment of loans by RIFAN farmers under the 2020 dry season and 2021 wet seasons.

"Beyond the event, it also symbolizes the efforts made by our farmers to commit to loan
repayment through produce submission and ultimately ensure the sustainability of the
programme.

"To further create value and transfer these gains along the value chain, we have mapped millers
to off-take these paddies and we will track the release of their outputs to the market as we strive
to manage inflation and grow the rice value chain in Nigeria."

He also stated that the resuscitation of the Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NCX) was another
strategic initiative to enhance the food security drive of your administration.

He said a vibrant commodity exchange will significantly enhance post-harvest handling, reduce
wastage and guarantee effective pricing for farmers and minimise the adverse effects of the
activities of middlemen, commodity hoarders and ultimately transfer the gains from primary
production to other nodes of the value chain.

He said this aligns with the CBN's resolve to take outputs as loan repayment under the ABP
while the produce will drive the operations of the commodity exchange going forward.

He said all of the achievements would not have been possible without the leadership and vision
of Buhari adding that these accomplishments also showed that with the right leadership and
vision, the country can overcome any challenge.
Emefiele added: "COVID-19 has shown that we cannot rely on imports and hence we must chart
our own path to attaining self-sufficiency in our basic needs as a nation. And this must become
our preeminent preoccupation going forward.

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"We have deepened our stakeholders' engagement to increase the arable land under cultivation
and improve the productivity per hectare using improved seeds and agronomic practices.

"We are currently exploring a new rice seed variety with RIFAN that has potential to deliver
over 8 tons per ha. The pilot programme should commence in the 2022 dry season, and it has the
potential of being the game changer for the rice sector in Nigeria.

"We will work with the various seed certification authorities and explore the possibility of
patenting it for RIFAN as part of their legacies under the programme."

Meanwhile, the PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba,
alleged that Nigerians were already aware and pictures were available of how the APC and its
government, "create fake pyramids of rice with sandbags and re-bagged rice stacked on pyramid
shaped wooden structures as busted in an APC-controlled state in the South-west in 2018."

The PDP added: "Of course, there is nothing to celebrate in the APC pyramid of lies in Abuja. It
is rather shameful that APC leaders are again ridiculing President Muhammadu Buhari by
making him unveil pyramids of allegedly imported foreign rice which are re-bagged as locally
produced, just to create an impression of a boost in local production under his watch.

"If indeed, there is a boost in local production of rice as the APC wants Nigerians to believe,
how come the price of rice has not come down but continued to soar from about N8,000 per bag
which the PDP handed over to the APC in 2015, to about N30,000 per bag today?" the PDP
asked.

According to the main opposition party, "It is on record that the PDP turned the water land of
various states of our nation into huge rice production hubs with farms and mills springing up
across the country, leading to a boost in local production, drastic drop in imports and the
celebrated affordable prices of food products under the PDP administration."

The PDP further alleged that, "painfully, the APC, with its incompetence, counter-productive
policies and incurable corruption reversed all the gains made by the PDP in the agricultural
sector and triggered a decline in production which resulted in the high cost of food in our country
today."

Ologunagba said Nigerians could recall how the APC-led administration failed to protect the
farmers and particularly how it blamed over 40 rice farmers killed by terrorists in Borno state
instead of going after their assailants.

It maintained that the rice pyramid was, "APC pyramids," stressing that it was nothing, "but huge
signposts of their failures and irredeemable proclivity for lies, deception, beguilement and fake
performance claims even in the face of unbearable high costs of food, 22.95 percent food
inflation rate and our nation's ranking as 98th out of 107 in Global Hunger Index.

"It is clear that with the 2023 elections in sight, the APC is desperate in pushing its stock-in-
trade, pyramid of lies, propaganda, deceit and bogus claims with which they stole power in 2015.
What the APC has not realised is that 2023 is not 2015. Nigerians have seen through APC
deceits and not even these "pyramids of lies" can help the APC in 2023", the main opposition
party stated."
https://allafrica.com/stories/202201190188.html

Senate Approves Establishment Of National Rice

Development Council
• Says Nigeria‘ll save $2bn annually on rice importation
LATEST NEWS
By Tijani Adeyemi- Abuja On Jan 19, 2022

HomeNewsBusinessColumnsEditorialEntertainmentPoliticsHealthSportsMore
HomeLatest NewsSenate approves establishment of National Rice Development Council
Senate Approves Establishment Of National Rice Development Council
• Says Nigeria‘ll save $2bn annually on rice importation
LATEST NEWS
By Tijani Adeyemi- Abuja On Jan 19, 2022
The Senate has passed a bill seeking to establish the National Rice Development Council, a
move that would see Nigeria saving about $2 billion dollars on rice importation and improve the
country‘s foreign exchange earnings.

The passage of the bill followed the consideration of a report by the Committee on Agriculture
and Rural Development.
Chairman of the Committee, Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa West), in his presentation, said that
the bill seeks to establish a Council that would lead to a comprehensive development of the rice
sector and the organisation of rice stakeholders to enhance local production of rice in Nigeria.

He explained that the establishment of the Council would transform the activities of rice farmers,
rice processors, millers, researchers, marketers and other important stakeholders across the entire
rice value chain, particularly the clusters of smallholder rice farmers and small scale millers
spread all over the country.

―Mr President and Distinguished Colleagues, with our natural comparative advantage in the area
of rice production as a country, Nigeria should consider the need to put in place a National Rice
Development Council and a fail-safe comprehensive national rice development roadmap that will
guide us not only into a regime of self-sufficiency in production but also for export purposes,
employment generation for our teaming youth and growth of our economy.

―The Nigerian rice industry exists in the abstract as there appears to be no form of coordination
in the absence of a properly structured rallying point.

―Today, we have Paddy Rice Dealers Association of Nigeria (PRIDAN), Rice Farmers
Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN), Rice Millers
Association of Nigeria (RIMAN) and many more.

―This Bill seeks to establish that rallying point and a comprehensive National operational and
governance structure for a complete rice value chain process.

―Mr President and Distinguished Colleagues, this Bill on its own merit will improve government
efforts for efficient policy and regulatory framework for the Nigerian Rice Industry; promote
enabling business and investment environments for Rice stakeholders; support the growth of the
Rice industry in Nigeria and in the sub-region as well as promote the sustainability of foreign
exchange earnings put at about 2 billion dollars annually for Rice related importation to the
country.

―The framework created by thịs Bill will pull investment into rice production, provide the
missing link between rice production and industrialisation, provide employment, reduce
migration from rural to urban cities and enhance socio-economic activities all over the country.
―Few countries having Rice Council include Rice Council of Tanzania, USA Rice Council,
Directorate of Rice Development (India), Rice Association of Thailand, among others,‖ Senator
Adamu said.
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https://tribuneonlineng.com/senate-approves-establishment-of-national-rice-development-
council/

