Rice

rice from Myanmar and Cambodia

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These are difficult times for Spanish rice. Not so much because of the crops but because of the context in which farmers are forced to compete. After several campaigns marked by a adverse weatherthe sector has achieved increase the surface harvested and your estimates For the 2025/2026 campaign they point to a clear increase compared to the previous one. Both indicators are positive, but they have not prevented the sector from being concerned about another reason: falling prices and pressure imports. There is Who is speaking of an “extreme” situation. Coming back from the drought. The last few years have not been easy for Spanish rice growers. Among other issues, they have been forced to deal with a drought that has conditioned the cultivated area and (what is the same) production. According to the Esyrce surveyprepared by the Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA), so far this century the average area dedicated to rice has never fallen below 100,000 hectares (in 2011 it even reached 122,300). That changed in recent campaigns due to the serious shortage of water. This season things are a little different. In June the MAP estimated that the cultivated area will reach 97,000 hectares, 15,400 more than those calculated in spring and 12.9% more than last year. And it is not the only positive indicator. Agro-Food Cooperatives already speaks that the national rice harvest for the 2025/26 campaign will reach 761,515 tons. In practice, it means improving production by 27.43% compared to the 2024/25 campaign. These are data that are still far from what the sector managed a few years ago (in 2011 it exceeded 900,000 t), but encouraging. Fantastic, right? More or less. Although these figures lend themselves to an optimistic reading, another feeling prevails in the sector: caution. Just yesterday, in the statement In which it reported the increase in the national rice harvest, Cooperativas Agro-Alimentarias acknowledged facing an “uncertain future” for national crops. And it is not the first message he has launched with that tone. Just a few weeks ago, during an interview With the Efe agency, the group already reported that it is going through an “extremely extreme” situation marked by prices that in many cases do not cover production costs. What worries you? To the farmers it worries them the impact of the 2024 DANA in La Albufera, how the hail has punished the crops in the Ebro Delta or the influence of the summer rains and heat waves. Also “the increasingly pronounced lack” of tools to confront pests, “phytosanitary restrictions” that condemn the sector to a “competitive disadvantage”. If there is something worrying in the sector, however, it is grain prices and imports. Outstanding prices. The message was conveyed clearly. a few weeks ago Félix Liviano, president of the rice sector of Cooperativas Agro-Alimentarias: “In Extremadura it is likely that we will not be able to market 20% of the long rice (indica variety) produced because there is so much imported grain that it is very cheap in the markets.” At that time the indica variety Cascara was priced at 310 euros per tonfar from the 453 in 2024 or the 555 in 2023. The updated data MAPA shows that both indica and japonica are still well below the levels of recent years. “We can’t compete with them”. There is another point, closely related to the drift in prices, on which the sector focuses: the import of merchandise. I told it recently EFE. For some time now, Spanish farmers have been demanding that the entry of rice from other countries be stopped. Above all, they target Cambodia and Myanmar, nations benefiting from a community initiative (EBA, Everyting But Arms) that left cereal imports without tariffs in 2009. The situation has undergone changes since then (between 2018 and 2021 clauses that taxed imports were introduced), but even so the Spanish sector warns that it is under excessive pressure. “Imports are sinking prices in the sector since the safeguard clause disappeared several years ago. We cannot compete with them, because in the EU we have prohibited many phytosanitary active materials, higher labor costs and we produce with sustainability requirements,” explains Ignacio Huertas, from UPA. Hence, it requests “reciprocity” in Brussels’ trade agreements with third countries or the sector emphasizes the importance of providing itself with “automatic safeguard clauses” against imports. Does that much rice arrive? The EU recognizes that it is not self-sufficient in rice cultivation and needs to import tons of rice every year, especially of the indica variety. Its main origins are Cambodia, India and Thailand, although the photo changes slightly if we talk about the Spanish market. “The European sector is at a critical crossroads in the face of ongoing negotiations on the GSP. The current framework, combined with preferential trade agreements, bilateral agreements and tariff quotas, allows the annual entry into the EU of around 635,690 tonnes of milled rice without tariffs, in addition to significant quantities of husked rice, especially basmati varieties from India and Pakistan,” remember Cooperativeswhich warns: “Without minimum corrective measures, the future of the sector could be compromised.” Images | Darío Méndez (Unsplash), Shayan Ghiasvand (Unsplash), MAP and European Commission In Xataka | Rice has just done the unthinkable: from inflationary threat to historic price collapse

