Bangladesh: First 5-ton flatbed dryer installed

Drying remains a key problem for farmers and other stakeholders in the rice postharvest chain in Bangladesh. To help overcome the problem, which is worst during the boro and aus (wet) harvest, a flatbed dryer was set up in the Jessore hub.

The establishment of the flatbed dryer was made possible through an agreement made in December 2012 between Ali Seed Farm and the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) in Bangladesh, under its postharvest component.


A team started work at the premises of the Ali Seed Farm at Rupdia, Jessore, in March 2013 and completed installation and a test-run of new flatbed dryer on the last week of May. The team was composed of Debashish Chanda, senior specialist for postharvest and business model development, CSISA-BD; Alfred Schmidley, scientist, IRRI; and Lito Diestro, a dryer manufacturer from the Philippines

The new 5-ton flatbed dryer with a modified rice hull furnace is a good and affordable mechanical drying system that offers a practical solution for recovering more paddy and more value from farmers’ rice harvests.

Before the mechanical dryer was installed, the owner of the farm had to dry large volumes of seed on the drying floor and had to depend on sunlight. In just the last year, he lost about 400 tons of paddy seed because of rainy weather. He now says that, al though the cost of operation from the flatbed dryer is about the same as when he was drying seeds on the floor, he would be happy to pay even more for it.

Mechanical drying services will benefit farmers, processors, and trade intermediaries by recovering more of farmers’ harvests and by adding value to paddy. Flatbed dryers can also potentially be used to dry maize, soybean, and other crops.

Expansion of the current enterprise will not only expand contract drying services for a diverse customer base in the postharvest rice chain but will also allow the enterprise to access potential opportunities for drying other types of crop.

In a seminar held on 25 July 2013 at the IRRI Bangladesh Office, Dr. Chanda introduced this new business model, with emphasis on the fact that the 5-ton flatbed dryer is the first of its kind installed in Bangladesh and is running and benefiting the owner.


Learn more about IRRI (www.irri.org) or follow us on the social media and networks (all links down the right column).

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Women in rice farming to star at IRRI event

IRRI recognizes the crucial role of women in agriculture and food security, particularly in rice farming. In partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), the Institute will be hosting Women in rice farming, an event that gives tribute to women and their contributions to rice production, on 8 August 2013 at IRRI Headquarters.

“Filipino women in rice farming are very proud of the fact that they are not only the family’s treasurers but are partners with their husbands in decision-making on farm and household matters,” said Thelma Paris, leader of IRRI’s gender research. “They are thus potential contributors and beneficiaries of rice technologies through rice research.” 

“Through this event, women in rice-farming communities can gain more knowledge and skills related to new technologies, which can help them make sound decisions to better manage their rice production,” added Dr. Paris. “In this event, we are also giving tribute and recognition to women leaders and ’unsung’ workers in the fields, especially in arduous operations such as transplanting, weeding, harvesting, gleaning, and other value-adding activities that are crucial in achieving household and national food (rice) security.”

Women in rice farming will be attended by women farmers and women from the national and local government units, the academe, and the private sector. Activities will include a field tour of IRRI’s facilities; viewing of various women-friendly machinery developed by IRRI’s Postharvest Center; marketplace presentations of IRRI’s research projects; and an open forum where guests, scientists, and researchers can discuss different aspects of food security. There will also be a tour of the Riceworld Museum and a viewing of the exhibit, Feathers in the Fields: The Birds of IRRI.

The event is a highlight of IRRI’s celebration of the National Year of Rice 2013.

Learn more about IRRI (www.irri.org) or follow us on the social media and networks (all links down the right column).

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Healthier rice takes center stage at international rice festival

V. Bruce J. Tolentino, IRRI’s communication and partnerships head, opened the International Rice Festival
with representatives from the National Nutrition Council, PhilRice, Oxfam, Megaworld Lifestyle Centers.The opening program included a rice wine-toasting ceremony and a cultural performance from the Indak Lahi dance troupe.

In keeping with Nutrition Month and the National Year of Rice (NYR) celebrations in the Philippines, IRRI

partnered with Megaworld Corporation to stage the International Rice Festival at Eastwood Mall, Quezon City, on 26–28 July 2013.

“Improving the nutrition and health of rice consumers and rice farmers is one of the main goals of IRRI,” said V. Bruce J. Tolentino, the Institute’s deputy director general for communication and partnerships, in his message during the Festival’s opening ceremony.

IRRI’s participation in the Festival was a fun opportunity to share its work with the public and to affirm its support to the rice self-sufficiency goal of the Philippine government, which is the focus of the NYR.

During the Rice Symposium on 28 July, Dr. Tolentino talked about IRRI and shared highlights of the Institute’s research and development programs. Lina Torrizo, associate scientist at IRRI’s Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology division, discussed “hidden hunger,” or micronutrient deficiency that is prevalent in rice-consuming populations. She also spoke about IRRI’s work in developing healthier rice varieties as a potential new way to improve the nutrition of rice consumers.

Rosa Paula Cuevas, postdoctoral fellow at IRRI, got the audience talking about their rice preferences and dissected the various aspects of rice grain quality in a presentation.