Kicks, knocks trail rice pyramid unveiling

By Joke Falaju, Abuja
20 January 2022 | 4:28 am

A Nigerian police officer walking with a sniffer dog inspects a rice pyramid during the launch of
the largest rice pyramids in Abuja, Nigeria, on January 18, 2022. – The bags of rice which were
planted and harvested by Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) from states in Nigeria,
are one million rice paddies stacked in 15 separate pyramids which is expected to solve the food
crisis in Nigeria. (Photo by Kola Sulaimon / AFP)
Stakeholders have faulted the launch of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Rice Farmers
Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) rice pyramid unveiled by President Muhammadu Buhari on
Tuesday, describing it as another political jamboree ahead of the 2023 election.
According to them, there is nothing to celebrate as a 50kg bag of rice still sells at N24,000 as
against N8,000 it was sold before Buhari took over.
While Nigeria is said to be the largest paddy rice producer in Africa, rice millers are still faced
with high costs of production and poor access to paddy.
Stakeholders also queried the exclusion of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and other relevant
research institutes in the scheme.
This comes as some sources claimed that part of the rice used to build the pyramid was imported
from northern Cameroun; Cotonou, the Republic of Benin; Niger and Togo.
The Chairman, Pyramid Sub-Committee of RIFAN, Shehu Muazu, said the paddy was collected
from the beneficiaries of the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) of the CBN under its
business strategy partnership.
However, an agriculture expert, Dr. Bello Musa, said: ―We await to see a crash in the price of
local rice from the present N24,000 to N10,000. We are not unmindful of the fact that we are in
an election year and anything is possible.‖
Speaking recently in Abuja, the National President of All Farmers Association of Nigeria
(AFAN), Kabir Ibrahim, said that the CBN and the handlers of the ABP must explain to
Nigerians where the rice and maize they unveil in pyramids were cultivated.
He said: ―With the high level of insecurity in the major rice and maize producing states, forcing
farmers to keep off farmlands, we need to know where the rice was produced. Who owns the rice
and maize?‖ He said while the ABP has supported agriculture greatly in the financing of
smallholder farmers, the pyramid was a deceit.
―If we have surplus food as depicted by the pyramids, why do we still have food shortages? Why
are the prices still high in the market?‖ he questioned.
The National President of the National Palm Produce Association of Nigeria (NPPAN),
Alphonsus Inyang, said it was unfortunate that the CBN has resorted to showmanship. He said
instead of the apex bank to focus on activities that would ensure sustainable economic
development for the nation, it has decided to go for quick fixes and things that will earn it
applause.
He said: ―We keep saying that the money the CBN is spending is development money, managed
by the development finance department of the Bank and that they should sit down and work out
the best way to spend the money to give the country maximum benefit.
―You don‘t spend development money to get applause; you use it to develop the economy, to
spread prosperity and to improve livelihoods. But the CBN is more interested in getting people to
clap for them. That is the reason for the rush for pyramids. Is CBN telling us that the rice
pyramids in Ekiti State were rice cultivated in Ekiti?‖
But for the National President of Maize Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of
Nigeria (MGPMAN), Dr. Edwin Uche, said the pyramids are symbolic and to show that efforts
are being made.
―The pyramids signify a lot, depending on how you define it. It tells you the level of efforts
being put in place to ensure that maize is grown and that the challenges associated with maize
farming are being addressed gradually. It also shows you that the farmers are working hard to
support food security in Nigeria.
―It is also to motivate people within the value chain that it is possible to attain self-sufficiency in
food if we all work together. Yes, there are questions about why the pyramids when there is
scarcity. Of course, we have to do the pyramids to show the world that we are doing something
to address the scarcity.‖
https://guardian.ng/business-services/kicks-knocks-trail-rice-pyramid-unveiling/

Anchor Borrowers’ Programme: Over 4.8 million farmers

financed — Buhari
Mr Buhari launched the ABP initiative in November 2015 to boost agricultural production.
ByAbdulkareem Mojeed

January 19, 2022

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP)
launched six years ago has supported over 4.8 million smallholder farmers across Nigeria to
boost production of 23 agricultural commodities in the country.
Mr Buhari made this remark while unveiling stacked paddy rice pyramids produced by rice
farmers under the ABP initiative across the country in Abuja.
He said the rise in the country‘s rice production in the last six years under his watch could be
attributed to the effectiveness of the ABP initiative.
―The Anchor Borrowers Programme has so far supported over 4.8 million smallholder farmers
across Nigeria for the production of 23 agricultural commodities, including maize, rice, oil palm,
cocoa, cotton, cassava, tomato, and livestock. Today, rice production in Nigeria has increased to
over 7.5 million metric tonnes annually,‖ Mr Buhari said in his remarks.
While Nigeria has recorded increased rice production in recent years, the improvement has been
numbed by the high price of the commodity. Many Nigerians have questioned why rice grown
and processed in the country cost as much as — and in some cases more than — foreign products
shipped in from mostly Asia.
Anchor Borrowers Programme
In November 2015, Mr Buhari launched the ABP initiative to boost agricultural production,
improve foreign exchange and reverse Nigeria‘s negative balance of trade on food.
Smallholder farmers cultivating cereals (rice, maize, wheat etc.) cotton, roots and tubers,
sugarcane, tree crops, legumes, tomato and livestock are those captured under this initiative.
Loans are disbursed to the beneficiary farmers through Deposit Money Banks (DMBs),
Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) and Microfinance Banks (MFBs), which the
programme recognises as Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs).
According to the guidelines of the programme, upon harvest, the farmer repays their loans by
taking their harvest to ‗anchors‘ who pay the cash equivalent to the farmer‘s account.
ⓘ
Before the initiation of the ABP programme, the president said Nigeria‘s average rice production
between 1999 and 2015 was less than four metric tonnes annually.
What data says
Data corroborates Mr Buhari‘s claims. Between 1999 and 2015, yearly milled rice production in
Nigeria averaged 2.4 million metric tonnes. But following the introduction of the ABP initiative,
production rose from 3.9 mmt in 2015 to 4.5 mmt (15 per cent increase) in 2016, data published
by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) showed.
In 2017 and 2018, Nigeria‘s milled rice production averaged 4.5 mmt, and rose to 5.0 mmt(11
per cent increase ) in 2019. In 2020, amidst the upsurge of the coronavirus pandemic and the
devastating impacts of climate change and insecurity, production decreased to 4.8 mm but later
rose to 5.0 mmt in 2021.
With this, Nigeria is currently ranked 14th highest rice producer in the global pecking order and
the highest producer of the commodity in Africa.
“More production, skyward price”
However, while it is evident that Nigeria‘s rice production has increased significantly following
the launch of the ABP policy under the Buhari-led administration than under any other
administration since 1999, price of rice, a major staple among Nigerians, among other staple
foods has seen astronomical increase in the last six years than in any other years in the history of
the country.
The prices of major legumes(beans, groundnut, soy beans) and cereals( rice, maize, sorghum,
and millet) in Nigeria rose at an average of about 98.85 and 99.9 per cents respectively in the last
one year, a PREMIUM TIMES market survey showed.
In the last one year, the prices of grains such as rice, maize, sorghum, and millet have risen by
over 44.4 and 117 per cents respectively.
Mr Buhari said the bags of paddy rice unveiled would be distributed to rice milling plants across
Nigeria, which shall lead to increased supply of rice to the markets by the rice millers.
ⓘ
―The measure will aid our efforts at reducing the price of rice in Nigeria,‖ he added.
The president said before his administration launched the ABP initiative, there were only 15
standard rice mills in Nigeria.
―As of today, we have over 50 standard and integrated rice mills, creating jobs and reducing
unemployment. We expect additional significant output when two new Mills are cited in Lagos
and Katsina states,‖ he said
Asked if the pyramids unveiled by the president would have any significant impact on the
current price of rice in the market, Retson Tedheke, Nigeria Farmers Group and Cooperative
Society (NFGCS) farm manager, said it will not.
―We have gone beyond the rhetoric of Agriculture, we must get to the realities of Agriculture or
we are wasting our time,‖ the farmer said.
Mr Tedheke queried that what is the need of setting pyramids in Abuja when these pyramids can
be set up in local governments where these rice are produced?
He said the challenge of the Nigerian farmers is actually not the inability to produce because they
are always producing, but that tt is the fact that whatever they produce is not commensurate with
the effort they put in.
―Setting up pyramids is not a bad thing, but are you aware that the price of rice is still cruising
around N25000-35,000 per 50kg bag? If your policies are working, why is inflation still driving
the prices of these goods? It is simply because the right thing has not been done,‖ he lamented.
He said no government has spent as much as Buhari‘s government on agriculture, and that at the
end of the day, one cannot say that the impact of the money is being felt.
―The problem of the rural farmer has always been lack of access to machinery , lack of access to
finance and lack of access to the right education. Has that changed in the last couple of years,
No!,‖ he added.
 ⓘ
However, Abdullahi Zuru, managing director, Labana rice mill , said the unveiling of the rice
pyramids will have an impact on the prices of rice in the market if only they are sold to Millers at
considerably reduced prices as against what they are buying from merchants in the market.
He said this will reduce production cost, and that if the production cost of rice is reduced, the
price of the commodity will also reduce in the market.
He said despite the previous pyramids launched in other states like Kebbi, Ekiti among others
last year was not enough and that it only complemented what they were buying that is why prices
of rice did not reduce.
―Price reduction might not be significant. Moreover, most of this increase is not from the Millers,
it is from the distributors and the dealers. Millers sell at N22,000-N23, 000 per 50kg bag,‖ he
said.
He said the main challenges bedevilling the Nigerian rice value chain still remains the persistent
smuggling of foreign rice into the country.
―The smuggling of foreign rice has not reduced. Another challenge is lack of good power
supply,‖ he said
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/506666-anchor-borrowers-programme-over-4-8-
million-farmers-financed-buhari.html

