Baghdad/Dubai | Reuters — Iraq, a major Middle East wheat and rice importer, has replaced the head of its state grain buying agency, government sources and a document showed on Tuesday. Naeem al-Maksousi was replaced by Hassanein Mahdi Elwan, a document reviewed by Reuters showed. The reason for the replacement, which comes after a week […] Read more
Tag Archives rice — page 2
Iraq replaces state grain agency’s chief
Rice in Ontario?
Ontario trials of cold-tolerant white rice could prove alternative crop potential
Representatives from Ontario FangZheng Agriculture Enterprises Inc. think Ontario could become a major exporter of white rice. The Thornhill-based company, in combination with researchers from the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown campus, is managing a one-hectare (2.47 acre) rice paddy near Chatham. At a news conference on June 28, company representatives said their goal is to […] Read more
Trump and Modi’s lavish farm payouts prompt questions at WTO
Geneva | Reuters — Massive farm-support plans in the United States and India are being scrutinized by other World Trade Organization members, questions submitted to the WTO’s quarterly agriculture committee meeting showed on Monday. The WTO has strict rules about the size and nature of payments, and member governments keep a close watch for any […] Read more
WTO finds for U.S. on crop tariff dispute with China
MarketsFarm — The World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled largely in favour of the United States in a trade dispute regarding China’s application of tariff rate quotas (TRQs) for wheat, corn and rice. The ruling, issued by the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body (DSB), stated China did not apply the TRQs on imports of wheat, rice […] Read more
Crop diversity declining worldwide
Science Notes: The number of different crops is increasing in North America but other regions are moving more toward monocultures
University of Toronto – A new University of Toronto study suggests that globally more of the same kinds of crops are being grown, and this presents major challenges for agricultural sustainability on a global scale. The study, by an international team of researchers led by University of Toronto assistant professor Adam Martin, used data from […] Read more
Wild genetic adaptations can have many uses
Science Notes: A gene that helps rice grow taller in floods is a variant of rice genes used to rapidly increase yield
When floodwaters rise, some rice varieties rapidly grow taller to keep from drowning. A new study identifies the key gene responsible for the deep-water rice adaptation — SD1 (semidwarf 1). It’s a variant of the gene responsible for the increased grain yield that launched the rice Green Revolution. The ability of this gene to function […] Read more
Italy demands origin labels for pasta, rice
Rome | Reuters — All packets of pasta and rice sold in Italy will have to include labels of origin showing where the produce was grown, the government ruled on Thursday, a move aimed at protecting local farmers. The agriculture and industry ministers signed a decree ordering the new labelling policy, saying it would run […] Read more
Argentina halts Europe-bound rice ‘impregnated with cocaine’
Buenos Aires | Reuters — Argentine customs agents found about 30 kg of cocaine hidden in a way they had never seen before when drug-sniffing dogs found the drug had been absorbed into grains of rice headed for Europe via Africa, an official said on Wednesday. The bust underscores the role Argentina has come to […] Read more
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