27th may,2015 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine
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May 27,2015
Vol 5,Issue V
Indian Scientists Develop Zinc-Enriched Rice to Fight
Malnutrition PTI, Modified: May 25, 2015 17:30 IST
Researchers from Indira Gandhi Agriculture University (IGAU), Raipur have developed zinc-
enriched rice that‟s expected to play a crucial role in fighting malnutrition in tribal-dominated
Chhattisgarh where nearly seven lakh children are still malnourished. The new paddy seed,
called 'Chhattisgarh Zinc Rice-1' is the first zinc bio-fortified rice variety in India.
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It was launched by the State Variety Release Committee in March and its production is likely to
begin from the next kharif season. "We focused on increasing our crop production since the
inception of the Green Revolution with the aim to eliminate hunger. In the process, we managed
to yield high production, but the quality of crop did not improve," said professor Chandel from
the Indira Gandhi Agriculture University.
In a survey done in the year 2000, the Centre, along with health organizations foun d that 60-70
per cent of population was suffering from malnutrition because of deficiency of micro-nutrients,
particularly iron, zinc and Vitamin A. Following this, the government decided to come out with a
research programme to improve the variety of three staple crops - rice, wheat and maize - in
different states. Under the programme, Chhattisgarh, considered as the rice bowl of the country,
decided to work on the quality aspect and took up 'Rice Bio Fortification Research Project'.In the
first phase of the project in 2003-2005, about 200 rice germplasm lines with high grain nutritive
values but low-yielding quality were identified, he said. Subsequently, in the next phase of 2006-
2011, seeds were multiplied and subjected to genetic improvement exercise, which led to seven
high-yielding zinc-enriched rice varieties. In 2013, the Centre decided to conduct a separate
exercise coordinated by Directorate of Rice Research (DRR), Hyderabad, to analyze the outcome
of the researches being conducted in different parts of the country.
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Finally, four varieties were adjudged best in terms of quality, of which the top two came from
Chhattisgarh. "Currently, we have 100 kg seeds of this new variety and we are planning to
multiply it in 10 acres. By December this year, we will distribute it to about 5,000 farmers across
the state. Its sowing would be started in the next kharif season," professor Chandel said.
http://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/indian-scientists-develop-zinc-enriched-rice-to-fight-malnutrition-765876
Sustainable agriculture needed to tackle climate impacts in
ASEAN The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | World | Tue, May 26 2015, 12:38 PM
Riza Bernabe, has said ASEAN can help small-scale farmers and fisherfolk in Southeast Asian
countries to become resilient to climate change by reproducing sustainable agriculture practices
on a wider scale across the region.“ASEAN governments must also pour in more money in
helping small-scale farmers and fisherfolk adapt to climate change, and incentivize farmers to
practice sustainable and agro-ecological farming,” said Bernabe on the launch of Oxfam‟s new
report entitled “Harmless Harvest” on Tuesday.
The report found that in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam, rainfall has been
below average since 2009, resulting in droughts, which are associated with lower yields and
increased pest and disease infestation.In 2013, super typhoon Haiyan decimated swathes of
coconut farms in central Philippines, on which thousands of families depend for their
livelihood.Rising sea levels have also posed threats to coastal regions. In Indonesia, almost 15
percent of total rice output is affected by salinity, while in Vietnam, soil salination has affected
100,000 hectares in four provinces, the report says, citing findings of S.K. Redfern et al
presented at the FAO / OECD workshop in Rome, Italy, in 2012.Saltwater intrusion is also
threatening rice production in Myanmar, according to an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) report.
