Tuesday, December 29, 2015

29th December,2015 Daily Exclusive ORYZA Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Vietnam 2015 Paddy Rice Production Increases Slightly Despite Dry Conditions, Says MARD

Dec 28, 2015
Vietnam's 2015 paddy rice production is estimated to increase to around 45.2 million tons from around 44.97 million tons in 2014 despite dry conditions impacting about 50,000 hectares of rice land in the Central regions, local sources quoted the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
On the side-lines of the conference to review performance of the MARD in 2015, the Head of the Ministry's Cultivation Department told local sources that the average yield this year increased about 0.1% y/y to around 5.77 tons per hectare. He noted that the increase is attributed to timely weather forecasts and accurate analysis of the drought conditions by the MARD.
However, more than 9,000 hectares of rice area in southern provinces have been seriously impacted by saltwater intrusion, said the official.
The Ministry also reported that the maize output increased by about 378,000 tons to around 50.54 million tons. The government is reportedly planning to convert more rice-growing areas to maize in order to cope with the climate changes. 
Meanwhile, the National Hydro-Meteorological Service is predicting the El Nino affect to be serious in 2016 also. Accordingly, the agency is predicting the rainfall to be much lower than the average.
The USDA estimates Vietnam's paddy rice output to increase to around 45.12 million tons in 2016, up from an estimated 44.92 million tons in 2015. The agency estimates Vietnam to export 7.1 million tons of rice in 2016, up from an estimated 6.3 million tons in 2015.

Vietnam 2015 Paddy Rice Production Increases Slightly Despite Dry Conditions, Says MARD

Dec 28, 2015
Vietnam's 2015 paddy rice production is estimated to increase to around 45.2 million tons from around 44.97 million tons in 2014 despite dry conditions impacting about 50,000 hectares of rice land in the Central regions, local sources quoted the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
On the side-lines of the conference to review performance of the MARD in 2015, the Head of the Ministry's Cultivation Department told local sources that the average yield this year increased about 0.1% y/y to around 5.77 tons per hectare. He noted that the increase is attributed to timely weather forecasts and accurate analysis of the drought conditions by the MARD.
However, more than 9,000 hectares of rice area in southern provinces have been seriously impacted by saltwater intrusion, said the official.
The Ministry also reported that the maize output increased by about 378,000 tons to around 50.54 million tons. The government is reportedly planning to convert more rice-growing areas to maize in order to cope with the climate changes. 
Meanwhile, the National Hydro-Meteorological Service is predicting the El Nino affect to be serious in 2016 also. Accordingly, the agency is predicting the rainfall to be much lower than the average.
The USDA estimates Vietnam's paddy rice output to increase to around 45.12 million tons in 2016, up from an estimated 44.92 million tons in 2015. The agency estimates Vietnam to export 7.1 million tons of rice in 2016, up from an estimated 6.3 million tons in 2015.

Ministry Estimates 2015 Vietnam Rice Exports to Reach 6.7 Million Tons

Dec 28, 2015
Vietnam's Agriculture Ministry is estimating the country's rice exports to reach about 6.7 million tons in 2015, up about 5.8% from around 6.33 million tons in 2014, according to Reuters.
In a monthly report, the Ministry has estimated the 2015 rice export earnings to decline about 2.9% y/y to around $2.85 billion.
The Ministry's estimates reportedly exclude the rice sold to China via the land borders. The Vietnam Food Association (VFA) had earlier estimated that around 1.5 million tons of rice would be exported to China through the borders.

Cambodia 2015 Paddy Rice Production Declines Slightly to 9.2 Million Tons, Says Agriculture Ministry

Dec 28, 2015

Cambodia's paddy rice production has declined slightly to around 9.2 million tons in 2015 from around 9.3 million tons in 2014, Khmer Times quoted preliminary data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The slight decline in production is attributed to drought in some areas, according to the Deputy Director General of Department of Agriculture. The official expressed confidence that the decline would not impact exports or domestic supplies as the country has about 3 million tons of rice stocks.
He also noted that the Ministry of Water Resources has alerted farmers to use water sparingly as it is anticipating lesser rains next year also. The Agriculture Ministry spokesman added that the government is ensuring uninterrupted water supplies for farming in about 420,000 hectares across 14 provinces along the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers. 
Some farmers told reporters that they are continuing to grow rice during the 2015-16 dry season (October - April) despite harvesting lesser rice in the main season (May - February). They are however, concerned about the prices, which have declined to around $250 per ton this year from around $300 per ton in 2014.
USDA estimates Cambodia to produce about 4.7 million tons of rice in MY 2014-15 (January - December 2015), down from around 4.725 million tons in MY 2013-14. It estimates Cambodia to export 1.1 million tons of rice (including official and unofficial exports to Vietnam and Thailand through borders) in 2015, up from an estimated 1 million tons in 2014.

