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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Rice E-Newsletter
30th March , 2015
V o l u m e 5, Issue I

Raipurs rice millers face FIR

NYOOOZ,Raipur
Tue,31 Mar 2015
Collector Raipur Thakur Ram Singh has issued Revenue Recovery Certificate (RRC) for recovery of
about Rs5,714 lakh from the rice millers who have failed to return rice in lieu of paddy provided to
them for custom milling in given time frame in the Kharif marketing year 2013-14, officials said.
The Collector has also ordered to lodge FIR against the top ten rice millers in the list against whom
the RRC has been issued. According to the officials, the rice millers were issued notice for not
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depositing

the

rice

and

an

investigation

was

also

done.

However, the rice millers failed to deposit the rice in time. The Tehsildars have been directed for
immediate recovery of the amount from the rice
millers. The rice millers against whom the RRC
has been issued include Tayal Foods (Kharora),
Manju Agro Private Limited (Raipur), Aishwarya
Rice Industries (Kharora), Dauji Chawal Udyog
(Kharora), Mamraj and Sons (Kharora), Mohan
Rice Mill (Amaseoni, Raipur), Rakesh Rice Mill
(Kharora), Mahamaya Rice Mill (Kharora), Anshi
Foods (Gidhauri, Raipur), Janata Rice Mill
(Kharora), Nirmala Rice Private Limited
(Abhanpur), Hariom Chawal Udyog (Tilda),
Bharti Rice Industries (Tilda), Neelam Traders
(Tilda), Harsha Rice Mill Private Limited
(Jarauda), Maa Mawli Rice Industries (Amaseoni), Deepak Rice Industries (Arang), Chhattsigarh
Rice Industries (Amaseoni), ML Agrotech(Kharora), Shri Sai Industries ...
http://www.nyoooz.com/raipur/77311/raipurs-rice-millers-face-fir

Recovering Much Needed Revenue From Rice Duty Evaders

Juliet Alohan
Mar 31, 2015

Some rice importers, who before now thought they had outsmarted the system by technically
evading duty payment when they imported in excess of what was allocated to them at a reduced
import duty rate, now have to think again. The long arm of the law is waiting and may soon
catch up with them.This follows the disclosure by the federal government that it is investigating
the alleged excess import to determine who the importers are and by how much they exceed their
import allocation quota after which they would be made to refund the due amount to
government.
Following the federal governments policy on rice importation which was intended to help boost
local production of rice, government gave a concession to some importers to import rice at a
reduced duty rate of 30 per cent as against the 70 per cent import duty on rice.But findings have
indicated that some importers who enjoyed the concession have imported way above their
allocated quota at the reduced rate, thereby shortchanging the federal government of the much
needed revenue.Such revenue the minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy,
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said government is working to recover if investigations launched into the
matter prove anyone guilty. Speaking recently at the customs headquarters in Abuja shortly after

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a board meeting, the minister assured that government would recover all such revenue once
investigations into the matter is complete.
Okonjo-Iweala, who is also the chairman of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Board, said,
We discussed that issue at the customs board meeting and what we asked for as a board is to get
updated report on who those importers are, by how much they have exceeded, and what they owe
government? Once this information is put together, we will consult with the minister of
agriculture and then take a look at it. If they owe us we will ask for it.As part of efforts to check
the worrisome level of rice smuggling into the country, with a view to boosting local production,
the NCS, last year, declared rice import through the land borders contraband.Consequently, only
sea border was approved as the authorised means of rice import and with higher duty as a way to
deter importation of the product. Concession was, however, given to some importers to import a
specific quota at reduced rate to augment local production in order to avoid scarcity of rice in the
country.
According to the NCS, the decision to ban the import of rice through land borders was informed
by the need to re-double efforts aimed at putting an end to the menace of rice smuggling which
had become a threat to local rice farmers.The public relations officer of the service, Wale
Adeniyi, explained that while one or two bags of rice through the land borders from
neighbouring countries by individuals were previously allowed, new intelligence report showed
that those individuals are often sponsored by smugglers to transport the rice across the borders in
bits. Intelligence has shown that when they come in with one or two bags usually on motorbikes
through the borders, they go and constitute them into a big sum somewhere, a development the
total ban is intended to check, Adeniyi said.He added that with the ban, all imported rice must
come through the sea ports with duty paid on them according to the law, warning that going
forward rice brought in through the land borders no matter the quantity will be contraband.
The development earned the customs service commendations from local rice growers under the
aegis of the Patriotic Rice Association of Nigeria (PRAN) who hailed the decision by the service
to ban the importation of rice through the countrys land borders as part of efforts to check
smuggling.The commendation was made by leaders of the groups, Alhaji Habibu Maishinkafa
and Martins Okereke, who had earlier raised the alarm over increase in rice smuggling which
they claimed was costing the country billions of naira in lost revenue while also posing a threat
to the existence of local rice production. Acknowledging the customs decision to ban rice import
through land borders as timely, the PRAN maintained that nothing short of the closure of the
borders against smugglers would save Nigerias budding rice industry.

