Today Rice News Headlines...
·
Rice basmati slides on
muted demand
·
Rice Exporters Face
Greater Scrutiny from China
·
Single-digit falls seen
in 2015 palay, corn output
·
Philippines May Import
400,000 Tons of Rice in First Half of 2016WS
·
Palay production to
fall 3.5% in ’15
·
The heavy burden of
farm life after pledging scheme
·
PH to import more rice
in ’16
·
Bulog to Import More Rice
Early Next Year
·
PHL to import rice in
January – NFA
·
Thailand expects to
export 9 mln tonnes of rice in 2016 - Commerce Ministry
·
Agri Buzz : Thailand
Rice Exports Down 18% This Year
·
Rice industry at a
turning point, minister says
·
Biosafety Agency approves
new GM rice – D-G
·
Rice farmers ‘thankful’
they enrolled in PLC program
·
Ghost rice’ in Vietnam
– P3: Descendants of the Vietnamese grain
·
As Liberia's Annual
Rice Importation Hits US$200 Million: US$30M Failed Project Hunts ...Did VP
Boakai, Lawmakers Exert “Nationalistic Policy”?
·
Arkansas Farm Bureau
Daily Commodity Report
·
USA Rice Announces
Conservation Achievement Award
·
Rice Scholarship Winner
Promotes Health, Budget Benefits of Rice
·
CME Group/Closing Rough
Rice Futures
·
Commodity Report-Dec.
14
·
Senators divided on
sales to Cuba
·
2015 Rice Outlook
Conference draws record attendance in New Orleans
·
H1 rice imports may hit
900,000 MT – NFA
·
New Rice Could Help
Reduce Global Greenhouse Gasses
·
SunRice lifts
first-half profit
·
Rice Market &
Technology Convention
NEWS DETAIL…
Rice basmati slides on muted demand
By PTI | 12 Dec, 2015, 04.04PM IST
NEW DELHI: Prices of basmati rice drifted by Rs 100 per quintal at
the wholesale market today following sluggish demand coupled with adequate
stocks position. However, other grains moved in a narrow range in scattered
buying or selling and settled around previous levels. Marketmen said easing
demand from retailers against sufficient stocks on higher supplies from
producing belts kept pressure on rice basmati prices. In the national capital,
rice basmati common and Pusa 1,121 variety fell by Rs 100 each to Rs
6,000-6,100 and Rs 4,500-5,300 per quintal respectively.
Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal):
Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,000-2,600, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs 1,670-1,700, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,700-1,715, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs 230, Shakti Bhog (10 kg) Rs 230, Roller flour mill Rs 880-885 (50 kg), Maida Rs 935-940 (50 kg) and Sooji Rs 1,040-1,045 (50 kg).
Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal):
Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,000-2,600, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs 1,670-1,700, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,700-1,715, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs 230, Shakti Bhog (10 kg) Rs 230, Roller flour mill Rs 880-885 (50 kg), Maida Rs 935-940 (50 kg) and Sooji Rs 1,040-1,045 (50 kg).
By Victor V. Saulon
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/commodities/rice-basmati-slides-on-muted-demand/articleshow/50150735.cms
Rice Exporters Face
Greater Scrutiny from China
Khmer
Times/Sok Chan
Sunday,
13 December 2015
China
has set a yearend deadline for Cambodia to submit a list of all Cambodian rice
exporters so that Chinese inspectors can evaluate whether they can fully meet
food safety laws in a market Cambodian exporters are hoping to increase exports
to, according to an announcement from the Ministry of Agriculture.It called on
domestic rice exporters to cooperate with ministry officials by providing
contact information by December 18. Ministry officials will then inspect and
evaluate each rice miller to determine whether they have the capacity to
process, mill and store rice so that it can meet standards required to ship it
to the Chinese market. Hean Vanhan, a deputy general director at the
ministry, said China had asked Cambodia to evaluate rice exporters to determine
whether they adhered to hygiene laws in China because officials in the world’s
second largest economy did not trust all of the 71 rice exporters registered
with the Ministry of Commerce.
“China is strengthening hygiene and food safety standards so
they have some conditions for Cambodia to implement for Cambodian rice
exporters,” Mr. Vanhan said. “They asked the Cambodian government to recheck
whether rice exporters are fully complying with their standards.”
“It is a rush to work on this, but we are trying our best to send them the list of our rice exporting companies by the deadline. Our officials will go onsite to evaluate the technical production, processing and storage facilities in each rice exporter and then send the information to China,” Mr. Vanhan said. Agriculture officials say not all of the 71 rice exporters registered in the Ministry of Commerce are active. Some have reserved licenses with the intention to export in the future, they said. Only 23 companies exported rice – to China and other countries – this year, officials said. Of these, just 10 account for most rice exports, they said.
“It is a rush to work on this, but we are trying our best to send them the list of our rice exporting companies by the deadline. Our officials will go onsite to evaluate the technical production, processing and storage facilities in each rice exporter and then send the information to China,” Mr. Vanhan said. Agriculture officials say not all of the 71 rice exporters registered in the Ministry of Commerce are active. Some have reserved licenses with the intention to export in the future, they said. Only 23 companies exported rice – to China and other countries – this year, officials said. Of these, just 10 account for most rice exports, they said.
Exporters that lack rice milling, warehouse and storage facilities are not permitted to export rice to China, officials said. “China imported about 91,883 tons of rice in the first 11 months this year, so if Cambodia cannot meet requirements set by China it will have a bit effect of rice exporters in Cambodia,” Mr. Vanhan said.Song Saran, president of Amru Rice (Cambodia), welcomed the move, saying that it will be good for Cambodia as a rice exporting country. Cambodia has the ability to supply a large amount of high-quality, hygienic rice to China and Cambodia can meet food-safety standards set by China.
“If China is aiming to strengthen food safety, it is not a big concern as we also want to show them our production process, from producing to processing and storage,” Mr. Saran said.
“We are ready to work with the government to ensure that it has all the information related to rice millers so that it is easy for them to check in case a problem occurs,” he added.
Hun Lak, vice president of the Cambodia Rice Federation, told Khmer Times recently that the federation has worked with experts on rice promotion, logistics, energy issues, export documentation and to conduct field visits to rice millers in various provinces to assess concerns.
“They are working with the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Agriculture to smooth out the production process,” Mr. Lak said.
Cambodia exported 450,000 tons of rice over the first 11 months of the year, according to a recent report from the Agriculture Ministry. Though only around half of the government’s goal for the year, rice exports did rise 36 percent over the same period last year, despite some 242,416 hectares of rice fields in 16 provinces being severely affected by drought as of November, the report said.A farmer harvests rice. Exports of the grain are facing food-safety scrutiny in China.Supplied
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/18623/rice-exporters-face-greater-scrutiny-from-china/
Single-digit falls seen in 2015 palay,
corn output
Posted on December 13, 2015
06:09:00 PM
THE DEPARTMENT of Agriculture expects palay and corn production this year to decline by single-digit levels because of the adverse effects of El Niño and the three typhoons that hit the country in the second half.
For
2015, palay output is expected to decrease by 3.54% to 18.30 million metric
tons (MT) from actual 2014 levels. Corn production is also projected to drop by
2.8% to 7.55 million MT.Edilberto M. De Luna, Agriculture assistant secretary
for field operations, said in a briefing on Friday that the department expects
“substantial losses” because of the calamities.He said that were it not for the
calamities, palay production could have reached 19.5-19.8 million MT during the
year, or near the target of about 20.06 million MT.
The
farm sector accounts for about 12% of the country’s gross domestic product
(GDP). Palay and corn output are among the sector’s biggest contributors apart
from being important to the food supply.Rolando T. Dy, professor at the
University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P), in an e-mailed response said he
expects agricultural output this year to be at “low negative.” Factoring farm
production into the prediction, he said full year GDP would not reach 6%. Mr.
Dy, who is also executive director of the university’s center for food and agri
business, said the World Bank forecast of 5.8% “looks more like it.
