13th November ,2015 Daily Exclusive ORYZA Rice E_Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine -Latest Rice News Today

Rice News Headlines...

·         CM distributes relief cheques among Sahiwal farmers

·         GI tag for Basmati

·         Digging deeper into DNA: An efficient method to sequence chloroplast genomes

·         As temperature rises, rice yield drops, says WWF exec

·         Bühler upgrades mill for La Suerte Ricemill

·         APEDA COMMODITY NEWS

·         As temperature rises, rice yield drops, says WWF exec

·         Haryana paddy arrival nearly 52 lakh tonnes this year

·         RI scrambles for rice as supplies run low

·         El Nino stymies Indonesia's rice self-sufficiency plan

·         Imported rice begins arriving in Indonesia

·         Rice production thrives with large-scale fields

·         Bangladesh to procure Aman rice at Tk 31 per kg

·         Rice exports to stay strong, say shippers

·         News from USA Rice Daily

·         Taste the Crown Jewel of the Grain World: Hand-Harvested Wild Rice

·         Everything you wanted to know about the benefits of rice

·         Environmentalists sue over Sacramento River water, fish perils

·         Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report

News Detail...

CM distributes relief cheques among Sahiwal farmers

 STAFF REPORT

Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Sahiwal on Wednesday and distributed cheques of relief assistance among the small cultivators of cotton and rice having upto 12.5 acre land under Prime Minister’s Kissan Package.He also visited payment center in Sahiwal and monitored the facilities being provided to the farmers with regard to distribution of financial help. He directed the authorities concerned that the cultivators should not face any problem at payment centres and the best facilities should be provided to them.Addressing the function after distribution of relief amount among the cultivators at Jinnah Hall Sahiwal, the chief minister said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has given the biggest Kissan Package in the history of the country and it is the first time that any prime minister has realised the problems and difficulties of cultivators and announced relief assistance of billions of rupees.

He said that under Kissan Package, financial assistance of Rs 5,000 per acre is being given to cultivators of cotton and rice having upto 12.5 acre land while the price of fertiliser has also been reduced by Rs 500 per bag and he is personally monitoring this package.
Sharif further said that under Kissan Package, a subsidy of Rs 40 billion is being given on rice, cotton and fertiliser out of which the federal and Punjab government had provided Rs 20 billion each. He said this relief package given to farmers by the prime minister is unprecedented and the largest in the history of the country. He said that historic Kissan Package of the prime minister is an example of his farmers’ friendly attitude. He said Nawaz Sharif would not rest content till the relief amount is provided to every farmer which has upto 12.5 acre land.He said ensuring the due right to the deserving people is the responsibility of the government which will be discharged at any cost. He said demand of justice would be fulfilled and the distribution of relief assistance to the cultivators and anyone involved in nepotism or violation of rights will be held accountable.

He said losses suffered by small farmers of rice and cotton would be made up while all cultivators will benefit from reduction of Rs 500 per bag in the price of fertiliser.Sharif further said financial help of Rs 300 million is being given to small farmers in district Sahiwal while a total of about Rs 1 billion will be distributed among small cultivators in Sahiwal Division. He said a network of thousands of kilometer long roads is being laid in rural areas under Khadim-e-Punjab Rural Road Programme which will result in better communication facilities to the cultivators in taking their agri produces in the market.

He said “Pakian Sarkan—Sukhay Pandey” is the biggest programme of construction and rehabilitation of rural roads in the history of Pakistan under which asphalt roads are being constructed in rural areas. He said a sum of Rs 50 billion has been allocated during the current year for this programme and out of this amount Rs 900 million would be spent for this purpose in District Sahiwal. He said repair and rehabilitation work of thousands of kilometer long roads will be completed during next two and a half years with a cost of billions of rupees.He said an effective system is also being introduced for controlling deterioration of roads due to overloading and overloaded vehicles will not be allowed on these roads.

He further said that a sum of billions of rupees is being spent on the programme of supply of potable water to rural population and ‘Clean Drinking Water Project’ has been started in South Punjab. He said that under this programme, water filtration plants are being set up throughout the province and a sum of Rs15 billion has been allocated for this project in the current fiscal year. He said provision of safe drinking water will save rural population from the diseases.He said that besides education and health facilities, access to potable water is also right of every citizen. He said that the government is implementing a policy of balanced development; therefore, billions of rupees are being spent on development projects in rural and urban areas

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2015/11/11/city/lahore/cm-distributes-relief-cheques-among-sahiwal-farmers/

GI tag for Basmati

T N Ashok

| 12 November, 2015

Basmati, the favoured rice variety that is used in the preparation of several dishes at any feast or occasion, and which gives a visitor a taste of India, is a jewel in the crown of India’s agriculture sector as well. This is primarily because of the millions of foreign exchange it earns for the government treasury through its export to Europe, Americas and the Gulf. India is ranked among the top three rice exporters of the world, competing with Thailand and Vietnam. Thailand’s Jasmine Rice is world-renowned but little is known about Iran’s Domsiya rice, considered to be the best rice in the world.

However, one may be surprised to learn that even after a near 70 years of Independence, India has not yet secured that vital tag-line for Basmati Geographical Indicator. This would make it a unique product that cannot be replicated, duplicated or faked if it carries this tagline. The rule is that the home country must extend this GI status first before international bodies can do the same. And so India is still debating the GI status as so many viewpoints have been put forward before the concerned authorities.The 4.62 billion dollars (about Rs 30,000 crore) Basmati rice industry, represented by growers, traders and exporters, primarily from Haryana and Punjab, needs to protect its unique identity by getting the GI status at the earliest to prevent others from using the Basmati brand name and hurting Indian exporters. It happened in the past when some traders took the gene and tried to grow it in the US and labelled it as Basmati, causing huge international repercussions, especially in India. And it may happen again, if we are not on guard. Basmati is still an unprotected product.

Unique product

If French wine is the finest blend unique to only south of France, why not Basmati from India? This is because Basmati does not enjoy the unique identification tag through the GI. The issue has been dragging on for too long for various reasons beyond reasonable levels of comprehension. We now have a new twist to the old familiar story. Growers in Madhya Pradesh (MP) now also want to be included in the list of Basmati cultivators along with their counterparts in Haryana and Punjab, considered the traditional granary of the aromatic grain as per popular perception. MP’s entry is being vehemently opposed by Haryana and Punjab growers.