“One such sustainable practice is SRI or Systems of Rice Intensification, a way of growing rice
that optimizes harvests and incomes without degrading the environment,” said Harmless
Harvest.A study by the International Rice Research Institute found that a 1 percent rise in
minimum temperature during growing season can result in 10 percent drop in rice yield.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/26/sustainable-agriculture-needed-tackle-climate-
impacts-asean.html#sthash.ZhSYeZK4.dpuf
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Golden Rice in India: Is it necessary? What are impediments
to adoption? Ryan Lenz | May 25, 2015 | Genetic Literacy Project
There is a saying in Chinese used to wish others
well that means, “may you never live in
interesting times.” In a complex world full of
conflict, disease, and death, the idea of living in
a simpler world without the plagues of the
present must seem comforting to most. Sadly,
this is not the world we live in, no matter how
much one may wish it into reality. For those
living in rural India, life can be a constant
struggle.According to data collected at the
Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the
leading cause of life-altering disability in India
are health risks linked to poor diets. Nutritional
deficiencies are especially common in Indian children. This is both unacceptable and
preventable. For much of the population in India, rice is the primary dietary staple as it is cheap
and marginally nutritious. It is, however, without a sufficient level of β-carotene, a precursor to
vitamin A. Without a lack of variety in many Indian diets, deficiencies often occur. Large
consumptions of rice without supplemental nutritional diversity can ostensibly lead to vitamin A
deficiency.
Vitamin A deficiency, or VAD, can cause respiratory, GI, and urinary infections, as well as
blindness and a significantly impaired immune system that can lead to a number of other
corresponding ailments. Symptoms of vitamin A deficiency are most severe in children. Recent
studies, such as those published by WHO, have pinpointed a number of causes for VAD ranging
from substandard education, poor sanitary practices, the absence of strict laws pertaining to food
production, and a lack of effective monitoring and surveillance systems. In many instances,
people continue to suffer due to the structural instability of the governments in developing
nations, as India. However, the root of this issue still remains with the lack of dietary variety.
Continual developments in plant genetics have yielded a strong candidate for a solution to these
incessant, yet preventable woes. Golden rice is a type of transgenic Asian rice created for
humanitarian purposes. Its creation has received praise by a preponderance of the scientific
community, as this species of rice contains sufficient levels of β-carotene within its edible
portion. Dispersing golden rice seeds to Indian farmers has the potential to curb the increasing
rate of VAD within a generation. Rice consumed in India would no longer be susceptible to the
same failure as Vitamin A supplements, which did not succeed for a number of reasons including
poor government oversight and the increasingly likely connections between vitamin A
supplementation and certain cancers.
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If golden rice, or vitamin-A fortified rice, were grown throughout India, there would be no need
to implement or administer an additional program as agricultural systems are already firmly in
place. Lifelong disability caused by the inability to diversify diets would begin to make progress
in the other direction, as vitamin A intake in this manner would not lead to the same potentially
detrimental conclusions as direct vitamin A supplementation.
India is home to over 1 billion people, second only in population to China with a dizzying
number of ethnic groups, each with their own traditions, languages, and dialects. The primary
languages spoken are Hindi and English and the vast majority of Indians tend to practice Hindu
or Buddhism, although there are a plethora of variants practiced. With more than 50 cities with
populations over a million, India is urbanizing and fast. However, the vast majority of citizens
are still located in rural areas, with little to no government assistance. Within its borders, India
contains the largest number of rural poor and those without homes in rural areas in the world.
The rural poor in India are, in some ways, dually marginalized by not only their low financial
status, but additionally by their low social rung in the caste system that, though not officially,
still dictates social life in India. Though there are certainly many impoverished citizens in urban
areas, the rural poor are often too far spread out for adequate government assistance and
observation. The continued existence of the caste system only seems to solidify their station.
According to information gathered by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, India‟s
leading causes of death in recent years have been respiratory infections and diarrheal diseases.
The continued struggle against the rise of diarrheal diseases throughout India, chiefly within
urban slums and rural villages, an increasing resistance to antibiotics has been noted. Similarly,
acute respiratory infections, or ARIs, are running rampant throughout the Indian landscape with
its effects most lethal in children under the age of 5. The Indian government, at its current state,
has a very limited ability to affect change through policy implementation, as these issues would
require increasingly complex methods of observation, reporting, and analyzing. Not only does
India lack the public funding for massive vaccination and antibiotic programs, but growing
economic losses may occur due to the increased strain on its health care system due to frequent
hospitalizations.
