The US Grains Council recently concluded its annual China Corn Tour, estimating an increase in production over 2009. The Council estimates the total production for China’s 2010 corn crop at 158 million metric tons (6.2 billion bushels). Given the projected corn harvest area of 30.8 million hectares, this implies a yield of 5.13 tons/hectare or 81.5 bushels/acre.

The Asia Society and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Task Force report, Never an Empty Bowl: Sustaining Food Security in Asia, was the focus of the Ministerial Roundtable Meeting on Rice at the Third International Rice Congress held in Hanoi, Vietnam recently.

World demand for pesticides is projected to increase 2.9 per cent per year to US$52 billion in 2014, according to latest research. These gains will reflect a reversal of the substantial declines registered in 2009, caused in part by a precipitous price drop for glyphosate, the leading herbicide product.

Rice can be grown within a wide range of environmental conditions and by utilising a broad spectrum of different agronomic techniques. Differences in cultivation practise largely hinge on the amount of water required and the way in which it is harnessed and used. Similarly, the way in which rice is processed after harvest depends on whether water is used in ‘wet’ or ‘dry’ rice processing.