Italy to Review Development of Rice Seed Sector
Feb 03, 2015
Italy
will review the development in the rice seed sector in a meeting on February 4,
2015, which will be attended by the Ente nazionale risi, the National Agency
for Rice, the CRA-SCS (Council for Research and Testing in Agriculture, and for
Seed Testing and Certification), and Assosementi, which includes about 30
companies involved in seed research. The meeting will be conducted in the
premises of the Centro ricerche sul riso (National rice research center) in
Castello d'Agogna, according to local sources.
Issues
such as the introduction of new rice seed varieties, their resistance to
diseases like rice blast and their requirement of nitrogen fertilizers will be
dealt with in the meeting.
The meeting will
also review the results of testing of various methods that deal with the use of
sewage sludge in agriculture; and the results of agronomic testing and the
seeding activities conducted by the National Agency for Rice in co-operation
with CRA-SCS and Assosementi. Seed companies will be encouraged to present new
seed varieties and awards will be presented to seed breeders.
Oryza Afternoon Recap - Chicago Rough Rice Futures Recover Slightly but
Remain near Multi-year Lows
Feb 03, 2015
Chicago
rough rice futures for Mar delivery settled 8 cents per cwt (about $2 per ton)
higher at $10.385 per cwt (about $229 per ton). The other grains rallied
today; Soybeans closed about 2.9% higher at $9.5950 per bushel; wheat finished
about 4.3% higher at $4.9375 per bushel, and corn finished the day about 4.3%
higher at $3.7075 per bushel.U.S. stocks traded mostly higher on Tuesday on
continued momentum from strengthening oil prices and encouraging developments
in the Euro zone.
The
Dow Jones Industrial Average surged more than 225 points, or 1.3% to 17,601.
Oil extended the past few days' gains to trade as much as more than 5% higher
on Tuesday to hold above the key $50 level. The energy sector traded 2.9%
higher to lead advancers on the S&P 500, on track for 4 straight days of
gains. Firming oil prices and news out of Greece cheered U.S. markets into the
close on Monday, putting the S&P 500 above 2,000 points in the close and
the Dow up nearly 200 points. Greece's Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis
unveiled proposals on Monday to end the confrontation with its creditors by swapping
outstanding debt for new growth-linked bonds, the Financial Times reported.
On Tuesday, Greek Finance Minister Yanis
Varoufakis meets with his Italian counterpart in Rome. Back in the United
States, St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard on Tuesday
downplayed the Fed's nod to international developments in its latest policy
statement, saying it was simply an acknowledgement of constant U.S. central
bank discussion on the potential impact of global market events. Bullard
repeated his view that the Fed needs to raise rates sooner and then move
gradually higher after that. He also said that the oil price plummet is
distorting market-based inflation expectation measures, and that these measures
should be set aside until energy prices stabilize. Gold is trading about 0.9%
lower, crude oil is seen trading about 7% higher, and the U.S. dollar is seen
trading about 1.1% lower at about 1:00pm Chicago time.
Monday, there were
2,282 contracts traded, up from 2,265 contracts traded on Friday. Open interest
– the number of contracts outstanding – on Monday increased by 139 contracts to
10,301.
Japan Seeks to Import 30,000 Tons of Rice in SBS Tender
Feb 03, 2015
Japan is seeking to
import about 30,000 tons of rice in a Simultaneous Buy and Sell (SBS) tender,
according to official sources.Japan seeks to buy about 27,000 tons of
brown/milled rice and about 3,000 tons of broken/milled rice for delivery by
August 15, 2015.The last date for tender application is February 17, 2015.This
is the seventh SBS import tender issued by Japan in FY 2014 (April 2014 - March
2015).
Enrollment Begins for First Massive Open Online Course in Agriculture
Feb 03, 2015
Chennai, India (3 February 2015) – In a step to significantly open opportunities for
agricultural professionals in India to have access to low-cost, high-quality
agricultural education, enrollment is now open for the first of a series of
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in agriculture.The opening of the free
online course on “Diseases of Horticultural Crops and their Management –
PATH372.1X” (https://www.iitbombayx.in/courses/NVAforIA/PATH372.1x/2015-16/about ) being offered through the National Virtual Academy of
Indian Agriculture was announced yesterday (2 February) in Chennai by Dr MS
Swaminathan, Father of India's Green Revolution and Emeritus Chair of the MS
Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF).
