Two weeks ago, I highlighted the effects of 16 per cent VAT on farmers and how they can cope with effects of Increased cost of chemical pesticides. One such coping mechanism was the adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). One rice farmer with a burning desire to produce high quality rice with minimal chemicals wanted to know how practical it is to apply the IPM in rice fields. 

Judging from the wall of hate on social media, the launch of new versions of Rice Krispies, Coco Pops and Strawberry Pops in South Africa has not gone smoothly for Kellogg’s.

Farming food crops of all kinds is likely to become more difficult as global temperatures increase, depressing yields for corn, soybeans, rice and wheat.

Soil scientists are researching rice's ability to cost-effectively remove pesticides from runoff water before it flows into rivers, lakes and streams. Tests showed an 85% to 97% efficiency in removing chemicals.

The caterpillars of the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), an invasive moth, can potentially feed on over 350 different species of plants. In the Americas it’s known as a serious pest.

A new U of T study suggests that globally we're growing more of the same kinds of crops, and this presents major challenges for agricultural sustainability on a global scale.

The international rice market largely has drifted lower in recent months, in quiet trade. In the United States, the absence of official reports, unavailable because of the government shutdown, has left traders with limited information.

The recent World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides further evidence that the world will have fairly large maize, soybean, and rice supplies in the 2018/19 season. Meanwhile, wheat production could decline from levels seen in the 2017/18 season.

 Despite a weak monsoon season, India’s Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare is forecasting record production of rice and near record production of wheat in 2018-19.

Over the last century, government policies and large food producers have prioritized farming practices that grow crop varieties with high yields.

The Western Cape is the leading producer of South Africa’s winter crops, which are wheat, barley and canola. It is also in this province where plantings typically begin at the end of April, while in other provinces it's around midyear.

The world's top ten crops - barley, cassava, maize, oil palm, rapeseed, rice, sorghum, soya bean, sugarcane and wheat - supply a combined 83% of all calories produced on cropland.

World prices for rice have changed little overall in recent months, although they remain down compared to the first few months of 2018. Demand has remained subdued, with a forecast 2019-20 crop that is down slightly from last year’s record.

Rice is a diet staple in the countries of Southeast Asia, and they are large producers and traders in the crop, but diets are changing with taste, increased affluence and consumers’ desire for greater convenience

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has commended Nigeria as the number one rice producer in Africa and debunks claims by the World Food Programme (WFP) that Nigeria risks sliding into a hunger crisis.

Growing rice in the ocean sounds a little whacky, but ocean agriculture is an emerging form of food production that could have some real potential.

Indian rice traders have stopped signing new export contracts amid the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, as labour shortages and logistics disruptions have hampered the delivery of even existing contracts, industry officials said.

Drone manufacturer XAG is scaling up drone applications in China that enable night-time seeding at peak period.

Processing agricultural products – adding value by transforming them from basic commodities – increases their worth, appeal and market value.

As skyrocketing crop prices fuel fears about soaring food costs and hunger around the globe, one of the world’s most consumed staples is bucking the trend and warding off a broader food crisis at least for now.