”“We
expect first quarter [2016] agri growth to be at low negative (levels),” he
said.On a positive note, the Agriculture department expressed optimism about
early prospects next year. It sees palay and corn production to increase during
the first quarter of 2016, the period when the full intensity of the El Niño
phenomenon is forecast to be felt.In a statement yesterday, Agriculture
Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said that based on farmers’ planting intentions,
palay production might reach 4.38 million MT in the coming quarter, up 0.31%
from P4.37 million MT in the first quarter of 2015.He said the increase for
rice could come from the expansion in the harvest area by 1.15% even as yield
per hectare might decrease to 3.77 MT from 3.8 MT in anticipation of the
adverse effects of El Niño, which is seen causing extreme dry spells in many
parts of the country’s farming areas.
Corn
production in the first-quarter of 2016 is expected to increase by 0.48% year
on year to 2.38 million MT.Mr. Alcala said almost all regions expect increases
in corn production, noting probable higher output in the Ilocos, Davao and
Northern Mindanao regions as well as the region representing South Cotabato,
Cotabato City, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City
(Soccsksargen).During the briefing, Mr. De Luna said that funding of about P2.1
billion would be released within the year to counter the adverse effect of the
weather event. The funds will be used for mitigating activities, including
water management, repair of small-scale water impounding facilities,
procurement of seeds and cloud-seeding operations, he said.A separate P900
million that was meant for recovery activities after typhoon Lando in October
could augment the awaited funding, he said.
Mr.
De Luna also said the department had advanced P400 million as production
support funds. This is apart from at least P200 million as cost of a buffer
stock for seeds after the typhoon.He said the forecast for the first quarter of
2016 is higher because farmers had anticipated that El Niño would intensify. He
also said the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) had released water to
enable planting a month ahead of the usual Dec. 15 schedule.“That’s a good
development for the NIA-service area especially Central Luzon,” he said, adding
that the move enabled farmers to plant earlier.
Planting
in November means palay will mature in February, the month when El Niño is
expected to be at its worst. Crops would not need a big volume of water by
then.UA&P’s Mr. Dy said he was not as bullish. “Water supply from rains and
irrigation in the next few months will be key factors for palay, and rainfall
for corn to attain good yields. It also depends on what areas,” he
said.“Cagayan Valley (Isabela), Central Luzon, West Visayas (Iloilo), and
Central Mindanao are major rice areas. Cagayan Valley (Isabela), Pangasinan and
parts of Mindanao (Bukidnon, South Cotabato) are main yellow corn areas,” he
said.Mr. De Luna also downplayed the possible impact on production of a Supreme
Court decision that called for a ban on the testing of genetically modified
eggplant.
The
ruling also declared null and void a Agriculture department order in 2002 that
approved the use of a similar technology for corn.He said there are other
technologies that can be used instead of biotechnology. “We have many remedies.
We have biological control agents against corn borer,” he said.On Friday, Roger
V. Navarro, president of the Philippine Maize Federation, Inc., said the ruling
could result in losses amounting to P1 trillion. This includes foregone revenue
in the corn industry at P90 billion, and livestock and poultry at P700 billion, as well as the economic impact of farm
closures, opportunity losses, logistics and livelihood.
http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Economy&title=single-digit-falls-seen-in-2015-palay-corn-output&id=120099
Philippines May Import 400,000 Tons of
Rice in First Half of 2016
December 14, 2015, 12:45:00 AM EDT By
Dow Jones Business News
Shutterstock photo
By Cris Larano
El Nino is expected to intensify in
the first half of 2016.
Write to Cris Larano at
cris.larano@wsj.com
http://www.nasdaq.com/article/philippines-may-import-400000-tons-of-rice-in-first-half-of-2016-20151214-00006#ixzz3uNwtrAHEWS
Palay production to fall 3.5% in ’15
posted December 13, 2015 at 11:55 pm by Anna Leah E.
Gonzales
Palay
or unmilled rice production may fall 3.5 percent this year due to the
contraction of harvest areas and a drop in yield caused by El Niño, the
Philippine Statistics Authority said over the weekend.The PSA said in said palay
production in 2015 was forecast to hit 18.30 million metric tons, down from
18.97 million tons last year. The harvest area may decrease 1.58 percent from
4.74 million hectares in 2014 to 4.66 million hectares this year, while yield
per hectare may also drop by 1.99 percent to 3.92 million mt this year from 4
million mt in 2014.
The
PSA said production in the fourth quarter of the year might be lower by 1.84
percent to 7.42 million tons from 7.56 million last year. “Probable reductions
in production are expected in Cordillera Administrative Region, Central Luzon,
Bicol Region and Caraga,” the PSA said. The agency said production in the first
quarter of 2016 might increase 0.31 percent from 4.37 million tons to 4.38
million tons due to the expansion of harvest area. The PSA said corn production
this year might fall 2.8 percent to 7.55 million tons from 7.77 million tons in
2014.Harvest area may contract to 2.57 million hectares, down 1.73 percent from
last year’s 2.61 million hectares. Yield may also decline by 1.09 percent
to 2.94 metric tons per hectare from
2.98 metric tons per hectare.
The
PSA said corn production in the fourth quarter might decrease to 1.76 million
tons from 1.84 million tons last year due to lower production in Isabela, Nueva
Vizcaya, Calabarzon and Davao Region. Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said
based on farmers’ planting intentions, corn production in the first quarter of
the coming year might increase by 0.48
percent.Alcala said from 2.37 million metric tons in the first quarter of 2015,
production of corn might grow to 2.38 million tons in the first three months of
2016.
“Almost
all regions expect increases in production with probable higher outputs noted
in SOCCSKSARGEN, Ilocos Region, Davao Region and Northern Mindanao,” Alcala
said. He added more farmers in SOCCSKSARGEN had plans to plant earlier due to
the pronouncement of a stronger El Niño in the succeeding quarter.In the Ilocos
Region, shifting from palay to corn, utilization of infallow areas due to
availability of seeds, movement of cropping from the fourth quarter and usage of high quality seeds might
contribute to increased production.Shifting from banana and rain-fed palay to
corn in the Davao Region and availability of seed assistance from local
government units may boost this quarter’s production.
http://thestandard.com.ph/business/194314/palay-production-to-fall-3-5-in-15.html
The heavy burden of farm life after pledging
scheme
Piyaporn Wongruang
The Nation
The Nation
Son’s daugther Walisa Sukcharoen makes maximum use of the 3-rai plot of farmland her father has given to her, growing high-priced riceberry variety.This is the first part in a series of articles on the rice-pledging scheme
BANGKOK: — A cool wind blew over Tao Poon
village in Ratchaburi’s Photharam district, bringing with it light rain that
fell on rice fields. Seeing the rain, 66-year-old Son Sukcharoen rushed to
spread a plastic sheet over his harvested rice so it didn’t get soaked with
water. It was the last time Son would dry the rice in
the sun before selling it in the market. If it got drenched and damaged, Son
would have lost the investment he had put in this harvest, and that would have
added to his debt.
“I have borrowed a new sum of money to invest
in chemical fertilisers and pesticides for this harvest and bet that the yield
this time would bring me a little better price, as I have tried joining the
Good Agricultural Practices [GAP] programme,” Son said.Farmers like Son were
among millions who took part in the grand rice-pledging scheme. A few years
ago, the Yingluck government re-introduced the scheme, which offered farmers
unprecedented price guarantees up to Bt20,000 per tonne of rice.Critics questioned
the scheme from the beginning, as it would involve almost every grain of rice
in the country, a practice deemed unreasonable by many.
But farmers like Son revelled in the high
prices offered, without realising that along with the high prices, their investment
costs also increased, leaving them with a narrow profit margin.However, farmers
did not feel much pain until the scheme was axed.Last year, the military
government decided to scrap the scheme, following allegations of large scale
corruption and losses to the state estimated at about Bt500 billion baht so far
(see box).The government gave farmers Bt1,000 baht per rai (up to 15 rai).
While farmers pocketed a maximum of Bt15,000, the market price for rice is now
hovering between Bt6,000 to Bt7,000 per tonne – less than half the maximum
subsidy offered by the government. That means farmers are shouldering increased
investment costs.
