16th April, 2014

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Vietnam offers lowest rice prices PH presses bid to keep rice import controls Vietnam state firm likely to supply rice to PH Antique ups 2013 rice production by 2.04% Nagpur Foodgrain Prices - APMC & Open Market-April 16 U.S. to allow Japan to retain tariffs on rice, wheat under TPP USA Rice Daily Exclusive: Interview with Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR) CCC Announces Prevailing World Market Prices CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures The rich diversity of birds in rice field ecosystems Quick-cooking brown rice can cut the time to get Weeknight Paella on the dinner table Bats: nice with rice?

NEWS DETAILS: Vietnam offers lowest rice prices

April 16, 2014 12:10:29 AM

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TWO STATE-OWNED Vietnamese companies looked set to win deals to supply a total of 800,000 tons of rice to the Philippines, the nations biggest purchase of the grain in three years as it looks to bolster dwindling stocks.

The Philippines is looking to import 800,000 tons of rice to address tight supplies. -- Reuters Vinafood 2 submitted offers ranging from $436.50 to $441.25 per ton to deliver a total of 700,000 tons of rice, the Philippines National Food Authority (NFA) said, while Vinafood 1 offered a selling price of $436 per ton to ship a total of 100,000 tons.The NFA is looking for up to 800,000 tons of 15% broken, long grain well-milled rice to fill stockpiles for the second half of the year when little rice is harvested domestically.The NFA could confirm the winning bidders as soon as next week after reviewing the bids, spokesman Rex Estoperez told Reuters. Shipments are due to arrive between May and August. The Vietnam offers beat those from other rice traders and exporters such as Louis Dreyfus Commodities Asia Pte, Thai Hua Co. Ltd. of Thailand and Singsong (HK) Ltd.Olam International Ltd. was disqualified from the tender for not meeting bidding requirements, the NFA said.Purchases by the Philippines, once the worlds biggest rice buyer, could support falling prices of the grain in exporting Asian countries with bulging stockpiles such as Vietnam and Thailand.The NFA is not ruling out buying more rice after the 800,000-ton purchase, mindful of the potential impact on domestic grain output of typhoons that usually hit rice-growing provinces in the second half of the year. Philippine rice imports this year could reach 1.4 million tons, the US Department of Agriculture has said, or even higher according to some traders, after several natural calamities last year hurt local crops and depleted stockpiles.That would be the countrys biggest purchase since 2010 when it bought a record 2.45 million tons.Domestic rice output could grow 4% annually over the next three years, a senior official said in December, falling short of the 6% rate needed to hit 100% self-sufficiency in the grain due to a new normal of stronger typhoons. The Philippines is hit by an average of about 20 typhoons each year. -- Reuters

PH presses bid to keep rice import controls

Says quotas necessary for food security needs By Ben O. de Vera,Philippine Daily Inquirer 12:15 am | Thursday, April 17th, 2014 The Philippines has renewed its appeal to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to allow Manila to keep its restrictions on rice imports.During the Council for Trade in Goods meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, last April 9, the Philippines reiterated its request for a waiver relating to special treatment for rice, the WTO said on its website, referring to the quantitative restriction (QR) being slapped by Manila on the commodity.According to the WTO, the Philippines again emphasized that this request is in the context of its food security needs.In 1995, the WTO allowed the Philippines to impose a 10-year quota system for rice importation. The QR was extended in 2004 and then lapsed in 2012. The Philippines has been requesting the WTO to further extend the QR on rice up to 2017.