The Spanish rice has come out in the most unexpected country in Europe: England

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Spain is one of the great rice producers in Europe. The annual production of this cereal is around 800,000 tonsa significant portion of 2.8 million tons produced in the European Union. Now a new country could be incorporated into the list of European producing countries (although it comes late to join the Union list).It is the United Kingdom. A crop making their way. The rice cultivation He makes his way in England. An experimental rice plantation is demonstrating the viability of the cultivation of this cereal in the relatively fresh and humid climate of the British islands. Nine varieties. The experiment It is being driven by the UKCEH (UK Center for Ecology and Hydrology) and for a marriage of local farmers, Craig and Sarah Taylor. The experimental rice cultivation occupies four plots of a land in the FENS region, in Cambridgeshire. In this region of the East English, marshes and peat areas predominate. The soil in this region is not only rich in nutrients and conducive to agriculture but also offers, thanks to peat, the possibility of creating floodplains such as those required by rice cultivation. The four plots occupied by this experimental crop have been sufficient to cultivate nine varieties of rice, including rice originating in Brazil, Italy or the Philippines, varieties used for plates such as risotto, Basmati rice or sushi. With the help of heat. Cultivating rice in the British climate does not seem like a great idea, but the results seem to indicate otherwise. It may have contributed the exceptionally warm summer that has affected the British islands. The future of rice cultivation on the islands could depend on the heat lived this year being a simple anomaly or fruit of a trend marked towards increasing temperatures. “We could never have contemplated that this grew here,” explained to the BBC Sarah Taylor, one of those responsible for this project. “Not in a million years,” Apostille Craig, her husband. Tying the carbon. The mob plays an important role in carbon regulation. This soil originates in the decomposition of organic matter and stores a large amount of carbon. The degradation of these soils as a result of agricultural use implies the emission to the atmosphere of huge amounts of carbon dioxide. The rice planting project He wants to avoid thisTying the carbon to the terrestrial peat of the English region. This implies that the project not only has the potential to help adapt to change in the weather, it is also a way to mitigate the emissions that cause it. New competition? Climate change involves numerous challenges and perhaps one of the greatest has to do with agriculture. Changes in temperature and rain patterns imply that the crops that once prospered in one place stop doing so. On the other hand, change also open the road to the introduction of new crops where they would have been inconceivable before. In a changing context, rice crops in Spain raise a double threat. On the one hand, The drought lived a few years ago It was a threat to endanger the supply of water in areas such as the Ebro delta. In case that were not enough, the rainy episodes we have seen in the last year have also brought New threats to cereal producing regions. In Xataka | The US launched a pulse to China with the tariffs and China has responded not buying soybeans. It is wreaking havoc Image | UKCEH

All commercial relations between the European Union and India depend on one thing: Basmati rice

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For years, Brussels and New Delhi negotiate a free trade agreement. It is a historical, tremendously ambitious and, above all, necessary for all parties: for India because the union is its third commercial partner (and represents 10% of its total trade); for union because it desperately seeks to diversify partners in an increasingly aggressive and polarized context. Well, negotiations They are about to derail and all by grain of rice. Basmati rice, to be concrete. Basmati is a highly appreciated rice. Of long and delicate fragrance, this variety of rice has been growing at the foot of the Himalayas, between India and Pakistan. Even today. In fact, According to 2019 dataIndia produced 65% of the world’s basati. Pakistan, the other 35%. Something perfectly normal in two countries that have 3,323 kilometers of border. The problem is that, in short, They are India and Pakistan. Why not be friends? In 2018, India requested the label of exclusive protected geographical indication for the Basmati in the EU. There the problems began. Pakistan, as was predictable for anyone who knew the rivalry between the two countries, fell flatly and claimed it for himself. Although it seems a minor issue, a decision in favor of one country or another could seriously affect exports of the victim. And India wants to take advantage. No one can recriminate it to New Delhi: the current geopolitical situation has cornered a European Union. And it is not that the previous situation was great strength. It is only enough to remember that before the pandemic (and probably after) it was not manufactured Not a gram of paracetamol throughout the continent. Therefore, what was some common sense, in the middle of the commercial war, has become pressing: Brussels needs to expand the pitch and India is its great trick to do so. We live rare times (or not so much). For years, the international commercial consensus that gave the World Trade Organization and its standards the pivotal nature of world economic dynamics. Today, between Bravuonadas and Wars, we have discovered that this consensus was nothing more than a fiction. The economic fragmentation, the collapse of multilateralism and the growing uncertainty have led to such crisis of the system that even a grain of rice can put it in check. Image | Kanesue | Joshua Olsen In Xataka | India to Pakistan: “I’m not going to give you more water from my rivers.” An unprecedented climbing of the conflict