Oryza U.S. Rough Rice Recap - Offers from Resellers Increase with the Futures Market; Farms Remain on Sidelines

Dec 29, 2015
The U.S. cash market was firmer today with offers from resellers increasing with the futures market.
Analysts note that farmers are still in holiday mode and are not very interested in selling at or near the levels resellers will unload while bids from buyers remain about $0.50 per cwt (about $11 per ton) below that level.
In the meantime, the USDA reported that cumulative net export sales for the week that ended on December 17 totaled 42,200 tons, an increase of 14% from the previous week but 17% lower than the prior 4-week average.
Increases were reported for the following destinations: 12,000 tons to Japan, 10,900 tons to Taiwan, 10,800 tons to Saudi Arabia, 6,500 tons to Guatemala including 5,100 tons switched from unknown destinations, and 4,500 tons to Canada, while a reduction of 6,000 tons was reported for unknown destinations.
U.S. rice exporters shipped 52,400 tons, an increase of 6% from last week and 7% higher than the prior 4-week average.Increases were reported for the following destinations: 14,000 tons to Haiti, 13,000 tons to Japan, 10,000 tons to Honduras, 6,600 tons to Guatemala, and 3,300 tons to Canada

Oryza CBOT Rough Rice Futures Recap - Chicago Rough Rice Futures Rally despite Softer Grains across the Board

Dec 29, 2015
Chicago rough rice futures for Jan delivery settled 24 cents per cwt (about $5 per ton) higher at $11.060 per cwt (about $244 per ton). The other grains finished the day lower; Soybeans closed about 1.4% lower at $8.6125 per bushel; wheat finished about 0.2% lower at $4.6650 per bushel, and corn finished the day about 1% lower at $3.6100 per bushel.
U.S. stocks traded lower Monday, kicking off the last week of trade for the year, as a renewed slide in oil prices weighed. Consumer discretionary gained mildly to lead a handful of sector advancers in the S&P 500. In a light day of economic reports, the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey showed Texas factory activity increased for a third month in a row in December to 13.4. However, the index of future general business activity turned negative in December. European stocks ended lower amid the decline in oil. London's FTSE index was closed for a U.K. public holiday.
Asian equities closed mostly lower, with the Shanghai composite down about 2.5% for its worst day since Nov. 27. The Shanghai composite is still on pace for its first two-year win streak since 2007. In afternoon trade, the Dow Jones industrial average declined 40 points, or 0.23%, to 17,511. The S&P 500 traded down 7 points, or 0.36%, to 2,053, with energy leading seven sectors lower and consumer discretionary leading advancers. The Nasdaq composite declined 20 points, or 0.40%, to 5,028. Gold is seen trading about 0.8% lower, crude oil is seen trading about 3.7% lower, and the U.S. dollar is seen trading about 0.1% higher at about  1:30pm Chicago time.
Thursday, there were 483 contracts traded, down from 1,864 contracts traded on Wednesday. Open interest – the number of contracts outstanding – on Thursday decreased by 660 contracts to 15,072.

Thai Government Seeks to Continue Rice Sales Without Impacting Prices

Dec 28, 2015
The government of Thailand will continue to sell rice from its stockpiles at right time to ensure that prices of new cop are not impacted, Bloomberg quoted a Commerce Ministry statement.
The government still holds about 13 million tons of rice stocks in the stockpile, of which about 6 million tons are "below-standard or rotten" and are judged unfit for human consumption, according to a Commerce Ministry statement.
The statement also noted that the government is planning to focus on strengthening farmers and avoid distorting market mechanism. It will also provide low interest rate loans to farmers and millers to encourage them to store about 6.6 million tons of rice, said the statement. The government is also working towards helping the farmers reduce their production costs.
However, some market traders noted that the government may not be able to sell all the stockpiled rice before its 2017 deadline. One of the traders noted that the government's rice auctions are not fetching realistic prices as bidders would want to delay bids and wait to purchase rice at lower prices in next auctions. He suggested that the government should sell according to the demand.
The Commerce Ministry's Permanent Secretary assured that the government would meet its deadline. "We're still on track," she said.