New FAS Trade Specialist Oversees Millions for Rice

Promotions
FAS funds U.S. rice marketing
programs around the globe

By Sarah Moran

WASHINGTON, DC -- USA Rice has a close

relationship with the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
from enhancing Farm Service Agency conservation
programs to working collaboratively with Foreign
Agricultural Service (FAS) cooperator programs. A
key component in this relationship is the FAS
international trade specialist, who reviews rice‘s
annual Unified Export Strategy and evaluates the
effectiveness of current marketing activities.

Beginning this month, Curtis McCoy is the new FAS trade specialist for rice. McCoy
started at FAS in 2017 and has a strong background in international agricultural
programming, including developing, implementing, and overseeing sustainable livelihoods
initiatives.

―Curtis hit the ground running by participating in the eight-hour meeting last week to
 discuss USA Rice‘s planned 2022 promotional programs,‖ said Steve Vargas, chair of the
USA Rice International Promotion Committee.

For 2022, USA Rice was awarded more than $5.5 million (see USA Rice Daily, November
22, 2021) to promote brands sourcing U.S. rice worldwide, develop robust social media
marketing programs, and facilitate interactions between buyers and sellers of U.S. rice.

The FAS Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD)
programs have strengthened and broadened U.S. rice exports by enabling marketing
programs to be established in nearly two dozen overseas markets.

―We‘ve been really lucky with our previous marketing specialists who have helped refine
and improve our programs, and have no doubt that Curtis will continue that trend,‖ said
Vargas.

Rice bran oil 'a green solution for industry'

by SciDev.Net

A
new study reports that rice bran oil, which is extracted from rice husks, may potentially be used
as a replacement of petroleum-based oils used for cooling and lubricating lathes and other cutting
machinery. Credit: Nabajyoti Sarmah from Pixabay
Rice bran oil can potentially replace the petroleum-based oils currently used for cooling and
lubricating lathes and other cutting machinery, says a study.
Sneha Edla, lead author of the study, published this month in Biomass Conversion and
Biorefinery, and researcher at the Advanced Tribology Research Centre, College of Engineering
Trivandrum, Kerala, India, says that regular exposure to mineral oil-based cutting fluids, which
have toxic additives, has been linked to cancer.
"Rice bran oil, a potential base oil for bio-lubricant formulation, uses food-grade emulsifiers
along with bio-additives," says Edla. "It is found that addition of herbal oils as additives
improves oxidative stability, corrosive stability, emulsion stability, and the tribological [science
of interactive surfaces in motion] properties of the 'green' cutting fluid as compared to
commercially available cutting fluid," she tells SciDev.Net.
The researchers say that performance tests on a lathe machine used for turning showed that green
cutting fluid formulated from rice bran oil was comparable to that of commercial cutting fluid.
Rice bran oil, extracted from the hard, brown covering layer of rice called chaff or rice husk, is
popular as a cooking oil in many Asian countries.
Mineral cutting oils, often a by-product of refining crude oil, can lead to skin disorders (such
as skin irritations, oil acne and rashes); eye, nose, and throat irritation; or respiratory symptoms
(such as cough, asthma, and other breathing issues). Safe disposal of cutting oil is problematic
since it is insoluble and can cause soil contamination.
According to the researchers, earlier studies carried out on various vegetable oils extracted from
rapeseed, oil palm, shea butter, coconut, neem, sunflower, avocado, pongamia, cottonseed,
sesame, jatropha and groundnut were not as successful. They were surpassed in performance as a
green cutting fluid by rice bran oil formulated with holy basil oil and clove oil as bio-additives.
Ananthan Thampi, co-author of the study, says many vegetable oils suffer from disadvantages
like poor oxidative stability and low-temperature behavior, although these may be improved by
chemical modifications or by blending with additives.
"In this research work, using rice bran oil, we rectified almost all disadvantages. The evaluated
properties of the formulated green cutting fluid are noted to be almost the same as that of
commercial cutting fluid, and at higher temperatures, the thermal stability of modified rice bran
oil was found to be better than commercial oil," he says.
India is among the world's largest producers of rice bran oil, accounting for most of the total
global production, and is followed by China and Japan.
K. Prabhakaran Nair, an expert in bio-lubricants and former director of the National Institute of
Technology Calicut, Kozhikode, says: "Rice bran oil possesses comparatively better oxidation
stability because of the presence of natural anti-oxidants like gamma oryzanol, tocopherols and
tocotrienols. Also, it has a balanced unsaturated and saturated fatty acids composition which
helps in formulating a better bio-lubricant."
"India produces about one million metric tons of rice bran oil annually but it can go up to 1.6
million metric tons if all the rice bran available in India is efficiently used to extract oil," says
Nair.
He also emphasizes that the essential oils used as additives act as anti-oxidants, biocides and
anti-corrosive agents without significantly increasing the final product because only small
quantities are needed.
https://techxplore.com/news/2022-01-rice-bran-oil-green-solution.html

Rice production hits nine million MT in 2021 – Emefiele

Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele

Amarachi Orjiude

19 January 2022

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, on Tuesday disclosed that rice
production in the country rose to nine million metric tonnes in 2021 from about 5.4m MT in
2015.

Emefiele, who disclosed this at the unveiling of 13 rice pyramids in Abuja by the President,
Major General, Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), attributed the increase in production to interventions
in the agricultural sector by the Federal Government.

According to him, one of such interventions is the CBN Anchors Borrower‘s Programme which
has built a sustainable framework for financing smallholder farmers in Nigeria.

He added that the programme had also helped to reduce Nigeria‘s import bill from countries like
Thailand.

Emefiele said, ―The Anchor Borrowers‘ Programme has catalysed the rural economy and has
built a sustainable framework for financing smallholder farmers in Nigeria.

―For example, Thailand alone exported 1.3 million metric tons of rice to Nigeria in 2014. The
ABP was launched in 2015 to curtail these imports, and since then, we have seen incremental
reductions in rice imports from Thailand.
―By 2016, rice imports from Thailand had fallen to only 58,000 metric tons. As of the end of
2021, they only exported 2,160 metric tons to Nigeria, thereby saving us foreign exchange and
helping preserve jobs in Nigeria.

At the event, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), assured Nigerians to
expect better prices for rice in no distant time.