The growers in MP got a shot in the arm recently when the GI registry ruled that some 13 districts in the central Indian state should also be included as there “was enough historical evidence to support this claim”. But this has been challenged by the APEDA, designated by the Union government to represent the interests of producers, traders, exporters and consumers of the aromatic rice.APEDA has filed an appeal against this order with the Intellectual Properties Appellate Board (IPAB) located in Chennai. IPAB is now hearing the appeal and has to decide the matter. If the MP growers added a new twist to the issue, the matter has been further complicated by Pakistan entering the fray under the banner of Basmati Growers Association (BGA).

 The BGA, which has also got itself impleaded in the case, opposes both APEDA and MP and wants only the named districts of Pakistan to be granted GI status, rice industry sources claim.According to APEDA there is an urgent need to preserve Basmati’s exclusivity by guarding against dilution. The logic is reinforced by popular “public perception” and “reputation” built over long years. And so, APEDA feels that granting of GI status to areas in MP will open the flood gates for other states in India, probably Bihar and Rajasthan. One might recall that both Africa and Russia had offered vast tracts of lands to Indian rice growers some time ago to grow Basmati there as also pulses (dal) and export them to third countries. But because of the GI issue, many did not pick up the offer.Also, it may also open the doors to other countries and regions overseas.

Call for action

MP’s view, claims a section of the industry, is based on “well-researched and historical evidence that Basmati cultivation was prevalent in MP for over a century”. This section feels that APEDA may have erred in not including these areas in its original submissions. Whether this is right or wrong is to be decided by the experts and authorities.Again, BGA’s stand is based on its own perception and view that all Basmati-producing areas in undivided Punjab are now in Pakistan and thus only these are deserving of GI status. Pakistan has not yet enacted its GI Act and has sought to protect Basmati through the patent route, which itself is under challenge, claim rice industry sources.

It is interesting to note that the Assistant Registrar’s order of 31 December 2013 had agreed with MP as it does not find “popular perception” having any statutory basis in the GI Act 1999. Because, at that time BGA was not a party to the case as they got themselves impleaded only on coming to know of this decision.Viewed against this background, no doubt, India urgently requires a GI tag if it is to effectively defend the use of the Basmati brand as its right and prevent misuse by other traders. In fact, Article 24.9 of the TRIPS (Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) specifically requires that a product must have home country protection under its laws before it seeks protection in outside jurisdictions. So Indian authorities’ grant of the GI tag for Basmati becomes highly imperative before it can secure outside protection and recognition.

Legal experts advising the Indian rice industry claim that any prolonged litigation will only delay the GI tag to India, weakening its stand in foreign courts, at a time when Basmati’s popularity is soaring. Even as newer markets are being actively explored in Africa and South America, which have shown interest to import this long-grained aromatic rice from India, apprehensions are rife that growing popularity of the product is encouraging copycat imitations, which need to be challenged through their legal systems.What is probably needed today is a fresh thinking on the subject that has dragged on for over two decades, benefiting none. India accounts for over 90 per cent of the world Basmati trade and, therefore, it has a lot at stake.

Historical evidence

The crux of the debate is APEDA’s fears that any dilution and opening of flood gates to other Indian states can weaken the case for the GI tag versus the new states such as MP, on which lies the burden of providing adequate historical evidence to be considered and included. And this is not going to be easy. As far as Pakistan is concerned, it needs to adopt a constructive approach. It needs to have a GI legislation first at home before it wants to make any move outside. Bilateral treaties may provide a solution to the problem as both India and Pakistan shared the growing areas in an undivided nation then. But today they are different countries.

At the end of the day, what is of paramount importance is not an inter-state dispute over Basmati’s exclusivity, but of India as a nation protecting its traditional right to use Basmati as its unique identification tag to export the product overseas with enhanced status and prevent spurious traders from misusing the brand for profit and depriving India of its rightful foreign exchange earnings.

(The writer is a former Economics Editor of PTI. He was also an advisor to the Indian rice-exporting industry.)

http://www.thestatesman.com/news/supplements/gi-tag-for-basmati/103283.html

Digging deeper into DNA: An efficient method to sequence chloroplast genomes

posted by news on november 11, 2015 - 8:00pm

 To fully understand a plant's nuclear genome, scientists must also study two other genomes found within plant cells---in the "powerhouse" mitochondria and in the photosynthesizing chloroplast organelles. Researchers from the Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (National Institute of Agricultural Research) in Uruguay have developed a chloroplast genome-sequencing strategy to facilitate this research. The new method could unlock a wealth of untapped chloroplast genome sequence data that can be applied to evolutionary studies."Because it is difficult to remove plastid DNA from nuclear DNA, many nuclear genomes available in public repositories contain enough plastid DNA to assemble their corresponding genomes," explains lead researcher Silvia Garaycochea.

According to the researchers, several fragments and, in some cases, nearly entire copies of the chloroplast genome may be found within the nuclear genomes of plants. This is because genetic material from chloroplasts has been continuously transferring to the nucleus through years of evolution. Chloroplasts are understood to have originated from prokaryotes that were engulfed by eukaryotes millions of years ago.The new method by Garaycochea and colleagues will enable researchers to strategically analyze this whole-genome sequence data and assemble the chloroplast genome for their plant of interest. It is less costly and less time consuming than other methods. Certain tedious lab procedures---such as prior plastid DNA isolation, plastid DNA enrichment, and reliance on a reference genome---are not required.

"For chloroplast genome recovery from total DNA sequence data, the deliberate identification of reads that represent chloroplast DNA inserts into the nuclear genome allowed us to attain a higher-quality chloroplast genome assembly in a time- and cost-effective way," Garaycochea explains.Using the new method, Garaycochea et al. extracted whole-genome sequence data from red rice (Oryza sativaL.) and produced a complete chloroplast genome, which is now available on GenBank. The full study is available in a recent issue of Applications in Plant Sciences."We used weedy rice as a model plant. This choice allowed us both to obtain a chloroplast sequence of interest for research, and to take advantage of the wealth of available information to validate our results," says Garaycochea.While analyzing the red rice genome, Garaycochea et al. found that plastid DNA transfer is more frequent than previously thought. These transfer events are highly valuable because they can reveal new information about the evolutionary relationships within and between species.