change it for curry and rice plates

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Walking through the city of Ambikapur in India, the aroma of the Samous leaves a cafeteria called Garbage Café (Translated: “Basure cafeteria”). The name in itself is striking and has an explanation: here nobody pays with rupees, but with garbage, specifically, with plastic. An unusual restaurant. In a BBC chronicle They have reported the visit To this cafeteria at the beginning of the year. The premises opened in 2019, promoted by the Municipal Ambikapur Corporation (AMC) and financed with its sanitation budget. The motto made it clear: “More The Waste, Better The Taste” (more garbage, better flavor). Today, the restaurant feeds about 20 people every day and has gathered almost 23 tons of plastic in six years, According to municipal data collected by the BBC. The environmental impact is modest in volume, but symbolic: the plastic sent to landfills in Ambikapur was reduced from 5.4 tons per year in 2019 to 2 tons in 2024, according to Ritesh Saini, sanitation coordinator in the city. The backdrop. What happens in this city is relevant because India faces a plastic crisis of global dimensions. According to the Pollution Control Board Central (CPCB)India generates between 3.5 and 4 million tons of plastic waste per year, although other estimates raise the figure to 9 million, depending on the methodologies used. In addition, A THINK TANK CEEW report Summarize the gap: real recycling ranges between 13% and 60%, well below what is necessary. UNEP (UNEP) warns thatwithout structural changes, the global production of plastics could be tripled by 2060, and proposes an approach to “close the tap”: reduce, redesign, reuse and recycle. Besides, A study in Nature On macroplastic emissions, he concluded that in countries of the Global South, such as India, the main factor is unpaid garbage: tons of waste that end in rivers and oceans. Prohibitions against reality. In parallel, the Indian government introduced in 2022 A national prohibition of single -use plastics (bags, straws, cutlery, trays, sticks …) and reinforced the expanded responsibility of the producer (EPR), forcing companies to collect and recycle the containers they put in the market. However, compliance remains irregular, especially among small manufacturers, and much of the effort falls on the informal recycle sector, invisible and exposed to health risks. How does the cafeteria work? The exchange in the Café Garbage is simple, but for those who depend on it it is vital. A plastic kilo is equivalent to a complete dish with rice, vegetable curris, dal, roti bread, salad and pickled; Half a kilo is enough for a breakfast or vada pav breakfast. As the BBC article collectsthe collected material is delivered to the 20 Decentralized Management Centers (SLRM) of the city. There, about 480 women, known as Swachhata Didis (Cleaning sisters), do the door by door and classify the waste into more than 60 categories. This system not only allows most of the materials to be recovered, but also created stable jobs. The final destination is varied. On the one hand, part is granula to make roads or sold to recyclers. On the other hand, organic waste becomes compost. While the non -recyclable fraction is sent to cement companies as an alternative fuel. According to the BBCthis treatment network is one of the keys that have turned Ambikapur into a “zero landfill” city. However, deficiencies persist. While the workers of the centers have gloves and masks, the street collection that carry plastic to the coffee – many vulnerability – do not usually have protection. The Minal Pathak researcher, from the University of Ahmedabad, warns of the risk of handling plastics mixed with organic remains, shear objects or even toxic waste. For people like Rashmi Mondal, a regular user, coffee has meant a relief: “I used to sell the plastic kilo for just 10 rupees (about 12 cents). Now I can feed my family with what I pick up,” explained to the British environment. A model that extends. The formula has not remained in Ambikapur. In Siliguri (West Bengal) It has been offered since 2019 A free meal to those who deliver half a kilo of plastic. That same year, in Mulugu (Telangana), A program was launched which changes a kilo of plastic for another kilo of rice. More recently, in MySuru (Karnataka), the public canteen allow since 2024 Card 500 grams of plastic for a breakfast or a kilo for a complete meal. In Uttar Pradesh, some projects have chosen to deliver compresses to women in exchange for plastic waste. The model also reached the capital. Delhi opened more than 20 coffees in 2020, but most closed shortly after. Those responsible pointed out the lack of waste segregation, low public knowledge and weakness of recycling infrastructure as the main causes, As detailed to the BBC. Beyond the plate. In Ambikapur, a plate of Dal and Rice can start with a bunch of wrappers rescued from the street. For Ram Yadav, A collector interviewed by The Guardian in 2019: “Hot food lasts all day, and it makes me feel that I am on a table like anyone.” It will not solve the plastic or hunger crisis, but it shows that local solutions can add dignity, urban cleaning and collective consciousness. What happens from here – produce less, redesign better, meet the standards and protect those who support the system – will decide whether this experience is a luminous anecdote or the beginning of a broader change. Image | Unspash and Unspash Xataka | The hoteliers promised them happy in a summer of record tourism. Until the ghost reserves arrived