India spends approximately 1.5% of its GDP on public health, which is well below the global
average of 5% spending. This is an issue often addressed by critics and India is in the process of
drafting a new national health policy expected to be released later in 2015, aiming to more
adequately address the poor health of a rapidly industrializing nation. Lately, India has taken the
path of a number of 5-year plans that seem to be slowly handing the responsibility of public
health care over to private companies. This could be a troubling transformation as those suffering
most are nearly penniless, which could only make worse the health woes of the nation. Over 40%
of India‟s children are underweight due to malnutrition making health reform completely
necessary. Food struggle is not news for India, who has dealt with a number of deadly famines
throughout the decades.
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The last major famine in India occurred in 1943 and is known as the Bengal Famine. During this
disastrous period, over one and a half million Indians lost their lives. As India was under British
rule at this period, many blame their careless handling of public health systems with a preference
instead on civil defense. In her report at the tail end of the famine, Sydney Bailey remarks that
“food shortage is not unknown in India” but the total mismanagement of the food supply and the
subsequent relief efforts by the British were completely bungled. Though the fault was not
entirely on the British. Grain producers, during this year, knew that another food shortage was
likely and opted to raise the prices of their product with a flagrant disregard of the nationally
regulated limits of maximum prices and chose to profit while many, many others starved. Once
rations and other forms of relief began to surface across India, still efforts were hampered by
poor transportation methods and lackluster infrastructure.
Perhaps there is less being done about the rampant malnutrition because it is not necessarily as
easy to see when walking by. During a famine, one would expect to see bodies in the streets,
piling up every hour with a building hysteria. In the case of malnutrition, it is far less obvious but
just as deadly. Malnutrition can kill, and certainly does, but it takes time. India‟s malnutrition
rate is not only higher than its nearby competitor China, but also underperforms compared to
sub-Saharan African nations whose governments have far less ability to assist
As has been previously discussed, vitamin A deficiency most often affects the poorer populations
around the world, and India is no different. In fact, India has the highest prevalence of VAD in
all of South East Asia, the region where this problem is the most pressing. One third of the global
mortality rate is owed to malnutrition such as VAD throughout India and its neighboring
Bangladesh. The best sources of vitamin A exist in foods like dairy, eggs, and animal tissues.
Food like this is often the most expensive and therefore the hardest to obtain among the poorest
populations in developing countries and thus deficiencies are created.
The necessity of normalized vitamin A levels allows for the bodily maintenance of healthy
vision, tissue regeneration, and infection resistance. Malnutrition caused by VAD is long lasting
and exponentially lethal and this can create economic distress both from the public health
standpoint and by simply decreasing the number of healthy workers. Prolonged VAD leads to a
number of physiological issues including the breakdown of “tissue development, metabolism,
and resistance to infections,” as is noted in Akhtar et al.‟s recent study on the matter.
The most common symptom of VAD is night blindness, or xerophthalmia. Children and
expecting mothers, in rural areas especially, are increasingly affected with xerophthalmia.
Among rural expecting women in India, some 13.7% suffer from this symptom caused by VAD.
Accordingly, lower levels of vitamin A will also be present in the breast milk of these expecting
mothers allowing the cycle continued by passing it down to their offspring. Among children
afflicted with xerophthalmia across the globe, 85% of them reside in India. In recent years, the
Indian government has offered vitamin A supplementation to mostly urban centers but, of
course, the reach to rural areas was minimal at best. Vitamin A intake through supplementation
has also gained a growing number of critics.
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Studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Cochrane Database and
the Annals of Internal Medicine have all found that the supplementation of vitamin A and β-
carotene could lead to a significant increase in the risk of lung cancer, intestinal cancer and heart
failure. It should be pointed out, however, that the volunteers in these studies were not
malnourished or significantly deficient in vitamin A, but the shadow of doubt remains.
Is Golden Rice viable?
The most effective solution with the lowest probability of failure is the implementation of
Golden Rice into the rice fields of rural India. This rice, enhanced with carotenoids, will vastly
improve those suffering from VAD throughout India. As rice is the staple food that provides the
majority of calories to these people, it is the best solution to curb the problem. Golden Rice is
also equipped with additional amounts of iron and zinc to further battle hunger in the developing
world. Indica rice cultivars, specifically IR64 and BR29, were used as a base in completing
modification of this enhanced rice, as it is the most common form grown and consumed globally,
India included.