"Depending on the time of DNA transfer events, these sequences may retain different degrees of similarity to the original plastid genome," says Garaycochea. "These nuclear DNA segments of chloroplast origin can provide valuable evolutionary information."Thousands of plant species have had their genomes sequenced, but without organelle genomes, nuclear genomes are only one piece of the DNA puzzle. In addition to new evolutionary discoveries, the chloroplast genome can offer a deep look at important plant processes that are tightly linked to today's changing environment, such as the impacts of excessive heat and drought on photosynthetic productivity.

Source: Botanical Society of America

http://www.sciencecodex.com/digging_deeper_into_dna_an_efficient_method_to_sequence_chloroplast_genomes-169603

As temperature rises, rice yield drops, says WWF exec

04:35 AM November 12th, 2015

For every degree that nighttime temperature increases, rice yield may be reduced by 10 percent.This is one of the impacts of climate change affecting a staple food in the country, said a World Wildlife Fund for Nature Philippines (WWF-Philippines) official, quoting an International Rice Research Institute study.“We have to have more sustainable access to food, water and energy,” WWF-Philippines president Joel Palma said during launch Wednesday of a week of action for climate justice ahead of the international climate change conference in Paris next month.

Various civic groups in the Philippines have united to call for a strong and fair global climate agreement as the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) in Paris is expected to hammer out a new legally binding agreement on climate change.One of the demands of the March for Climate Justice Pilipinas is a shift to clean and renewable energy for people and communities.“We have to address the root cause. As much as possible we have to act from local to global level. This is an opportunity for us because of the current global attention,” Palma said.A march expected to gather some 20,000 people on Nov. 28 will be the highlight of the weeklong action for climate justice starting on Nov. 23.The group will also hold a caravan across Luzon coal hotspots, from Semirara Island in Antique to Quezon and Batangas provinces, going to Manila.“The Philippines sits at a crossroads. Do we veer away from expensive and dirty fossil fuels and make use of our locally abundant renewable energy sources? Or do we continue with a business-as-usual mindset and continue contributing to the global temperature increase?” Palma said.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/738892/as-temperature-rises-rice-yield-drops-says-wwf-exec#ixzz3rH7K4Vrz 

Bühler upgrades mill for La Suerte Ricemill

11/11/2015 - by

LONDON, ENGLAND — The Bühler Group has finalized a complete upgrade of milling equipment for the La Suerte Ricemill Corporation in Isabela, Philippines. The mill is now running exclusively on Bühler’s state-of-the-art technology, following this year’s installation of a 10-12 tonnes per hour (tph) rice whitening line, a 20-tph rice hulling line in 2013 and SORTEX optical sorting technology in 2009.“By using Bühler machinery, our sales have grown significantly in a short period of time, largely as a result of the superior appearance and taste of the rice that we can now produce,” said La Suerte Ricemill Chief Executive Officer and President Ricardo P. Tan. “Naturally, the team at the mill are delighted. Bühler’s highly impressive technology has provided us with the all-important competitive advantage we need, to take the leading position in our industry.

 Our return on investment has already been fantastic and we’re delighted with the result.” La Suerte first tried Bühler’s TopWhite rice whiteners in 2007, running them alongside existing technologies, to compare the results. The Bühler equipment delivered an improved hull clean yield – producing 2%-3% more head rice when compared to the mill’s existing whiteners.“We started to run the machines side by side with our existing solutions and found that, when it came to head rice recovery, the TopWhite rice whitener from Bühler produced significantly higher yield, with less rice breakage,” Tan said. “When you consider that head rice commands between 30% and 35% more per tonne, then the difference to our bottom line is considerable.”These early successes encouraged La Suerte to turn to Bühler for optical sorting technology – enabling it to identify and separate defective and foreign items from the product stream by color, shape or other optical properties. Further installation of Bühler’s rice milling and dehulling machines enabled the mill to increase its paddy input to 20 tph, the company said.

The next stage in the mill’s development will come with Bühler’s de-stoner, for the removal of stones and other high-density impurities, such as metal and glass, a huller and separator, grading solutions to classify rice by kernel size, as well as optical sorting solutions. The mill also receives ongoing 24/7 Bühler service, with localized support.“We are confident that with Bühler as our partner, we can meet the increasing challenges facing the industry,” Tan said. “We believe Bühler’s products deliver the best in leading-edge food safety innovations, and since updating most of our mill equipment with Bühler technology, we have been able to consistently deliver perfect quality rice to our customers in the marketplace.”“La Suerte’s significant investment demonstrates its strategy and commitment to meet the growing demands for its premium Ivory Grains Classic brand,” said Rustom Mistry, director, head of rice processing, Asia for Bühler. “La Suerte is one of the most respected rice millers in the Philippines. We’re delighted to know that using our technology has provided the team with the peace of mind and a 24/7 operation which is performing efficiently and delivering on the results required. We look forward to continuing our relationship with the Isabela La Suerte Ricemill Corporation.”

http://www.world-grain.com/articles/news_home/Supplier_Update/2015/11/Buhler_upgrades_mill_for_La_Su.aspx?ID=%7B1FBE4632-F87C-472E-BFE8-695FF74D1564%7D

 

APEDA COMMODITY NEWS

 

International Benchmark Price

Price on: 11-11-2015

Product Benchmark Indicators Name Price Rice 1 CZCE Early Rice Futures (USD/t) 322 2 Pakistani 100%, FOB Karachi (USD/t) 319 3 Pakistani 25% Broken (USD/t) 383 Corn/Maize 1 DCE Corn Futures (USD/t) 291 2 NCDEX Feed Maize/Corn Futures (USD/t) 229 3 White Maize, FOB South Africa (USD/t) 227 Sultanas 1 Australian 5 Crown, CIF UK (USD/t) 2919 2 South African Orange River, CIF UK (USD/t) 2562 3 Turkish No 9 standard, FOB Izmir (USD/t) 2237 Source:agra-net For more info

Market Watch Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 09-11-2015 Domestic Prices Unit Price : Rs per Qty Product Market Center Variety Min Price Max Price Maize 1 Haveri (Karnataka) Local 1275 1340 2 Shirur (Maharashtra) Other 1450 1450 3 Dhing (Assam) Other  1325 1400 Paddy(Dhan) 1 Kasargod (Kerala) Other 1700 1800 2 Dehgam (Gujarat) Other 1160 1410 3 Sainthia (West Bengal) Common 995 1015 Mousambi 1 Patiala (Punjab) Other 1500 3500 2 Hissar (Haryana) Other 2000 2000 3 Mechua (West Bengal) Other 3200 3700 Brinjal 1 Attingal (Kerala) Other 2500 3000 2 Surat (Gujarat) Other 600 1200 3 Shillong (Meghalaya) Other 2400 2600 Source:agmarknet.nic.in For more info