‗I am aware that the bags of paddy will be moving straight from here to rice milling plants across
Nigeria, which will lead to the release of processed rice to the markets by the rice millers. The
measure will aid our efforts at reducing the price of rice in Nigeria,‖ he said

https://punchng.com/rice-production-hits-nine-million-mt-in-2021-emefiele/

Prices of Rice, Other Food Items to Crash Soon, Buhari

Assures
January 19, 2022 5:16 am

Share
Deji Elumoye, Chuks Okocha and James Emejo in Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that prices of food items, especially rice
will soon come down.
The president, who gave the assurance yesterday, during the official unveiling of the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN)/Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) Rice Paddy Pyramids in
Abuja, urged Nigerians to exercise some patience, saying the growing food production in the
country, especially expansion in rice farming would eventually bring down prices of food,
making it more affordable for all.
This was just as the Governor of the CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, revealed that following the
successes recorded in the implementation of the CBN-led Anchor Borrowers‘ Programme
(ABP), the country had been able to significantly reduce rice importation from Thailand by over
99.83 per cent within the past seven years.
But reacting to yesterday‘s unveiling, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday mocked the
APC and its governments, describing it as another shameless media stunt to again beguile
Nigerians ahead of 2023 elections.
According to the leading opposition political party, the unveiling of bogus rice pyramids in
Abuja, was nothing but, ―pyramids of lies.‖
However, Buhari‘s assurance to Nigerians on cheaper food items came on a day he personally
presented awards to Emefiele and five other state governors for their contributions to the
development of agriculture in the country.
The state chief executives included Governors of Ekiti, Mr. Kayode Fayemi; Kebbi, Alhaji Atiku
Bagudu; Cross River, Prof. Ben Ayade; Ebonyi, Mr. David Umahi, and Jigawa, Alhaji Abubakar
Badaru.
The president said: ―Today rice production in Nigeria has increased to over 7.5 million metric
tons annually. Prior to the introduction of APB, the average production in Nigeria between 1999
to 2015 was less than four metric tons annually.
―I am aware that the bags of paddy will be moving straight from here to rice milling plants across
Nigeria, which lead to the release of processed rice to the markets by the rice millers. The
measure will aid our efforts at reducing the price of rice in Nigeria.
―Before this administration launched the ABP, there were only 15 standard Rice mills in Nigeria.
As at today, we have over 50 Standard and integrated Rice mills creating jobs and reducing
unemployment. We expect additional significant output when two new mills are started in Lagos
and Katsina,‘‘ he said.
The president said the large margins in the business of rice had also encouraged more people to
show interest in investing in agribusiness.
―Fellow Nigerians, our gathering here today, is no doubt a testament to the fact that the Anchor
Borrowers‘ Programme is working. Indeed, these sky-high pyramids which we are gathered here
to commission are part of our commitment at achieving national food security and economic
diversification through home-grown policies targeted at securing food for all Nigerians.
―As a critical policy of the government, the Anchor Borrowers‘ Programme is expected to
catalyse the agricultural productive base of the nation, which is a major part of our economic
plan to uplift the economy, create jobs, reduce reliance on imported food and industrial raw
materials, and conserve foreign exchange.
―In the implementation of the programme, adoption of high-yielding seedlings, quality inputs
and best farming practices were essential features.
―For instance, the improved rice seedlings have helped to ensure our achievement of rice
sufficiency, as they are disease-resistant and have an average yield of about 5 metric per hectare,
compared with the traditional national average of 1.5 metric tonnes.
―This has resulted in bridging our rice consumption gap, a significant reduction in rice imports,
and saved us foreign exchange,‘‘ he added.
President Buhari said the commissioning of the rice pyramids was an indication that the country
was making steady and assured progress towards self-sufficiency in food production, adding: ―It
is my desired hope and expectation that other agricultural commodity associations that are yet to
participate under the Anchor Borrowers‘ Programme will emulate the Rice Farmers Association
of Nigeria in supporting our administration‘s drive for food self-sufficiency.‘‘
The president noted that, about three years ago, the first set of sky-high pyramids of rice harvests
were showcased in Argungu, Kebbi State, which was followed by another set in Minna, Niger
State, about a year ago and barely three months later in Zauro, Kebbi State, rice pyramids were
again, unveiled.
President Buhari said in May 2021, the CBN unveiled the first rice pyramids in the South-west in
Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State.
―Those events were historic as first, they remind us of our yester-year‘s agricultural commodity
pyramids, such as the groundnut pyramids in Kano and secondly, they symbolize that we can
produce what we eat.
―The significance of today‘s occasion can be better understood by looking at the various
economic strides the administration has achieved through agriculture.
―When we assumed the reins of leadership of this country in 2015, the administration identified
the Anchor Borrowers‘ Programme as an essential policy instrument for achieving economic
diversification through agriculture.
―To achieve this, the Anchor Borrowers‘ Programme was designed to encourage investments in
agriculture and empower smallholder farmers as drivers of transformation in the agricultural
sector and as critical enablers of economic growth.
―I am indeed delighted that the Anchor Borrowers‘ Programme continues to receive
commendations, since its introduction six years ago, as it has become one of the reference points
in the administration‘s agricultural revolution effort.
―In fact, the Programme speaks loudly in its giant strides as it has increased access to finance by
our rural farmers, who before now were virtually excluded from the financial system,‘‘ he said.
Buhari commended the CBN over its efforts at resuscitating the Nigerian Commodity Exchange
following approval to do so.
This, he said, had been done in the hope that farmers could have ready buyers of their produce,
thereby resolving the current logistical challenge of moving their produce from farm to markets.
―Let me also commend the Governor and staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria, as well as the
leadership of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria for the successful delivery of these
pyramids, which hopefully is just the first of many that will be unveiled this year across
Nigeria,‘‘ the President added.
Speaking further, Emefiele, at the unveiling of the mega rice pyramids, said rice importation
from Thailand alone was valued at 1.3 million metric tons as at 2014, adding that by 2016,
importation from same country had fallen to only 58,000 metric tons.
The CBN governor further disclosed that as of the end of 2021, Thailand only exported 2,160
metric tons to Nigeria, thereby saving the country foreign exchange and helping preserve local
jobs.
He said the ABP was launched in 2015 to curtail excessive imports, adding that, ―we have seen
incremental reductions in rice imports from Thailand.‖
Emefiele, pointed out that as at the end of December 2021, the CBN had financed 4.48 million
farmers who cultivated 5.30 million hectares across 21 commodities through 23 Participating
Financial Institutions (PFIs) in the 36 States of the Federation and Federal Capital Territory
(FCT).
He said, ―We are delighted that these efforts have yielded fruits in not just increasing the
availability of rice, but also in moderating prices, reducing imports and increasing job creation in
the country.‖
Emefiele, nonetheless, said beyond increasing national output from about 5.4 million metric tons
in 2015 to over nine million metric tons in 2021, there had also been significant improvement in
the productivity per hectare of the smallholder farmer from about 2.4 metric tons per ha in 2015
to about 5 metric tons per ha in 2021.
He noted that these expansions have not only made Nigeria the largest rice producer in Africa,
but had also unlocked enormous private sector investment in the rice value chain.
He said the number of Integrated Rice Mills grew astronomically from six in 2015 to over 50 in
2021 with many more in various stages of completion.
The CBN governor added that today, Nigeria‘s milled rice matches the foreign competition in
quality.
He added that taking a cue from the success in the rice value chain, the apex bank had also
commenced the ―Brown Revolution‖ last year in line with its mantra for the transformation of
the wheat value chain in the country.
According to him, wheat remained the third most consumed grain in the country after maize and
rice, stressing that the country only produce about one per cent (63,000mt) of the 5-6 million
metric tonnes of wheat consumed annually in Nigeria.
He said, ―This enormous demand-supply gap is bridged with over $2 billion annual importation
of wheat. As a result, wheat accounts for the second highest food import bill in Nigeria, thereby
putting pressure on the nation‘s foreign exchange reserves.
―We have concluded the first major wet season wheat farming in Plateau State and planted over
100,000 hectares of wheat across 15 States in the 2021 dry season. This strategic intervention
will herald progressive reduction in our wheat import bills over the coming years.‖
The CBN governor also commended smallholder farmers in the country and the leadership of the
various commodities associations, ―for the diligence, bravery, patriotism and adaptability.‖
―The past few years have been quite challenges for these farmers as they have battled with
insurgency, banditry, lockdown and other related setbacks. Indeed, we lost some of our farmers
to attacks by insurgents nationwide, while some could not assess their farms for several months.
―Yet, the kept faith, they did not give up and the persevered. They did not abandon our fight for
food self-sufficiency. Today‘s event therefore is a celebration of their doggedness and
appreciation of their commitment to food security in Nigeria.
―The ABP has catalysed the rural economy and has built a sustainable framework for financing
small holder farmers in Nigeria.‖
Emefiele also added that the CBN established a Strategic Maize Reserve with the stock of maize
submitted as loan repayment by farmers, pointing out that this will provide a buffer for price
modulation for the poultry and feed mills nationwide.
He said, ―A total of 241,656.76 MT was aggregated in the 2020 wet and dry seasons, out of
which 217,218.53 MT has been disposed to 18 millers and poultry farmers through the Poultry
Association of Nigeria.
―The programme was able to stabilise the poultry and livestock sectors during the pandemic and
saved the industry and consumers over N10 billion in raw material costs.‖
He said, ―Our experience over the years has been transformed to operational efficiency of the
programme. We have added several layers of controls to improve on transparency and
accountability among all stakeholders and what you are witnessing today is a demonstration of
our growth and a strong indication of the enormous potential in the country‘s agricultural space.
Emefiele, however, noted that the current progress was still a far cry from the desired goal,
pointing out that the ―growth processes reaffirm our belief in the potential inherent in our
agricultural space and we can hopefully harness them to lead the diversification agenda of the
economy.‖
He said, ―The mega pyramids being launched today represents aggregated paddy rice submitted
as repayment of loans by RIFAN farmers under the 2020 dry season and 2021 wet seasons.
―Beyond the event, it also symbolizes the efforts made by our farmers to commit to loan
repayment through produce submission and ultimately ensure the sustainability of the
programme.
―To further create value and transfer these gains along the value chain, we have mapped millers
to off-take these paddies and we will track the release of their outputs to the market as we strive
to manage inflation and grow the rice value chain in Nigeria.‖
He also stated that the resuscitation of the Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NCX) was another
strategic initiative to enhance the food security drive of your administration.
He said a vibrant commodity exchange will significantly enhance post-harvest handling, reduce
wastage and guarantee effective pricing for farmers and minimise the adverse effects of the
activities of middlemen, commodity hoarders and ultimately transfer the gains from primary
production to other nodes of the value chain.
He said this aligns with the CBN‘s resolve to take outputs as loan repayment under the ABP
while the produce will drive the operations of the commodity exchange going forward.
He said all of the achievements would not have been possible without the leadership and vision
of Buhari adding that these accomplishments also showed that with the right leadership and
vision, the country can overcome any challenge.
Emefiele added: ―COVID-19 has shown that we cannot rely on imports and hence we must chart
our own path to attaining self-sufficiency in our basic needs as a nation. And this must become
our preeminent preoccupation going forward.
―We have deepened our stakeholders‘ engagement to increase the arable land under cultivation
and improve the productivity per hectare using improved seeds and agronomic practices.
―We are currently exploring a new rice seed variety with RIFAN that has potential to deliver
over 8 tons per ha. The pilot programme should commence in the 2022 dry season, and it has the
potential of being the game changer for the rice sector in Nigeria.