Currently, the technology to create this type of enhanced rice through conventional plant
breeding does not exist as the desired genes for this scenario are not to be found in the known
rice gene pool. With this in mind, Golden Rice, created with a transgenic approach, is the most
ideal. In this method, genes are incorporated into the rice originating from other sources, which
is then expressed in new rice seeds. The expression of β-carotene in a number of different rice
cultivars had varying results, with some expressing more than others. For example, IR64 was
found to have less β-carotene expression than that of BR29. Differences in expression can have
any number of explanations including the unique backgrounds of the selected plant varieties, or
simply because of the specific section of an event of the rice‟s transgenic lines. In terms of plant
genetics, the desired additional trait is entirely dependent on the phenotype. Most phenotypes
such as height or yield are quantitative traits. This means that hundreds, perhaps even thousands
of genes, to a very small effect, control these phenotypes.
By contrast, simple traits, or pathways, are controlled by a relatively small number of genes to a
large effect. This means that, thankfully, it‟s essentially impossible to find a transgene that would
significantly affect crop yield, which is good news when considering Golden Rice
implementation in the developing world. The carotenoid pathway is quite simple, which further
speaks to the ease with which Golden Rice can be created. In most instances, it would be ideal to
use standard plant breeding methods, but in the case of desired phenotypes with simple pathways
like that of carotenoids, the transgenic method of Golden Rice is far more logical.
Golden Rice is currently in the process of being field evaluated in both Louisiana, in the United
States, as well as further tests in the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. According to results
collected by the International Rice Research Institute, data in the Philippines has, at this point,
been the most extensive, however data is often skewed due to vandalism by rebel groups with
frequent unrest occurring in the countryside. With the first round of field tests being completed
in the Philippines from 2012-2013, the results were hopeful, but there was still work to be done.
The desired level of β-carotene was attained during this run, though the crop yields were lower
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than expected as they did not perform as well as rice grown by other nearby farmers, though
some of the blame falls on the vandalism caused by militants.
As of 2014, data suggests that specific cultivars have been selected for further field tests due to
superior performance in past testing. The cultivars, GR-R and GR-E, are now in the stages of
being rigorously tested for their abilities to resist pests and yield in numbers comparable or
superior to rice species grown currently in developing nations.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has had a vested interest in GM crops for some time
now. As of late, their focus has been in the cultivation of “climate-ready maize” for use in sub-
Saharan Africa. “Climate-ready” refers to the drought-resistance qualities of the maize being
studied and perfected by researchers for climates with very little annual rainfall. After rigorous
testing, with $33 million in funding assistance by the Gates Foundation, over 30 varieties of the
climate-ready maize has been distributed to millions of smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan
Africa.
Similar to that of rice in Southeast Asia, maize is a staple food in sub-Saharan Africa as a means
for dietary and financial subsistence. After a number of droughts led to further starvation and
poverty in the region, the Gates Foundation saw an opportunity to help. Developed by the
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, this drought-tolerant corn also found
success through higher yields, which is a hugely beneficial factor for subsistence agriculture.
According to papers published by the Gates Foundation, these new corn varieties are “expected
to boost maize yields by as much as 30% for up to 40 million African farmers…by 2016”. These
are astounding numbers in such a short span of time. GM crops used for humanitarian purposes
have the potential to rapidly and effectively reduce hunger within the 21st century.
Vandana Shiva leads anti-Golden rice “progressive” coalition
However, the pathway to mass seed distribution is not as simple. It is no secret that the use of
genetically modified organisms is an extremely contentious issue globally. There is a widely held
perception that the risk of GMOs outweighs the benefits, which is especially present in mass
media. This stigma is growing in the West and has allowed for the rise of anti-GMO speakers. A
speaker and activist from India famous for her work against GMOs, is Vandana Shiva. Ms. Shiva
has time and again expressed her disdain for Golden Rice, asserting that a focus on only one type
of food is a fool‟s errand. Her proposed solution, however, is inherently unworkable. Ms. Shiva
has presented her idea to simply diversify the diets of those in the developing world, which of
course would be ideal but people of the poorest strata in the developing world can most certainly
not afford the fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy required on a daily basis.