Egg Rs per 100 No Price on 10-11-2015 Product Market Center Price 1 Ahmedabad 383 2 Mysore 372 3 Hyderabad 350 Source: e2necc.com

Other International Prices Unit Price : US$ per package Price on 10-11-2015 Product Market Center Origin Variety Low High Onions Dry Package: 40 lb cartons 1 Atlanta Peru Yellow 26 26.75 2 Chicago Nevada Yellow 22 24 3 Detroit California Yellow 26 26.50 Cucumbers Package: cartons film wrapped 1 Atlanta Mexico Long Seedless 12 12 2 Dallas California Long Seedless 17 18.50 3 Miami Canada Long Seedless 11 11 Grapes Package: 18 lb containers bagged 1 Atlanta Peru Red Globe 24.50 24.75 2 Dallas California Red Globe 21.75 22 3 New York Peru Red Globe 26 26 Source:USDA   As temperature rises, rice yield drops, says WWF exec By: Erika Sauler Philippine Daily Inquirer 04:35 AM November 12th, 2015 For every degree that nighttime temperature increases, rice yield may be reduced by 10 percent.This is one of the impacts of climate change affecting a staple food in the country, said a World Wildlife Fund for Nature Philippines (WWF-Philippines) official, quoting an International Rice Research Institute study.“We have to have more sustainable access to food, water and energy,” WWF-Philippines president Joel Palma said during launch Wednesday of a week of action

 

for climate justice ahead of the international climate change conference in Paris next month.

 

Various civic groups in the Philippines have united to call for a strong and fair global climate agreement as the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) in Paris is expected to hammer out a new legally binding agreement on climate change.One of the demands of the March for Climate Justice Pilipinas is a shift to clean and renewable energy for people and communities.“We have to address the root cause. As much as possible we have to act from local to global level. This is an opportunity for us because of the current global attention,” Palma said.

A march expected to gather some 20,000 people on Nov. 28 will be the highlight of the weeklong action for climate justice starting on Nov. 23.The group will also hold a caravan across Luzon coal hotspots, from Semirara Island in Antique to Quezon and Batangas provinces, going to Manila.“The Philippines sits at a crossroads. Do we veer away from expensive and dirty fossil fuels and make use of our locally abundant renewable energy sources? Or do we continue with a business-as-usual mindset and continue contributing to the global temperature increase?” Palma said.

 

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/738892/as-temperature-rises-rice-yield-drops-says-wwf-exec#ixzz3rHjpdcUg

 

 

Haryana paddy arrival nearly 52 lakh tonnes this year

 

12-11-2015

 IANS

Chandigarh, Nov 12 : The arrival and procurement of paddy crop in Haryana is much higher this year compared to last year, officials of the state's food and supplies department said on Thursday.

During the current Kharif season, more than 51.56 lakh tonnes of paddy arrived in the mandis of Haryana till November 11. During this period last year, 37.03 lakh tonnes of paddy had arrived in the mandis," said a spokesman of the food and supplies department.Paddy procurement was preponed to September 25 this year instead of the normal procurement date of October 1.The arrival of paddy was much higher than the 36 lakh tonnes target set by the department this year.

State government agencies had set a target of procuring 35 lakh tonnes of paddy this year. They have procured over 41.49 lakh tonnes paddy so far."Of the total arrival, government procurement agencies have purchased more than 41.49 lakh tonnes of paddy. Millers and dealers have purchased the remaining paddy arriving in mandis," the spokesman said.Karnal, Kurukshetra and Kaithal districts were leading in paddy arrival and procurement. 

http://www.newkerala.com/news/2015/fullnews-147063.html

RI scrambles for rice as supplies run low

Prima Wirayani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Headlines | Thu, November 12 2015, 6:10 PM

Late season: A farmer ploughs his rice field in Wongkaditi, Gorontalo, on Wednesday. Due to the late arrival of the rainy season, farmers in Gorontalo have only just begun to plant rice in their fields. Earlier in the year, farmers suffered through a long drought.(JP/Syamsul Huda M. Suhari)

Against a backdrop of prolonged drought due to the El Niño weather phenomenon, Indonesia is running out of rice supplies, leaving it with no option but to hunt for more stocks after failing to secure some of its targeted imports from Thailand and Vietnam.Trade Minister Thomas Trikasih Lembong said Wednesday that the government had secured only 1 million tons of rice from a year-end reserves target of 1.5 million tons.“We got only a small amount of rice at soaring prices,” he told reporters, addressing a delay in making a decision on imports that cost the country not only in terms of stock availability but also price. 

He said that Indonesia was overtaken by the Philippines, which entered the market early to rake in 1.5 million tons, higher than its normal purchase of around 500,000 to 700,000 tons annually.Indonesia secured imports at over US$400 per ton, higher than the price of around $340 in the second quarter of this year when the government floated the import plan for the first time.Initially, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo insisted that stocks, though running low, remained adequate, Jokowi made it a priority for Indonesia to be self sufficient in key commodities such as rice, corn, soybeans and sugar.

However, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said the government would import 1.5 million tons of rice and that it was purchasing stocks from Thailand and Vietnam. Jokowi eventually agreed to the import plan late last month, saying the decision was made by his government to maintain sufficient stocks in anticipation of failed harvests due to prolonged drought.Thomas said that the government was assessing the possibility of buying rice from Pakistan or even Brazil to fill the gap as the ASEAN region had also faced a rice scarcity.We have to get ready for next year too,” he said, adding that the prolonged dry season could delay harvests.Citing Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution, Thomas said that for every one month of harvest delay, the government would need to provide a rice cap of 2.5 million tons.

The State Logistics Agency (Bulog) said previously that the amount of rice reserves reached between 1.3 and 1.4 million tons as of Oct. 25. It estimated that the amount would meet half a month of consumption as the country consumed an average 2.5 million tons of rice monthly.To secure the stocks, the government was preparing a conversion of premium rice to public service obligation (PSO) or medium-grade rice, Thomas said. It was carrying out procedures to add subsidies to fill in the price gap between the premium and medium rice.

However, he refused to reveal if his ministry would hold any market operations to stabilize rice prices, despite acknowledging the increasing prices.Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) executive director Enny Sri Hartati said the core of the rice fiasco was that there was no validated data available to calculate consumption and production, so the latter was often overestimated.