The three-day event highlighted healthier ways to cook, serve, and enjoy rice through exhibits, bazaars, and cooking demos.

Other organizations that participated in the festival include the Philippine Rice Research Institute, Oxfam, Center for Culinary Arts, National Bookstore, Robinson’s Supermarket, Galileo Enotica, and more.

The IRRI booth featured taste-tests of brown rice to help consumers appreciate its appeal and learn more about its nutritional benefits over the commonly preferred white rice.

Mall-goers were likewise invited to sign up for a free subscription to e-Rice Today, IRRI’s quarterly publication. More than 200 signed up to receive e-Rice Today for free and more than 400 visited the brown rice-tasting booth.

Learn more about IRRI (www.irri.org) or follow us on the social media and networks (all links down the right column).

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Labor economist is guest in July researchers' lunch

Ashok Mishra, professor of agricultural economics at Louisiana State University, USA, joined the Young Researchers Lunch for July. Dr. Mishra has been visiting IRRI over the past few months doing research on the economics of women in agriculture, as presented in a recent IRRI Seminar.

Lunch attendees were Maria Luz Malabayabas, Donald Villanueva, Amelia Cueno, Rio Maligalig, Maria Theresa Castro, and Anandhan Tamilselvan.

The group discussed their perspectives on mechanization and labor with Dr. Mishra, who encouraged them to publish their research work and offered suggestions regarding doctoral programs in economics. His final words of advice for the group—"there is no substitute for hard work!"

The Young Researchers Lunch is a monthly meeting for NRS and AFSTRI scientists who are in the early stages of their career. The purpose is to provide an opportunity for discussion with senior scientists on a range of topics, including science and career paths.



Learn more about IRRI (www.irri.org) or follow us on the social media and networks (all links down the right column).

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Nutrition Month: IRRI takes part in End Hunger concert

To show support for the fight against hunger and malnutrition, several staff members from IRRI jammed with counterparts from the health and nutrition community during the End Hunger concert, organized by the National Nutrition Council (NNC) as part of Nutrition Month celebrations in the Philippines.

IRRI delegation to the End Hunger Concert with DOH Asec Maria Bernardita Flores and Asec. Eric Tayag

The theme for Nutrition Month this year is Gutom at malnutrisyon, sama-sama nating wakasan! (Together we can end hunger and malnutrition!).

The concert brought together Filipino artists and musicians all sharing messages of unity to increase awareness about issues and actions needed to mitigate hunger and malnutrition, encourage stakeholders to contribute to the cause, and advocate for stronger political action to end hunger.

Notable performances were given by Nikki Gil, Luis Manzano, Noel Cabangon, Princess, Bamboo, Assistant Secretary of Health Eric Tayag, and many others.

The concert was held on 19 July 2013 at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall.

Improving the nutrition and health of rice consumers and rice farmers is at the heart of IRRI’s work on developing high-nutrient rice varieties. For its part, IRRI has initiated several activities that are aligned with the Philippine Nutrition Month and National Year of Rice celebrations. These activities include presentations in nutrition conferences, a media day, an in-house campaign for brown rice, and many more.




Learn more about IRRI (www.irri.org) or follow us on the social media and networks (all links down the right column).

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Zeigler honored for science leadership

Robert Zeigler, IRRI director general, was conferred the 2013 Leadership in Science Public Service Award by the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB).

The award recognizes individuals who have advanced the mission of ASPB and its members through significant contributions to plant science and public policy leadership.

Dr. Zeigler was honored for his focus on addressing the agricultural needs of the developing world through plant biology research. The ASPB cited his guidance of IRRI, “whose goals include increasing the nutrition and quality of rice through sustainable practices, toward breeding lines able to withstand a variety of environmental extremes, such as drought and flooding.”

He spoke as part of the awards symposium at Plant Biology 2013 in Providence on 20 July.

Dr. Zeigler was honored along with Lisa Ainsworth, Charles Albert Shull Awardee, and Ian Sussex, Stephen Hales Prize Awardee.



Learn more about IRRI (www.irri.org) or follow us on the social media and networks (all links down the right column).

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Iran: Rice technologists from West and Central Asia join rice production course

Sixteen rice technologists from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkey underwent the two-week Rice Production Training Course held in Iran on 24 June–6 July 2013.

The training course was the first offered by the Regional Rice Research and Training Centre (RRRTC) and covered all aspects of rice production and processing. It was presented in English, Persian, and Russian but, as Joe Rickman of IRRI, one of the resource persons, said, “Language was not a major barrier as all lectures were supported by many practical exercises, and we had great translators.”

The course included visits to local rice-fish-duck farms, rice seedling farms, rice mills, and manufacturers of machinery. Participants were taught to use farm equipment, plow fields, establish and protect crops, mill, and test for grain quality.

Dr. Shahdi, IRRI representative in Iran, said that the students enjoyed the practical approach of the course and the new knowledge on equipment and technologies.

Resource persons for the course were Engr. Rickman and Eugene Castro from IRRI and ten subject matter specialists from Iran.

The training course was jointly conducted by the IRRI and the RRRTC for Central West Asia in Rasht, Iran.


Learn more about IRRI (www.irri.org) or follow us on the social media and networks (all links down the right column).

reade more... Résuméabuiyad