Freezing rice not only saves time and work: for many Tamnb nutritionists

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When one makes rice, there are only two options: either you fall short, or kitchens to feed half regiment. In that second case, the usual thing is to save it in a taper for the next day. What everyone knows is that this daily gesture – guard, cooling and reheating rice – can have effects on your health and even help you absorb less calories. But if it’s just reheating it … There is something else. And no, it is not a Tiktok kitchen trick or a fashion without a base: it is pure biochemistry. In a report by El Confidencial, Dr. María Muñoz – specialist in digestive system at the Virgen de la Arrixaca hospital in Murcia – made it clear that the rice of the next day has no magic, but enough science. “Did you know that cooked and then frozen rice can have fewer calories? It is not magic, it is science and has to do with how your body digests starch,” he explained. The secret is on the starch. The key to this transformation is a substance called Resistant starch. When cooking foods rich in starch – such as rice, pasta or potatoes – a process called gelatinization is produced: starch chains are messy and become more accessible to our digestive enzymes. But if that food cools (for example, in the fridge or freezer), those chains are reorganized in a more compact and less digestible way, through a process called retrogradation. The result ends that starch becomes resistant, that is, it is not absorbed as glucose. Instead, it reaches the colon and acts as a prebiotic fiber. Less calories, better digestion. This type of starch – the so -called type 3 – behaves like a fiber: feeds the good bacteria of the intestine and generates beneficial compounds such as short chain fatty acids, including butyrate, essential for intestinal health. According to has pointed out Dr. Muñoz in El Confidencial, that resistant starch “is not digested or absorbed as glucose, but passes to the colon as a fiber, having a prebiotic effect.” In other words, the body absorbs less calories and experiences a more moderate glycemic response. Something especially useful for people with insulin resistance, digestive problems or who seek to control their weight. Science behind. As We have explained in Xatakavarious studies partially support the benefits of resistant starch. From Cleveland Clinic They define it As “a functional fiber that can help improve intestinal microbiota, regulate blood sugar and contribute to the immune system.” Now, not all types of resistant starch act the same. According to a meta -analysis posted in Scientedirectthe most powerful effects are observed in the types present naturally in foods such as green bananas or legumes. Type 3, the reheated rice, also shows benefits, although to a lesser extent. In other words, you can add, but it will not work miracles on its own. But there is a silent bacterium. The rice has its weak point, and it is not the microwave. When it is already cooked, it is especially vulnerable to a little known but quite resistant bacterium: Bacillus cereus. This bacterium can survive the heat of cooking and, if the rice stays too long at room temperature, find the perfect environment to multiply. The problem comes that it is not enough to reheat it: their toxins can continue there, causing poisoning with symptoms such as diarrhea or digestive discomfort. A silent risk that many times goes unnoticed between tuppers and leftovers of the previous night. Dr. Muñoz He has warned In the confidential that a bad conservation can have consequences. And in Xataka He also alerted that the cooling and overheating cycles – precisely those needed to generate resistant starch – are an ideal environment for this bacterium if they are not handled well. The recommendations are clear: cooling the rice in less than an hour, save it in the fridge (or freezer) without exceeding 48 hours if it does not freeze, reheat only once and never leave it several hours at room temperature. One last concern. Rice not only worries how we cook it, but also how it is grown. In an article published in Xatakawe collected the results of a study that launches a disturbing warning: climate change could be increasing arsenic levels in rice. The reason is in the combination of two factors – more carbon dioxide and higher temperatures – that facilitate plants to absorb more arsenic of the soil. If the trend continues, the impact could be noticed around 2050, especially in regions where rice is basic food. Reheating is not magic, but it can help. Finally, reheating rice can help you absorb less calories, but you will not convert a paella dish into a miraculous diet. Science supports it, provided that good conservation practices are followed. What began as a fashion on social networks has ended up opening a broader conversation about microbiota, glucose and eating habits. In the end, it’s not about changing your life for a rice taper. But with a simple gesture you can improve your intestinal health and reduce the caloric load a bit. Image | Pexels Xataka | The strange worship of resistant starch: what is behind the fever to cool food so that fattening less

that risotto eats on the moon. And they already investigate a supereno and more protein rice