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During the meeting, the Philippine WTO mission cited that it had been working on this matter for the past two years with other members, not only in Geneva but also in Manila and other capitals.So far, China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam have expressed support for the Philippines request and have urged other WTO members that might be affected by a QR extension to conclude consultations with Manila, according to the WTO.As for Australia, Canada, Thailand and the United States, their con sultations with the Philippines were still ongoing, the WTO noted.In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala last December, Justice Secretary Leila M. Lima thumbed down the Department of Agricultures (DA) position of extending the QR, citing that among the considerations are the possible legal repercussions of the Philippines being perceived to be in breach of its WTO commitments. The DA and the National Food Authority (NFA), however, had both insisted that they could still implement the QR while WTO negotiations for its extension were ongoing.Agriculture Assistant Secretary Romeo S. Recide in March expressed confidence that trading partners would support the Philippines bid for an extended QR. We are very positive that we will acquire consensus with interested countries. This will allow us to operate under a new quantitative restriction extension, he had said.The QR is being seen as a measure that would buy time for local farmers to prepare for free trade under the WTO in light of the gov ernments goal of achieving self-sufficiency in rice production by end-2015.

Vietnam state firm likely to supply rice to PH

By Czeriza Valencia, The Philippine Star Posted at 04/16/2014 7:35 AM MANILA, Philippines - The National Food Authority (NFA) is likely to award the supply contract for 800,000 metric tons (MT) of rice buffer stock for the lean months to Vietnamese state firms as these have offered the lowest prices.The NFA yesterday concluded the bidding for this years buffer stock, receiving offers from six firms out of the nine companies that procured bid documents.The results of the bidding would be announced next week after post-qualification evaluation and verification of the submitted bids. NFA spokesman Rex Estoperez said the results of the bidding would be announced next week.Likely to be awarded to Vietnam Southern Food Corporation (Vinafood 2) are 700,000 MT while 100,000 MT are expected to be awarded to Vietnam Northern Food Corporation (Vinafood 1).We conducted an open bidding so we can

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get the best price, and from the results of the bidding, Vietnam offered the lowest price, said Estope rez.Other firms that participated in the bidding were Singapore-based firms Olam International and Roan Agrifactor Corp, Louis Dreyfus Commodities Asia Pte. Ltd., Thailand-based Thai Hua Co. Limited, and Hong Kong-based Singsong HK Ltd.Olam International and Roan Agrifactor were disqualified from participating in the bidding as these firms could not comply with the delivery period of between May to August as stated in the terms of reference.Other firms that applied to bid were LG International., Asia Golden Rice and Toepfer International Asia Pte. Ltd. Vinafood 2 and Vinafood 1 topped the offers of other companies with bids ranging from $436 per MT to $441.25 per MT against the offers of other bidders that ranged from $469.31 per MT 475.68 per MT.The bid quantity is broken into four lots of 200,000 metric tons (MT) each, although the minimum quantity to be offered per supplier is placed at 100,000 MT.At an exchange rate of P45 to $1, the per metric ton bidders had to beat the quotation of $477.28 per MT upon delivery to NFA warehouses. The NFA has allocated P17.18 billion for the importation this year under an open-bidding scheme that allowed all government and private companies to vie for the supply of Manilas buffer stock requirement.To be shipped between May to August in four tranches are well-milled white rice at 15 percent brokens. Rice must be shipped in polypropylene bags at 50 kilograms net each.

Antique ups 2013 rice production by 2.04%

BY: VICENTE W. VILLAVERT Wednesday 16th of April 2014 SAN JOSE, Antique, April 16 (PIA 6) - - The 2013 rice production output of Antique was recorded at 291,662 metric tons higher by 2.04 percent compared to year 2012 rice production yield.According to Agricultural Technician II Sonie Guanco of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, the rice production output in year 2012 was only 277,814 metric tons. Guanco said that Antiques rice production output was harvested from 83,437 hectares covering the irrigated, rainfed/upland farmlands. An increase in palay production for CY 2013 was attributed to an increase also in the area planted, and the rehabilitation and construction of irrigation projects funded under the IRPEP or Irrigated Rice Production Enhancement Project with P52 million counterpart of the Provincial Government implemented by the National