“The government always says the stocks are enough but prices keep soaring,” she said on Wednesday.She said that valid and consolidated data among ministries and agencies was required given the sensitivity of the commodity, the price of which could rise sharply in the case of a shortage.Decisions on imports would be simple if data could validly show the gap between consumption and production, she said.Rice is a politically sensitive commodity in the world’s fourth most populous nation, both because it is the main food staple of the over 250 million people living across the archipelago, and because it is the main crop of farmers.Enny said the government needed to make a firm and unified decision to secure stocks and prevent any social unrest.

 http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/11/12/ri-scrambles-rice-supplies-run-low.html#sthash.ASTXbJRc.dpuf

El Nino stymies Indonesia's rice self-sufficiency plan

November 12, 2015 12:00 pm JST

MICHAEL SAINSBURY, Asia regional correspondent

A dried paddy field is seen in the Indonesian village of Karang Jati, in Central Java, on Oct. 23. © Reuters

BANGKOK -- Self-sufficiency is something of an old-fashioned dream in a globalized world with ever-diminishing trade barriers.     The political allure of such promises is obvious: Voters will reward leaders who can guarantee that basic foodstuffs will be available in the event of extreme weather, crop disease or outbreaks of conflict.    

But the inherent difficulties of controlling supplies that are hostage to such random events can be a trap for unwary policymakers, as Indonesia's year-old government has just discovered.Scratch thatOn Oct. 22, Jakarta gave the go-ahead for 1.5 million tons of rice imports, only a month after President Joko Widodo, who must approve such purchases, claimed no imports would be needed. Widodo's hand was forced by the weather: Severe droughts that have gripped parts of the country, especially the south, are now forecast to continue into next year and can no longer be ignored.   

 Since his election in October 2014, Widodo has taken a political approach that is more nationalist than previously expected, consistently pushing toward self-sufficiency in rice, the regional staple, as well as sugar, soybeans, corn, vegetables, meat and fish.     Indonesia was self-sufficient in rice in 2008 and 2009 but has been importing it since 2010, mainly from Thailand and Vietnam, the world's two major exporters of the grain, according to the World Bank.  

  To achieve its self-sufficiency goals, the government has embarked on a range of programs aimed at farmers, including subsidies for better machinery and fertilizers, and education in improved farming techniques. The agriculture ministry, meanwhile, is encouraging the use of hardier, more productive hybrid seeds. Infrastructure improvements, in the form of repairs to damaged irrigation systems serving 1.5 million hectares, have also been promised.    As the staple food of more than 3 billion people and the livelihood of tens of millions of farmers, rice is a deeply political issue throughout Asia.      Rice self-sufficiency was adopted as official policy in the Philippines in 2010, as part of President Benigno Aquino's food self-sufficiency program. Yet by 2013, the country was the world's biggest rice importer, buying 2.3 million ton

http://asia.nikkei.com/magazine/20151112-THE-NEW-GREAT-GAME/Markets/El-Nino-stymies-Indonesia-s-rice-self-sufficiency-plan

Imported rice begins arriving in Indonesia

Kamis, 12 November 2015 00:24 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Rice imported by the Indonesian government has started arriving at some seaports across the country to increase the national food stock as the El Nino-induced drought has affected several regions. "Already, (imported rice shipments have entered) not only Jakarta but also several seaports," Vice President Jusuf M. Kalla stated here, Wednesday.The rice imports are necessary as drought has delayed paddy harvests in some regions, he noted.

"The most important aspect is that the government has provided adequate (rice) stocks nationally, including from imports. It is alright," he added.The drought from August to November 2015 has triggered harvest failures and has reduced rice stocks."This decision has been taken for the sake of the people and not to protect a particular individuals image, no. It is to prevent the rice prices from increasing," Kalla explained. On Nov. 4, some 4.8 thousand tons of rice imported from Vietnam arrived in Manado, North Sulawesi Province.Some three thousand tons of imported rice from Vietnam was also expected to arrive in Merauke, Papua, on Nov. 8, 2015.(*)

http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/101405/imported-rice-begins-arriving-in-indonesia

Rice production thrives with large-scale fields

A large-scale rice field in the Central Highland province of Dak Lak. The area of large-scale fields has crossed 550,000ha, with rice production thriving but also slowly expanding to other crops. — VNS Photo Viet Thanh

HCM CITY (VNS) — The area under large-scale fields has increased significantly in the last two years after the Government began implementing Decision No 62/2013 on encouraging co-operation and linkages in production and consumption of farm produce, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.Speaking at a review meeting in HCM City on Tuesday, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam said the area of large-scale fields has crossed 550,000ha, with rice production thriving but also other crops are slowly expanding."The large-scale field became a site for collaboration and connection between enterprises and organisations representing farmers, for technology transfer and for providing public services, especially agricultural training.

"Le Duc Thinh, deputy head of the Department of Co-operative Economy and Rural Development, said as part of the large-scale fields programme companies have signed production and consumption contracts with farmers, creating a steady source of agricultural raw materials for export, and helped farmers feel secure about their production.

The programme has enabled farmers to join hands to increase yields and reduce costs, he said.But the meeting heard that despite encouraging results, the programme faces difficulties.Thinh said a lack of funds for developing large-scale fields, cumbersome procedures for assistance, and poor production infrastructure are among the hurdles to the development of large-scale fields.Delegates also said the programme is suitable only for rice and not other crops, and the Government should consider amending it.Nam admitted that the programme has been making slow progress, with the number of contracts linking production and consumption of agricultural products remaining low.