The group noted that it was the higher tariff and consequent high market prices that have
enthused smugglers to push large volumes of rice into the country with zero duty, thereby
unsettling the federal governments efforts to make Nigeria self-sufficient in rice production by
2015. The group further called on the customs rank-and-file as well as Nigerians to support the
services decision to ban the importation of rice through the land borders, describing it as a
patriotic measure capable of boosting local rice production.

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Meanwhile, the minister of finance while speaking on other issues deliberated upon during the
customs board meeting, informed that policy issues relating to the overall customs law was
discussed, maintaining that the agency need a new Customs and Excise Management Act
(CEMA) to guide its operations. She also noted that despite the sliding OIL PRICE and
devaluation of the naira, government still expects the customs service to do its best in the area of
revenue collection, adding, however, that Customs is not only there for revenue collection.She
said that while the agencys operations involve trade facilitation, revenue collection will continue
to be important in the sense that government have to reverse the situation whereby oil revenue is
predominant.
When we are judging the customs we are not just talking about revenue, I want the men and
women in customs to know that. I care about how they patrol the borders, I care about how they
facilitate trade; it is not just getting revenue.Are goods moving through the customs in a fast and
efficient manner, are they providing the necessary assistance to traders, are people feeling like
they are being served, is the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) system working?
We want non-oil revenues but we also understand that government policies affect the amount of
revenue that customs is able to collect.
So if we decide to favour certain sectors as an incentive for investment in the country that means
that sometimes those sectors get waivers. It is an industrial policy which is used in almost all
countries and emerging markets. If we adopt those, then it has an impact on customs
revenue.Thus, we have to weigh the two, Okonjo-Iweala stated.While maintaining that
considerable progress have been made in some of these areas, she disclosed that the report from
an independent enquiry commissioned shows that the NCS is now performing better with the use
of the PAAR system.
http://leadership.ng/blogposts/422063/recovering-much-needed-revenue-from-rice-duty-evaders

Vietnam Rice Boom Heaping Pressure on Farmers,

Environment
Rice farmer Nguyen Hien Thien is so busy growing his crops that
he has never even visited Can Tho, a town only a few miles from
his
farm
in
the
southern
Mekong
Delta.
"When I was a child, we grew one crop of rice per year -- now it's
three. It's a lot of work," 60-year-old Thien, who has been farming
since he was a child, told AFP on the edge of his small paddy
field.Experts say Vietnam's drive to become one of the world's
leading rice exporters is pushing farmers in the fertile delta region
to the brink, with mounting costs to the environment.The
communist country is already the world's second largest exporter
of the staple grain. But intensive rice cultivation, particularly the
shift to producing three crops per year, is taking its toll on farmers
and the ecosystem.

