Philippines – ADB questions Alcala claim on rice sufficiency
Source: Malaya17/10/2012 – Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala yesterday said that the Philippines has reached 98 percent of its rice production target for the year.
Nigeria – Floods wash away hope on rice self-sufficiency
Source: All Africa15/10/2012 – As floods continue to wreak havoc in several states of Nigeria, destroying farmlands of rice, maize and other crops, there are fears of imminent food security threat.
Philippines – Power from rice hulls taking shape in Nueva Ecija
Source: Inquirer News14/10/2012 – Local rice millers on Friday inaugurated a project designed to convert rice husks churned out by their rice mills into electricity that would power up the city and neighboring communities.
India – Rice production should shift to eastern parts of the country, feel scientists
Source: The Economic Times09/10/2012 – With reports of water table going down in Punjab and Haryana considered as ‘rice bowl of India’, scientists and analysts feel cultivation of the staple grain, which requires good amount of water for cultivation could be shifted to eastern states having favourable water condition. The water table is going down…
Thailand – Thailand’s rice quality nosedives
Source: Bangkok Post09/10/2012 – Thailand could lose its status as the top exporter of fragrant rice next year if it does not improve quality, warns the Thai Rice Exporters Association (TREA).
USA – Despite challenges, rice crop a winner
Source: The Advertiser.com07/10/2012 – Rice farmers have faced a bittersweet harvest this year, reveling in the U.S. Department of Agriculture prediction that Louisiana would produce record yields, but then facing reality — a rampant rice disease that rotted some of the crop, unchanging prices and a recent study that warned of arsenic levels in rice.
India – Rice exports at record 10 MT in 2011-12: USDA
Source: Business Standard05/10/2012 – Rice exports from India are estimated to be at record 10 million tonne in 2011-12 marketing year, that ended last month, on strong demand and competitive prices, says a report.
Thailand – Deepwater rice planted in central, eastern Thailand
Source: The Nation05/10/2012 – Farmers in the eastern and central Thai provinces of Prachin Buri and Nakhon Nayok are being encouraged to plant “Khao Banna 432,” a new variety of rice that grows well in flooded conditions and can sustain more than 100cm of water for at least a month, according to the Rice Department.
Mother of cultivated rice came from China’s Pearl River
Source: Phys.org03/10/2012 – The first domesticated strain of rice was Oryza sativa japonica, which was grown thousands of years ago from wild rice in the middle of the Pearl River in southern China, says the study, published in Nature.
Philippines – SL Agritech enters regional pact on rice production and marketing
Source: GMA News02/10/2012 – Hybrid rice producer SL Agritech Corp. on Tuesday said it signed deals with companies from Thailand, Myanmar, and Singapore on rice production and marketing in Asia.