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Irrigation Administration, Guanco said in a PIA interview. Guanco said the collaborative efforts in the implementation of various rice production related programs of the Department of Agricultures Agri -Pinoy program by the provincial and municipal government have contributed to the good rice production of the province.Guanco said that the province has 205 percent sufficiency level or 2.06 percent higher compared to the 193 percent rice sufficiency level in year 2012. The rice volume in bags at 50 kgs. is about 1,399,826.4, according to Guanco as he compared the provincess rice surplus volume of year 2012 recorded only at 1,230,560 bags. He noted however that the effects of typhoon Yolanda to rice crop in November 2013 falls under the JanuaryFebruary 2014 palay production, and the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist is waiting the assessment reports from the Municipalities as to the typhoons effects to the rice crop covering the said period.(JCM/VWV/PIA6-Antique)

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices - APMC & Open Market-April 16

Wed Apr 16, 2014 2:08pm IST Nagpur, Apr 16 (Reuters) - Gram prices in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) firmed up on increased demand from local millers amid tight supply from producing regions because of heavy rains in parts of Vidarbha in yesterday evening. Fresh rise on NCDEX, upward trend in Madhya Pradesh gram prices and enquiries from South-based millers also boosted prices, according to sources. * * * *

FOODGRAINS & PULSES GRAM * Desi gram raw declined further in open market on poor buying support from local traders amid release of stock from stockists. TUAR * Tuar varieties ruled steady in open market here on subdued demand from local traders amid ample supply from producing belt. * Udid varieties showed weak tendency in open market in absence of buyers amid increased supply from producing regions. * In Akola, Tuar - 3,900-4,100, Tuar dal - 6,100-6,300, Udid at 6,100-6,500, Udid Mogar (clean) - 7,200-7,700, Moong - 8,500-8,700, Moong Mogar (clean) 9,800-10,500, Gram - 2,600-2,800, Gram Super best bold - 3,600-4,000

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for 100 kg. * Wheat, rice and other commodities remained steady in open market in thin trading activity, according to sources. Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close Gram Auction 2,330-2,800 2,300-2,700 Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600 Tuar Auction n.a. 4,100-4,250 Moong Auction n.a. 6,100-6,300 Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500 Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800 Gram Super Best Bold 3,900-4,200 3,900-4,200 Gram Super Best n.a. Gram Medium Best 3,700-3,800 3,700-3,800 Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a. Gram Mill Quality 3,450-3,600 3,450-3,600 Desi gram Raw 2,650-2,750 2,700-2,800 Gram Filter new 3,000-3,300 3,000-3,300 Gram Kabuli 8,800-10,700 8,800-10,700 Gram Pink 7,900-8,300 7,900-8,300 Tuar Fataka Best 6,500-6,600 6,500-6,600 Tuar Fataka Medium 6,200-6,300 6,200-6,300 Tuar Dal Best Phod 5,900-6,100 5,900-6,100 Tuar Dal Medium phod 5,700-5,900 5,700-5,900 Tuar Gavarani 4,300-4,400 4,300-4,400 Tuar Karnataka 4,500-4,600 4,500-4,600 Tuar Black 7,600-7,800 7,600-7,800 Masoor dal best 6,200-6,400 6,200-6,400 Masoor dal medium 5,900-6,150 5,900-6,150 Masoor n.a. n.a. Moong Mogar bold 10,800-11,000 10,800-11,000 Moong Mogar Medium best 10,100-10,500 10,100-10,500 Moong dal super best 9,500-9,800 9,500-9,800 Moong dal Chilka 9,000-9,250 9,000-9,250 Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a. Moong Chamki best 8,500-9,500 8,500-9,500 Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 7,500-7,700 7,500-8,000 Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,800-6,700 6,000-6,800 Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 5,000-5,300 5,200-5,400