Thinh said only 11 out of the country's 63 cities and provinces have announced policies to encourage linking production and consumption of farm produce, and some 10 have approved zoning plans for large-scale fields.Large-scale fields account for just 4 per cent of the country's total cultivable area, he said.The ministry plans to urge the Government to address shortcomings in Decision No 62 as well as Decree No 15, which guides implementation of the decision, he said.It would also urge the Government to allow local authorities to make zoning plans for large-scale fields based on local conditions, he said.It would seek policies to encourage the establishment of concentrated animal breeding, aquaculture and forestry areas and linkages between production and consumption in these sectors, he said.Nam said linkages between agricultural production and consumption and building large-scale fields are the inevitable direction the country's agriculture would take in future. — VNS

http://vietnamnews.vn/society/278392/rice-production-thrives-with-large-scale-fields.html

Bangladesh to procure Aman rice at Tk 31 per kg

  Staff Correspondent,  bdnews24.com

Published: 2015-11-12 18:19:42.0 BdST Updated: 2015-11-12 19:30:34.0 BdST

 The government will procure 200,000 tonnes of Aman rice at Tk 31 per kg. Food Minister Qamrul Islam on Thursday said the procurement would run from Dec 15 to Mar 15 next year.He said production of each kg of Aman paddy cost farmers Tk 18.5. The production cost ran up to Tk 28.5 for each kg.“That’s why we’ve decided to procure Aman rice at Tk 31 per kg,” the minister added.The government collected 320,000 tonnes of Aman rice last year at Tk 32 per kg.Qamrul said the prices of rice and flour would be reduced for open-market sales(OMS) to keep the commodities within the people’s reach.A kg of flour currently costs Tk 22 and rice Tk 24 in the OMS.“We’ll announce the reduced prices within a day or two,” the minister told reporters.

http://bdnews24.com/business/2015/11/12/bangladesh-to-procure-aman-rice-at-tk-31-per-kg

Rice exports to stay strong, say shippers

12 Nov 2015 at 08:30

NEWSPAPER SECTION: BUSINESS | WRITER: PHUSADEE ARUNMAS

The country's rice prospects are brightening, with exports expected to stay strong at 9.5 to 10 million tonnes next year, says the Thai Rice Exporters Association.Thailand's rice situation is stable thanks to several pending purchase orders under government-to-government (G-to-G) contracts with the Philippines and China, president Charoen Laothammatas said yesterday.

He expects Thai paddy prices will remain steady at 8,000 to 8,500 baht a tonne next year.The government is hoping to sell more rice from its stocks in the year to come due to lower output resulting from drought conditions.Drought is forecast to cut second-crop output next year by 50% to 4-5 million tonnes of paddy from 8-10 million tonnes.The government through the Foreign Trade Department will sign a G-to-G deal this week to sell 500,000 tonnes of newly harvested rice worth 8 billion baht to Indonesia's rice-buying agency, Bulog.Of the 500,000 tonnes, 15% white rice will make up 450,000 tonnes, with 5% white rice making up the rest. Delivery is scheduled from this month to next March.

Since Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha took office, Thailand has sold more than 2 million tonnes under G-to-G contracts, 1 million of which is to be delivered this year.In September, the government secured a deal to sell 300,000 tonnes of rice to the Philippines' National Food Authority under a G-to-G deal at cost, insurance and freight prices of US$426.60 a tonne. Delivery is due between now and next January.The government is also set to sign a deal to sell 1 million tonnes of rice to China, with delivery scheduled for next year.

The grains, mainly new 5% white rice and Hom Mali rice, are part of a 2-million-tonne lot for which Thailand and China signed a memorandum of understanding last December.The contract will be made through the China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation, the giant state enterprise that oversees rice imports, as a way of ensuring transparency.The transaction with China is unrelated to an earlier deal for 1 million tonnes struck by the Yingluck Shinawatra government.

 Thailand has already delivered 700,000 tonnes as part of that deal.Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn last week said drought conditions prompted many countries to go on a rice-buying spree, with the Philippines and Indonesia expected to buy more rice.The scenario presents a good opportunity for Thai rice exports and rice prices, she said, adding that authorities also expected to sell more rice to Iran, Singapore and Hong Kong.

In a bid to stabilise domestic prices ahead of the main crop's new release of supply this month and next, the rice policy and management committee recently agreed to delay sales of high-quality rice from state stocks.The panel will allow the sale of 2 million tonnes of low-quality rice, mainly for industrial use.

The Bangkok post

News from USA Rice Daily

USA Rice Participates in Havana Trade Show, Meets with Alimport 

Group meeting with ALIMPORT

Group meeting with Alimport

HAVANA, CUBA - USA Rice participated in the American Pavilion of the International Havana Trade Show (FIHAV) here last week. The American pavilion this year was composed of 26 companies and trade associations, a sharp increase compared to the last several years, no doubt as a result of policy changes here and in the United States.

 USA Rice was represented here by consultants Ernesto Baron and Ana Vettorazzi and by Chairman Dow Brantley and Riceland's Kevin McGilton.During the show, the USA Rice delegation met with Director General Ariel Fiallo and Vice President of Operations Alejandro Cardet of Alimport, the Cuban government's purchasing arm.There is a clear interest in resuming imports of U.S.-grown rice and our quality and the transportation logistics make the U.S. an ideal supplier of rice for Cuba," said Brantley. "However, the Alimport folks were loud and clear that the main challenge remains the lack of credit terms  and other policies still in effect due to the embargo." The delegation also visited several local grocery stores where both locals and tourists are able to purchase common food items and a supply warehouse where only locals are allowed to obtain their monthly government supplied rations."This trip was eye-opening and there is a definite and immediate need for high quality rice because a lot of the rice we saw on store shelves was not good quality," said Brantley. "And with an increasing number of trade delegations, and eventually American tourists coming down - which is what it's going to take to get two-way trade going - they are going to need our commodities sooner rather than later."

Contact: Sarah Moran (703) 236-1457

Weekly Rice Sales, Exports Reported  

WASHINGTON, DC -- Net rice sales of 81,400 MT for 2015/2016 were down 28 percent from the previous week, but up 27 from the prior four-week average, according to today'sExport Sales Highlights report.  Increases were reported for Mexico (20,500 MT), Haiti (18,600 MT), Colombia (16,900 MT), unknown destinations (10,100 MT), and Taiwan (6,100 MT).  Exports of 45,500 MT, down 42 percent from the previous week and 39 percent from the prior 4-week average, were reported to Mexico (26,500 MT), Japan (12,100 MT), Canada (2,500 MT), South Korea (1,400 MT), and Jordan (1,100 MT).New exports for own account totaling 300 MT were reported to Canada.  Exports for own account totaling 100 MT to Canada were applied to new or outstanding sales.  The current outstanding balance is 600 MT, all Canada.This summary is based on reports from exporters from the period October 23-29, 2015.

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures

CME Group (Prelim):  Closing Rough Rice Futures for November 12 Month Price Net Change $12.110 + $0.475 January 2016 $12.360 + $0.480 March 2016 $12.625 + $0.475 May 2016 $12.910 + $0.465 July 2016 $13.165 + $0.465 September 2016 $12.730 + $0.275 November 2016 $12.730 + $0.275

 

Taste the Crown Jewel of the Grain World: Hand-Harvested Wild Rice

 

This ancient Native American staple crop provides economic and environmental benefits on tribal lands.

