17th March (Tuesday) ,2015 Daily Exclusive ORYZA Rice E_Newsletter by RiceplusMagazine

Vietnam, Thailand Plan to Jointly Develop Sustainable Rice Markets

Mar 16, 2015

Agriculture Ministers of Thailand and Vietnam, who met in Hanoi on March 12, 2015, have decided to work closely to develop sustainable rice markets in order to increase the quality and value of rice production in the long-run, according to local sources.

Thailand and Vietnam together contribute to over half of global rice exports.The Thai Agriculture Minister noted that rice prices in both Thailand and Vietnam have been declining despite both being the world's biggest rice exporters due to competitive global prices. Since Vietnam and Thailand grow similar types of rice, the Thai Minister suggested that both the governments could work together and design a long-term strategy by defining common grain standards, quality and prices.The Vietnam Agriculture Minister reiterated the government's intention to jointly work with Thailand to derive long-term benefits.

EU Project Uses Space and Sensory Technology to Boost Rice Yields

Mar 16, 2015

The European Union (EU) funded project ERMES is developing new models for monitoring rice crops through advanced information, including early warnings of possible threats, and there by boost rice yields, according to a notice on the EU website.The project aims at integrating innovative remote sensing and crop modelling techniques to assist farmers and authorities in rice cultivation and monitoring activities. The data collected will be used to develop two web-based services - Local Rice Service (LRS) and a Regional Rice Service (RRS) - to improve rice production in Europe.

The project mainly aims to reduce production costs, achieve efficiencies and minimize the impact of rice production on environment.The LRS provides value added information for farmers on yields ad crop damages to farmers as well as help them in using the right amount of fertilizers depending on the variety of rice seed used. Customized smart applications for mobile phones and tablets are being developed to aid the farmers benefit from these services.The RRS is a customized agro-monitoring resource for crop mapping, yield estimating and risk forecast for a particular region.

The project is coordinated by the Institute on Electromagnetic Sensing of Environment (CNR-IREA), and involves partners of four European countries (Greece, Spain, Italy, Switzerland) with strong expertise in different scientific domains, such as: Remote Sensing, Crop Modelling, Agronomy and Information and Communication Technology. 

USDA Forecasts 2014-15 Global Milled Rice Production at 474.9 Million Tons, Slightly Down from Previous Year

Mar 16, 2015

In its March Rice Outlook report, USDA has forecasted 2014-15 global milled rice production at around 474.9 million tons, slightly down from an estimated 476.96 million tons in 2013-14, and slightly up from its last month's estimates of around 474.6 million tons. Most of this year's decline is due to expected decline in South Asia rice production, according to the U.S. agency. USDA estimates East Asia and Southeast Asia to harvest record or near-record rice crops in 2014-15, while it  forecasts a little change in production levels of South America and Sub-Saharan Africa.

In the latest report, USDA increased its production estimates for India 2014-15 rice production by around 500,000 tons to around 102.5 million tons due to expected larger Rabi crop (November - May), which accounts for about 15% of India's total production. Harvesting of Rabi crop is likely to begin this month. USDA also raised its production estimates for Sri Lanka based on government's reports of a higher Maha crop (September - March), which accounts for nearly 70% of Sri Lanka's rice production. However, USDA lowered its production estimates for Thailand due to a reduction in harvested area of dry season crop, which accounts for about 25-30% of Thailand's total production, by about 18%, due to ongoing drought conditions.

USDA forecasts 2014-15 global rice acreage at around 159.6 million hectares, slightly down from last year's 160.8 million hectares, and slightly down from its previous month's estimates of around 160.2 million hectares due to an expected y/y decline in Thailand and India rice acreage. It has forecasted the average global yield at 4.43 tons per hectare (on rough rice basis), almost unchanged from last year as well as last month's projections.

USDA estimates 2014-15 global rice consumption and residual use at a record 483.7 million tons, up about 2.9 million tons from last year, and up about 500,000 tons from an estimated 483.2 million tons last month. Major increases in consumption and residual use are expected in Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, the Philippines, and the U.S.