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Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 4,500-6,000 4,500-6,000 Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 3,050-3,100 3,050-3,100 Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,350-3,450 3,350-3,450 Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,500 3,400-3,500 Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 4,800-5,100 4,800-5,100 Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,800 1,600-1,800 Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,750 1,700-1,750 Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,800 1,600-1,800 Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,400 2,000-2,400 Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,850-1,950 1,850-1,950 Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a. MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,700 3,000-3,700 MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,900 2,400-2,900 Wheat 147 (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,700 1,600-1,700 Wheat Best (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,750 1,700-1,750 Rice BPT new(100 INR/KG) 2,650-2,800 2,650-2,800 Rice BPT old (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,600 3,200-3,600 Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,850 1,700-1,850 Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG) 2,700-2,800 2,700-2,800 Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,500 2,300-2,500 Rice HMT new (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,200 3,800-4,200 Rice HMT old (100 INR/KG) 4,400-4,600 4,400-4,600 Rice HMT Shriram (100 INR/KG) 5,000-5,500 5,000-5,500 Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 12,000-13,500 12,000-13,500 Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,500-9,000 6,500-9,000 Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG) 5,500-6,000 5,500-6,000 Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 5,100-5,600 5,100-5,600 Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 1,400-1,600 1,400-1,600 Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,800 1,700-1,800 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 38.5 degree Celsius (101.3 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp. 22.3 degree Celsius (72.1 degree Fahrenheit) Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a. Rainfall : 1.0 mm FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky. Rains or thunder-showers likely toward evening or night. Maximum and Minimum temperature likely to be around 40 and 23 degree Celsius respectively. Note: n.a.--not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices.)

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U.S. to allow Japan to retain tariffs on rice, wheat under TPP

The United States has agreed to allow Japan to retain tariffs on rice and wheat during bilateral talks related to wider Pacific free trade negotiations, Japanese government sources said Thursday.In return, Washington is demanding that Tokyo introduce a system to increase imports of U.S. rice and Japan has decided to accept, the sources said.Among five farm product categories that Japan sees as off-limits -- rice, wheat, beef and pork, dairy products and sugar -- products such as sugar cane will also likely be exempted from the basic principle of abolishing all tariffs under the Trans-Pacific Partnership framework, as both Tokyo and Washington want to protect them, the sources added.According to negotiation sources, talks on dairy products have also made headway. Whether Japan and the United States can reach a broad agreement at a summit between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama in Tokyo on April 24 now depends on how much progress the two sides make on the issue of beef and pork.In line with a World Trade Organization deal that obliges Japan to provide minimum market access opportunities, Tokyo annually imports 770,000 tons of rice under tariff-free state trading. But it imposes a 778 percent tariff on rice imported outside the minimum access framework.In the TPP negotiations, the two sides are arranging to set up a special quota that would allow the United States to export more rice to Japan under private trading, the government sources said. As for wheat, Japan will likely drastically reduce the import markup -- the margin levied on exporters under state trading -- on U.S. wheat from the current 45.2 yen per kilogram at the maximum, they said.The United States initially urged Japan to halt state trading of rice and wheat, and abolish tariffs. But Washington dropped the demand as that would also lead to an increase of rice and wheat exports to Japan from Canada and Australia, which compete with the United States, they said.The TPP negotiations involve Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam. ==Kyodo

USA Rice Daily Exclusive: Interview with Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR)
Part Two: "Supporting Agriculture Research and Technology"

Last week the USA Rice Daily sat down to interview Arkansas's senior Senator, Mark Pryor. It's all part of our series of articles bringing individuals and companies important to the rice industry directly to our readers. Yesterday we printed the first part of our interview with Senator Pryor in which he discussed the Farm Bill, the FDA, and more. Today we present Part Two: "Supporting Agriculture Research and Technology." USA Rice Daily: We understand you recently sat down with Bill Gates to discuss the future of agriculture research as we work to feed an ever-growing population. What were some of the highlights of that conversation with Mr. Gates? Senator Mark Pryor: "I was really struck by the fact that he was here to talk about agriculture. Here's a man who has in many ways rewritten the global economy and really ushered in the digital age. [His technological