The economic position of many farmers has
become more fragile due to external factors, including deep indebtedness and
losing their farmland.Local Action Links, a non-profit research think tank on
the plight of Thai farmers, conducted a study on farmer debt in several areas
in the Central Plains last year.In Chai Nat’s Sankhaburi district, its case
study of 64 farmers under the Chai Nat Agricultural Promotions group showed
just how severe the debt burden had become for farmers.The farmers generally
owned around six rai, meaning almost half of them had to rent additional
farmland to grow rice. The Local Action Links says the cost of renting land is
generally about a quarter of the total yield per rai, about Bt1,500. So this
has added to their costs.All 64 farmers had their land mortgaged with financial
institutions. On average, they were around Bt314,000 in debt.
Son’s situation is not much different. He has
given the eight rai of farmland he inherited from his parents to his daughter
and son, and he now has to rent 20 rai of farmland. It means a quarter of his
yield goes to the landlord.Pongtip Samranjit, the director of Local Action
Links, said farmers had shouldered heavy indebtedness and farmland losses over
the past 10 years. The trend has been for farmers to own less land while those
losing land or renting land is on the rise, the director said.Pontip said that
after the rice-pledging scheme ceased, countless farmers had been exposed to
this bitter truth more clearly, and it had become clear to the public now how
much of a burden farmers were under.Pontip said the more worrying trend was
farmers deep in debt turning to loan sharks, which increased the chance of them
losing their land, and even their homes.
“We have interviewed four cases who engaged in
loans provided by loan sharks, and all of them have experienced attempts to
kill themselves,” he said.Along with increased debt, the rice-pledging scheme
has apparently also impaired many farmers’ ability to learn and be
self-reliant.Krissnana Kaudlim – a 43-year-old farmer in Ratchaburi’s Photharam
district who formed a village farm group so farmers had more bargaining power
at the market – has experienced this.Krissana, a leader of the Photharam
Agri-Nature Learning Group, said he was an indebted farmer before it was
rehabilitated under the Farmers’ Rehabilitation and Development Fund. It was
then that he was able to redeem his family’s land.
But Krissana realised that the mass production
of rice was not for him, and he decided to go for training at Agri-Nature
Foundation. After finishing the training, Krissana went back to his village and
tried to form the farm group, applying self-reliant farming as its
principle.Shortly before the rice-pledging scheme was introduced, a group of
around 10 farmers in the village joined the initiative. Through the
self-reliant principle, they tried to process their rice and sell it in the
local market. All the farmers collapsed because of the introduction of the
scheme, he said.He said that instead of selling the rice at the market, the
farmers sold it to silos.That resulted in the group having no rice to process,
but they had to buy high-priced rice from the silos. The group collapsed.
But what hurt Krissana more was the realisation
was that the group’s learning process was disrupted.With high rice prices now a
thing of the past, some farmers have come back to him as he is offering a
little higher price – around Bt7,800 per tonne.“Farmers’ learning and
establishing groups is very important as that is a strength that farmers can
have when dealing with others. And this closely connects to the economy at a
fundamental level, which is community-based economic development. All have gone
in the name of the scheme,” said Krissana, who now is trying to rebuild his
group.Pontip said the scheme had shown once again that government farm policies
did not get to fundamental or structural problems in the farm sector, which was
debt, loss of land, low levels of education and a lack of self-reliance.
Pongtip said structural problems were political
and she could understand why policy-makers avoided them. But as a farm advocate
who had witnessed farmers endure painful experiences, Pongtip said the
government could not leave the problems untouched or they would grow and become
a heavy burden the country could not bear.“The more they grow rice, the less
quality of life they have,” he said.
Timeline of controversy
The rice-pledging scheme was one of the
Yingluck government’s principal farm policies aimed at assisting farmers.But
the government, which first reintroduced the scheme for the 2011-12 farm
production year, was unprecedented in terms of its scale and the price-guarantee
rates.The scheme involved 25 million tonnes in the first year, almost every
gain of rice in the country, and prices as high as Bt20,000 per tonne.When it
was introduced, the government said it aimed to lift farmers’ incomes and
reduce the gaps in farmers’ incomes, increase market access for farmers, and
promote economic growth and stability via domestic consumption and
self-reliance.The National Anti-Corruption Commission launched an investigation
and alleged that government-to-government deals with China were bogus and no
rice was shipped to China. Relevant ministers were charged, and former prime
minister Yingluck Shinawatra was left facing three legal actions.
She has already been impeached, while she is
still facing a criminal charge for alleged negligence for failing to act when
the scheme incurred heavy losses and allegation of corruption swirled around
it. At the time, she was chairwoman of the National Rice Policy
Committee.Yingluck is also facing a civil liability after the military
government claimed the scheme cost the state around Bt500 billion. The Supreme
Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders has set the first round
of evidence and witness deliberation in this case for January 15.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/The-heavy-burden-of-farm-life-after-pledging-schem-30274859.html
PH to import more rice in ’16
By Riza T. Olchondra
Philippine Daily Inquirer
December 15, 2015 at 12:04 am
The Philippines
may import almost one million metric tons of rice next year to keep prices
stable as estimates point to lower domestic production of the staple crop,
mainly due to dry field conditions.National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator
Renan Dalisay told reporters that the government might consider buying an
additional 400,000 tons of rice imports on top of the 500,000 tons already
programmed for the first quarter of 2016.“We need to ensure that we have enough
rice inventories at government depositories as El Nino peaks in the first
quarter of next year,” he said.
The
Philippines is seen to produce slightly less rice this year compared to 2014
due to dry field conditions, but there may be an improvement next
year.Assistant Secretary for Field Operations Edilberto De Luna of the
Department of Agriculture told reporters that the Philippines would likely
produce 18.3 million to 18.5 million metric tons (MT) of palay (rough rice), or
about 3.54-percent below the 2014 output of 18.97 million tons.
The 2015
target was higher but primarily due to El Niño and other adverse weather
events, several rice-planting areas have reported lower production. Among the
conditions affecting production was delayed or little rainfall and inadequate
irrigation.De Luna said that when compared to the last time El Niño hit in
2010, when rice output was at 15.7 million tons, the Philippines has shown
improved production.The outlook seems better for 2016 with the first quarter
(January-March 2016) seen to yield 4.38 million tons or 0.31-percent more than
the 4.37 million tons in the first quarter of 2015.
http://m.inquirer.net/business/204135
Bulog to Import More Rice Early Next Year
SUNDAY,
13 DECEMBER, 2015 | 16:58 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - State Logistics Agency (Bulog) president director Djarot
Kusumayakti said that the government planned to import
additional rice stocks early next year.“800,000 tons of rice imports have not
yet received, but demands in January-March must be well-managed,” Djarot
told Tempo on Sunday,
December 13, 2015.
Djarot explained that farmers would likely plant rice on
non-irrigation fields in December and expect harvest in April next year.
Therefore, Djarot said rice distributions in January-March must be
managed.According to Djarot, Bulog currently has 1.2 million tons of rice,
which would meet the domestic demands on rice and leave 500,000 tons in Bulog’s
storage. The stock would be added by 700,000 tons of imported rice to be sent
by the end of this year.Djarot admitted that production data in regions had
caused difficulties for Bulog to manage the stocks. Therefore, Bulog would
conduct a supervision based on market prices. Djarot added that he had seen an
increasing trend in rice prices across Indonesia. Therfore, Bulog conducted
market interventions to anticipate the increasing rice prices.
http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2015/12/13/056727370/Bulog-to-Import-More-Rice-Early-Next-Year
PHL to import rice
in January – NFA
MANILA, Dec 14 (Reuters) – The Philippines’ state grains
procurement agency, National Food Authority (NFA), said it expects to sign new
rice import deals in January to ensure adequate domestic supply of the grain
amid worries of drier weather in the first quarter.
