Monthly Archives: February 2012

Philippines – Global rice trade crimped by lower PH imports

Source: Business Inquirer30/01/2012 – Philippine plans for lower rice imports in 2012, along with those of Bangladesh, pushed down the expected volume of global rice trade by a million tons to 31.9 million.

Philippines – IT program provides info to rice farmers

Source: philStar.com29/01/2012 – In just five minutes, farmers can now access vital information that they need in their rice production activities.

Philippines – DA uses innovative methods for higher rice yield

Source: PhilStar29/01/2012 – The National Rice Program of the Department of Agriculture (DA) is employing a mixture of both innovative methods and time-tested programs to increase rice production and boost the profitability of farmers in the countryside. 

Thailand – Thai rice output to surge 16% this season, but will this help Thailand?

Source: Oryza19/01/2012 – The secretary-general of the Office of Agricultural Economics, an organization that collects data and carries out research related to the economic condition of Thai agriculture, says rice production in Thailand is set to grow 16% to a record high in the season from October. This may mean Thailand will have more rice than…

Guyana – Flood-tolerant rice leads Guyana farm adaptation push

Source: AlertNet23/01/2012 – George Griffith is pleased with his harvest. Improved farming techniques and a different variety of rice have helped the 70-year-old farmer reap 103 bags of rice from his two-and-a-half acre (one hectare) field in this coastal village. That is an increase of at least 12 percent from his previous crops.  

Science to help rice growers affected by Japan’s tsunami

Source: EurekAlert22/01/2012 – Under a year since a huge tsunami inundated paddy fields in Japan with salty sludge, scientists are near to developing locally-adapted, salt-tolerant rice.

Philippines – Farmers urge NFA rice release

Source: Manila Bulletin21/01/2012 – A farmers’ group in Central Luzon renewed Saturday its call to the National Food Administration (NFA) to release some 102,000 sacks of local rice under its sale through market-determined pricing (SMDP) program to 51 farmers’ cooperatives in the region.

Growing rice for Africa is an attainable goal

Source: Business Live21/01/2012 – With rice prices rocketing and global stocks of the starch declining, Africa is trying to play catch-up and become the world’s new “rice bowl”.

South Africa – Rice cultivation in SA hailed as feasible

Source: Business Live21/01/2012 – Commercial rice farming in a water-scarce country like South Africa sounds absurd, but scientist and businessman Hennie Kruger says it is possible with assistance from large companies and the government, writes Loni Prinsloo.

Indonesia – Indonesia seeks 10 million ton rice crop increase, Suswono says

Source: Bloomberg Businessweek22/01/2012 – Indonesia, the world’s third-largest rice consumer, wants to increase domestic production of the grain by 10 million metric tons, Agriculture Minister Suswono Asyraf said.