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innovations] have had huge implications on how we do business, on democracy, on how interconnected we all are now - pretty much in every aspect of our lives. So he's been Mister High Tech, and here he is, and guess what he's focused on? Agriculture. Something that really goes back to the dawn of man."And why? Because he understands how important it is to invest in agriculture research."He knows the challenges that are going on around the world [to feed people] and he knows that when we invest a dollar in agriculture research, we get $20 back. So it's a really smart investment of U.S. tax dollars. It allows the United States to continue to stay ahead of the world and really be a global leader in agriculture and in productivity and in trying to feed and clothe people all over the world. We talked about a lot of different parts, but his primary focus was agriculture research, and that's very high tech, sophisticated, and important. RD: Did Mr. Gates talk about rice specifically? MP: "He did talk about rice, and he even gave me a little bag of rice that was fortified with vitamins and minerals, and talked about how his Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation supports vitamin and mineral fortification. "One of the other things he talked about is improving seed quality." RD: Researchers at the University of Arkansas are busy working on that right now. MP: "I've noticed that! [laughs] We also talked about the university research system we have in this country, and what a gem it is. And that most people don't appreciate it, they don't comprehend all that it does, but it absolutely is a game changer for the U.S., so we need to keep it going." RD: Your committee also will actually decide on the funding levels for programs authorized in the recent Farm Bill. Budget battles have been pretty rough in recent years. How do you feel the agriculture appropriations process will be impacted? MP: "I think it's important that I have a very good partner in [Senator] Roy Blunt of Missouri, Republican Ranking Member on the Subcommittee. He's top of the charts. And like me, he wants to get this done in the right way, and that means a bipartisan way. Also, our Chairman and Ranking Member, Senator [Barbara] Mikulski [D-MD] and Senator [Richard] Shelby [R-AL], are also pushing all of us to get these bills done. That's very important that we have the right kind of leadership to get this done. "But, you know, with Agriculture Appropriations - really with the entire federal budget - we're in a difficult budget situation. It's better today than it was a year or two ago because there's a little more cooperation in the Senate, but the truth is we have a huge national debt and we need to whittle that down every year. We need to do our best to trim our spending, but do it in the right way so we're not killing the U.S. economy, we're not hurting job growth, we're not leaving rural America behind.

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"I think so far [my subcommittee] has done a good job, done things in a bipartisan way, very common sense. And as we do this year's bill, and on into the future, it's not going to be easy, because we're going to always have to decide where certain cuts will have to happen, and how they happen. But that's just the environment we live in today. When you live beyond your means for as long as we have during the Bush years and the Obama years, the chickens come home to roost, so to speak. Now we have to make smart investments. Ag research, to me, is a very smart investment, a big investment in the future so hopefully we can continue to prioritize that." RD: Rice is the most widely-consumed, and one of the most manipulated commodities on the world market. As we fight trade distorting practices in competitor nations such as Vietnam, Thailand, and Brazil, what do you think the message is to these nations, and also to the Obama Administration as they negotiate the TPP, T-TIP, and vie for Trade Promotion Authority for themselves? MP: "First, I'm not sure that we get any major trade deals this year. I hate to say that in April we have to writeoff the rest of the year but, the way it feels, the way I'm reading it right now, I'm not sure we get any big [trade] breakthroughs this year. We'll keep watching and see where it goes. "We have these international trade laws and rules and the U.S. needs to be in front of the line enforcing those. What's happening is, America is the envy of the world agriculturally and these other countries are constantly trying to bend and break the rules and figure out backdoor ways to get around something to get a competitive advantage over the U.S. "The U.S. is so good at producing really high quality food and fiber products, we have a big target on our backs. Unfortunately, a lot of times, it's the U.S. versus the world in these enforcement actions, but we need to continue to be very aggressive in that. One of the keys to our future success is enforcing the rules and the laws that we have on the books now, and make sure we keep that level playing field. "I would tell you that almost every farmer I talk to in Arkansas - it doesn't matter if it's rice, or chicken, or beef they will tell you about some unfair trade practice that another country is doing. And the truth is, they're right. There are too many to list for this article but we need to be vigilant, we need to keep pushing for enforcement to keep that level playing field so the U.S. can compete in the global market." USA Rice Daily wants to thank Senator Pryor for taking time out of his busy schedule to talk with us. And a special thank you to Lucy Speed, the Senator's Press Secretary, for helping facilitate our conversation. Look for more conversations in our series, and if you'd like to recommend a subject, don't hesitate to let us know.

Image: Sen. Mark Pryor (left) receives a Rice Industry Award from Arkansas producer Dow Brantley at this year's Government Affairs Conference in Washington, DC.