“It will be finalised within the year and contracted in January,”
NFA Administrator Renan Dalisay told reporters on Monday, when asked about the
country’s rice import plans.Dalisay said the NFA was yet to decide the final
import volume. Last week, Communications Secretary Coloma said the government
was looking to import an additional volume of between 300,000 and 400,000
tonnes for delivery in the second quarter.A worker stands on a pile of
rice sacks at the National Food Authority’s warehouse in Quezon City. (MB file
photo)
www.mb.com.ph/phl-to-import-rice-in-january-nfa/#40UCYK8eV1zqoc8O.99
Thailand expects to export 9 mln tonnes
of rice in 2016 - Commerce Ministry
Mon
Dec 14, 2015 5:53am GMT
BANGKOK Dec
14 (Reuters) - Thailand's Ministry of Commerce said on Monday it expects the
country to export 9 million tonnes of rice in 2016, lower than the 10 million
tonnes forecast for 2015.The ministry said dry weather, which hit several
rice-growing provinces this year, would impact rice output next year."It
is expected that output will fall due to the impact of drought," the
ministry said in a statement.The ministry valued rice exports in 2016 at $4.79
billion versus $4.86 billion expected in 2015. (Reporting by Amy Sawitta
Lefevre and Viparat Jantraprap; Editing by Ed Davies)
http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL3N14326A20151214
Agri Buzz : Thailand Rice Exports Down
18% This Year
capital market
| Mumbai | July 20, 2015 16:20 IST
As per the latest data compiled by USDA, the unofficial
preliminary rice exports (excluding premium white and fragrant rice) for July 6-12,
2015 totaled 87,844 metric tons, up 5,521 metric tons from the previous week
and up 4,306 metric tons from the four-week moving average of 83,539 metric
tons. Rice exports (excluding premium white and fragrant rice) from January 1 -
July 12, 2015, totaled 2,056,761 metric tons, down 18 percent from the same
period last year
Powered by Commodity Insights
http://www.indiainfoline.com/article/capital-market-commodity-futures-mid-session-commentary/agri-buzz-thailand-rice-exports-down-18-this-year-115072000275_1.html
Rice
industry at a turning point, minister says
THE NATION December 15, 2015 1:00 am
THE RICE industry must negotiate several risk
factors that are pressuring farmers to speed up the development of rice breeds
to strengthen the sector in the face of intense competition, especially from
other Asian countries, the government says.Agriculture and Cooperatives
Minister General Chatchai Sarikalya said the industry was at a turning-point
moment in terms of growing firmly and sustainably.Speaking at a rice conference
in Bangkok, he said the industry was facing rapid changes and tougher
competition, especially as a result of the economic integration of Asian and
non-Asian countries as well as the diversity of consumer tastes.
He added that value-added innovation and
climate changes were also factors that would help push for solidity and
opportunity for the sector.Chatchai said a SWOT (strength, weakness,
opportunity and threat) analysis of the industry found that it was still
strong, as the country had a variety of rice breeds. He said this created
flexibility for the country to improve breeds in line with changed farming
areas and to serve market needs.However, he warned that the country might have
difficulty maintaining quality and keeping costs competitive. "If one or
the other happens, there might be a crisis."He noted that competitors Vietnam,
Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos had climates and geographies similar to Thailand.
They also produced rice that exceeded domestic
demand, resulting in them exporting to the world, even to Thailand. From 1997
to 2011, Thailand exported 220,000 tonnes of rice a year on average, showing
the skill of Thai rice farmers, he said. He added that Thai rice had been
considered of high quality for a long time, which had led to the development of
other good products. The general cited as an example parboiled rice, which he said
was a sought-after product in numerous countries, including those in the Middle
East and Africa, with Thailand exporting 3 million tonnes of parboiled rice a
year worth Bt50 billion. Chatchai said that an area the rice industry needed to
improve was production - ensuring that it operated with efficient consistency
by focusing on a policy to help boost production instead of a pricing
policy."The strategic development of Thai rice will have to take the
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats into the account for the
entire production chain from the farm to the table," he said.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Rice-industry-at-a-turning-point-minister-says-30274942.html
Cooperation
with Vietnam Increases Rice Yield
Havana, Cuba, Dec. 12.- The Cuba-Vietnam cooperation project for rice
production, implemented since 2010 to date, has allowed increasing yields to up
to 4.58 tons per hectare.Lazaro Diaz, general director of Agribusiness Group
for Grains of the Ministry of Agriculture (MINAG), while summarizing on Friday
its fourth stage, said that in that period 56,000 hectares were planted in 12
provinces and the special municipality of Isle of Youth, which produced 257,108
tons of rice. The fifth stage (2016-2020), will concentrate on the efficient
use of water, among other issues, he specified.
Le Quoc Doanh, deputy minister of agriculture of Vietnam, informed that
as part of training tasks 18,000 people were trained in courses and workshops
in Cuba. We are assessing the
experiences and results obtained in each of the territories to eliminate the
shortcomings or limitations that prevent to increase yields, said the
Vietnamese executive, who is traveling with a group of experts in this field
who will stay in Cuba for several days to work on strategies for the fifth
stage.Idael Perez, vice minister of MINAG, told the Cuban News Agency that in
the coming years the extension method, the search for new varieties, and the
efficient use of resources to increase yields will be strengthened, because
there are limitations with land and water.Experts in the field said that the
annual plan of rice production in Cuba will not be met this year due to the
impact of drought.(acn)
http://www.cadenagramonte.cu/english/show/articles/24268:cooperation-with-vietnam-increases-rice-yield
Biosafety Agency approves new GM rice –
D-G
The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) has approved the
trial of the first genetically modified rice in Nigeria at the National Cereals
Research Institute (NCRI), Badeggi, Niger.Mr Rufus Ebegba, the Director-General
of the agency, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria
(NAN) on Monday in Abuja.Ebegba said that the new genetically modified rice has
efficiency in nitrogen and water when compared with the conventional
rice.According to him, the agency has also accredited and certified five
institutes to engage in the practice of modern biotechnology.
He identified institutes and companies currently engaging in
biotechnology activities as the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI),
Umudike, Abia and Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Zaria.Others are
Federal University of Technology (FUTA), Akure, National Biotechnology
Development Agency (NABDA), Abuja, and the National Cereal Research Institute
(NCRI), Badeggi, Niger.Ebegba said the agency gave approval for confined field
trials of bio-cassava plus with pro-Vitamin A.He said that the agency also
approved the development of genetically modified cassava resistance to attack
by Cassava Mosaic Virus Disease (CMVD) in Umudike, Abia.The director-general
urged all other companies and institutions involved in biotechnology activities
to register with the agency, adding that it would begin the prosecution of
unregistered companies by January 2016.
“The National Biosafety Agency Act is the only safety net and
valve in the adoption of modern biotechnology and the use of GMOs for national
development.“The agency has the capacity to give Nigeria the desired holistic
biosafety in a transparent manner, so that the nation can benefit maximally
from modern biotechnology without compromising the environment and human
health.’’Ebegba, however, called for the inclusion of biosafety courses
universities’ curriculum up to Master’s degree, for better awareness and
understanding. (NAN
http://naija247news.com/2015/12/biosafety-agency-approves-new-gm-rice-d-g/
Rice farmers ‘thankful’ they enrolled in
PLC program
Dec 14, 2015 | Delta Farm Press
Joe Outlaw says that toward the end of the 2014 farm bill
process he got a “little more blunt than normal” when it came to talking to
farmers about their decision-making.For those who know Dr. Outlaw, co-director
of Texas A&M University’s Agricultural and Food Policy Center in College
Station, blunt might seem to be more the norm. But those farmers also know he
has their best interest at heart.“I kept telling people that I wasn’t going to
argue with them about what to sign up for on rice; though I might debate with
them on the pros and cons for the other crops,” said Outlaw. “On rice I wanted
them to sign up for PLC (Price Loss Coverage) and go home.”
On Thanksgiving Day, not long after USDA began making payments
under the Price Loss Coverage and Agricultural Risk Coverage or ARC programs,
one farmer sent Outlaw an email: “You told us during the meetings to sign up
for PLC and thank you later. This is my official thank you. I signed up for the
program.”Outlaw told that story while delivering the Outlook Report for Texas
during the Rice Research and Outlook Reports segment of the 2015 USA Rice
Federation’s Rice Outlook Conference in New Orleans Thursday, Dec. 10.Outlaw
presented slides showing the 2014 dollars-per-base-acre payment rates for each
of the counties in the Texas Rice Belt east and west of Houston. The PLC
payments ranged from $102 per base acre in Calhoun County to $156 an acre in
Waller County west of Houston and similar amounts for the six rice-producing
counties east of Houston.