The U.S. agency estimates 2014-15 global rice ending stocks at around 97.6 million tons, down about 8% from an estimated 106 million tons last year and down about 600,000 tons from last month's projection of about 98.2 million tons. USDA estimates lower ending stocks in India, Indonesia and Thailand but higher stocks in the Philippines and the U.S. It estimates 2014-15 global stocks-to-use ratio at 20.2%, down from last year's 22.1%.  

Thailand to Set Up Two Panels to Investigate G2G Rice Deals

Mar 16, 2015

The government of Thailand has decided to set up two investigative panels to probe for alleged corruption in government-to-government (G2G) deals as part of the rice pledging scheme introduced by the former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, according to local sources. The scheme offered to pay farmers nearly 50% over the market prices.The probe comes after the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) advised the Ministry to file civil suits against the 21 accused individuals, including the former Commerce Minister, the former Deputy Commerce Minister as well as 19 high-level officers and private sector employees, for alleged corruption in G2G rice deals with China.

Two panels will be set up within the next ten days and the investigation is likely to be completed by September 1, 2015. If the panels find the accused officials guilty of "deliberate or serious reckless acts" aimed at taking advantage of their positions under the Act on Liability for Wrongful Acts of Officials, compensation would be sought from them, and if the panels find no grounds of corruption, the government may not recover any damages from the officials, a Finance Ministry source was quoted as saying.

One panel is attached to the Finance Ministry and will carry out probe related to the former PM. The other panel is attached to the Commerce Ministry and will investigate the case linked to the former Commerce Minister and his Deputy, according to local sources.The Finance Ministry source reportedly stated that the case is the first of its kind, which aims to recover damages from officials executing government policy. It also stated that the case would create some sort of fear in state officials in the future.

Last month, the Thai Attorney General has filed criminal charges against the former PM for alleged negligence in overseeing the rice pledging scheme, which brought losses to the extent of 600 billion baht (around $18 billion) to the government. Estimated losses include depreciation of rice stocks as well as missing stocks from warehouses, according to local sources. The Supreme Court will decide on March 19, 2015 whether to pursue the criminal case against the former PM.

Philippines Plans to Review Rice Import Policy

Mar 16, 2015

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has decided to review the government's agriculture policy especially with regard to rice imports and the quantitative restriction (QR) regulations, local sources quoted the NEDA Director General (DG) as saying.Speaking at a media briefing, the NEDA DG, who is also the country's Chief Economist and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary, reportedly noted that the decision has been taken by the Economic and Development cluster of the Cabinet. He noted that the government was considering to repeal the Agricultural Tariffication Act of 1996, RA No.8178, under which QRs were imposed on rice imports.

He also noted that the related government agencies, including the Department of Agriculture (DA) have agreed to come up with proposals to eventually scrap the QR system. A technical working group would be set up to study the benefits and risks associated with the QR regime in rice imports as well as come up with measures to stabilize prices.The Chief Economic Secretary noted that QRs on rice were leading to imbalance between demand and supply of rice leading to spike in prices. Last week, he suggested the government to remove QRs on rice imports to stabilize rice prices in the country. He slammed the government's decision to seek extension of the QRs on rice imports at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in order to protect the local rice sector from foreign competition.

Last year, the WTO allowed the Philippines to extend the QRs until 2017. Under the new QR policy, the Philippines can import 805,200 tons of rice under the minimum access volume (MAV) of at 35% duty. Imports above the MAV will attract 50% duty.He noted that the government should allow private sector to determine prices and also suggested that the government needs to monitor the supply of demand for rice to avert upward pressure on prices. He also noted that the government should focus on initiatives such has better irrigation systems and latest agricultural technologies to increase rice production and farmers' incomes.The National Food Authority (NFA) has decided to import 200,000 tons of rice from Thailand and 300,000 tons of rice from Vietnam under government-to-government (G2G) deals to ensure adequate stocks ahead of the lean season as well as to curb price hikes. The NFA imported over 1.4 million tons of rice last year.