Ms. Shiva‟s rhetoric is not only deceptive, but her self-described biography is dually murky. In
various speeches she has represented herself, at times, as a scientist, nuclear physicist, or a
quantum physicist, when in fact she holds a PhD in philosophy. None of these qualifications
have the slightest ounce to do with plant genetics. Her current buzzwords are “seed freedom” and
“food democracy”, clearly playing on people‟s ideals for liberty. The obvious implication is that
those who do not support her views do not support “freedom” or “democracy”.
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Ms. Shiva has created an organization called Navdanya apparently dedicated to promote
“nonviolent farming”, referencing the 1984 violence in Punjab. The events in Punjab were
complex and not necessarily to do with agricultural practices. Much of the violence took place
between the police and armed militants. These militants formed in the rural region of Punjab for
a number of reasons, one of them being the economic effects of the Green Revolution in the
1960s and 1970s, among others. The Green Revolution was a response to continual food
shortages and famines in India, responding with technological advancements in agricultural
infrastructure as well as the development and implementation of high-yield crops, which
effectively staved off further food shortages and transformed India into a food-surplus nation for
a time. A downside to this so-called revolution was increased unemployment due to the
mechanization of agricultural practices. Ostensibly, those out of work should have been able to
find work elsewhere, as India was quickly industrializing, though it was more difficult for
residents of Punjab to accomplish this due to worry from the Indian government of the dangers
of setting up any important industrial sites in a state bordering Pakistan, the two of whom have
historically shared a contentious relationship.
Ms. Shiva‟s reference to the events of Punjab may share some roots in the agricultural revolution
of the 20th
century, but her fear of GMOs in India is without merit. Her organization, Navdanya,
also touts its accomplishment of setting up organic farms spread over lands in India in an attempt
to “fight globalization.” The hypocrisy of creating a global organization to fight other global
organizations is astounding. In a joint study carried out by researchers at McGill University and
the University of Minnesota, organic crops yield 25% less than conventional crops. In a nation
with significant suffering due to food shortages and malnutrition, organic farming is certainly not
the answer. With this in mind, it is pertinent for governments across the globe to become more
accepting of genetically modified crops in order to assist humanitarian causes that are so
desperately needed.
Ms. Shiva‟s views mirror those of many others in the Western world and this perception matters
when it comes down to the deliberation of government policy of GM crops. Genetically modified
crops are regulated on a nation-to-nation basis. In India, GM crops are very stringently assessed
on a case-to-case basis. In the case of Golden Rice, there is some concern that a low-level
presence of its traits could present themselves in rice grown and shipped to nations that receive
their rice through imports, as it is not grown natively. Places like Western Europe, for example,
import their rice. The understandable concern is that, as Europeans are not vitamin A deficient, if
they were to accidentally consume rice with low-level similarities to Golden Rice, it could be
detrimental to their health. For this reason, certain precautions must be agreed upon and enforced
in order to prevent this.
Luckily for India, most of the rice that it grows is consumed within a close proximity, largely
alleviating this global concern. Current regulations that must be followed by signatories of the
Cartagena Protocol, with regard to GM crops, lead to increased costs and delays. For example,
under the protocol, GM crops must first be grown in glass houses, then screen houses, then
finally open fields for further study before being allowed to grow openly in these nations. This
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may sound like a good idea, but keep in mind the years of field studies already taking place
across the world. These additional tests are redundant and unnecessary, especially when
malnutrition continues to kill more Indian women and children every year. As of 23 January
2001, India has been a participating party in the Cartagena Protocol. This unnecessary red tape
will only waste time for an issue so desperately in need of a solution.
Many dissenters of GM crops highlight the “corporate-ness” of the business. It is true that the
developers of Golden Rice, Ingo Potrykus and Peter Beyer, licensed the technology they created
to Syngenta for its use commercially. To some, this may seem inherently distressing as it could
potentially lead to unfair treatment to struggling farmers in developing areas for the profit of the
company. Fortunately, for Golden Rice, this is absolutely not the case. The professors licensed
their technology with the understanding that their seed traits would be distributed to small and
local farmers in developing nations for no cost at all. No person or company will benefit
financially from the adoption of Golden Rice to those nations who need it most.