$61 million in payments
The PLC payments for rice in Texas, which ranged from $117,000
in Jackson County to $12,542,000 in Wharton County west of Houston and from $867,000
in Galveston County to $6,163,000 in Liberty County east of Houston reached a
total of $61,381,000.“Did this make people whole? Not even close,” said Outlaw,
a professor and Extension economist with Texas A&M. “But it does put a
pretty big bandaid over the losses that otherwise would have occurred.” (Under
PLC, the payment is the difference between the national marketing year average
price and the effective price multiplied by the payment yield and 85 percent of
a grower’s base acres.)
Similar numbers could also be presented for other rice growing
states where PLC program payments were made this fall on the 2014 crop.
Payments for the 2015 crop will not be made until 2016 under the new law.Dr.
Outlaw and James Richardson, the other co-director of the Agricultural and Food
Policy Center, spent more than three years helping develop the farm bill
decision-making tool, which they provided to producers when USDA released the
first regulations implementing the new farm bill.Texas A&M University and the
University of Illinois received funding from USDA to build decision-making
tools aimed at helping farmers analyze their options under the new programs
provided in the Agricultural Act of 2014.Texas’ rice acres have been on the
decline since the severe drought conditions in 2011 led to curtailment of
irrigation water deliveries, which come from reservoirs around Austin to the
rice-growing areas along the Texas Gulf Coast west of Houston.
Significant decline in acres
USDA estimates Texas farmers planted about 133,000 acres of rice
in 2014, a significant decline from the 193,000 acres at the most recent peak
of Texas rice plantings that occurred in 2010. More water could be available in
2016 due to the rains that have occurred across Texas in recent months.
“The question is whether that 60,000 acres will come right
back?” says Outlaw. “With these prices you wouldn’t expect everyone to just
jump back in, but it has the potential to lead to more rice acres.”Except for
fuel, production costs are continuing to go up, “but the rate of increase has
not been as dramatic as it has been in the past,” he said. “The most dramatic
increase has been the price of seed.”Outlaw told farmers and other industry
members attending the Outlook Conference that he had spent the two or three
days prior to the USA Rice event providing analyses of the cotton industry’s
proposal to have cottonseed declared to be “another oilseed.” The designation
would make cottonseed eligible for the programs now available to soybean
producers.
“You might ask why talk about cotton at a rice meeting?” said
Outlaw. “But, as Larry talked about, the more people move from cotton to rice
the lower your price will be.” (Larry Falconer, Extension economist with
Mississippi State University, gave the outlook report for Mississippi rice
producers.)
“I know some of you do both, and that’s great. The more we can
keep cotton people planting cotton and corn people planting corn, the sooner
we’re going to get the rice price to move back up.
http://deltafarmpress.com/rice/rice-farmers-thankful-they-enrolled-plc-program
Ghost rice’ in Vietnam – P3:
Descendants of the Vietnamese grain
TUOI TRE NEWS
UPDATED : 12/15/2015 16:12 GMT
+ 7
Many
rice species producing both fragrant and nutritious grains well known around
the world are descendants of the wild rice varieties in Vietnam.
’After
that, Dr. Lang came to IRRI to work with Dr. Brar to cross-breed Vietnam’s
‘ghost rice’ as the ‘father’ and the famous rice seed IR64 as the ‘mother.’The
next year, Dr. Lang brought home 1,000 races known as ‘children’ of the above
couple, test-planted them, and selected the most elite variety in the year
2000.She named it AS996, which is strongly resistant to acid sulphate and salt
water in water and soil and produces an average output of 7-8 metric tons of
rice per hectare.
The
AS996 is the only variety cross-bred by MDRI and named ‘AS’. All others are
named using the initial letters OM, which stands for O Mon District in Can Tho
City, where the agency is based.AS996 was later acknowledged as an
international rice species by IRRI and seeded on rice fields in many Asian
nations such as Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, and Vietnam.It has since been
used as the ‘father’ to cross breed with other high-yield and fragrant rice
species to create strong and nutritious grains.As the ‘son’ of ‘ghost rice’ in
the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, AS996 created ‘grandchildren’ including OM8108 and
OM6677 after cross-breeding with Japanese rice species, along with MNR4 and
MNR5 after cross-breeding with the U.S. fragrant rice species Jasmine 85.
All
of these cross-bred species are strongly resistant to acid sulphate, salt
water, and hot weather to give an output of 7-9 metric tons per hectare.Both
OM8108 and OM6677 have been submitted for recognition as the national rice
species of Vietnam.Agricultural engineer, Le Hung Lan from Ho Chi Minh City
Seeds Company, also created two new species by cross-breeding between AS996 and
Jasmine 85. They are Nang Hoa 9 and Nang Tien 2016, whose quality can compete
with Khao Dawk Mali of Thailand and Basmati of India.
The
fifth house at the Mekong Delta Rice Institute is often called by Japanese
scientists the museum of ‘ghost rice’ because it has dozens of ‘ghost rice’
varieties from around the world.The area has 360 pots to cultivate different
species of ‘ghost rice’ and acts as a gene bank of ‘ghost rice,’ including
strains from Africa, Australia, the U.S., Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and the
Philippines.They were all brought to Vietnam by Dr. Lang during her overseas
trips.Dr. Lang said that she is on the way to creating a super rice species by
cross-breeding a race of ‘ghost rice’ in Ben Tre Province in the Mekong Delta
with OM7347 – a strain previously created by MDRI.It is considered a super
species because it produces high yield.
http://tuoitrenews.vn/features/32243/ghost-rice-in-vietnam-p3-descendants-of-the-vietnamese-grain
As Liberia's Annual Rice Importation Hits
US$200 Million: US$30M Failed Project Hunts ...Did VP Boakai, Lawmakers Exert
“Nationalistic Policy”?
Dec
14, 2015 | Written by mulbah
By T.
Michael Johnny 0886571899/0775820581
“Liberians
will squarely evaluate all presidential candidates during the 2017 general and presidential
elections; especially those who served in government and those who are still
serving in government because several failed projects including the ADA rice
project in Foya Lofa County and bogus concession agreements that have failed
the post-war economy.”Debates continue to proffer over the abrupt collapse of
US$30 million commercial rice farming in Foya, Lofa County, under the tutelage
of a non-governmental organization known as the Foundation for African
Development Aid (ADA) headed by its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Wendell
McIntosh.
In
contrast, in a privileged conversation with an informed official at the Ministry
of Agriculture (MOA) who strictly requested anonymity, the agreement was
initiated by the government, but entrusted with the ADA due to the late
Ghaddaffi's policy on investment at the time.“The entire agreement was
initiated by government, but because it was Ghaddaffi's own initiative, the
government could not implement the US$30 million project; that was how ADA
screwed the opportunity to get the contract; how can he say he sourced the
money through his own lobby,” the MOA official argued.Although, the US$
30million commercial rice project has collapsed as verified by the Unity Party
(UP) led government of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, however, the ADA CEO
during a recent media interaction pointed accusing fingers at government
officials who allegedly requested fabulous kickbacks and leverages to implement
the project.
McIntosh,
who declined to disclose the identities of government officials who requested
kickbacks to implement the project openly accused government officials of accelerating
the untimely collapse of the project, which according to discussants, speaks
volumes of the unpatriotic nature of leaders.As the ADA rice project hurts
economically deprived Liberians, a group under the banner of “Liberians for
Positive Change” over the weekend debated what its members perceived as
institutions and individuals responsible for the US$30 rice project
collapse.“Some members of the Executive, Legislature especially members of the
Lofa County Legislative Caucus and Vice President Joseph Boakai should share
some of the blame for the collapse of rice project because they failed to
adequately monitor its implementation,” said Douglas Freemen, a University of
Liberia (UL) student majoring in Agriculture.
He
clarified that Vice President Boakai's blame in the collapse of the rice
project is not being misconstrued to mean that he received kickbacks; however,
he stated that the UP second in command could have exerted enormous pressure
especially when the project was located at his home town of Foya, Lofa
County.“I think the US$30 million rice project debate is getting interesting as
we head to the 2017 general and presidential election; In my opinion, the Vice
President who hails from Foya, Lofa County should have ensured that the project
in his home town is successful, and that could have given him a serious
political leverage especially to champion food production,” said George Kollie,
a student at the United Methodist University majoring in administration
said.Kollie, a proponent of the UP- led government said he was disappointed
that Vice President Boakai and other Lofa County officials allowed the project
to collapse without protecting the investment, noting that the success of the
project could have reduced the rising cost of rice importation.
