The country has never allowed overseas shipments of the key staple crop to protect the local rice market, but some farmers demanded exports of high-quality rice. Korean rice may soon officially go abroad as the government decided to export for the first time to offset shrinking domestic demand and help farmers increase sales. Officials said last Friday per capita rice consumption in Korea has been dwindling for some time, and the trend may continue in the near future making it imperative...

Strong demand in the local market from exporters who need to fulfill these contracts have been working to support export prices, one exporter said. Most buyers have returned to the Thai market as offers in Vietnam, its main competitor in rice export trade, are at high levels, exporters said. A second exporter said tight export supply in Thailand due to recent rains is also providing support in the market. One exporter said prices could rise next week as they expect to win the right to...

California farmers say most of their rice is in good or excellent condition, much improved from a year ago. It's a reversal of fortune for California rice farmers, as a result of the state's dry spring weather. Favorable weather boosts rice planting. About 85 percent of the state's rice has been planted. A year ago, only a third of the crop had been planted, because of cool and rainy weather. No content may be reused without written permission. Rice farmers are ahead of their typical...

Following comparative studies on social and economic condition of transgenic agricultural products in Iran and the world, the research arm of Iran?s legislature regretted that GM crops or foodstuffs containing them still find their way into the country. Expressing concern over adverse health impacts of consumption of GM foods, the center urged it is a must to ratify laws to regulate and draw up strategies to control (import) of transgenic products. The center further hailed successes...

Although sales are good, farmers are concerned about price fluctuations in the domestic market. Farmers in Binh Minh District, where sweet potato is the primary crop grown, have traditionally sold their produce domestically. Each year, after harvesting his rice crop, he sows two varieties of sweet potato in a bid to reap the rewards of an early harvest - the timing of which depends on climate and market price. Average productivity is about six to seven tonnes per cong, according to Phuc,...

However, there is still considerable scope for increasing the productivity because the yields actually being achieved for many crops are much below the realisable potential even of existing varieties if best cultivation practices are used. Although the potential yield gap is large, it is important to recognise that realising these yields requires co-ordinated effort and additional cost. We need to strengthen our national agricultural research effort to achieve this objective. These yield...