Members of the Iraq Grain Board at an ADM facility in Louisiana

ARLINGTON, VA - The USA Rice Federation is reporting several positive developments following a Federation sponsored tour of delta rice country by representatives of the Iraq Grain Board (IGB) earlier this month (see USA Rice Daily, May 15, 2014).

The IGB representatives who participated in the week-long educational trip included Hasan Ibrahim, Director General of the Grain Board of Iraq, Laboratory Manager Ali Mensheid, and Import Manager Nuha Al-Musawi.

"We brought the officials here so we could better acquaint them with U.S. rice production, processing, and shipping procedures in the hopes we could find solutions to some obstacles currently impeding U.S. rice imports into Iraq," said Jim Guinn, vice president of international promotion for USA Rice.

Guinn says, by any measure, the trip was a success.

Chalk, broken content, and foreign matter in bulk shipments are areas of concern to the IGB, and significant progress was made in all three.

"During our meetings, it became clear that the IGB was only looking at whole kernels to determine chalk levels," said Guinn. "USDA procedure is to cut open suspected chalky kernels and only count them as chalky if the inside is chalky as well. The IGB said they will revisit their inspection procedures in light of their greater understanding of USDA standards for rice gained on this trip."

Guinn also said the IGB will review their broken percentage requirements in view of the fact that there would be little impact on consumers.

"And with regard to foreign material in bulk shipments, we've discussed one part of the solution as enhanced inspections of ship holds prior to loading, since this is where some of the problem is thought to originate," said Guinn.

Contact:  Michael Klein (703) 236-1458

Most of the corn, sugar beets and soybeans grown in the United States are genetically engineered, and those commodities make their way into many common foods

Value of U.S. Rice Lands to Waterfowl - Something to Quack About Delta Farm Press

If you attempted to replace existing rice lands with natural wetland habitat, the price tag would exceed $3.5 billion

Around the World

U.S. Farm Group Seek to Exclude Japan from Pacific Trade Talks Reuters

The Asian power's entry to the TPP last year was a game changer for many participants and excluding Japan would make the TPP less attractive for some countries

Science and Technology

A friendly microbe called Pseudomonas chlororaphis EA105 lives underneath the soil around rice plants and prevents the devastating fungus known as rice blast

MSU Research Associate Finds Her Field in Rice Mississippi Agricultural News

Rice is grown in hot, very humid and muddy conditions, and you have to be willing to get sweaty and muddy to work in it

Snapshot of 3,000 Rice Genomes Project Published Oryza

Knowledge of the plants' genetic makeup helps researchers and breeders make informed choices in strain selection, resulting in accurate and rapid development of rice strains that are superior in quality and suited to different agricultural environment

Health and Nutrition

100 Years of Tracking Nutrients Available in the U.S. Food Supply USDA Blog

The Nutrient Content of the U.S. Food Supply is a historical data series beginning with 1909, on the amounts of nutrients available in the food supply for consumption (not nutrients consumed), on a per capita per day basis, as well as percentage contributions of nutrients by major food groups