The funding required for this project will not be for the physical adoption of Golden Rice in
India, but for the education of those in power. It is necessary that they see that the benefits do
indeed outweigh any risks. Though Golden Rice does not require funding for its global
distribution, it could certainly benefit from an education campaign to better inform the public of
its safety and benefits.
Responding with science
The global resistance against GMO use is immense. Consequently, there is a dire need for global
education on the topic as much of the dissent is based on fear mongering or misunderstandings of
the issue. There are certainly a small, but growing, number of advocacy groups aiming to create
a better-informed public yet their effect is nominal. People in various fields like Pamela Ronald
and Kevin Folta; professors of plant genetics at UC Davis and UF-Gainesville, Kavin Senapathy,
a freelance writer, and Mark Lynas, an environmental activist are all outspoken advocates for
GMOs who are dedicated to making a meaningful difference in public opinion.
There are also a small number of organizations such as the Genetic Literacy Project, Biofortified,
and AgBioWorld as well as Facebook groups like GMOLOL, SciBabes, and We Love GMOs
and Vaccines. They are all working hard to reaching a common goal but more must be done in
order to sway both the public and their governments. Though the issue certainly extends far
outside of India‟s borders, it is prudent to stay fast to the goal of implementing Golden Rice into
its impoverished communities. Therefore this is where the need for funding resides. With a series
of educational conferences and subsequent campaigns, the probability of Golden Rice seed
distribution increase will largely increase.
The first step is to hold a seminar with a panel of plant geneticists and other GM advocates to an
audience of invited government officials. The format will be brief presentations by panel
members followed by an open conversation between officials and the panel. Members of the
Council of the State, the House of the people, as well as India‟s executive branch will be
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welcomed to this event with any additional seating open to the public depending on venue
selection. This will serve as a way to both educate and to quell concerns in an open and
respectful forum between the Indian government and those most knowledgeable in the science
behind genetically modified crops.
A contingency plan will also be put into play depending on the outcome of the seminar. If the
outcome is positive, it would be prudent for the Gates Foundation to partner with the Indian
government to implement a large-scale GM education program, much like South Africa‟s
partnership with loveLife for youth HIV prevention. Similarly, the Indian government would
ideally agree to share the budgetary cost with the Gates Foundation with a growing contribution
with a reevaluation of the program‟s effectiveness every 3 years. If the outcome is not positive,
then it would be beneficial to host the seminar annually as well as implement street teams in
urban areas with higher voter turnout in order to hand out pamphlets and speak to people in the
streets in an attempt to sway public opinion.
Golden Rice, with the implementation of the government education seminar and the following
public awareness campaign, will become available in the near future after years of rigorous
testing. It is in the interest of every malnourished man, woman, and child in the rural states of
India to adopt this trait characteristic and introduce this into their dietary practices. For the
mothers losing their sight, for the children losing their lives, this could save their world.
Ryan Lenz is a student at the University of Wisconsin pursuing a degree in International
Studies. This analysis was originally prepared for a Global Health seminar course.
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Setting: Observation from India.” PLoS ONE 10, no. 4 (2015), (accessed 17 April 2015).
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processes of a genetically modified organism.” Critical Review of Biotechnology (Jan, 2015): 1-
7, PubMed, (accessed 11 March 2015).
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study.” BMC Public Health 15, (2015): 330, PubMed (accessed 15 April 2015).
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vitamin A supplementation in India: reasons for success in the states of Bihar and Odisha.” Food
and Nutrition Bulletin 35, no. 2, (June, 2014): 203-210, PubMed (accessed 11 March 2015).
Seufert, Verena. Ramankutty, Navin. Foley, Jonathon A. “Comparing the yields of organic and
conventional agriculture.” Nature 485, (May, 2012): 229-232, (accessed 15 April 2015).
Shiva, Vandana. “About Us: Introduction to Navdanya.” Navdanya Organization. (accessed 15
April 2015).