―We will work with the various seed certification authorities and explore the possibility of
patenting it for RIFAN as part of their legacies under the programme.‖
Meanwhile, the PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba,
alleged that Nigerians were already aware and pictures were available of how the APC and its
government, ―create fake pyramids of rice with sandbags and re-bagged rice stacked on pyramid
shaped wooden structures as busted in an APC-controlled state in the South-west in 2018.‖
The PDP added: ―Of course, there is nothing to celebrate in the APC pyramid of lies in Abuja. It
is rather shameful that APC leaders are again ridiculing President Muhammadu Buhari by
making him unveil pyramids of allegedly imported foreign rice which are re-bagged as locally
produced, just to create an impression of a boost in local production under his watch.
―If indeed, there is a boost in local production of rice as the APC wants Nigerians to believe,
how come the price of rice has not come down but continued to soar from about N8,000 per bag
which the PDP handed over to the APC in 2015, to about N30,000 per bag today?‖ the PDP
asked.
According to the main opposition party, ―It is on record that the PDP turned the water land of
various states of our nation into huge rice production hubs with farms and mills springing up
across the country, leading to a boost in local production, drastic drop in imports and the
celebrated affordable prices of food products under the PDP administration.‖
The PDP further alleged that, ―painfully, the APC, with its incompetence, counter-productive
policies and incurable corruption reversed all the gains made by the PDP in the agricultural
sector and triggered a decline in production which resulted in the high cost of food in our country
today.‖
Ologunagba said Nigerians could recall how the APC-led administration failed to protect the
farmers and particularly how it blamed over 40 rice farmers killed by terrorists in Borno state
instead of going after their assailants.
It maintained that the rice pyramid was, ―APC pyramids,‖ stressing that it was nothing, ―but
huge signposts of their failures and irredeemable proclivity for lies, deception, beguilement and
fake performance claims even in the face of unbearable high costs of food, 22.95 percent food
inflation rate and our nation‘s ranking as 98th out of 107 in Global Hunger Index.
―It is clear that with the 2023 elections in sight, the APC is desperate in pushing its stock-in-
trade, pyramid of lies, propaganda, deceit and bogus claims with which they stole power in 2015.
What the APC has not realised is that 2023 is not 2015. Nigerians have seen through APC
deceits and not even these ―pyramids of lies‖ can help the APC in 2023‖, the main opposition
party stated.‖
https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2022/01/19/prices-of-rice-other-food-items-to-crash-
soon-buhari-assures/

Free Chinese rice for Sri Lanka to mark 70th anniversary of

rubber-rice pact
January 19, 2022 at 2:06 PM

China is set to grant 1 million metric tons of rice to Sri Lanka in March 2022, Minister Bandula
Gunawardena said today.
The Minister said the stock of rice will be provided to mark the 70th anniversary of the Rubber-
Rice Pact between the two countries.
He further said that the consignment of rice will be delivered to Sri Lanka before the month of
April.
Earlier this month (10), Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People‘s Republic of China Wang Yi
visited Sri Lanka to launch the celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the historic Rubber-
Rice Pact.
During the visit, he hailed the Rubber-Rice Pact signed in 1952 as a historic landmark in bilateral
relations. (NewsWire)
https://www.newswire.lk/2022/01/19/free-chinese-rice-for-sri-lanka-to-mark-70th-anniversary-
of-rubber-rice-pact/

India’s rice and wheat subsidies draw ire from House

members, swift action urged

January 19, 2022

By Jennifer Stultz Editor

WASHINGTON, DC – Earlier today, 26 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives signed
onto a letter led by rice and wheat state Members Rick Crawford (R-AR) and Tracey Mann (R-
KS) to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
expressing support for a dispute settlement case at the World Trade Organization (WTO) against
India‘s domestic supports for rice and wheat production. ―Ensuring all parties are cooperating
under the same guidelines is paramount to international trade. The Indian government is
subsidizing more than half of the value of production for wheat and rice when the World Trade
Organization (WTO) rules allow only 10%, putting American commodity producers at a clear
disadvantage,‖ said Mann. ―It is our duty as members of Congress to safeguard American
producers.‖
The plea to the Biden Administration runs parallel to the effort undertaken in the Senate. Last
month, 18 U.S. Senators sent a similar letter (see USA Rice Daily, December 16, 2021) to Tai
and Vilsack.
―This significant showing of bicameral support for the Administration to initiate a WTO case
against India has been years in the making,‖ said Betsy Ward, president & CEO of USA Rice. ―If
left unchecked, the Indian export market will continue to grow at an uncontrollable rate and
threaten the viability of rice and wheat producers throughout the world.‖
Ward added: ―Something is glaringly wrong if Indian rice, produced on the other side of the
world, can be hauled hundreds of miles from inland to Indian ports, with gas prices equivalent to
about $1.50 per gallon higher than ours, then shipped more than 7,000 nautical miles by boat to
the U.S., and still manage to undercut our domestic prices.‖
The letter states: ―Trade distorting domestic support has always been a major challenge for
farmers, and WTO rules were created to limit these practices. For the most part, the system has
been successful, but there are repeat offenders, like China and India, where enforcement is
necessary. Your teams have continually pressed India at the WTO to reform its price support
program, but to no avail.‖
The letter went on to say, ―Considering India‘s activity, we encourage you to initiate the WTO
litigation process through a request for consultations.‖■
https://www.pratttribune.com/2022/01/19/indias-rice-and-wheat-subsidies-draw-ire-from-house-
members-swift-action-urged/