Vice
President Boakai, who declared his presidential ambition in the same Foya where
the US$30 million rice project collapsed hopes to become the successor to aging
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to retain the UP hegemony.As the
debate ensued, discussants also pointed at the Legislature headed by House
Speaker Alex Tyler, who according to reports, is seriously aligning with a
newly established political party known as the Liberian People Democratic Party
(LPDP) where it has been rumoured that he could become the Standard Bearer in
2017.“Look at the Legislature headed by Speaker Tyler, there are reports that
some of their members received kickbacks before the project could be initiated.
What was
the Legislature's role in ensuring that the project works? But we will evaluate
each candidate in 2017,” said Sampson Doe.Doe continued: “Liberians will
squarely evaluate all presidential candidates during the 2017 general and
presidential elections; especially those who served in government and those who
are still serving in government because several failed projects including ADA
rice project in Foya Lofa County and bogus concession agreements that has
failed post-war economy.”Like the collapsed ADA rice project, a 2014 report
released by Sustainable Development Initiative (SDI) with research and
publication fund from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
(DFAT) revealed details of how post-war iron ore mining is failing to meet
expectations in post-war Liberia.The sustained SDI report, which is now being
evidently manifested by the laying off of hundreds of employees at iron ore
giant ArcelorMittal and other concession multinational companies reflects the
“unpatriotic and bogus” agreements signed by government.
In SDI's introductory publication “Poverty in the midst of plenty” the group narrates the regressive concept of practical self- interest approach by government's negotiators to bargain the country's natural resources for cheaper prices with expected kickbacks.In its contextual implication, SDI summed that Liberia gives generous tax concessions in the iron ore sector that undercuts the Liberia code because the government seems unable to track what extractive industries should pay in taxes.“The iron ore sector in Liberia sits at a fundamental crossroad.
It will
either create viable jobs and revenue that can stimulate economic growth or it
will facilitate the devolution of the state resources into a feckless rentier
economy wherein citizens are reduced to causalities of natural resource
exploitation,” SDI said in its report.The Liberia Extractive Industries
Transparency International (LEITI), an institution constituted to monitor
extractive resources gloomily revealed that out of 66 concession agreements
signed with the government, only two meet the standard of agreement.According
to the former Chairman of the National Investment Commission (NIC), Richard
Tolbert Liberia spends over US$200 annually on the importation of rice, which
is the country's staple food.
http://inprofiledaily.com/?q=article/liberias-annual-rice-importation-hits-us200-million-us30m-failed-project-hunts-did-vp-boakai
Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report
Rice
|
High
|
Low
|
|
|
Long Grain Cash Bids
|
- - -
|
- - -
|
|
Long Grain New Crop
|
- - -
|
- - -
|
|
|
||
|
Futures:
|
|
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Rice Comment
Rice futures may be attempting to stabilize after the recent downturn
which took over $1.50 off the market in a matter of a few short days. January
is attempting to establish support at $11. The domestic cash market is quiet and
export demand is slow as well, which is typically the case around the holidays.
The monthly supply/demand report showed little change, with only a 1 million
cwt decrease in imports into the U.S. and use unchanged. Exports were pegged at
98 million cwt, and ending stocks were cut to 38.8 million cwt. The average on
farm price for long grain remained $11.50 to $12.50. Global rice stocks are
forecast to decrease for the third year in a row as consumption is expected to
outpace production. Production was lowered to 469.3 million metric tons, down
approximately 8.9 million tons from the preceding year.
http://www.arfb.com/ag-markets-statistics/report/
USA Rice Announces
Conservation Achievement Award
Leo LeGrande (l) and
honoree Kevin Norton
NEW ORLEANS, LA -- USA
Rice presented the sixth annual USA Rice Distinguished Conservation Achievement
Award to Kevin Norton, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) state
conservationist for Louisiana. Leo
LaGrande, chairman of the USA Rice Farmers' Conservation Committee, presented
the award to Norton during the annual Rice Awards luncheon held here last
Friday, during the 2015 USA Rice Outlook Conference.
"Since being named Louisiana's state
conservationist in 2007, Kevin has worked as a champion for the rice industry
and encouraged the adoption of innovative practices to further conservation
benefits beyond NRCS standards," LeGrande said. "Just this year he submitted a number of
new Conservation Stewardship Program practices that are designed specifically
for use on ricelands."LeGrande added, "Among fellow state
conservationists, Kevin has been recognized as a strong leader. Recently he spent 29 months detailed to the
Senate Agriculture Committee to develop the Conservation Title of the 2014 Farm
Bill and personally helped design the Regional Conservation Partnership
Program."When accepting the award, Norton said, "As a public servant,
there is no greater or more humbling honor than to be recognized by your
customers. And this is really special to
me because rice is special to me."
Contact:
Deborah Willenborg (703) 236-1444
Rice Scholarship Winner Promotes Health, Budget Benefits of Rice
From left: USA Rice CEO Betsy
Ward, grand prize winner Haven McElhanon, and Leslie Rodgers with Dow
AgroSciences
NEW ORLEANS, LA -- At last Friday's USA Rice Outlook Conference Awards
Luncheon, Haven McElhanon of Forrest City, Arkansas, took home the 2015 USA
Rice Federation National Rice Month Scholarship, sponsored by Dow
AgroSciences. As the grand prize winner,
she received a $4,000 scholarship and a trip here to attend the
conference.McElhanon's initiative, "Rice - a Health Happy Hand,"
touted the health benefits of budget-friendly rice, which she promoted through
classroom visits and community events, spreading rice information, and
recipes. She also enlisted support from
a local judge who signed a proclamation to make September Arkansas Rice Month.
McElhanon is the daughter of Dana Crisp and Steve McElhanon, and is
part of a fifth-generation farming family in Arkansas. While rice production has always been part of
her community, she learned more about its importance while conducting rice
promotions and serving as Miss St. Francis County Rice 2015. "In spreading
the news about rice and its nutritional value, I became interested in pursuing
a degree in nutrition upon attending college in the fall of 2016," says
McElhanon, who is a senior at Palestine/Wheatley High School. "I hope my efforts have made a
difference in my community where so many suffer from poverty and poor health as
a result of diet."To apply for the scholarship, students were required to
develop a promotional program in their local community that highlights
U.S.-grown rice as part of National Rice Month in September. The second- and third-place winners are Mary
Katherine Swindoll of Hernando, Mississippi, and Clay Parker, of Carlisle,
Arkansas, respectively.
"During the past seven years of Dow AgroSciences sponsoring the
National Rice Month Scholarship, we have been impressed with the students'
passion and effort they put into promoting rice in their communities," says
Leslie Rodgers, a crop protection representative with Dow AgroSciences, who
presented the award. "These
applicants are our next generation of producers, teachers, and agriculture
advocates."
Contact: Deborah Willenborg
(703) 236-1444
|
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice
Futures
|
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Commodity Report-Dec. 14
Published December 14, 2015
In today’s commodity report we have the California Shell Eggs:
Daily Egg Report, the Weekly Rice Summary and other commodity end of the day
market numbers.
California
Shell Eggs: Daily Egg Report
|
RANGE
|
|
|
JUMBO
|
265
|
|
EXTRA LARGE
|
231
|
|
LARGE
|
226
|
|
MEDIUM
|
189
|
Weekly Rice
Summary
In California, medium grain milled rice prices steady to weak. Second
heads and Brewers prices steady. Rice by-products: Rice Bran prices mostly
steady. Ground rice hulls spot trade lightly tested, mostly all hulls already
sold.
Now Monday’s Commodity
Market ending market numbers for other commodities:
Corn
March Corn ended at $3.79 gaining 3 3/4 cents, May ended at $3.84 1/4 up 4 cents.
Soybeans
January Soybeans ended at 8.74 1/4 up 3 1/2 cents, March ended at 8.76 increasing 2 1/4 cents.
Wheat
March Wheat ended at $4.93 1/2, increasing 3 cents, December Wheat ended at $4.99 1/4 gaining 3 cents.
Rough Rice
March Corn ended at $3.79 gaining 3 3/4 cents, May ended at $3.84 1/4 up 4 cents.
