Tokyo - The Japanese government plans to return imported rice to exporting nations if it is found to be inedible, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Seiichi Ota said Friday.
Japan's decision followed recent cases in which a Japanese company sold rice imported from other nations, including Vietnam, China and Thailand, that was tainted with mould or contained pesticide beyond a legal limit for edible use.
The firm bought the rice from the Japanese government for industrial use but sold it to make sake rice wine, distilled liquor or sweets.
The Union Government has finally announced hike in minimum support price of Wheat to Rs 1080 per quintal, ahead of harvesting season of rabi crops. The decision, to revise MSP, was taken in the recent meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday, chaired by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, in the absence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The hike of 8 per cent in wheat prices, despite reservation by Planning Commission and Finance Ministry, would effective on crop marketed from April onward. 
Manila - The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) said Tuesday it has received a donation of 500,000 dollars worth of materials that would boost research for cheaper and high-yielding rice varieties.