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CCC Announces Prevailing World Market Prices

WASHINGTON -- The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation todayannounced the following prevailing world market prices of milled and rough rice, adjusted for U.S. milling yields and location, and the resulting marketing loan-gain (MLG) and loan deficiency payment (LDP) rates applicable to the 2013 crop, which became effective today at 7:00 a.m., Eastern Time (ET). Prices are unchanged from the previous announcement. World Price Milled Value ($/cwt) Long-Grain Medium-/ShortGrain Brokens 17.72 17.35 12.14 MLG/LDP Rate Rough ($/cwt) 0.00 0.00 ----

Rough ($/cwt) 11.63 11.88 ----

This week's prevailing world market prices and MLG/LDP rates are based on the following U.S. milling yields and the corresponding loan rates: U.S. Milling Yields Whole/Broken (lbs/cwt) Long-Grain Medium-/Short-Grain 57.94/11.23 63.26/7.45 Loan Rate ($/cwt) 6.65 6.58

The next program announcement is scheduled for April 23.

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CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures

CME Group (Preliminary): Closing Rough Rice Futures for April 16

Month

Price

Net Change

May 2014 July 2014 September 2014 November 2014 January 2015 March 2015 May 2015

$15.385 $15.490 $14.360 $14.385 $14.580 $14.820 $14.820

- $0.025 + $0.065 + $0.040 + $0.020 + $0.020 + $0.020 + $0.020

The rich diversity of birds in rice field ecosystems

Rice fields cover 160 million hectares around the world an area more than six times the size of the United Kingdom. They are an important ecosystem for various animals, including a number of birds that can be seen at the experimental paddies run by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The IRRI fields in the Philippines cover just 250 hectares, but can be considered a microcosm of millions of rice fields globally in which sustainable agricultural practices, such as non-lethal methods of controlling rice-eating birds, are used. These images were part of photography exhibition, Feathers in the Fields: The Birds of IRRI.

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They show the abundance of birds within a rice field ecosystem. This emphasises the need to carefully manage rice fields and, ultimately, the wildlife that depends on them, as well as the need to prevent their conversion to urban uses. It also offers a way to correct the misconception among many farmers that birds are pests and raise awareness that 90 per cent feed on harmful insects. The birds reduce dependence to pesticides producing greener rice farming. This article has been produced by SciDev.Net's South-East Asia & Pacific desk.

Quick-cooking brown rice can cut the time to get Weeknight Paella on the dinner table
April 15

An Asian stir-fry has long been considered a healthful choice.TAMMY LJUNGBLAD | THE KANSAS CITY STARThe Stars Weeknight Paella is a nutritious one-dish meal.

Weeknight paella
Makes 6 servings 3 cups quick-cooking brown rice 1 cup frozen peas 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 chicken breasts (about 4 ounces each), diced 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 4 ounces fully cooked smoked turkey sausage, sliced 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads

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1/4 teaspoon turmeric 1/4 teaspoon paprika 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon hot seasoning sauce, optional 8 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined Prepare brown rice according to package directions. When rice is removed from heat, stir in peas, cover and allow to stand 5 minutes.Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until chicken is done. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. Add onion and garlic to skillet and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until tender. Add sausage to skillet and heat through.Stir in tomatoes, spices and seasonings; bring to a simmer. Add shrimp to tomato mixture; cover and cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes until shrimp is done. Stir in chicken and brown rice. Per serving: 437 calories (15 percent from fat), 7 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), 94 milligrams cholesterol, 67 grams carbohydrates, 26 grams protein, 352 milligrams sodium, 6 grams dietary fiber. But the idea of combining rice with a small amount of meat and lots of vegetables exists in other cultures, too.The Spanish paella (pi-AY-yuh) is a nutritious one-dish meal that includes saffron-flavored rice, bite-size bits of seafood, chicken and sausage as well as tomatoes and peas.Like a stir-fry, which is made in a wok, paella is typically made in a special wide, flat, two-handled pan. But unlike a stir-fry, paella is not a quick dish to prepare. Even a simple paella recipe at www.spain-recipes.com takes 60 to 90 minutes.The Stars Weeknight Paella uses quick-cooking brown rice to speed things up. While quick-cooking versions shorten the amount of time needed to get dinner on the table, brown rice pumps up the nutrition. The whole grain contains fiber (1 cup has 3.5 grams), B vitamins and trace minerals manganese and selenium.The USA Rice Federation (www.usarice.com) confirms that quick-cooking varieties have virtually the same nutrition as long-cooking brown rice. Brown rice also has not had the bran covering removed, so it is less fluffy than white rice but has a nuttier flavor.Shopping tips: Saffron is pricey and can easily bust a budget. If you dont want to make the investment, doubling the amount of turmeric used is an adequate substitution.We used mild smoked turkey sausage; if you want to kick it up a notch, add optional hot pepper sauce.Cooking tip: For testing, we used Minute Brand quick-cooking brown rice; it cooks in about 10 minutes.