Government of Bangladesh Estimates 2014-15 Aman Rice Output at 13.189 Million Tons; Up 1.3% from Last Year

Mar 16, 2015

The government of Bangladesh has estimated the total output from 2014-15 Aman rice crop (April - December) at around 13.189 million tons, up about 1.3% from around 13.023 million tons produced in 2013-14, according to local sources.The estimates were worked out last week at a meeting of senior officials of Agriculture Ministry, Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization (SPARSO). The meeting also estimated the 2014-15 Aman paddy yield at around 2.385 tons per hectare.

Harvesting of 2014-15 Aman rice completed in December and the government procured around 319,977 tons of 2014-15 Aman (April - December) rice as of February 28, 2015, according to the Food Ministry data.Harvesting of the ongoing 2015 Boro rice crop (January - May) will complete by the end of May and the government is expecting a total output of around 19 million tons, up about 2% from around 18.78 million tons produced in 2014. The government is planning to procure around one million tons of Boro paddy and around 100,000 tons of Boro rice between May 1 - August 31, 2015. The government procured around 1.06 million tons of paddy and rice in 2014.

Bangladesh produced around 34.449 million tons of rice, basis milled, in FY 2013-14 (July - June), up about 2.7% from around 33.833 million tons produced in FY 2012-13, according to DAE data.USDA estimates Bangladesh to produce around 34.6 million tons of milled rice in MY 2014-15 (May - April), up about 1% from an estimated 34.39 million tons in MY 2013-14. It estimates Bangladesh to import around 600,000 tons of rice in 2015, down about 20% from an estimated 751,000 tons in 2014. 

Thailand, Pakistan Rice Sellers Lower Their Quotes Today; Other Asia Rice Quotes Unchanged

Mar 16, 2015

Thailand rice sellers lowered their quotes for 5% broken rice and parboiled rice by about $10 per ton and about $15 per ton respectively to around $385 - $395 each today. Pakistan rice sellers lowered most of their quotes by about $5 - $10 per ton today. Vietnam and India  rice sellers kept their quotes mostly unchanged today.

5% Broken Rice

Thailand 5% rice is indicated at around $385 - $395 per ton, down about $10 per ton from Friday and about a $20 per ton premium on Vietnam 5% rice  shown at around $365 - $375 per ton. India 5% rice is indicated at around $390 - $400 per ton, about a $45 per ton premium on Pakistan 5% rice shown at around $345 - $355 per ton, down about $5 per ton from Friday.

25% Broken Rice

Thailand 25% rice is shown at around $370 - $380 per ton, about a $30 per ton premium on Vietnam 25% rice shown at around $340- $350 per ton. India 25% rice is indicated at around $360 - $370, about a $50 per ton premium on Pakistan 25% rice shown at around $310 - $320 per ton, down about $5 per ton from Friday.

Parboiled Rice

Thailand parboiled rice is indicated at around $385 - $395 per ton, down about $15 per ton from Friday. India parboiled rice is indicated at around $380 - $390 per ton, about $5 per ton discount to Pakistan parboiled rice shown at around $385 - $395 per ton, down about $10 per ton from Friday.

100% Broken Rice

Thailand broken rice, A1 Super, is indicated at around $320 - $330 per ton, about a $15 per ton premium on Vietnam 100% broken rice shown at around $305 - $315 per ton. India's 100% broken rice is shown at around $275 - $285 per ton,  about a $5 per ton discount to Pakistan broken sortexed rice shown at around $280 - $290 per ton, down about $10 per ton from Friday.

Oryza Overnight Recap – Chicago Rough Rice Futures Lower Overnight Despite Firmer Grains to Begin the Weeek

Mar 16, 2015

Chicago rough rice futures for May delivery are currently listed 11 cents per cwt (about $2 per ton) lower at $10.470 per cwt (about $231 per ton) during early floor trading in Chicago. The other grains are seen trading higher this morning: soybeans are currently seen about 0.2% higher, wheat is listed about 1.1% higher and corn is currently noted about 0.2% higher.U.S. stocks opened higher on Monday, as investors eyed weakness in the dollar and oil prices ahead of Wednesday's key Fed meeting.