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We continue to have the colonization of the bodies that surround us between eyebrow and eyebrow. For a while, Mars became the “Manifest destination” of the United Statesbut the moon has returned to the first position of extraterrestrial colonization. Is the reason for being of the Artemis missionand it is evident that the moon has much to offer in the form of minerals and energy. But to be able to establish ourselves in the satellite, there is a fundamental step: Cultivate food on the moon. And now Italy has presented The main ingredient of food on the moon: rice. Space farmers. NASA wants to return to the moon, Europe and Russia also. AND China is making great advances. And something that all nations are exploring is how to grow in the lunar soil, from potential food to tobacco, how is China exploring. Lunar soil is hostile because there are no nutrients, so in the past We have experienced with worms and fungi to do the first fertilization work. The idea is to make the regolito, Something very valuable To create materials and leading element of the lunar soil, it is more fertile, but while we find the way, from the Italian Space Agency (like) they have had another idea: to create varieties of dwarf rice by genetic edition to grow in the conditions of the moon. Miniarrocera. The initiative led by the Italian organism implies a joint investigation with universities such as Milan, Roma Sapienza and Naples Federico II, and the objective is to develop a variety of supersenan rice that grows in microgravity conditionsas well as in extremely reduced spaces such as those that can occur in lunar bases. The idea is to maximize production in an extremely narrow space, and that is why they seek to reduce the size of the plant as possible without affecting the amount of rice it can give. A rice plant can reach heights between 70 and 150 centimeters, but the research objective is that the maximum size of those lunar plants is about 10 centimeters. Overcome. Beyond achieving a very compact size, the project seeks to modify the genetics of the plant so that the resulting rice is more nutritious than what we have on Earth. For example, that has a superior protein contribution, something that the “normal” rice suffers. Samples of this miniarroz Difficult. For this project baptized as ‘Moon-Rice’, each of the centers deals with a task. The University of Milan isolates mutant varieties with dwarfism; The University of Rome identifies the best genes to achieve maximum performance despite the size and that of Naples contributes its experience in space crops (such as the Melissa project of ESAwhich simulates closed ecosystems to recycle air and water in long -term missions). But, although promising candidates have already been identified to modify, such as the Japanese dwarf variety kozosumikathis miniaturization presents multiple challenges. Alter the gibberelin of the plant (the plant hormone that allows regulating the height) can also affect production, being that balance between dwarfism and maximum productivity the balance so delicate that must be managed in the laboratory. Terrestrial applications. As it happens so many times when a technology is developed or explored for lunar use, we also see potential for use within the atmosphere. For example, developing a rice that occupies little space, that is more nutritious and more resistant than usual, can be useful for both Urban agriculture as, above all, for the development of crops in arid areas of the Earth. And, beyond this moon-rice that is in initial phases, it is evident that Italy is taking seriously lunar exploration. As a member of ESA, it is collaborating with other agencies that also have interest in the satellite. An example is the interest at the Mohammed Bin Rashid space center of the United Arab Emirates to promote exploration on the Moon, but also a contract With the Thales Satellite manufacturer Alenia Space to develop a habitability module to operate in the lunar base as part of the Artemis program. It only remains to be seen if, in that Lunar module of Italy, the risotto is the main dish. And, who knows, beyond being a source of food, that the ‘inhabitants’ of the moon see green can have positive effects on their mental health during long -term missions. Images | University of Milan, THAT In Xataka | To the big question about what the hell is in the hidden face of the moon, China has just given the first answers

Japan went to South Korea as a desperate measure for the lack of rice. They have not even solved a national emergency