Soybeans
January Soybeans ended at 8.74 1/4 up 3 1/2 cents, March ended at 8.76 increasing 2 1/4 cents.
Wheat
March Wheat ended at $4.93 1/2, increasing 3 cents, December Wheat ended at $4.99 1/4 gaining 3 cents.
Rough Rice
January Rough Rice ended at 10.985 down 0.07, March ended at 11.25 dropping 0.075.
Live Cattle
December Live Cattle ended at $119.325 decreasing $2.125 and February ended at $124.225 losing $2.025 and April ended at $125.15 down $2.20.
Feeder Cattle
January Feeder Cattle ended at $148.00 losing $4.125 and March ended at $146.425 decreasing $3.70 and April ended at $147.30 off $3.775.
Lean Hogs
February Lean Hogs ended at $60.125 decreasing $0.425, April ended at $64.425 down $0.275
Class III Milk
December Class III Milk ended at $14.58 up $0.02 and January ended at $13.73 increasing $0.03 and February ended at $14.01 unchanged.
#2 Cotton
March #2 Cotton ending at 63.38 losing 0.33, May ended at 64.15 down 0.34.
Sugar #11
March sugar #11 ended at 14.51 down 0.07 and May ended at 14.14 decreasing 0.08.
Orange Juice
January Orange Juice ended at 149.65 gaining $0.45, March ending at 149.40 down $0.70.
Crude Oil WTI
January Crude Oil WTI ended at $36.27 increasing $0.65, February ended at $37.52 up $0.27 and March ended at $38.65 gaining $0.08.
Brent Crude
January Crude Oil Brent ended at $37.92 down $0.01, February ended at $38.16 decreasing $0.16 and March ended at $38.81 losing $0.21.
http://agnetwest.com/2015/12/14/commodity-report-december-14/
Senators divided on
sales to Cuba
Boozman for it, Cotton opposed
WASHINGTON — Nearly a year after the Obama administration
announced plans to renew diplomatic ties with Cuba, some members of the Arkansas
congressional delegation are working to remove trade barriers.But those
measures face opposition from lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton,
R-Ark., who say expanded trade will benefit that nation’s communist
regime.Currently, Americans can only ship goods to Cuba if they’ve already been
paid for with cash. No credit can be extended to Cuban purchasers.Arkansas’
other senator, Republican Sen. John Boozman, has introduced legislation
allowing Americans to “provide payment or financing terms for sales of
agricultural commodities to Cuba or an individual or entity in Cuba.”
On the House side, 1st District U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford is
sponsoring House Resolution 3687, the Cuba Agricultural Exports Act, which
would allow credit to be extended as long as “the agricultural business is not
controlled by the Government of Cuba, including the Revolutionary Armed Forces
of Cuba, the Ministry of the Interior of Cuba, or any subdivision of either
governmental entity.”This week, Boozman, of Rogers, said he’s still working to
get his language approved and that he still is hopeful it will get passed
before the end of the year. Despite time growing short, “I think it’s still in
the mix,” he said, expressing hope that Congress would pass it before heading
home for Christmas.Ben Noble, the Arkansas Rice Federation executive director,
said many rice growers are hopeful the barriers will be lifted.
The federation describes itself as the state’s largest rice
industry trade association.Industry officials, heartened by the thaw in
U.S.-Cuba relations, invited Cuban officials to the 2015 USA Rice Outlook
Conference in New Orleans this week.An official with the Cuban Embassy’s
Economic and Trade Office, Minister Counselor Ruben Ramos Arrieta, attended and
expressed interest in importing more rice from the United States.“I think
there’s a lot of optimism” among rice farmers, Noble said. “I think there’s a
real desire to get past the old Cold War philosophy with Cuba and
re-engage.”Earlier this month, Boozman told Delta Grassroots Caucus members and
others that dropping the trade barriers is “good for the United States and it’s
good for the people of Cuba.”
The U.S. initiated an economic embargo against Havana shortly
after the ouster of dictator Fulgencio Batista by Fidel Castro. Trade
restrictions have been in place ever since.In 2000, U.S. law was changed to
allow the sale of food and medicine. But in 2005, the Treasury Department said
it would no longer allow sales that weren’t prepaid for in cash.On Dec. 17,
2014, President Barack Obama took steps to normalize relations between the two
countries, including announcing plans to reopen the U.S. Embassy in Havana. But
federal law mandates many of the sanctions, and it would take congressional
action to end them.Cotton says Castro, not common Cuban citizens, would benefit
from a change in trade policy.
“The president made a unilateral decision last December to
recognize Cuba in return for nothing and, since then, Cuba’s behavior’s only
gotten worse,” he said this week.Cuba harbors American fugitives and imprisons
political dissidents, and Fidel Castro and his brother Raul still call the
shots, Cotton said. Raul Castro has replaced his brother as leader of
Cuba.“They continue to control all levers of the economy, so any kind of trade
or economic activity that we have with Cuba ultimately doesn’t benefit the
Cuban people and move them towards a safe, prosperous democracy that would be
an ally of the United States,” Cotton said. “It simply enriches the Castro
regime.”Other agencies are also working to restore ties. On Friday, the U.S.
Postal Service announced plans to restore direct mail service to Cuba. A pilot
program is planned and no timetable was announced, according to The Associated
Press.Boozman said the embargo “hasn’t worked” and said U.S. trade policy
should be consistent.
“We deal with a lot worse actors than Cuba. When you look at the
Saudi Arabians’ human-rights record, the Chinese, the … Vietnamese,” he said.
“There’s simply no reason to single them out at this point for something that
happened decades ago.”Crawford told the same group at the Delta caucus
gathering that the trade barriers need to be lowered.“From an Arkansas
perspective, this is very important to us because two of the things that are
most common on the menu in Cuba are rice and chicken, and those are two things
that we do very well in Arkansas,” the Jonesboro Republican said.
Roughly half the nation’s rice in 2014 was grown in Arkansas. It
has long been the state’s leading export.Arkansas’ location gives it a
competitive advantage over other rice growers. In Cuba, “you can get a shipment
of rice from Vietnam in 36 days or you can get a shipment of U.S. rice in 36
hours,” he said.Plus, Crawford said, Arkansas rice tastes better.“We just have
a higher quality product,” he said. “And I think the Cubans would be very, very
happy to receive that and to deal with us. But we’ve got to get past that
financing restriction that currently exists.”
Print Headline: Senators divided on sales to Cuba
http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2015/dec/12/senators-divided-sales-cuba/
2015 Rice Outlook Conference draws record
attendance in New Orleans
Dec 13, 2015
Forrest Laws | Delta
Farm Press
Kevin Berken, rice farmer from Lake Charles, La., welcome rice industry
members to the 2015 USA Rice Outlook Conference.The 2015 USA Rice Outlook
Conference attracted record attendance as producers and other industry members
traveled to New Orleans to learn about new developments in technology and the
market outlook for 2016.The preliminary attendance figure for this year's
conference was 925, which exceeds the previous record of 857 set in Las Vegas,
Nev., a number of years ago. The final attendance figure will be released at a
later date.Growers also heard decidedly differing views on the 2016 president
race as husband-and-wife-keynote speakers James Carville and Mary Matalin
discussed the 2016 presidential election. The political “odd couple” – Matalin
is a Republican and Carville a Democrat – gave their take on the 2016 race.
“I’ve never seen
anything like this in American politics,” said Carville when asked by Brian
King of Ritter Grain Services, Marked Tree, Ark., about the large field of
candidates vying for the presidency. King moderated the discussion.“This is
unprecedented - you could field two baseball teams,” Matalin said. “We have
produced a field that is uncharted territory.”Attendees also heard from Jim
Wiesemeyer, senior vice president with Informa Economics, who included some
discussion of the 2016 elections in his Washington Outlook presentation at the
conference.Here are some photos from this year’s event.For more on the USA Rice
Federation and the USA Rice Outlook Conference, visit http://usarice.com/.