“I am happy to
announce the launch of this first ever MOOCs for agricultural professionals – a
timely initiativeas knowledge revolution is the need of the hour,” said Dr MS
Swaminathan.“The course could significantly push the bar for quality
online education to meet the requirements specifically of India’s agricultural
education system, where available resources are scarce relative to the
extremely large audience – in a country where more than 70% of the population
is involved in agriculture directly or indirectly,” he added.This first MOOCs
through the National Virtual Academy of Indian Agriculture is an initiative of
a team of ICT and agriculture experts and educators fromthe International Crops
Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), with its global
headquarters in Hyderabad, and partners together with the Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT) Bombay.“Global educational institutions are increasingly
adopting MOOCs and given India’s need for reaching out to largest possible
number of learners, MOOCs are seen as the best way forward to ensure quality
agricultural education,” said by Dr David Bergvinson, Director General,
ICRISAT.
“I
am excited about this new opportunity to modernize the way we educate
agriculture students, young scientists, extension professionals and farmers to
stimulate innovation and motivate them about agriculture as a science and an
enterprise,” Dr Bergvinson added.“There is an increased interest across the
globe in recent years to strengthen agriculture education, bringing together
all ideas and innovation in agriculture to tackle the problem of feeding the
world’s poorest of the poor,” according to Dr Peter Carberry, Deputy Director
General - Research, ICRISAT.“MOOCs is part of an exciting journey to broaden
global partnership in offering various high-quality agriculture courses aimed
at creating hunger fighters to tackle the zero-hunger challenge for a food-secure
future,” added Dr Dileepkumar Guntuku, Global Leader, Knowledge Sharing and
Innovation and Director for Center of Excellence in ICT Innovations for
Agriculture, ICRISAT. The course materials for the first MOOCs on
“Diseases of Horticultural Crops and their Management – PATH372.1X” have been
methodically planned and prepared by highly experienced team of educators and
professors in the field of agriculture who have devoted their time and effort
to educate the Indian masses on sustainable agriculture practices. The course
starts from 9 February to 6 April 2015.
The
launch of the National Virtual Academy for Indian Agriculture to promote MOOCs
in agriculture is a regional initiative of the new global education consortium,
One Agriculture – One Science (http://www.oneagriculture.org). This consortium is a unique international partnership
between ICRISAT and top agricultural universities, research organizations and
other related agencies from India, Africa and the USA working towards
revitalizing global agricultural education, capacity building and technology
transfer to address the challenges of global food and nutritional security.The
opening of the enrollment for the first MOOCs in agriculture was announced at
the inaugural eventof the 10th Convocation of Jamsetji Tata National
Virtual Academy and 9th Convention of Grameen Gyan Abhiyan – Rural
Knowledge Movement on Role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals of Zero Hunger Challenge, held on 2
February 2015 at MSSRF, Chennai, India.
###
About ICRISAT
The
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid-Tropics
(ICRISAT) is a non-profit, non-political
organization that conducts agricultural research for development in Asia and
sub-Saharan Africa with a wide array of partners throughout the world. Covering
6.5 million square kilometers of land in 55 countries, the semi-arid tropics
have over 2 billion people, and 644 million of these are the poorest of the
poor. ICRISAT innovations help the dryland poor move from poverty to prosperity
by harnessing markets while managing risks – a strategy called Inclusive
Market- Oriented development (lMOD). ICRISAT is headquartered in Patancheru
near Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, with two regional hubs and six country
offices in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a member of the CGIAR Consortium. About
ICRISAT: www.icrisat.org; For ICRISAT’s scientific information see: http://EXPLOREit.icrisat.org
CGIAR
is a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future. Its
science is carried out by 15 research Centers who are members of the CGIAR
Consortium in collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations. www.cgiar.org
FAO Estimates Philippines 2015 Rice Imports at 1.8 Million Tons; Unchanged
from 2014
Feb 03, 2015
The UN's Food and
Agricultural Organization (FAO) has forecasted the Philippines 2014 rice
imports to remain at last year's level of around 1.8 million tons reflecting
the government's efforts to stabilize domestic rice prices and replenish public
stocks.