Bats: nice with rice?

Scientists believe a species of bat that preys on a major rice pest in Thailand could boost food security by preventing paddy losses. Wednesday 16 April 2014 14.30 BST

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Scientists believe wrinkle-lipped bats could prevent annual paddy losses of nearly 2,900 tons, enough to feed 26,000 people for a year. Photograph: Barbara Walton/EPA Bats that prey on a major rice pest in Thailand could save paddy harvests worth millions of dollars and help contribute to better foodsecurity, claim scientists in a paper published in Biological Conservation.Using data from a previous study and their own field survey, the scientists put a value on the wrinkle-lipped bat's predation on the white-backed planthopper, a migratory insect pest in Asia that feeds on rice shoots.The scientists calculated that each wrinkle-lipped bat (Tadarida plicata) consumes about 1,130 white-backed planthoppers (Sogatella furcifera) daily. With a population of almost 8m, the bat species may prevent annual paddy losses of nearly 2,900 tons enough to feed 26,000 people for a year with an export value of $1.2m (716,000).Thomas Cherico Wanger, lead author of the paper and a tropical ecologist at the University of Gttingen in Germany, suggests that Thai rice farmers can recruit bats in their fields by providing roosting boxes."The model shows that 300 bats in each roosting box can protect almost 700kg of rice per year," says Wanger.Bats have yet to be considered as a significant pest control agent in agriculture, according to Wantana Srirattanasak, senior entomologist of Thailand's department of rice. "Our farmers have never thought of using bats as biological control agents," she says.A year-long survey in 2005 reported that planthoppers made up almost 30% of the diet of wrinkled-lipped bats. Working from this survey, Wanger and his team built a model to "quantify the amount of rice that bats protect when they feed on planthoppers". Combining data from the literature with their field observations, the scientists used the model to estimate the number of white-backed planthoppers consumed by all the wrinkled-lipped bats in Thailand. They then estimated the amount of rice harvest saved due to the predation of these planthoppers.But models simplify nature based on assumptions that might be wrong, Wanger warns, adding that it is crucial to "compile good data" and "to indicate the level of error that comes with an estimate"."The model has merits as a thought experiment," says Geoff Gurr, applied ecology professor at Charles Sturt University in Australia.But Gurr, who has been working on the biological control of planthoppers with arthropod predators, notes that only one field survey was used to estimate the bats' predation on planthoppers. "It is not a substantial base on which to extrapolate too widely," he says.Another caveat is that the amount of rice saved by the bats 2,900 tons is only a tiny portion of the 25-30 million tons of rice produced annually in Thailand. Bats might not be irrelevant, says Gurr, "but they are a very small portion of the mortality that would be required to control the planthoppers".Wanger says his team understands the limits of their model. But he argues it is crucial to test predictions of the model against field experiments and more data analyses. He says their modelling code, published with their paper, was made "as transparent as possible" to help others test their predictions.

Daily Rice E-Newsletter by Rice Plus Magazine www.ricepluss.com News and R&D Section mujajhid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 92 321 369 2874