Following methods of their ancestors, Chippewa men harvest wild rice in the Wisconsin River in Wisconsin. (Photo: Volkmar K. Wentzel/Getty Images)

NOV 11, 2015

Jane Lear is a regular contributor to TakePart. She was on staff at 'Gourmet' for almost 20 years.

Bio

 Wild rice is one of America’s great regional ingredients, and this is a terrific time of year to celebrate it in all its glory. Earthy and elegant, wild rice makes a superb side dish for the holiday turkey, as well as for game and roast chicken, and can even be the main course—in these vegetarian Scallion Wild Rice Crepes With Mushroom Filling and Red Pepper Sauce, for example. To make them vegan, simply use eggless crêpesand a butter substitute in the filling.I didn’t mention wild rice in my recent column on rice varieties because it’s such a different kettle of fish, taxonomically speaking. Yes, it is the seed of a tall aquatic grass plant, like common rices, and yes, it is considered a grain, like common rices. It is also gluten-free, like common rices. But wild rice is four species in a different genus, Zizania. One species, Manchurian wild rice, is native to Asia; the others are all native to North America.

Zizania texana, or Texas wild rice, is a rare, endangered perennial forage grass found only in the upper 1.5 miles of the San Marcos River in Central Texas. According to the Texas State Historical Association, “Modern man's impact upon the natural habitat of Texas wild rice began about 1831, when settlers arrived in the area.” It’s gone downhill from there. “Texas wild rice is threatened with extinction as a direct result of human encroachment. There is concern that much of the genetic diversity once available in it may have already been irretrievably lost.” Research efforts on habitat requirements as well as the breeding of Texas wild rice with commercially successful species are in the works.

When it comes to the wild rice sold for human consumption in the United States, those would be Zizania aquatica (southern wild rice) and Z. palustris (northern wild rice), annuals that are sometimes lumped together in a single species, Z. aquatica. They grow in lakes, marshes, and rivers mostly west and north of the Great Lakes as well as in small, isolated wild stands along the Atlantic coastal plain.

Over millennia, wild rice has evolved in some interesting ways  to survive and propagate. The reason it is higher in protein than common rices, for instance, is that it requires lots of energy in the spring to germinate from the cold bottom mud in a lake bed or a wetland. (According to the USDA, one cup of cooked wild rice contains 6.5 grams of protein, whereas one cup of cooked medium-grain brown rice has 4.5 grams.) The mature plants must cope with two threats—migrating birds with voracious appetites and an early frost—by producing seeds that ripen at different rates. Some seeds ripen early to avoid the frost; others ripen late to avoid migrating ducks and other waterfowl.

Wild rice has been commercially cultivated since the 1960s and ’70s. Much of what you’ll find at the supermarket is bred for hardiness, grown in diked flooded fields similar to cranberry bogs, mechanically harvested by high-flotation combines, and mechanically parched (dry-toasted) and winnowed. California and Minnesota are the largest producers.

But what we all think of as the real deal is the wild rice harvested by the Anishinaabe(also known as the Ojibwa or Chippewa) in the traditional manner, done by two sets of hands: one poling a canoe through the rice beds like a gondolier, the other using “knocking sticks” to gently sweep grasses over the boat and knock the ripened seeds—pale green and encased in a long, thin, inedible hull—into the boat. Immature seeds stay on the plant, so they can continue to ripen for a subsequent harvest, and any seeds knocked loose by the wind will settle back into the lake bed until the following spring, when the age-old cycle will repeat itself.

After harvesting, the rice is spread out in the sun to dry; then it’s parched, or dry-toasted, in a deep pan set over a fire or in large wood-fired ovens. It must be taken off the heat at precisely the right moment: If it gets too hot, it will pop, like popcorn, and if it doesn’t parch long enough, it will spoil. Parching grains, which turns them dry and hard, is one of the earliest-known methods for preserving them; it also makes the inedible outer hulls easier to remove during winnowing and, incidentally, is what gives wild rice its characteristic rich, nutty, smoky flavor.

Like corn for the Hopi and buffalo for the Lakota, the cultural importance of wild rice, or manoomin (pronounced "ma-no-min"), to the Anishinaabe can’t be overestimated. Ricing has always been central to the Anishinaabe; it stars in their founding myth, in which prophets told the people to travel westward until they found the place where “food grows on water.”It’s also critical to the ecological well-being of the Great Lakes region. According to theNative Wild Rice Coalition, “the dense stalks provide roosting and brood cover for a variety of waterfowl species, and nesting habitat for other bird species. The long, nutritious grains are a large part of the diet of many migratory birds. Mammals such as the muskrat utilize the tender stalks of wild rice both for food and in the creation of their lodges. The rice beds provide habitat for many other species, from invertebrates to large mammals such as the moose

.” Other wildlife depend on the plants too. “More than 30 species of waterfowl use the Great Lakes and adjacent coastal wetlands during at least one season of their lifecycle with the greatest species diversity occurring during the spring and fall migration periods,” the coalition continues. “An estimated three million swans, geese, and ducks travel along migration corridors that cross the Great Lakes region.” The stands of rice also help to improve water quality by holding soil in place and providing a buffer against winds that can disturb wetland habitat.

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In economic terms, ricing is a matter of survival in a place where people struggle to get by. Take the White Earth Reservation, in northwestern Minnesota, which is in an area of especially severe continuous unemployment. The White Earth Land Recovery Project, founded by political activist and tribe member Winona LaDuke in 1989, operates a mill on the reservation and sells Native Harvest wild rice to specialty stores around the country. (It can also be ordered online through the Native Harvestwebsite.) You’ll also find a list of sources for hand-harvested wild rice at the Native Wild Rice Coalition’s site. When buying wild rice, avoid packages that contain lots of broken pieces.

Because wild rice is arguably the crown jewel of the grain world, it’s a real shame to ruin it by undercooking or overcooking. Depending on the variety and how long it’s been on the shelf, the cooking time can vary from about 40 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes, so you’ll want to keep an eye on it. When it just starts to splay open, it’s done. 

http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/11/11/wild-rice?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+November

Everything you wanted to know about the benefits of rice

Mumbai Mirror | Nov 11, 2015, 02.11PM IST

 Twice as rice (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images)

Regular rice is much maligned and is fast being dropped in favour of its unpolished avatar. But are the charges valid?Sports nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar separates the grain from the husk

The Chinese eat rice with every meal, breakfast included, and the average Chinese on the street is thin, if not skinny. In our country, however, we are getting skeptical about rice and yes, we are all getting fatter. We either give up rice or replace it with wheat or 'brown' rice. What is wrong with this approach?