 The U.S. dollar index fell about half a percent on Monday after gaining nearly 3 percent in the last week as the euro fell to 12-year lows below $1.05. Crude oil extended losses to dip below $44 a barrel, a six-year low, while Brent fell below $54 a barrel. U.S. stocks mostly sold off last week amid more than 1% swings as investors weighed the implications on an interest rate hike from the dollar surge and mixed economic data. In the lull before companies begin reporting first-quarter earnings in mid-April, few firms post results this week. Economic data is also light, with the housing market index the only key report expected during Monday's trading session.

Before the bell, the Empire State Index posted 6.90 for March, below February's 7.78. Industrial production rose 0.1% in February, below expectations, with capacity utilization slightly lower at 78.9%. Gold is currently trading about 0.4% higher, crude oil is seen trading about 1.7% lower,  and the U.S. dollar is currently trading about 0.7% lower at 8:00am Chicago time.

Japan Exporters Launch "This is Japan Quality" Mission to Boost Rice Exports

Mar 16, 2015

The Japan Rice and Rice Industry Export Promotion Association has launched the "This is Japan Quality" initiative jointly with the Agriculture Ministry to boost rice exports by highlighting the merits of Japanese rice, according to local sources.The exporters are initially focusing on increasing rice exports to Singapore before expanding exports globally, the Association's Chairman was quoted as saying. Singapore has been chosen so as to take advantage of the Singaporeans' appetite for Japanese cuisine, he said. The Chairman added they are planning to use the high income nation as a "strategic springboard" to expand Japanese culinary culture in Southeast Asia and spur interest in Japanese rice products.Japan exported around 1,200 tons of rice worth around 370 million yen (around $3 million) to Singapore last year.

The Association has also launched a logo for Japanese rice and rice products as well as website containing information on Japanese rice. Buyers can track information of various rice varieties based on the QR codes on the packages.Japan rice export market is about 1.4 billion yen (around

$11.5 million) and the government is keen on increasing the export value of rice and rice products to around 60 billion yen (around $495 million) by 2020, the Director General for crop production at the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry was quoted as saying. Declining rice consumption in Japan is cited as one of the reasons for promoting exports of rice and rice products, say local sources.

Oryza U.S. Rough Rice Recap - Prices Stable amid Limited Trade; Export Bids Getting Zero Attention

Mar 16, 2015

The U.S. cash market was uneventful today as most buyers and seller remain uninterested in trading this market.There are reports of some small lots trading around $10.75-$11.00 per cwt (about $237-$243 per ton) delivered mill for nearby however most sellers are looking to net $11.11 per cwt (about $245 per ton) fob farm.As for export bids, most looking to buy around $10.00-$10.15 per cwt (about $220-$224 per ton) delivered river however there is zero sell interest at that level. 

Oryza Afternoon Recap - Chicago Rough Rice Futures Dragged Lower along with Corn and Beans by Falling Crude; Wheat Rallies as Traders Turn Attention to Lack of Moisture

Mar 16, 2015

Chicago rough rice futures for May delivery settled 5.5 cents per cwt (about $1 per ton) lower at $10.525 per cwt (about $232 per ton). The other grains closed lower except for wheat which rallied as concerns grow over a lack of moisture in key growing regions; Soybeans closed about 0.5% lower at $9.6925 per bushel; wheat finished about 2.4% higher at $5.1400 per bushel, and corn finished the day about 0.4% lower at $3.7900 per bushel.

U.S. stocks traded higher on Monday as investors eyed weakness in the dollar and oil prices ahead of Wednesday's key Fed meeting. The U.S. dollar index fell nearly 1% on Monday to trade below 100. The index gained nearly 3% in the last week as the euro dipped to 12-year lows below $1.05. The Dow Jones industrial average briefly gained more than 200 points as all the major indices advanced to trade in the black for the year.

The Federal Open Market Committee holds its March meeting over the next two days, with the release of its statement on Wednesday. Investors are watching to see if the key word "patient" remains in the statement, an indication of when short-term interest rates might go up. Before the bell, the Empire State Index posted 6.90 for March, below February's 7.78. Industrial production rose 0.1% in February, below expectations, with capacity utilization slightly lower at 78.9%.The Dow Jones industrial average traded up 180 points, or 1.02%, at 17,929.