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"Politicians want to be the world's number one or two rice exporter. As a scientist, I want to see
more being done to protect farmers and the environment," said Vietnamese rice expert Vo Tong
Xuan.A major famine in 1945 and food shortages in the post-war years led to the government
adopting a "rice first" policy.This now generates far more of the crop than needed to feed
Vietnam's 90 million population and has catalysed a thriving export industry.Rice yields have
nearly quadrupled since the 1970s, official figures show, thanks to high-yield strains and the
construction of a network of dykes that today allow farmers to grow up to three crops per
year.The amount of land under cultivation in the Mekong Delta has also expanded and quotas are
in place to prevent farmers from switching to other crops.But experts are questioning who really
benefits.According to Xuan, farmers don't reap the rewards of the three crop system -- the rice is
low quality and they spend more on pesticides and fertilisers, which become less effective year
by year.
- Falling quality
He argues the delta would be better off if farmers cultivated a more diverse range of crops, from
coconuts to prawns, with just the most suitable land used to grow rice.The country should
consider abandoning the third crop and focus on improving quality and branding to sell
Vietnamese rice at higher prices, he said.Currently, the bulk of Vietnam's rice is exported at cutprice costs on government-to-government contracts through large state-owned enterprises
(SOEs) like the Southern Food Corporation, known as Vinafood 2."Over the last five years, the
trend is towards lower-quality rice," admitted Le Huu Trang, deputy office manager at the firm.
Some argue that such SOEs have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo as they earn
lucrative kickbacks from the huge contracts.But even as salt water intrusion, drought and
flooding increase in the delta -- to say nothing of agricultural chemical pollution -- it is also hard
to convince farmers to change."The prevailing mindset is to grow three crops... we have to
explain two crops is better," said Nguyen Tuan Hiep from the Co Do Agriculture company.
Over the last 20 years, Co Do -- which is state-run but a flagship model of how the industry
could evolve -- has identified the best rice-growing land in the delta and helped farmers expand
their farms.They now work with 2,500 families on 5,900 hectares (14,600 acres) of land, enough
for each family to make a living -- typically the average rice farm in the delta spans less than one
hectare.The firm invests heavily in high-quality seeds and improving irrigation, while also
advising farmers on the best chemicals to use."Two crops is more sustainable long term -- the
soil is not degraded, the environment isn't polluted, and value of the rice increases," Hiep said.
- 'Ground zero'
Climate change is another factor threatening the delta, according to the World Bank Group's vice
president and special envoy for climate change Rachel Kyte."This is really ground zero for some
of the most difficult adaptation, planning challenges that any country in the world has," she
said.Ultimately Vietnam has tough choices to make, including whether to help people transition
from a rice-based economy to aquaculture (fish or shellfish farming) or other crops, Kyte
added.The environmental costs of maintaining Vietnam's current level of rice production are also
rising.The system of dykes, which blocks flood water, are preventing soil nutrients from flowing

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freely and over time "soil fertility will fade", said Tran Ngoc Thac, deputy director of Vietnam's
Rice Research Institute.
Scientists there are busy trying to breed new strains of rice that require fewer fertilisers and can
survive in extreme weather."If farmers don't change, if we can't find a suitable new rice strain,
pollution will continue and incomes will drop," Thac said, adding these measures were essential
to save the delta.
By AFP

http://news.sudanvisiondaily.com/details.html?rsnpid=248035

Agriculture Tops the Trends at Culinary Conference

White and wild rice salad on the
WASHINGTON, DC -- This weekend, the International Association of Culinary Professionals
(IACP) held its annual conference to facilitate an exchange of information, knowledge, and
inspiration within the professional food community. In attendance were hundreds of culinary
professionals including, chefs, food media, culinary school instructors, food writers, marketers,
nutritionists, and academics.Keynote speakers included Jos Andrs, an internationally
acclaimed chef, and a panel from National Geographic discussing the future of food.
"Food and food sourcing are hot topics right now and USA Rice needs to get in on the
conversation," said Katie Maher, USA Rice's manager of domestic promotion programs.
"There's an opportunity to include farmers in this discussion to leverage the 'grown in the USA'
message and tell the rice industry's sustainability story."Other noteworthy topics at the
conference included consumer attitudes data and food trend forecasts. "Tapping into the evolving
marketplace and understanding the needs of today's culinary audience is important," said Maher.
"It helps USA Rice gather new ideas to support our goal of creating awareness for U.S. rice
while at the same time advancing the dialog between chefs and the farmers they rely on to
produce fresh, healthy, high quality ingredients."