Replacing rice with wheat is not a good idea since it means reducing your intake of amino acids (protein's building blocks) and Vitamin B. As for brown rice, it has the outer layer (husk and bran) intact thereby making it high in fibre. Now of course we want fibre but if your rice has more fibre than you can digest, brown rice will only cause indigestion. On the other hand, rice that emits blinding whiteness may not be the best source of nutrients either.

Thus, to get the best of both worlds, polish your rice to the extent that helps it retain its nutrients (proteins, Vitamin B and fibre) and looks brownish or reddish. Remove the outer bran but allow the rice grain to show off its brown/red strains. Don't worry, this won't compromise the taste and yes, you can eat basmati rice with the brown/red strains as well.The protein in this rice (red-rice or hand-polished rice) is absorbed much better by your body than in brown rice. It is also way easier to cook and digest as compared to brown rice. It is easy to digest, easy to absorb, easy to assimilate proteins from and easier on your excretory system too. This is exactly how the farming community of India eats its rice.

In fact, Ayurveda uses rice based diets in treating various imbalances in the body. Dal-chawal is a nutritious meal, possessing the entire spectrum of amino acids, vitamins and minerals. It also accelerates fat burning. In fact, the essential amino acid methionine found pre-dominantly in rice helps mobilize fat from the liver. As India is dominantly vegetarian, getting proteins from rice, especially the essential amino acid methionine and the conditionally essential amino acid (becomes essential under conditions of stress) tyrosine is crucial for us. Diabetics should also eat rice since they need these proteins.Know that rice is not a bad thing.

The bad thing is when we mindlessly decide if one thing is good for us and that if we do it a lot, it becomes only better. We do that with rice so often now. A humble dal-chawal meal is so satiating that it makes you eat slower and improves your chances of eating the right amount (the cornerstones of fat loss or accelerated metabolism, good digestion and health itself).Rice is auspicious in both China and India: the dead are offered rice to wish them good health for life outside their physical selves. It is sad then, that in India, even when we are still in our bodies, we make fads out of rice.

Times of India

Environmentalists sue over Sacramento River water, fish perils

Legal action is latest skirmish amid drought

Shawn Gallagher of Costa Mesa fishes for salmon on the Sacramento river near Los Molinos on Thursday, September 3, 2015. Randall Benton rbenton@sacbee.com

BY DALE KASLER

dkasler@sacbee.com

Escalating the fight over California’s diminished water supply, a coalition of environmental groups sued Central Valley farmers and the federal government over the possible extinction facing an endangered run of salmon.A group led by the Natural Resources Defense Council this week filed suit in U.S. District Court in Sacramento against the Bureau of Reclamation and other federal agencies, plus a host of water districts that deliver water to farmers in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys. The case is one of many legal squabbles over water that have broken out during the drought.

The claim: The Bureau of Reclamation, which operates the sprawling delivery network known as the Central Valley Project, is violating federal law by devoting too much water to agriculture and not enough to fish, particularly the winter-run Chinook salmon and the Delta smelt. The salmon is listed as endangered and the smelt as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The environmentalists originally filed their lawsuit in 2005, and this week’s filing represents an updated claim to emphasize the plight of the salmon as California navigates a fourth year of drought.

A shortage of cool water has left the salmon in serious peril. Despite intensive efforts by federal and state officials to control water temperatures on the Sacramento River this year, the National Marine Fisheries Service reported in late October that vast numbers of juvenile salmon have been cooked to death for the second straight spawning season.An estimated 95 percent of the juveniles were wiped out last year, and the agency said this year’s outcome could be worse, although the results won’t be certain for a few weeks. Because the fish have a three-year spawning cycle, environmentalists say the salmon could face extinction in the wild, although a government-run hatchery near Shasta Dam breeds them in captivity.

“The federal government’s mismanagement of limited water supplies in the ongoing drought is a near death blow for Chinook salmon and the thousands of people whose livelihood is tied to the salmon industry,” Kate Poole, attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a prepared statement.Farm groups fired back, saying agriculture agreed to keep millions of gallons of extra water in Shasta reservoir this year in an effort to keep the releases cold for the salmon. As a result, rice farmers in the Sacramento Valley fallowed about 25 percent of their land.“Once again, we hear the unproven innuendo that rice farmers waste water.

That is simply not the case,” Tim Johnson, head of the California Rice Commission, said in a blog post.Juvenile salmon generally need the Sacramento River’s water to stay below 56 degrees to survive. The Bureau of Reclamation worked out a plan with Sacramento Valley farmers to hold additional water behind Shasta Dam longer than usual to keep the water cool. It started releasing water during the spring, but a few weeks later realized its temperature gauges were faulty, and the reservoir was warming too quickly. It throttled back the releases from Shasta, angering farmers, but were unable to get temperatures down consistently.

http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article44259588.html?

Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report

Rice

	High	Low
Long Grain Cash Bids	- - -	- - -
Long Grain New Crop	- - -	- - -

Futures:

High Low Last Change Nov '15 1210.0 1210.0 1211.0 +47.5 Jan '16 1237.5 1189.5 1236.0 +48.0 Mar '16 1264.0 1217.0 1262.5 +47.5 May '16 1290.5 1290.5 1291.0 +46.5 Jul '16 1313.5 1308.0 1316.5 +46.5 Sep '16 1270.0 1270.0 1273.0 +27.5 Nov '16 1273.0 +27.5

Rice Comment

January rice posted sharp gains and is back within range to test resistance at $12.50. The USDA production report raised total US production by 3 million cwt to 190.8 million cwt due entirely to higher yields. Total long grain production was projected at 132.4 million cwt, with medium and short-grain production pegged at 58.4 million. Ending stocks are projected at 39.8 million cwt, which is unchanged from last month due to increased domestic use and export projections. The average long-grain price is projected down $1.30 from last month to $11.50 to $12.50. Global ending stocks for 15/16 were raised by 3 percent (2.7 million tons) due to an increase in beginning stocks and a decrease in consumption.

http://www.arfb.com/ag-markets-statistics/report/