Indonesia Plans to Include Rice in Public Stockholding, Safeguard Schemes

Dec 28, 2015
The government of Indonesia is planning to include rice in public stockholding and protect it by a special safeguard mechanism (SSM) for agricultural products, according to Jakarta Post.
A senior official from the Trade Ministry reportedly noted that the government would discuss the issue at the next World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting. “For the public stockholding, we’ll include rice. For SSM, we’ll propose 12 agricultural products and plantation commodities, including rice,” he was quoted.
Under Public stockholding, WTO allows  developing nations to buy agricultural products from their farmers and then stockpile them to ensure national food security. Currently, WTO limits public stockholding to only 10% of total crops.
The SSM allows developing nations to implement safeguard measures in the form of import duties for certain agricultural products. The SSM may be carried out if there are unusual import volumes or prices of certain commodities move outside of a normal bracket.
All the member countries reportedly discussed public stockholding and the SSM at the recently concluded talks at the WTO meeting in Nairobi. They will further negotiate the details of the two mechanisms in a special session at the WTO’s upcoming committee on agriculture, according to the Trade Ministry official.
The official also noted that an agreement on export competition was also reached at the Nairobi meeting. Under the agreement, developed nations would remove export subsidies on agriculture immediately and developing nations would remove the same by 2018.

FAO Estimates Vietnam 2015 Rice Exports to Increase 4% y/y to 8.3 Million Tons

Dec 28, 2015
The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates Vietnam's 2015 rice exports to reach 8.3 million tons (including 1.5 million tons of unofficial exports to China through land borders), up about 4% from around 8 million tons in 2014.The increase in exports is attributed to a  strong import demand from China and a recent large contract with Indonesia. The FAO estimates the 2015 aggregate rice production at 45.1 million tonnes, close to the 2014 record level. On average, the winter/spring paddy crop amounts to about 46% of the annual paddy production, while the remaining two seasons, summer/autumn and winter, account for 32% and 22% respectively.
Harvesting of the 2015 summer/autumn season crop was completed in October and that of the minor winter crop is nearing completion. The FAO estimates the 2015 summer/autumn rice production at a record level of 14.8 million tons and the winter crop output is anticipated to remain close to last year’s high level as a result of good yields which offset a marginal contraction in planted area. Planting of the 2016, mostly irrigated, main winter/spring paddy crop starts in mid‑November in the south and continues until March in the north. Less rains and low water levels in reservoirs and intensified salinity intrusion are likely to impact the yield potential of the winter/spring crop.
Domestic rice prices increased considerably in November 2015 due to government-to-government (G2G) deals with the Philippines and Indonesia. However, prices are below their year-ago levels according to the FAO.
Global Rice Quotes
December 28th, 2015
Long grain white rice - high quality
Thailand 100% B grade   355-365                ↑
Vietnam 5% broken        360-370                ↓
India 5% broken               355-365                ↔
Pakistan 5% broken        330-340                ↔
Myanmar 5% broken      410-420                ↔
Cambodia 5% broken     425-435                ↔
U.S. 4% broken                 475-485                ↔
Uruguay 5% broken        510-520                ↔
Argentina 5% broken     505-515                ↔
Long grain white rice - low quality
Thailand 25% broken      335-345                ↔
Vietnam 25% broken      345-355                ↓
Pakistan 25% broken      300-310                ↔
Cambodia 25% broken   400-410                ↔
India 25% broken             325-335                ↔
U.S. 15% broken               500-510                ↔
Long grain parboiled rice
Thailand parboiled 100% stxd     350-360                ↑
Pakistan parboiled 5% broken stxd          405-415                ↔
India parboiled 5% broken stxd                 355-365                ↔
U.S. parboiled 4% broken             500-510                ↔
Brazil parboiled 5% broken          520-530                ↔
Uruguay parboiled 5% broken    NQ         ↔
Long grain fragrant rice
Thailand Hommali 92%   680-690                ↓
Vietnam Jasmine             445-455                ↔
India basmati 2% broken              NQ         ↔
Pakistan basmati 2% broken       NQ         ↔
Cambodia Phka Mails     830-840                ↔
Brokens
Thailand A1 Super            320-330                ↔
Vietnam 100% broken   335-345                ↔
Pakistan 100% broken stxd          285-295                ↔
Cambodia A1 Super        355-365                ↔
India 100% broken stxd                 270-280                ↓
Egypt medium grain brokens      NQ         ↔
U.S. pet food     290-300                ↔
Brazil half grain NQ         ↔
All prices USD per ton, FOB vessel, oryza.com

Thailand Seeks to Cut Interest Expenses on $14 Billion Rice Debt

Dec 28, 2015

Thailand's Public Debt Management Office (PDMO) is planning to transfer the 500-billion baht (around $14 billion) debt incurred under the rice pledging scheme introduced by the previous government from the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) to the fiscal debt ledger to cut interest expenses, according to Bangkok Post.
The government is planning to discuss the issue at the PDMO's board meeting in January, which will be chaired by the Finance Minister. It will also consider transferring other state enterprise debts, including the 63.2 billion baht (around $1.76 billion) unpaid contribution to the Social Security Fund and debt shouldered by the State Railway of Thailand and the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority, incurred under previous government policies.
The Finance Ministry sources noted that the move would cut interest expenses and lower PDMO's debt management burden and allow it to lock in long-term interest rates. Currently, the coupon rates on bonds issued by the BAAC to fund the rice pledging scheme are higher by 30-40 basis points than the government bonds and the government is incurring an additional 2 billion baht (around $55.5 million) in interest, according to a source from the government.
"We can save on these expenses by transferring the debt to the Finance Ministry's balance sheet," the source said. "The burden is now shouldered by the ministry despite being booked on the BAAC's balance sheet," added the source.