Stone, Glenn Davis. “Both Sides Now: Fallacies in the Genetic-Modification Wars, Implications
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http://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2015/05/25/golden-rice-in-india-is-it-necessary-what-are-
impediments-to-adoption/
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Asian nations advised to stock up on rice as demand rises PUBLISHED ON MAY 26, 2015 6:03 AM
BANGKOK - Asian countries need to build up rice stocks as global supply may shrink due to
growing demand from major buyers such as China and India, which will eventually push up
prices, according to global research house The Rice Trader."China is still not on the pace to meet
(an annual purchase of) 4.5 million tonnes this year, but it will make it. The fact that it now has
only 2.2 million tonnes suggests that it will buy aggressively," said Mr Jeremy Zwinger,
president and CEO of the California-based research institute.China, now the world's biggest rice
buyer, imported four million tonnes of rice last year, up from 3.2 million tonnes in 2013,
according to data from the United States Department of Agriculture.
The country's rice imports in 2014 set a new record for a fourth consecutive year. The dramatic
increase in rice demand from the world's most populous nation began in 2007, when imports
increased to more than seven times the average of the previous five years.The Rice Trader also
expects Indian rice stocks to jump to nearly 10 million tonnes this year. As of early this month,
India's rice stocks had plunged by 22 per cent to 22.23 million tonnes from the previous year,
according to statistics from the Food Corporation of India issued recently.Rice Trader data from
five rice-exporting countries - Thailand, India, Vietnam, Pakistan and the United States - shows
that overseas shipments last year reached historically high levels at 34.67 million tonnes, up 12.4
per cent from 2013.
Mr Zwinger said that over the next several months, rice prices would stay at a low level on
abundant supplies from rice-producing countries, particularly Thailand.Within such a buyer's
market, he recommended Asian countries, including China, Indonesia and the Philippines, to buy
overseas, as the situation might change into a seller's market immediately, describing the current
situation as a "transition" moment."The price now is very acceptable, especially with the risk that
the oil price will go back (up), the risks of weather we keep seeing and the fact we had many
years of lower production," he said during the Thai Rice Convention recently.
The market is wary of the potential of a long drought caused by the El Nino weather
phenomenon which might pose a significant threat to rice production.Australia's weather bureau
has already declared the major event of El Nino, which is caused by a reversal of trade winds in
the Pacific, causing ocean temperatures to rise.Scientists have warned that the world is on track
for another year of record-setting heat, with temperatures having hit a new high in the first four
months of this year.
THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/south-east-asia/story/asian-nations-advised-stock-rice-demand-rises-
20150526#sthash.xcoj24Lv.dpuf
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15
APEDA News (India)
International Benchmark Price
Price on: 22-05-2015
Product Benchmark Indicators Name Price
Garlic
1 Chinese first grade granules, CFR NW Europe (USD/t) 2100
2 Chinese Grade A dehydrated flakes, CFR NW Europe (USD/t) 2000
3 Chinese powdered, CFR NW Europe (USD/t) 1800
Ginger
1 Chinese sliced, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 4600
2 Chinese whole, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 5100
3 Indian Cochin, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 3000
Guar Gum Powder
1 Indian 100 mesh 3500 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t) 5740
2 Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps basis, FOB Kandla (USD/t) 3160
3 Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps basis, FOB Kandla (USD/t) 3160
Source:agra-net For more info
Market Watch
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 23-05-2015
Domestic Prices Unit Price : Rs per Qty
Product Market Center Variety Min Price Max Price
Jowar(Sorgham)
1 Amreli (Gujarat) Other 1055 2875
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2 Theni (Tamil Nadu) Other 1260 1360
3 Sangli (Maharashtra) Other 1700 3250
Maize
1 Amreli (Gujarat) Other 1255 1640
2 Athani (Karnataka) Local 1200 1310
3 Roorkee(Uttrakhand) Other 1340 1340
Mango
1 Harippad (Kerala) Other 4000 4200
2 Jaleswar(Orissa) Other 2000 2200
3 Mechua(West Bengal) Other 1000 1500
Carrot
1 Surat (Gujarat) Other 1500 1750
2 Chala (Kerala) Other 3700 3750
3 Solan(Himachal Pradesh) Other 1000 1800
Source:agra-net For more info
Egg Rs per 100 No
Price on 23-05-2015
Product Market Center Price