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To understand what is happening in Japan we must go back in time. The summer of 2024 left A perfect storm On the basis of the nation’s diet: rice. A unprecedented shortage of grains in his own fields began to leave No stock to shops. Then, the tourist boom has duplicate the problem turning it into a historical crisis reflected in a fact: 30% more expensive was being paid. Given the danger to running without a basic pillar, the decision was made “Release” tons of your reservations. What nobody could anticipate. Foreign rice. In April, La Nación opted for another unprecedented decision in 25 years: Import rice From South Korea, an unthinkable measure in a society Historically reluctant to the foreign grain, but that was forced to make its customs more flexible to the vertiginous increase in the price of the national grain. With prices that They doubled their value Regarding the previous year (reaching 4,214 yuan by 5 kg in April) and with a government response that fails to contain the climbing, consumers have begun to look beyond their borders. Not just that. The Aeon chain He also announced which will begin to sell American rice Calrose starting next month, with a price 10% lower than the Japanese grain, a decision that could mark a turning point in consumption habits. In front of national rice. The arrival of South Korean rice, sold both online and in supermarkets, although even in small volumes (just two tons with another twenty on the way), marked a point of cultural and economic inflection. The nationalist preference for local rice, which had condemned to failure Previous attempts such as that of Thai rice in 1993, has yielded to the urgency of more accessible prices. The Guardian told Cases of testimonies such as that of Miki Nihei diner, who said not to notice any difference when eating Californian rice, and revealed a change in public perception: the quality of foreign grain was no longer a sufficient reason to resist, when the pocket suffers. The rice becomes a politician. Now, a few weeks after crucial elections for the Upper House, the government of the Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru ishiba is on the edge of political collapse Given the growing discomfort by the exorbitant increase in the price of rice, central food in Japanese food. With inflation that has reached the most symbolic product in the country, citizens have expressed their frustration in surveys such as that of the Kyodo agency, which places the approval of the Ishiba cabinet in a minimum of 27.4%marking a fall of more than five points in just one month. The pressure intensifies not only from the opposition, but also from its own Democratic Liberal Party (PLD), already weakened after lose most In the lower house last fall. THE DEBATE ON THE Impost to consumption Of 10%, that the government refuses to reduce despite popular claims, is emerging as the decisive axis of the electoral contest of July, with almost three quarters of voters asking for their total or partial cuts, especially in food. A late remedy. As we said at the beginning, in an attempt to contain the crisis, the government decided to release rice from the strategic reserves In March, a normally reserved measure For natural disasterswhich failed to stop the price increase. The price price in supermarkets reached practically Double of what cost a year ago. Although the price dropped minimally after the release of the first 300,000 tons, the results were disappointing. To reinforce his strategy, the executive announced the launch of another 300,000 tons Additional until July, with the novelty that part of these items will overcome wholesalers to reach the points of sale faster. However, More than 87% From respondents believe that these actions are insufficient, and citizens do not trust that trade negotiations with the United States focused among other issues in rice imports will be resolved in favor of Japan. From there to that leap For the search for “foreigner” rice In South Korea. A political fire. The theme has become more violent in recent days. It happened when the Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Taku Eto, unleashed A political storm and socially by declare that “he has never had to buy rice” thanks to the gifts he receives from his supporters. The phrase, pronounced during a fundraising party, was disseminated by the Kyodo and quickly replicated agency by other meansgenerating a wave of indignation in social networks where thousands of citizens, faced at record prices of the Japanese basic food, demanded their immediate resignation. Eto, visibly pressed, apologized the next day before the journalists, claiming that “he had exaggerated to please the public” and that his wife, after reprimanding him on the phone, reminded him that she Yes Buy Rice When it ends at home. Thus, he avoided responding if he will present his resignation, leaving the tension generated in full countdown to the key elections of the upper house in July. A market that does not supply. In short, the Rice search Out of the nation is not (alone) a commercial turn that responds only to the registration of the national product, but (also) to the suspicion of hoarding by distributors, logistics bottlenecks and a Shot demand For booming tourism. Given this panorama, the image of ishiba as an effective manager It wobblesand its refusal to touch the consumption tax is interpreted as disconnection with the real needs of citizenship. The rice crisis is not only forcing logistics and commercial adjustments, but also raises questions about the viability of food self -sufficiency in Japan, a country that for decades has shielded its agriculture with subsidies, tariffs and a national identity speech linked to the consumption of domestic rice. Suddenly, the rice not only feeds: it also marks the measure of discontent. Image | Ilo Asia-Pacific In Xataka | Japan had used its rice reserve against earthquakes or tsunamis. Now is your weapon against the price escalation In Xataka | In Japan there … Read more

We have been reading about the danger of arsenic in rice for years. So much that we run the risk of not believing it in the worst possible time