China to grant 1 million MT of rice to Sri Lanka

January 19, 2022 12:03 pm
Sri Lanka will be receiving 1 million metric tonnes of rice from China as a donation, says Co-
Cabinet Spokesperson, Minister Ramesh Pathirana.
The consignment is expected to arrive on the island in March.
China is making the donation to mark the 70th anniversary of the Rubber-Rice Pact signed
between the two countries in 1952.
Following Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi‘s recent visit to Sri Lanka,
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin had reiterated that his country is ready to
―carry forward the spirit of the Rubber-Rice Pact characterized by independence, self-reliance,
unity and mutual support
http://www.adaderana.lk/news/79990/china-to-grant-1-million-metric-tons-of-rice-to-sri-lanka

Vietnam celebrates opening of Asia’s biggest rice mill

Wednesday, January 19, 2022, 11:57 GMT+7
The Hanh Phuc rice mill in An Giang Province, Vietnam, January 18, 2022. Photo: Buu Dau /
Tuoi Tre
Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Tuesday attended the inauguration
ceremony of the Hanh Phuc rice mill, located in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang.
The mill is considered the biggest of its kind in Asia.
Tan Long Group, the owner of the plant, held the ceremony on Tuesday afternoon.
The Hanh Phuc rice factory was built on an area of 161,000 square meters in Tri Ton District, An
Giang.
Its prime location will contribute significantly to reducing the time and cost of transporting fresh
rice from the field to the factory and ensuring ideal conditions of the crop, according to Truong
Sy Ba, chairman of Tan Long Group.
 State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc (center) shakes hands with agricultural engineer Ho Quang
Cua at the inauguration ceremony of the Hanh Phuc rice mill in An Giang Province, Vietnam,
January 18, 2022. Photo: Buu Dau / Tuoi Tre
All of the factory‘s technological solutions were imported from Europe, including a system of
rice drying and storage developed by SKIOLD Group in Denmark, a rice processing system from
Bühler in Switzerland, and many other types of accompanying equipment imported and
synchronized with EU standards from Italy, Germany, and Poland.
Its daily capacity reaches 1,000 metric tons of processed rice.
In his remarks at Tuesday‘s ceremony, State President Phuc said the mill plays an important role
as it helps to create new value added for the domestic rice sector.
He said An Giang should continue to form large-scale paddy fields, promote production chains,
and encourage startups in agriculture to raise productivity, production value, and income for
farmers.
https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/business/20220119/vietnam-celebrates-opening-of-asias-biggest-
rice-mill/65316.html

California Rice Commission annual grower meetings

to be held Thursday
 Colusa County Sun-Herald

 Jan 19, 2022

The California Rice Commission annual grower meetings will be held on Thursday.
―The meetings are an excellent way for rice growers and handlers to get the latest on key issues
impacting the industry,‖ read a release issued by the California Rice Commission.
The meeting will be held in table room 45 at Colusa Casino Resort, 3770 State Route 45, Colusa.
Doors open at 8 a.m. and the meeting will be held from 8:30 until 11:30 a.m.
―This year‘s scheduled presenters include Louie Brown of Kahn, Soares & Conway with a state
update, Tyson Redpath of The Russell Group will provide a Washington, D.C. overview, Tess
Dunham, Kahn, Soares & Conway will review water quality in agriculture, a water year outlook
from David Guy of the Northern California Water Association and Ben Mosely, USA Rice will
discuss the next farm bill,‖ according to the release.
There will also be a second meeting held in the Plaza Room at Hillcrest Plaza, 210 Julie Drive,
Yuba City. Doors will open at 12:30 p.m. and the meeting will be held from 1-4 p.m.
Information presented will be the same at each venue, according to the release.
Members of the agricultural industry are encouraged to attend. Refreshments will be provided
and those that attend have a chance to win raffle prizes.
For more information, contact California Rice Commission Communications Manager Jim
Morris (916) 205-5395 or jim.morris@calrice.org.
https://www.appeal-democrat.com/colusa_sun_herald/california-rice-commission-annual-
grower-meetings-to-be-held-thursday/article_2ffda374-78a9-11ec-be5c-cbfd0e636ea5.html