H1 rice imports may hit 900,000 MT – NFA
December 14, 2015 9:50 pm
Proposed 2016 volume to stabilize supply, prices
Rice imports may reach nearly 1 million metric tons (MT) in the first half of 2016 as the government moves to ensure stable supply and prices amid an ongoing El Nino.National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator Renan Dalisay told reporters that the Food Security Committee (FSC) could recommend an additional 400,000 MT of rice imports on top of the 500,000 MT already programmed for the first quarter of 2016.Dalisay said the FSC was expected to approve the additional import volume before the year ends, with shipments to arrive before the onset of the lean season that starts in June.“We need to ensure that we have enough rice inventories at government depositories as El Nino peaks in the first quarter of next year,” he said, adding that the proposal is part of a roadmap aimed at alleviating the impact of a prolonged drought on food supplies.
Manila, formerly the world’s biggest rice importer, traditionally
buys an average of 1.7 million MT of the grain annually. For 2015 alone, the
country contracted a total of 1.9 million MT of rice but actual arrivals of the
grain have been pegged at 1.135 million MT.For next year’s importation, Dalisay
said the NFA Council was looking at the possibility of buying the rice through
a government-to-government (G2G) deal or via an open tender.A G2G transaction
requires an existing executive agreement for a country to participate. At
present, only three countries – Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia – have existing
rice purchase agreements with the Philippines.An open tender, on the other
hand, will allow foreign private entities outside of the Philippines’ current
bilateral agreements to bid for Manila’s rice requirement.“The NFA Council is
also studying the possibility of including the planned import volume under the
minimum access volume (MAV),” the NFA chief said.
At present, Manila limits the amount of rice allowed to enter the
country through the MAV to 805,000 metric tons.The MAV refers to the minimum
volume of farm produce allowed to enter into the Philippines at reduced 35
percent tariff. Shipments outside the MAV are levied a higher rate of 50
percent and require NFA approval.Depending on the impact of the dry spell on
domestic palay production, rice imports could double in 2016 to ensure stable
prices, Dalisay said.The NFA is mandated to protect the interests of both rice
producers and consumers. As such, the agency’s two primary duties are to
stabilize the price of rice and to ensure food security.The price stabilization
mandate means the NFA tries to influence prices on two fronts. On one end, it
must support palay farmers and keep prices at a level that is enough to ensure
a reasonable return.
At the same time, it must
also ensure that the price of rice is affordable enough for consumers.Over the
past two years, the NFA has relied massively on cheaper imported rice to
replenish its buffer stocks since it cannot compete with private millers and
traders in buying locally grown palay.Buying rice from abroad cuts the agency’s
spending on local purchases, and it can earn more and limit its losses by
selling to consumers at higher prices.NFA Spokesperson Angel Imperial Jr.,
meanwhile, said the country still had enough of the grain, with inventories at
government-owned depositories as well as commercial warehouses and households
sufficient for the next 69 days.“
As of November 30, the NFA has 801,000 MT of rice which is good
for 26 days, while commercial and households stock as of October 30 was pegged
at 666,000 MT and 777,000 MT, respectively,” Imperial said.The Philippine
Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration has projected
that the ongoing El Niño will exceed the 1997 to 1998 occurrence.The full
effects of the current weather phenomenon, the agency added, will be felt in
February and March 2016 when the entire country is projected to get only 20 to
30 percent of normal rainfall.
Despite the threats of a prolonged drought, however, the
government still expects palay production to bounce back in the first quarter
of next year, thanks to changes in the cropping calendar.The palay sector has
suffered massively from unrealized plantings as a result of delayed releases
and inadequate irrigation water, late rains and some areas being left fallow.
The wet season should have started mid-April but was delayed to June-July due
to the lack of water supply.With recent storms having filled dams and
irrigation facilities now overflowing, the Agriculture department said harvests
would rebound in the first quarter of 2016. Officials also said they were
meeting with farmers who wish to conduct early planting of palay.Palay
production is forecast to reach 20.69 million MT next year.
http://www.manilatimes.net/h1-rice-imports-may-hit-900000-mt-nfa/234422/
New Rice Could Help Reduce Global
Greenhouse Gasses
The new strain of rice (right) compared to common rice
(left). The new rice creates much less methane during its growth and produces
more grains.
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Listen
Listening...
1:30
Rice is a staple in many people’s diets. But you may not know that
rice paddies are one of the biggest sources of global methane emissions — a
potent greenhouse gas. Now, researchers have found a way to nearly eliminate
methane emissions from rice paddies.When it comes to greenhouse gasses, methane
is a major contributor to climate change. It is 20 times more efficient at
trapping heat than carbon dioxide.
The effect: The team’s rice
paddies emit almost no methane. The hope is that could help reduce greenhouse
gasses worldwide.“I think it could have an effect,
certainly," Jansson said. "There’s always a
balance.” There’s an added bonus to the gene splice: increased rice
yields.The team has tested the rice in greenhouses in Sweden and in rice
paddies in China. Up next: testing how the rice tastes, looks and is harvested
compared to what’s grown now — although Jansson said researchers so far haven’t
noticed any differences.Jansson said this new rice won’t be available
commercially for another 20 years or so.
http://nwpr.org/post/new-rice-could-help-reduce-global-greenhouse-gasses
SunRice lifts first-half
profit
2015-12-15
A focus away from sales of bulk rice to more profitable branded rice
into premium markets has helped boost the half-year profit of global rice
trader SunRice.SunRice's first-half revenue and profit rose despite a smaller
rice crop in NSW's Riverina region in 2015 as well as adverse foreign exchange
movements and weaker economic conditions in some markets.SunRice also says it
is developing contingency plans in the Riverina in expectation of a
significantly reduced crop in 2016, largely due to the current availability and
pricing of water.SunRice's net profit attributable to members for the six
months to October 31 rose 12.5 per cent to $21.9 million.SunRice did not
declare a dividend."This half-year profit result was underpinned by the
continued growth of branded sales and operational improvements," SunRice
chief executive Rob Gordon said on Tuesday.
"We continue to actively execute our stated strategy to focus on premium
branded markets and to build capacity and capability across the
organisation."SunRice expects its profit for the full 2016 financial year
to be in line with the 2015 results.SunRice said revenue generated by its rice
pool business was lower compared to a year earlier as volumes were affected by
a smaller crop. The rice pool business mills and markets rice from the
Riverina.The international rice business, which markets and distributes rice
from outside of the Riverina region, suffered a fall in profit because of
unfavourable exchange rate movements and weaker economic conditions in some
markets, including Papua New Guinea.
The rice food segment, which makes and distributes products such as
rice cakes, rice flour and rice chips, was also impacted by negative currency
movements and had to import additional product.The Riviana Foods business,
which makes and sells consumer food products to intermediaries, improved its
profit as it axed some product ranges and cut costs.Meanwhile SunRice expects
to release details of a capital restructure to shareholders in February 2016,
ahead of a shareholder vote on March 16.SunRice has two classes of shares:
A-class voting shares, which are held by active rice growers; and B-class
non-voting shares, which are held by active and former rice growers, and
employees.SunRice is proposing to list a separate entity called the SunRice
Fund on the Australian Securities Exchange - similar to dairy producers Murray
Goulburn Co-operative and Fonterra.
http://www.tradingroom.com.au/apps/view_article.ac?articleId=7084475
Presenting #RMTC16 Keynote Speaker: Dr. Robert S. Zeigler
Dr. Robert S. Zeigler
Director General and Chief
Executive Officer
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
Robert “Bob” Zeigler is an internationally respected plant
pathologist with over 30 years of experience in agricultural research in the
developing world. Zeigler became director general and chief executive officer
of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in 2005.After completing
undergraduate work in 1972, Zeigler joined the Peace Corps and spent 2 years as
a science teacher in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa.Zeigler earned
degrees at Cornell University (PhD), Oregon State University (MSc), and the
University of Illinois (BSc). Zeigler has completed corporate management and
governance programs from Harvard Business School and Kellogg School of
Management. Dr. Zeigler is an elected fellow of the American Association for
the Advancement of Science, the American Phytopathological Society, the Indian
Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and is a member of the honor societies: Sigma
Xi (The Scientific Research Society), and Gamma Sigma Delta
(agriculture).Zeigler has authored and co-authored over 100 refereed
international journal articles, reports, and scientific papers and has
delivered numerous invited lectures worldwide.
My hometown of Houston, Texas
welcomes you to the 2016 Rice Market & Technology Convention!
http://ricemtconvention.com/
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