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Arsenic is one of the best known toxic elements. The fact that traces of this element can be found in the rice we consume sounds more alarming than it really is: today only very high consumption of this food could involve health risks. The problem is that this can change in the future. Growing concentrations. A new study has pointed out that the increase in temperatures and carbon dioxide concentrations (CO2) in the atmosphere can favor the absorption of arsenic in rice crops. This would translate into a greater presence of the element in the dishes elaborated from this cereal. A change whose impact could be significant around 2050. This increase in arsenic concentration could especially affect the population in Asia, where rice represents a higher portion of the food consumed. “Our results suggest that this increase in arsenic levels could significantly raise the incidence of heart disease, diabetes, and (cause) other non -carcinogenic effects,” he said In a press release Lewis Ziskka, co -author of the study. The risk of arsenic. Arsenic is considered a heavy metal despite chemically belonging to the semimetal group. He Risk level which implies its presence depends on several factors, for example on the fact of the molecular structure in which it occurs (its organic structures are less dangerous than the inorganic ones). And, of course, it depends on the dose. The risk posed by this element has to do with its accumulation in our body. Its presence can lead to problems in development among the youngest, and in adults it has been related to skin disorders, bladder and cancer of lung. 28 Rice varieties. The team responsible for the study analyzed the effects on the rice of an average increase of 2º Celsius at the temperature and the associated increase of atmospheric CO2. Did it in 28 varieties of this cereal, modeling the evolution of its inorganic arsenic content over 10 years. From there, the team estimated the health impacts that this accumulation could produce in the populations of seven Asian countries around 2050. The result: a drastic increase in cancer cases and especially the cases of bladder cancer. Among the countries studied, China would stand out, which could see more than 13 million new cases of cancer associated with arsenic exposure. The details of the study were published In an article In the magazine The Lancet Planetary Health. Not everything is lost. In its study, the team raises some possible adaptation measures dedicated to reducing the future impacts of this problem. The team suggests hybridar varieties of plants to favor those that absorb less, introduce improvements in soil management in rice fields, and improve food processing practices. They also propose consumer -centered measures: education and minitor, they explain, they could play an important role in reducing the impacts of this growing presence of arsenic. The occasional alerts we receive regarding arsenic levels in rice could make this more difficult, by turning this problem into a “Pedro and the Wolf story”: a non -existent problem that we pay attention today could become a real problem that we ignore in the future. In Xataka | What is really happening with white rice (and to what extent should we worry) Image | Shayan Ghiasvand

There is a fever to see the weddings of others in social networks. And that is causing them to throw rice shovels to the bride and groom