1 Pune 316
2 Nagapur 286
3 Namakkal 325
Source: e2necc.com
Other International Prices Unit Price : US$ per package
Price on 22-05-2015
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Product Market Center Origin Variety Low High
Onions Dry Package: 40 lb cartons
1 Atlanta Georgia Yellow 19 20
2 Chicago Mexico Yellow 23 26
3 Dallas Peru Yellow 25 25
Cucumbers Package: cartons film wrapped
1 Atlanta Canada Long Seedless 8.50 9.50
2 Dallas California Long Seedless 12.50 13
3 Detroit Canada Long Seedless 9 10
Apples Package: cartons tray pack
1 Atlanta Virginia Red Delicious 16 16
2 Chicago Washington Red Delicious 12 14
3 Detroit Washington Red Delicious 19 20.50
Source:USDA
Rice procured at negotiated prices from millers’
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Telangana Civil Supplies Commissioner Rajat Kumar has maintained that the Civil Supplies
Corporation/Department has been procuring rice required for government schemes at negotiated
prices from millers, as has been the practice since 1983. In response to a news item “Free lunch
for millers” published in these columns on May 23, the Commissioner said „sanna biyyam‟ (fine
rice) required for welfare hostels and mid-day meal scheme was also purchased from millers in
the same manner. It was ensured that only varieties grown in Telangana were delivered and no
unintended benefit was given to them, Dr. Rajat Kumar added.Further, the Commissioner said
fine rice required for 2015-16 had already been procured
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/rice-procured-at-negotiated-prices-from-
millers/article7246257.ece
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18
Indonesian minister fears govt sabotage in contaminated rice
scare Mon May 25, 2015 9:43am GMT
By Fergus Jensen
JAKARTA May 25 (Reuters) - Indonesia's home minister called for a police investigation into
the suspected contamination of rice with plastic, saying it may be an attempt at sabotaging the
government, media reported on Monday.President Joko Widodo has called for calm after reports
that tainted rice may have caused the hospitalization of a girl in Medan on Sunday and made
some customers at a food market in Bekasi sick last week.Rice is a common food staple in
Indonesia, the world's third biggest importer, and reports of contamination can quickly cause
food scares in the vast archipelago."The synthetic rice distributor ... may be making an attempt at
treason or trying to sabotage the government," Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo was quoted as
saying by the English-daily Jakarta Post.The scare began last week when customers complained
of nausea and dizziness after eating suspect rice from a vendor in Bekasi, a town neighbouring
the capital of Jakarta.
Initial tests indicated the rice was contaminated with plastic and plastic softeners.Widodo,
however, urged consumers to wait for official government test results before jumping to
conclusions."Don't everyone just talk and make the problem bigger," Widodo told reporters on
Sunday as quoted by online news site Detik.com. "What is most important is to look at the root
problem and check if it really was in Bekasi or just one vendor."Police were waiting for the
results of official tests before continuing their investigation, Assistant Police Commissioner
Siswo told Reuters.The Bekasi vendor, Dewi Septiani, told reporters that the rice she had sold in
porridge was "clearly very different and smelled different too. It's not like natural rice".
(Additional reporting by Cindy Silviana; Editing by Randy Fabi)
http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL3N0YG24I20150525
Amira Nature Foods expands product distribution in US FBR Staff WriterPublished 25 May 2015
Packaged Indian specialty rice supplier Amira Nature Foods has expanded product distribution in the US
by adding a new retailer.Jewel-Osco, owned by New Albertsons, will sell five Amira brand SKUs at its
stores in Illinois, Indiana and Iowa, starting in August this year.Amira's products to be available in Jewel-
Osco stores include Amira brand Natural Basmati Rice, Natural Brown Basmati Rice, Natural Thai
Jasmine Rice, Natural Thai Jasmine Brown Rice and Smoked Basmati Rice.Amira Nature Foods
chairman Karan A Chanana said: "Jewel-Osco is an established Midwest retailer with a strong market
presence in the third largest city in the United States."This is another huge win for the Amira brand, as we
work diligently to expand our distribution to new retailers and enhance our visibility across the United
States."Based in the UAE, Amira Nature Foods offers branded packaged Indian specialty rice and other
products in over 60 countries across the globe.The company primarily sells Basmati rice, which is a
premium long-grain rice grown only in certain regions of the Indian sub-continent, under its flagship
Amira brand as well as under other third party brands.