Rice farmers enlisted to sustain Pacific Flyway birds

Issue Date: January 19, 2022
By Edgar Sanchez

Snow geese take flight in a Sutter County rice field. Rice growers and conservationists are
partnering in a program that floods rice fields to simulate wetlands to serve as bird habitat.
Photo/California Rice Commission
Sixth-generation rice grower Jeff Gallagher is perpetually surrounded by birds on the Sutter
County farm that has been in his family since 1872.
The soundtrack of his life is the din caused by the itinerant visitors—nasal honks of wild geese,
hisses of sandhill cranes and other bird chatter at his 4,000-acre ranch in Rio Oso, a rice-farming
region north of Sacramento.
"I'll be laying in bed and I can hear the swans, the geese and the ducks," Gallagher said. "It's
pretty cool. It's definitely a unique environment."
Gallagher is doing his part to preserve it by enlisting in a new program to flood rice fields for
wildlife. It is designed to protect bird habitat in California's Central Valley over the next 10
years.
He is one of numerous farmers engaged in a voluntary program to replace, at least temporarily,
the valley's bird-sustaining wetlands, 90% of which have vanished over decades.
The initiative was hatched by the Central Valley Joint Venture, or CVJV. The Sacramento-based
coalition of 19 public and private entities seeks to ensure the survival of avian species that arrive
via the Pacific Flyway.
Stretching more than 4,000 miles, the air path is used annually by birds—including threatened
species—that travel back and forth from South America and Mexico and as far north as Alaska
and Canada.
Needing rest along the way, more than 100 million birds representing 400 species descend on the
Central Valley each year, according to the CVJV. Some stay only a few days. Others stay longer,
feasting on the valley's food resources.
This is where willing farmers such as Gallagher get involved. He uses groundwater pumps in
November, after the growing season, to reflood his fields to help birds in the winter and
beyond—before the water seeps back into the aquifer for future use.
He's been doing this for about five years, as part of various habitat enhancement programs
sponsored by the California Rice Commission, the Nature Conservancy and other institutions.
While the programs may overlap, all have the same goal: to help ensure that Pacific Flyway birds
find comestibles during Central Valley layovers. Some programs provide financial help to
farmers to flood fields at specific times.
Each fall sees a gradual spike in the number of bird visitors, when they start abandoning their
northern habitats as temperatures drop.
"The peak is during the winter, when the birds choose the Central Valley to forage and stay away
from those cold winters up north," James Cogswell, the Central Valley Joint Venture
coordinator, said. "In other places in the West, the birds can't find the habitat or resources for
their survival.
"The Central Valley is vital" for them, Cogswell said. "It would be catastrophic if the birds
arrived here and didn't find enough water resources (and) enough food to give them the energy
they need."
Birds are not the only beneficiaries of strategic farm flooding, Cogswell said.
Farmers also can benefit by allowing recreational opportunities such as birdwatching on their
properties. Some farmers earn extra income by opening their land to limited hunting.
The CVJV reaches across boundaries of land ownership to protect and restore dwindling habitat
for birds, Cogswell noted in a prepared statement.
"We work with everyone from farmers and duck hunters to state and federal agencies, to
nonprofit conservation organizations, coordinating efforts to protect and maximize bird habitat,"
he said.
CVJV's initiative calls for postharvest flooding of agricultural lands. This practice makes critical
food resources available for birds, including leftover rice grain, seeds and other plant matter, and
insects and other invertebrates.
California's drought has made it challenging to flood farm fields, but farmers use a variety of
water sources to do so for the birds' well-being.
CVJV's science-based project fits the schedules of many farmers, including California's
estimated 2,000 rice growers, nearly all of whom are in Northern California.
In Rio Oso, for instance, Gallagher and his crew typically assemble in late March to begin
preparing 3,500 acres for rice planting. His 500 other acres are for walnuts and other crops.
"It takes us about a month to get 3,500 acres (of rice) planted," Gallagher said. "We try to get the
last field by the end of May. ... We start the harvest at the end of September, and we usually try
to finish by the end of October, hopefully before the rain starts."
His latest harvest was interrupted by a late October atmospheric river that brought 6 inches of
rain to Rio Oso in just one day.
"I probably had a day and a half worth of harvesting to do when the rain flooded my fields,"
Gallagher said. "We had to wait like two weeks for the fields to dry out so we could get the
harvesting equipment out there."
The fields were still soggy when the high-tech harvesters went in. Plowing through mud, they
could not properly separate the soaked rice kernels from plant straw, Gallagher revealed.
"Probably half of the rice ended up in the harvester's tank," he said, "and the rest of it went into
the mud."
Then groundwater pumps reflooded his fields in mid-November, as part of CVJV's program.
"It's shallow flooding, anywhere from 2 to 4 inches at the most," Gallagher explained. "That's
really for breaking down the (rice) straw and decomposing it, so when you drain the fields in
March, they're going to be clear. There won't be any straw, just bare soil, which will be ready for
the planting of (the new) crop."
Gallagher said he believes "it's really important to be able to coexist with our environment and
be able to sustain our farming practices at the same time."
Because "a lot of the wetlands and habitats have disappeared" over the years, he said, farmers
can contribute to field conditions that support birds on the Pacific Flyway. The CVJV program,
he said, "is a perfect fit for us rice farmers."
His participation is applauded by Luke Matthews, the California Rice Commission's Wildlife
Programs manager.
"Jeff is an excellent conservation-minded rice farmer," Matthews said. "(He) has long-term
thoughts about his farm and the impacts he can provide to the environment in his farming
operations. He's been participating in our programs for a couple of years. He's been very good to
work with."
Other CVJV partners include the California Department of Water Resources; the California
Department of Fish and Wildlife; Defenders of Wildlife; Ducks Unlimited; River Partners; the
California Wildlife Conservation Board; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and Audubon
California.
More information about CVJV's new 10-year endeavor can be found at
centralvalleyjointventure.org.
Gallagher said he is pleased to be a participant. He calls the program a benefit to rice growers
"and the rice industry as a whole," and said he wants to protect bird populations for future
generations.
"A lot of times, rice growers or farmers get kind of a bad rap as far as what we're doing
environmentally," he said. "If there's anybody that cares about this land and the environment that
we live in and make a living off of, it's us. And we try to do every day everything we can to
sustain this environment and this industry that we are in."
(Edgar Sanchez is a reporter based in Sacramento. He may be contacted
at edgar.chez@yahoo.com.)
Permission for use is granted, however, credit must be made to the California Farm Bureau
Federation when reprinting this item.
https://agalert.com/story/?id=15549#:~:text=Gallagher%20is%20doing%20his%20part,over%20
the%20next%2010%20years.

Rice prices will stabilise soon: Razzaque

Star Business Report
Wed Jan 19, 2022 06:55 PM Last update on: Wed Jan 19, 2022 07:00 PM

Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque was addressing a session of agriculture and
food ministries at the deputy commissioners‘ conference at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in
Dhaka on Wednesday. Photo: Collected
Amid a sharp rise in the price of rice, Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque
today said the price of the staple food grain will be stabilised soon.
The minister said the food ministry currently has the highest amount of food stock of 20
lakh and open market sale (OMS) of rice at upazila level will start from Thursday.
Meanwhile, new rice will hit the market in April. As a result, rice prices will soon be
stable and normal, he said.
He was briefing media after taking part in a session of agriculture and food ministries at
the deputy commissioners' conference at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka.
Over the last one month, retail prices of rice edged up as much as 6 per cent in the
markets in the capital.
Today, retail prices of medium grain were Tk 52-58 per kilogramme, up from Tk 48-Tk
56 a month ago, data from the state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh showed.
Explaining the reasons behind the rise in the rice prices, the Razzaque said recently the
price of rice has been somewhat volatile and upward in the country. "Food prices have
also risen sharply in the international market. Wheat prices, which was $230 -280 per
tonnes, has risen to $450."
"In the fiscal year 2020-21, 48 lakh tonnes of wheat were imported but only 16 lakh
tonnes were imported till January in this fiscal year. Wheat imports are declining due to
rising prices. As a result, the price of flour is higher than that of rice, but the price of
flour was always lower than that of rice," he said.
Besides, there are 10 lakh Rohingyas in the country and 22-24 lakh new faces are being
added every year, he continued.
Apart from that, some of the rice is also being used as animal feed, he said. "With these,
the demand and consumption of rice have increased. However, there is no food crisis in
the country at the moment and nor will there be in the future."
The minister, however, questioned, "Why should the price of the crop which farmers sell
at Tk 15 per kg at the field level become Tk 40-45 per kg when it comes to Dhaka?"
"There are middlemen all over the world, but why is there such a difference in price?
There are many unforeseen costs involved in transportation, including extortion."
He said deputy commissioners, cabinet division and agriculture ministry will jointly
conduct a study to find out the cost of a track from the field stage to reach Dhaka.
Then, action will be taken nationally to resolve the issues raised through the study,
Razzaque added.
https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/rice-prices-will-stabilise-soon-razzaque-

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S OUR C E: © GETTY IM AGES

NEWS
Rising
Ozone pollution is damaging wheat, rice and maize crops across China, South Korea and Japan
to the tune of $63 billion (£46 billion) each year. The study by an international team of
researchers highlights the need to mitigate increasing ground-level ozone across east Asia to
safeguard food production in one of the largest bread baskets and rice bowls in the world.
Ground-level ozone is one of the most common air pollutants. It‘s formed when other pollutants
in the atmosphere, including nitrogen oxides from fuel combustion and volatile organic
compounds from paint and solvent manufacturing, react with sunlight.
Scientists have long known ozone can reduce plants‘ growth and ability to survive by entering
leaf openings and oxidising tissues. Over the past two decades, ozone modelling data have
provided rough estimates of global crop losses due to ozone, which although uncertain, have
raised food security concerns, particularly in Asia where ozone levels are rising.
Now, Kazuhiko Kobayashi at the University of Tokyo and his colleagues have combined
observations and experimental work – as opposed to models – and obtained the most accurate
estimates to date for east Asia. ‗The results are indeed worrisome for food production in east
Asia,‘ says Kobayashi.
The team‘s analysis suggests that a third of wheat crops in China between 2017 and 2019 were
lost due to ozone damage, and 23% and 9% of rice and maize, respectively. South Korea‘s wheat
yields suffered losses of 28% and rice 11%, while Japan‘s wheat losses were 16% and 5% for
rice.