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As always, fashion is not new but social networks bring it in the fore. In recent weeks, very particular wedding videos flood Tiktok and Instagram. In them, the old habit of throwing some stab of rice to the bride and groom is being replaced by throwing dozens of kilos of rice with the help of shovels. A maximization of The old customs that has a simple explanation beyond that everything is worth in order to create viral content: the spectacularization of weddings. More rice. Already in 2023 we read that In Galicia The guests had launched 200 kilos of rice to the bride and groom with blades and wheelbarrow. And last year, also in Galicia, a wedding was viralized in which The bride and groom were buried in confetti. Broak rice and confetti mixture had A recent wedding with the virtually indistinguishable boyfriends under a hell of paper and cereal. AND The most viral and next time It has been that of a couple who has also been buried under kilos of rice thrown with blades towards them. The impact on networks of the latter has been impressive: 35,000 I like and almost 5,000 comments record the importance of networks in the spread of these phenomena. Weddings: more and better. The progressive spectacularization of weddings is something that is in the same nature: since the nineteenth century, real weddings consolidated alliances and exhibited institutional power, and it is something that has not stopped seeing since then. The advent of social networks and the possibility of making everyone have our moment of glory, with thousands of people attending from the other side of the screen to the links if the hook is striking enough, has turned the weddings into events where everything is calculated to imitate those of the celebrities and nobles, who remain the mirror in which to look (at least, the mirror of a high percentage of people They decide to organize a wedding). More show, more price. In 2023 we talked How the price of a wedding had shot in recent years, already around 20,000 euros. To that amount we must add the honeymoon, and all this in a country, Spain, where the average salary is lower than that of other countries that entered this comparison. An amount where dress and accessories of the bride, photos and video, music, groom suit, organization, flowers … This does not make more weddings: after the pandemic: after the pandemic: after the pandemic There was a very remarkable rebound of the quantity, with a zipper of 20’5%, but in 2023 it descended again until it was similar to previous years. But although there is no more, they are more visible. Tatus and crazy cotillion. The thing goes furtherbecause this spectacularization in search of the most shocking or more glamorous wedding includes “syringes” with sucksneons, makeup kiosks, Thematic tattoos… what is known as a Glitter barwhere the least daring can opt, if it is not a tattoo, for a less permanent makeup. And everything often often oriented to provide good performance in social networks. Weddings keep liking. Weddings are still a notorious care center for a high number of people who come to social networks (primarily, women) to see foreign weddings. Influencers Like Ale Navas, Carla Vico or Claudia Jiménez They have recently married And the process in their networks, with millions of followers and covering from the hand request to the boyfriend’s trip, have broadcast with great detail. They are the mirror in which couples looking for dream weddings comparable to those of these are looked Influencers. The success of dating programs such as ‘Love Is Blind’ in Netflix, whose center are blind weddings, are the proof that weddings continue to generate interest. The cm of the wedding. But not just Influencers They monopolize the interest of weddings in social networks. Everyone wants to turn their wedding into something memorable or viralizable, and thus arise professions like him Wedding Social Manager (a cm focused exclusively on the wedding) or, as usual in the weddings of Influencerscontent creation (videos, photos, ReelsStories, moments when boyfriends and guests replicate memes in vogue) expressly thought for networks. Behind it there is a Spectacularization of the ceremony and the party whose ultimate goal is to look like Influencers successful … and something else. The wedding as show. Becoming a wedding into a spectacular party is also an incentive for boyfriends and guests, which perhaps consider the wedding of their friends or cousins ​​if they cannot talk about it in networks for months. Hence the content is favored Instagrameable of the wedding (the tatus, the avalanches of rice) in the face of more traditional issues (more classic photos and videosbut that cannot be shared). Our Devotion for gossip Do the rest: we love to frequent social networks to comment on the bride’s dress, something we have been doing since the heart press exists. But now we can carry it out putting people as conventional as oneself. Header | Tiktok In Xataka | Asturias has just celebrated three weddings from Sologamia: when the “yes I want” is actually a “yes (me)”

Filipino rice wine hid a superfood. In the waste we discarded, specifically

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It is often said that one can be a treasure for another. We have found a new example of this phenomenon, in the Philippines. The country responsible for golden ricea transgenic version of the food devised to replace the vitamin A deficiency, now brings us another product related to this cereal, a “loaded” product of nutrients. And this time with a more “artisanal” process. By -product, but food. A group of researchers has discovered that a material discarded in the Fermentation of the Tapuy, a traditional rice wine of the Philippines, are loaded with antioxidants. The compounds found in the You readwhich is what this residue is called, they were studied in the laboratory resulting in a rejuvenation of the animal models used in the study. The Tapuy. The Tapuy is a drink produced in the Philippines, the result of rice fermentation. The process uses, in addition to rice, a fermentation initiator called Bubod. The resulting residue, You readit has been the main object of the investigation, and is mainly composed of the waste of fermented rice, yeasts and other microbes. The study responsible for the study analyzed how various types of crops resulted in different types of You read. Optimizing nutrients. The team thus found a way to optimize the fermentation process, a specific crop that implied some You read Loaded nutrients. The result contained an abundance of polyphenolscompounds with antioxidant capacity that we can also find in products such as The wine or the chocolate. The team tested the different formulas feeding with them the worms of the species Caenorhabditis Elegans. They observed that an initiator of fermentation with high concentrations of the species Rhizopus oryzae, mucor indicus and Saccharomyces cerevisiaeIt was associated with an important increase in the life expectancy of these animals. They also observed that the worms fed with this residue produced more viable eggs. The details of the research were published in an article in the magazine Discover Food . Of animal to humans. There is still an important step to give, and it is to study how these results can translate into benefits in humans. The worms of the speciesC. ElegansThey are often used in medicine as animal models by some key characteristics such as transparency allows us to see more clearly the biological and biochemical processes in the animal. However, it should always be remembered that what works in animal models does not have to work in humans. Among other reasons because our diet is very varied and the multiple interactions between compounds can dilute their benefits. In Xataka | Some scientists have proposed to solve the big question: is it more “healthy” white wine or red? Image | Phương Nam Gạo / Manila Athenaeum

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