Contact: Deborah Willenborg (703) 236-1444

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures

CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for March 30

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Month

Price

Net Change

May 2015

$11.120

+ $0.130

July 2015

$11.365

+ $0.130

September 2015

$11.510

+ $0.120

November 2015

$11.690

+ $0.140

January 2016

$11.845

+ $0.135

March 2016

$11.845

+ $0.135

May 2016

$11.845

+ $0.135

Twenty Four Seven

Affordable ECO Meals

Convenience

Store

introduces

Twenty Four Seven Convenience Store has introduced a range of "ECO Meals" that are
delicious, hygienic and properly packed handy packs available at affordable price points. These
meals are available in 3 variants which has a perfect blend of home made taste with savory
essence. The menu of all these variants has been delicately designed to comply with customers
top priority list.These Eco meals have three different variants including Veg Eco Meal, Egg Eco
Meal and Non-veg Eco Meal.
Veg Eco Meal :Daily fare of home styled cooked meal comprising of seasonal vegetable,
delicious dal, warm soft chapattis, fragrant basmati rice accompanied with traditional Indian
sweet priced at INR 80.Egg Eco Meal : A typical homely meal with delicious and tasty mixture
of spicy egg curry, warm soft chapattis, flavorful steamed rice accompanied with mouthwatering Indian sweet priced at INR 90.

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IPAB allows Lahore group to contest GI tag to MP's Basmati

Manish Raj, TNN | Mar 30, 2015, 07.09PM IST

GI tag protects legal rights of reputed agricultural, manufactured and natural goods in a specific
geographical territory.
CHENNAI: The Intellectual Property Appellate Board has allowed the appeal of Lahorebased Basmati Growers Association (BGA) to contest the
award of GI tag for Basmati rice to Madhya Pradesh.GI tag
protects legal rights of reputed agricultural, manufactured and
natural goods in a specific geographical territory.GI status was
granted for basmati rice cultivated in Uttar Pradesh, Himachal
Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Punjab and J&K.Madhya
Pradesh requested for inclusion of its region into the GI tag list
which was granted by the registry on December 31, 2013.This
was challenged by BGA and Agricultural and Processed Food
Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) too. PEDA
is a wing of the Union commerce ministry. Earlier, while
seeking GI tag for Basmati in the above mentioned states,
APEDA excluded Basmati regions in MP for grant of tag.After
MP requested its name be included in the list, the assistant
registrar of GI registry on December 31,2013, directed APEDA
to amend its application and include MP's regions in the list of
Basmati growing states.

APEDA then moved the IPAB challenging the directive. BGA also filed an appeal in IPAB against
the registry's order.More importantly, Lahore-based BGA has opposed grant of GI tag `Basmati' to
India "in totality."In May 2010, APEDA filed an application for registering the Basmati growing
regions for grant of GI tag under the GI Goods (Registra tion and Protection) Act 1999.On October
25, 2010, BGA served a notice to oppose APEDA's move."Any registration of Basmati as GI under
Indian statutes would be in clear violation of BGA's rights as only the concerned parties in Pakistan
are rightfully entitled to GI Basmati," claimed the BGA in its appeal.
Four months later, APEDA filed its counter statement. Despite providing two extensions , BGA
failed to provide evidence in support of its claims within the stipulated period.APEDA then moved
an interlocutory petition seeking directions to quash the opposition petition. The GI registry on
December 31, 2013, set aside BGA's petition. BGA also appealed against the order of the registry in
the IPAB. It said the rice grown on conventional lands in Punjab in Pakistan interacted with soil and
climate to yield Basmati Rice in "true sense."The rice growing regions of Pakistan were Gujarat,
Gujranwala, Sialkot, Narowal etc. BGA cited the works of Punjabi poet Syed Waris Shah's
masterpiece, Heer', to stress that Basmati rice was only grown in Punjab in those days. Now these
areas were part of Pakistan, said BGA.

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BGA sought directions to set aside the common order of the GI registry passed on December 31,
2013. In a recent hearing, a bench of chairman Justice K N Basha and technical member Sanjeev
Kumar Chaswal allowed BGA's appeal and posted the matter to June 8 for further hearing.
Times of India

Sesame rice
Published 7:47 PM EDT Mar 29, 2015

This rice accompaniment can be kept quite simple, or it can become more substantial with the
addition of other ingredients such as chopped scallion, minced green or red bell peppers, or other
vegetables such as cut asparagus. Sliced or slivered almonds can replace the sesame seeds.
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups cooked rice (brown, white, basmati, or wild rice)
cup frozen baby peas
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon soy sauce
teaspoon dark (Asian) sesame oil
Dash of ground white pepper, or to taste
Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic;
cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes, or until tender. Stir in the rice and remaining
ingredients. Heat, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

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