The FAO forecasts
Philippines 2014 paddy rice production at around 19.137 million tons (around 12
million tons, basis milled) , up about 2% from an estimated 18.8 million tons
(around 11.84 million tons, basis milled) in 2013 despite a 2% reduction in
paddy rice acreage due to sufficient irrigation water supply, expansion of irrigated
areas, improved seeds and higher fertilizer use.
According to the
FAO, the average prices of regular and well-milled rice varieties continued to
decline in January 2015 for the fifth consecutive month after continuously
increasing since last October, due to increased supplies from the 2014 main
season harvest.
Average retail
prices of well milled rice declined to around 39,100 pesos per ton (about $880)
in January 2015 from around 39,350 pesos per ton (about $880) in December 2014
and average wholesale prices of well milled rice declined to around 36,540
pesos per ton (about $820) in January 2015 from around 36,750 pesos per ton
(about $820) in December 2014. Similarly, average retail prices of regular
milled rice declined to around 42,780 pesos per ton (about $960) in January
2015 from around 42,930 pesos per ton (about $960) in December 2014 and average
wholesale prices of regular milled rice declined to around 39,780 pesos per ton
(about $890) in January 2015 from around 39,990 pesos per ton (about $890) in
December
2014.
The National Food
Authority (NFA) may import an additional 500,000 tons of rice in between March
and May 2015 to boost stocks and ensure price stability during the lean season
(June - August).
USDA estimates the
Philippines to import around 1.6 million tons of milled rice in 2015, up about
10% from an estimated 1.45 million tons in 2014. USDA estimates the South-East
Asian nation to produce around 19.36 million tons of paddy (around 12.2 million
tons, basis milled) in MY 2014-15 (July - June), up about 3% from an estimated
18.82 million tons (around 11.86 million tons, basis milled) in MY 2013-14.
Oryza U.S. Rough Rice Recap – Prices Seen Stable But More Demand Needed to
Keep Them From Falling Further
Feb 03, 2015
The U.S. cash market
stabilized today after the futures market recovered from a sell-off overnight
however buy interest remains thin and many sellers are still looking to move
their paddy ahead of planting this spring.
Most analysts sound
like a broken record noting that the only thing keeping prices from falling
further is an increase in export demand. As the saying goes; the best cure for
low prices is lower prices.
Philippines Plans to Export Hybrid Rice Seeds to Papua New Guinea
Feb 03, 2015
The Philippines, a traditional
rice importer, is planning to export hybrid rice seeds to Papua New Guinea,
according to local sources.
A private coffee
company in Papua New Guinea is keen on producing and commercializing hybrid
rice in the country and the government is reportedly supporting the firm's
plans. Already a pilot program to grow hybrid rice in Papua New Guinea is being
conducted by Philippines' SL Agritech, and harvest of these pilot crops is
expected to to be done in March this year.
Papua New Guinea
does not produce any rice and imports all the rice needed for its domestic
consumption. The Chairman of Sl Agritech noted that though the lands of Papua
New Guinea have been not used for agriculture so far, rice can be grown
organically or with little fertilizers. He added that the Philippines is
becoming a part of the history of agriculture in Papua New Guinea and help it
have rice supply of its own.
USDA estimates Papua
New Guinea to import around 170,000 tons of rice in MY 2014-15 to meet its
annual consumption needs.
Thailand, Vietnam Rice Sellers Lower Some of Their Quotes; Other Asia Rice
Quotes Unchanged Today
Feb 03, 2015
Thailand rice
sellers lowered their quotes for parboiled rice by about $5 per ton to around
$405 - $415 per ton today. Vietnam rice sellers lowered their quotes for
Jasmine rice by about $10 per ton to around $450 - $460 per ton. Other Asia
rice sellers kept their quotes mostly unchanged.
