Today's Date:   Wednesday, October 24, 2012

1. GRAIN & OILSEED ISSUES

<10/22/2012> Korean Researchers Developing Disaster Resistant Rice Crops [English, CSY]

http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=138990&code=Ne6&category=7

Full text: Korea's domestic rice production for 2012 is predicted to barely break the 4 million ton mark, which will account for less than 90 percent for the country's rice self-sufficiency rate.  Due to a combination of unusually high temperatures and tropical storms, the rice crop yield this year is estimated to be 150-thousand tons less compared to last year.  Even a month after Korea's last typhoon, much of Korea's rice fields lay withering as a result of high speed winds and exposure to waves of salt water.  In response, Korean agricultural scientists are focusing their efforts on developing high-quality, high-yield varities of rice that are better able to adapt to extreme weather.

In addition to having tougher stems to resist flattening, these new varieties also show promising resistance to plant diseases and harmful pests.  As a result of one of Korea's pilot projects into agricultural crop research, a popular rice variety known as MS 11 was successfully designed to thrive in tropical climates.  In cooperation with the International Rice Research Institute, MS 11 has shown great success in farming trials in the Philippines. 

[Interview : Choi Im-soo, Agricultural Researcher

National Institute of Crop Science] "We're continuing to develop strong rice cultivars that are of high quality especially advancing traits that involve disease and pest resistance as well as withstanding strong winds."  Given that the domestic supply of rice is currently unstable, the development of better rice crops has become even more urgent amid surging international grain prices.

2. LIVESTOCK ISSUES

Japan to Allow UTM Beef from United States [Korean: BYK]

http://news.donga.com/3/all/20121024/50340056/1

Summary: Japan will allow U.S. beef from Under Thirty Month (UTM) old cattle from next year.  The Japanese Food Safety Committee recommended that it allow beef from cattle UTM and submitted its recommendation to the Ministry of Welfare and Labor on October 22.