S ource: © Zhaoz hong Fen g et al / S pri nge r Nat ure Li m i t ed 20 22

Ozone pollution in east Asia is causing significant losses of crops of rice, maize and wheat
To get these yield loss estimates, the team first gathered data from experiments conducted across
a range of regions that showed how elevated ozone levels affect varieties of wheat, rice and
maize that are grown in China, South Korea and Japan. This data was then combined with three
years‘ worth of ground observations of ozone measured at over 3000 monitoring sites across the
three countries.
‗This adds to the compelling evidence of the deleterious effects of ozone on the productivity of
staple crops, particularly those growing in Asia,‘ says Lisa Emberson who studies the effects of
air pollution on crop yields at the University of York, UK. ‗However, there are still uncertainties
in the assessment of the sensitivity of crop species and cultivars [to ozone], which are
particularly important for wheat.‘
Kobayashi agrees that the wheat loss estimates ‗might be too large‘ particularly in China. He
explains that data from the North China Plain region may have skewed the result because none of
the ozone elevation experiments took place there, instead being done in the lower reaches of the
Yantze River delta, where the climate and soil are different.
However, Kobayashi remains confident that results generally hold up. That‘s because further
experiments with plants, including wheat cultivars, that were treated with ethylenediurea, which
inhibits ozone damage, revealed yield increases that mirrored the results from the yield loss
experiments.
To remedy the problem of yield losses, Kobayashi suggests screening for varieties that possess
high tolerance to ozone. ‗Development of anti-ozonant chemicals may be another possibility, but
it would take time to clear all the requirements for safe use of the chemical.‘
Emberson, however, says ozone precursors need to be mitigated to curtail the continuing trend of
rising ozone concentrations in parts of Asia. ‗Mitigation of ozone precursors will not only benefit
crop yields and other types of vegetation, but also human health and the climate as ozone is also
responsible for exacerbating cardiovascular disease and is an important greenhouse gas in its
own right,‘ she says.
https://www.thermofisher.com/pk/en/home/chemicals.html?cid=lcd_fcp_sbu_r01_co_CP0000_P
JT0000_LCD00000_0db_chw_da_awa_at_s00_

Want to boost your child’s growth? Replace rice with

millets, says India-led nutrition study
Study — led by Dr S. Anitha, senior scientist, nutrition, at ICRISAT — is a review and analysis
of 8 previously published studies. It was published in the journal 'Nutrients' this month.
SAMYAK PANDEY
19 January, 2022 07:00 pm IST
Representative image of pearl millet or bajra | Wikimedia Commons
Text Size: A- A+
New Delhi: Taller, healthier and stronger — millets can boost growth in children and
adolescents by 26 to 39 per cent when they replace rice in standard meals, an India-led study has
found.
The study — led by Dr S. Anitha, senior scientist, nutrition, at the International Crops Research
Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) at Patancheru, near Hyderabad — is a review and
analysis of eight previously published studies, all of them conducted in India.
It was published in the journal Nutrients earlier this month.
The participants of the studies analysed included infants as well as pre-school and school-going
children and adolescents. The children consumed millets — high in nutrients and protein — for a
time period ranging from three months to four-and-a-half years.
Five of those studies used finger millet (ragi), one used sorghum (jowar) and two used a misxture
of millets — notably finger, pearl (bajra), foxtail (kangni), little (kutki) and kodo (varagu)
millets. Each of the studies had an average sample size of 65.
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Among the children fed with a millet-based diet, a relative increase of 28.2 per cent in mean
height and 26 per cent in weight was observed, when compared to children on regular rice-based
diets, the review found. Similarly, a 39 per cent increase in the mid-upper arm circumference and
37 per cent increase in the chest circumference was also found among children with millet-based
diets against the rice-based one.
Furthermore, the study found that millets-based diets help in managing type 2 diabetes, lower
cholesterol levels, tackle obesity as well as anaemia.
―These results are attributable to the naturally high nutrient content of millets that exhibit high
amounts of growth-promoting nutrients, especially total protein, sulphur-containing amino acids,
and calcium in the case of finger millets,‖ Anitha told ThePrint.
―Additionally, finger millet (ragi) naturally contains high calcium levels, from which almost 23
per cent is usually retained by the body. Available evidence shows that calcium from finger
millet is highly bio-available (available for absorption in the human body), and it can provide
around 100 mg of bioavailable calcium per 100 grams of grain that could help overcome calcium
deficiencies if consumed adequately,‖ added Anitha.

Recommending millets for various schemes

All of the studies analysed in the meta study were based on standard rice-based meals, which
were then compared with millets-based ones. The researchers also studied meals enhanced with
vegetables, fruits and dairy products, and came to the conclusion that they resulted in minimal
additional growth if they were eaten with millets instead of rice.
According to the study, this indicates that simply replacing rice with millets — along with more
diverse and nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables — can be beneficial for the growth of
children.
The study also made various policy recommendations, such as developing nutrition intervention
programmes to diversify staples, like giving millets in the mid-day meal scheme or the various
maternal and child health programmes. Incorporating millet-based meals designed for different
age groups is another recommendation.
―Implementing millet-based meals requires menus to be designed for different age groups,
utilising culturally sensitive and tasty recipes. This should also be complemented with awareness
and marketing campaigns to generate an understanding and interest in millets,‖ one of the
authors of the study, Dr Hemalatha, director at India‘s National Institute of Nutrition in
Hyderabad, told ThePrint.
Helps in other ways too
The study also concluded that millets contain a wide range of nutrients and have been
scientifically shown to contribute to serving significant health needs globally.
Not only do millets tackle child undernutrition and malnutrition, they also manage type 2
diabetes, lower total cholesterol levels, and help combat obesity and iron deficiency, which
causes anaemia, the study said.
It concluded that to bring the benefits of millets to the wider society, awareness about their
nutritional value is needed. Only then will demand rise, investments pour in and farm-to-fork
food value chains created.
(Edited by Saikat Niyogi)
https://theprint.in/health/want-to-boost-your-childs-growth-replace-rice-with-millets-says-india-
led-nutrition-study/807576/

483 Davao City farmers get cash aid

Read Next

Lifelong learning
By Ruth Palo

January 20, 2022

DAVAO CITY: A total of 483 rice farmers here received cash aid from the regional office of

the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Each farmer received an unconditional cash assistance of P5,000 to help them cope with the

expenses of agricultural inputs.

The cash assistance is a continuation of the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance which is an

excess of the P10-billion annual appropriation for the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund

from the rice importation tariff revenues.

DA Regional Executive Director Abel James Monteagudo said that it is timely for rice farmers to

receive the assistance in this time of health emergency to help augment their financial expenses

during the cropping season.

"Unlike other crops, rice farming is both financial and labor intensive as our farmers need to start

anew every planting season," he said.

Identified farmer beneficiaries of said program are those tilling two hectares of rice farms and

were affected by the low buying price of palay (unhusked rice).

Apart from the cash assistance, the beneficiaries also received their Interventions Monitoring

Card which serves as an ID and cash card for validated farmers.

Monteagudo also encouraged rice farmers to come together and be organized for a more cost-

efficient rice production, processing, and marketing.

"As we continue to help our rice farmers achieve optimum yield and increase income, there is

also a need for farm clustering for them to have better access to resources, technologies and

markets," he said in a statement.

For 2022, the agency will release a total of P130.7 million intended for 25,789 rice farmers in

Davao Region. Of this amount, P53.6 million is allocated to 10,614 rice farmers in Davao del

Norte and P27.8 million to 5,492 farmers in Davao del Sur.

The DA will also allocate P26.8 million to 5,286 farmers in Davao de Oro and P22.3 million to

4,397 farmers in Davao Oriental.

Currently, the department is now in close coordination with other municipalities in the region to

fast track the distribution of the cash aid.

The DA is continuously distributing free high quality rice seeds, fertilizers, and agri-machinery

to rice farmers in the Davao region as one of its key strategies to transform the Philippine

agriculture, especially the rice industry, into a modern and industrialized sector.

https://theprint.in/health/want-to-boost-your-childs-growth-replace-rice-with-millets-says-india-led-
nutrition-study/807576/