5% Broken Rice
Thailand 5% rice is
quoted at around $405 - $415 per ton, about $50 per ton premium on Vietnam 5%
rice shown at around $355 - $365 per ton. India 5% rice is quoted at around
$395 - $405 per ton, about $40 per ton premium on Pakistan 5% rice quoted at
around $355 - $365 per ton.
25% Broken Rice
Thailand 25% rice is
quoted at around $365 - $375 per ton, about $40 per ton premium on Vietnam 25%
rice shown at around $325- $335 per ton. India 25% rice is quoted at around
$360 - $370, about $50 per ton premium on Pakistan 25% rice quoted at around
$310 - $320 per ton.
Parboiled Rice
Thailand parboiled
rice is quoted at around $405 - $415 per ton, down about $5 per ton from
yesterday. India parboiled rice is quoted at around $390 - $400 per ton, about
$10 per ton discount to Pakistan parboiled rice quoted at around $400 - $410
per ton.
100% Broken Rice
Thailand broken
rice, A1 Super, is quoted at around $320 - $330 per ton, about $15 per ton
premium on Vietnam 100% broken rice shown at around $305 - $315 per ton.
India's 100% broken rice is shown at around $295 - $305 per ton, about
$15 per ton premium on Pakistan broken sortexed rice quoted at around $280 -
$290 per ton.
TREA Estimates 2015 Thailand Rice Exports to Decline 9% y/y to 10 Million
Tons
Feb 03, 2015
According to
Bloomberg, the TREA Chairman also noted that Vietnamese rice has become more
competitive since the devaluation of Dong, while the strengthening Baht has
made Thai rice less competitive in the global markets.
Currently, Thai 5%
rice is quoted at around $405 per ton compared to about $360 per ton of Vietnam
5% rice, about $400 per ton of India 5% rice and about $360 per ton of Pakistan
5% rice. The TREA President said he is expecting the current price of Thai 5%
rice to drop by about 3% over the next few weeks.
USDA Post Estimates 2015 Japan Rice Imports at 700,000 Tons; Up 8% from
Last Year
Feb 03, 2015
The USDA Post has
estimated Japan to import around 700,000 tons of rice in 2015, up about 8% from
an estimated 650,000 ton in 2014 due to an expected decline in production.Based
on production data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
(MAFF), the Post reports that the 2014 rice production declined about 2% to
around 7.679 million tons from around 7.832 million tons in 2013. The decline
is attributed to a decline in the planting area by about 1.5% y/y to around
1.573 million hectares.
Cambodia Rice Federation Seeks to Raise Development Fund from Exporters
Feb 03, 2015
The
CRF President told local sources that they need about $777,000 for the
development of the rice sector. He noted that the Federation was earlier
seeking funds from the private sector, but since approvals from respective
organizations has been delaying the development process, they decided on
collecting export fee from exporters.However, there are concerns that
introduction of the export fees is likely to make the exporters to increase
their export quotes (or accept lower margins) thereby making Cambodian rice
less competitive in the global market, potentially reducing the nation’s rice
exports.
Recently,
the CRF also sought a loan of arounf $300 million from China to develop
warehouses, which can store a total of 1.2 million tons of paddy/rice, in the
country to ensure uninterrupted supplies to millers and exporters. Chinese
authorities are yet to respond to a draft memorandum of understanding (MoU)
sent by Cambodia's Ministry of Economy and Finance.Cambodia exported about
387,100 tons of rice in 2014, up about 2% from around 378,856 tons exported in
2013, according to the Secretariat One Window Service (SOWS-REF) under the
Ministry of Trade.