Asian Rice Quotes Mixed Today

Dec 28, 2015

Thailand rice sellers increased their quotes for 100% B, 5% broken and parboiled rice varieties by about $5 per ton each to around $355 - $365 per ton, $345 - $355 per ton and $350 - $360 per ton respectively today. They increased their quotes for glutinous rice variety by about $15 per ton and lowered their quotes for Hom Mali rice variety by about $5 per ton respectively to around $725 - $735 per ton and $680 - $690 per ton. Vietnam rice sellers lowered their quotes for 5% broken, 15% broken and 25% broken rice varieties by about $5 per ton each to around $360 - $370 per ton, $350 - $360 per ton and $345 - $355 per ton respectively. India rice sellers lowered their quotes for 100% broken rice variety by about $5 per ton to around $270 - $280 per ton. Other Asian rice sellers have kept their quotes unchanged today from Thursday.                                 
5% Broken Rice
Thailand 5% rice is indicated at around $345 - $355 per ton about $15 per ton discount on Vietnam 5% rice shown at around $360 - $370 per ton. India 5% rice is indicated at around $355 - $365 per ton, about $25 per ton premium on Pakistan 5% rice shown at around $330 - $340 per ton.
25% Broken Rice
Thailand 25% rice is indicated at around $335 - $345 per ton, about $10 per ton discount on Vietnam 25% rice shown at around $345- $355 per ton. India 25% rice is indicated at around $325 - $335 per ton, about $25 per ton premium on Pakistan 25% rice shown at around $300 - $310 per ton.
Parboiled Rice            
Thailand parboiled rice is indicated at around $350 - $360 per ton. India parboiled rice is indicated at around $355 - $365 per ton, about $50 per ton discount to Pakistan parboiled rice last shown at around $405 - $415 per ton.
100% Broken Rice

Thailand broken rice, A1 Super is indicated at around $320 - $330 per ton, about $15 per ton discount to Vietnam 100% broken rice shown at around $335 - $345 per ton. India's 100% broken rice is shown at around $270 - $280 per ton, about $15 per ton discount to Pakistan broken sortexed rice shown at around $285 - $295 per ton

India Winter Crop Rice Acreage Lags Behind Last Year as of December 23, 2015

Dec 28, 2015
India 2015-16 winter/rabi rice (November - May) planting area has reached around 0.1217 million hectares as of December 23, 2015, down about 10.65% from around 0.1362 million hectares planted during the same period in 2014-15, according to a press release by the Ministry of Agriculture.The decline is due to untimely rains in some of the rice growing regions.In 2014-15, the rabi rice acreage reached around 4 million hectares, down about 9% from around 4.488 million hectares in 2013-14.The total rabi rice planting of all crops stood at around 52 million hectares as on December 23, 2015, down about 4% from last year's 54.018 million hectares.

Thailand Seeks to Cut Interest Expenses on $14 Billion Rice Debt

Dec 28, 2015
Thailand's Public Debt Management Office (PDMO) is planning to transfer the 500-billion baht (around $14 billion) debt incurred under the rice pledging scheme introduced by the previous government from the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) to the fiscal debt ledger to cut interest expenses, according to Bangkok Post.
The government is planning to discuss the issue at the PDMO's board meeting in January, which will be chaired by the Finance Minister. It will also consider transferring other state enterprise debts, including the 63.2 billion baht (around $1.76 billion) unpaid contribution to the Social Security Fund and debt shouldered by the State Railway of Thailand and the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority, incurred under previous government policies.
The Finance Ministry sources noted that the move would cut interest expenses and lower PDMO's debt management burden and allow it to lock in long-term interest rates. Currently, the coupon rates on bonds issued by the BAAC to fund the rice pledging scheme are higher by 30-40 basis points than the government bonds and the government is incurring an additional 2 billion baht (around $55.5 million) in interest, according to a source from the government.
"We can save on these expenses by transferring the debt to the Finance Ministry's balance sheet," the source said. "The burden is now shouldered by the ministry despite being booked on the BAAC's balance sheet," added the source.




Exclusive News have been shared with written permission of ORYZA.com with thanks

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