USDA
estimates Cambodia MY 2014-15 (January 2015 - December 2015) paddy rice
production at around 7.656 million tons (around 4.9 million tons, milled
basis), up about 4% from around 7.383 million tons (around 4.725 million tons,
milled basis) in MY 2013-14. It estimates Cambodia to export around 1.2 million
tons of rice in 2015 (including official exports and unofficial exports to
Vietnam and Thailand), up about 20% from an estimated 1 million tons in
2014. a
Oryza Overnight Recap - Chicago Rough Rice Futures Continue to Slide as
Bears Remain in Control of Price Direction
Feb 03, 2015
Chicago
rough rice futures for Mar delivery are currently listed 10 cents per cwt
(about $2 per ton) lower at $10.205 per cwt (about $225 per ton) ahead of early
floor trading in Chicago. The other grains are all seen higher: soybeans are
currently seen about 1.1% higher, wheat is listed about 1.5% higher and corn is
currently noted about 1.3% higher.U.S. stocks index futures gained on Tuesday,
following European and Asian bourses higher as oil prices rebounded. Brent and
light crude oil each traded more than 1% higher on Tuesday, taking gains into a
third day. Factory orders for December will be in focus in terms of economic
data on Tuesday, along with vehicle sales for January. The former is expected
to show a fifth consecutive monthly decline.
Meanwhile,
Greece continues a charm offensive around Europe to drum up support for a more
sympathetic debt deal. On Tuesday, Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis
meets with his Italian counterpart in Rome. Gold is currently trading about
0.8% lower, crude oil is seen trading about 2% higher, and the U.S.
dollar is currently trading about 0.5% lower at 8:30am Chicago time.
USDA Post Estimates Russia's 2015 Rice Exports to Increase 14% y/y Backed
by Ruble Depreciation
Feb 03, 2015
However,
Russian rice trade is likely to be partly impacted by the strengthening of the
phytosanitary control of export facilities and elevators by the Russian Federal
Service on Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (VPSS). The processes are
expected to delay issuance of phytosanitary certificates, according to the
Post.
The
Post estimates 2014-15 (January - December) Russia milled rice production to
increase to around 680,000 tons, up about 12% from an estimated 608,000 tons
last year due to an increase in area harvested area. Based on preliminary
estimates from various rice growing provinces, the Post estimates the area sown
for 2014-15 rice crop at around 195,000 hectares, up about 4% from around 188,000
hectares in 2013-14. Based on the data from the Ministry of Agriculture, the
Post reports that the by mid-December 2014, the area sown to winter grains,
including rice, for the 2015 crop stood at around 16.44 million hectares, up
about 12% from around 14.68 million hectares last year.
It
estimates the paddy yield per hectare to increase to around 5.36 tons in
2014-15, up about 8% from around 4.95 tons in 2013-14. The Post estimates
Russia's 2015 ending stocks at around 109,000 tons, up about 22% from around
89,000 tons in 2014 due to an increase in production. It estimates Russia's
2014 rice consumption to increase to around 750,000 tons, up about 4% from
around 720,000 tons in 2014.
USDA Post Estimates MY 2014-15 Brazil Rice Exports at 900,000 Tons; Unchanged
from last year
Feb 03, 2015
The
USDA Post is estimating Brazil's MY 2014-15 (April 2014 - March 2015) rice
exports at around 900,000 tons, unchanged from MY 2013-14 and unchanged from
USDA's official estimates of about 900,000 tons.The Post reports that with the
U.S. relaxing trade restrictions with Cuba, Brazil is concerned that the U.S.
may cut into its market share in Cuba because of the competitive pricing by the
U.S. as well as its proximity and shipping costs. Cuba accounted for about 11%
of Brazil's rice exports in 2014 and remained the third largest importer of the
Brazilian rice after Venezuela and Senegal.
The
Post estimates MY 2014-15 Brazil rice imports at around 700,000 tons, unchanged
from MY 2013-14 and unchanged from USDA's official estimates of about 700,000
tons.It estimates MY 2014-15 milled rice production at around 8.5 million tons,
up about 2.4% from an estimated 8.3 million tons last year; and up about 2.4%
from USDA's official estimates of about 8.3 million tons due to a slight
increase in paddy rice acreage. The Post estimates Brazil's paddy rice acreage
to increase to about 2.45 million hectares in MY 2014-15, up about 1% from
about 2.42 million hectares last year.The Post estimates 2014-15 Brazil's
milled rice consumption to slightly increase to around 7.95 million tons from
an estimated 7.9 million tons last year. It estimates 2014-15 Brazil's ending
stocks to increase about 48% to around 1.078 million tons from around 728,000
tons last year.
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