The S&P 500 traded up 20 points, or 1.00%, at 2,073, with utilities leading nine sectors higher and materials the greatest laggard. The Nasdaq traded up 41 points, or 0.84%, at 4,912. Gold is trading about 0.1% higher, crude oil is seen trading about 2.8% lower, and the U.S. dollar is seen trading about 0.8% lower at about  1:00pm Chicago time.Friday, there were 270 contracts traded, down from 610 contracts traded on Thursday. Open interest – the number of contracts outstanding – on Friday decreased by 1 contract to 8,978.

 Global Rice Quotes

March 16th, 2015

Long grain white rice - high quality

Thailand 100% B grade           400-410           ↓

Vietnam 5% broken     365-375           ↔

India 5% broken          390-400           ↔

Pakistan 5% broken     345-355           ↓

Myanmar 5% broken   415-425           ↔

Cambodia 5% broken 425-435           ↔

U.S. 4% broken           480-490           ↔

Uruguay 5% broken    580-590           ↔

Argentina 5% broken   570-580           ↔

Long grain white rice - low quality

Thailand 25% broken 370-380           ↔

Vietnam 25% broken   340-350           ↔

Pakistan 25% broken   310-320           ↓

Cambodia 25% broken            410-420           ↔

India 25% broken        360-370           ↔

U.S. 15% broken         470-480           ↔

Long grain parboiled rice

Thailand parboiled 100% stxd             385-395           ↓

Pakistan parboiled 5% broken stxd      385-395           ↓

India parboiled 5% broken stxd           380-390           ↔

U.S. parboiled 4% broken       555-565           ↔

Brazil parboiled 5% broken     570-580           ↔

Uruguay parboiled 5% broken             NQ       ↔

Long grain fragrant rice

Thailand Hommali 92%           895-905           ↔

Vietnam Jasmine         455-465           ↔

India basmati 2% broken         NQ       ↔

Pakistan basmati 2% broken    NQ       ↔

Cambodia Phka Mails 790-800           ↔

Brokens

Thailand A1 Super       320-330           ↔

Vietnam 100% broken             305-315           ↔

Pakistan 100% broken stxd     280-290           ↓

Cambodia A1 Super    345-355           ↔

India 100% broken stxd          275-285           ↔

Egypt medium grain brokens   NQ       ↔

U.S. pet food   380-390           ↔

Brazil half grain           NQ       ↔

All prices USD per ton, FOB vessel, oryza.com

Oryza Afternoon Recap - Chicago Rough Rice Futures Dragged Lower along with Corn and Beans by Falling Crude; Wheat Rallies as Traders Turn Attention to Lack of Moisture

Mar 16, 2015

Chicago rough rice futures for May delivery settled 5.5 cents per cwt (about $1 per ton) lower at $10.525 per cwt (about $232 per ton). The other grains closed lower except for wheat which rallied as concerns grow over a lack of moisture in key growing regions; Soybeans closed about 0.5% lower at $9.6925 per bushel; wheat finished about 2.4% higher at $5.1400 per bushel, and corn finished the day about 0.4% lower at $3.7900 per bushel.U.S. stocks traded higher on Monday as investors eyed weakness in the dollar and oil prices ahead of Wednesday's key Fed meeting. The U.S. dollar index fell nearly 1% on Monday to trade below 100.

 The index gained nearly 3% in the last week as the euro dipped to 12-year lows below $1.05. The Dow Jones industrial average briefly gained more than 200 points as all the major indices advanced to trade in the black for the year. The Federal Open Market Committee holds its March meeting over the next two days, with the release of its statement on Wednesday. Investors are watching to see if the key word "patient" remains in the statement, an indication of when short-term interest rates might go up. Before the bell, the Empire State Index posted 6.90 for March, below February's 7.78. Industrial production rose 0.1% in February, below expectations, with capacity utilization slightly lower at 78.9%.

The Dow Jones industrial average traded up 180 points, or 1.02%, at 17,929. The S&P 500 traded up 20 points, or 1.00%, at 2,073, with utilities leading nine sectors higher and materials the greatest laggard. The Nasdaq traded up 41 points, or 0.84%, at 4,912. Gold is trading about 0.1% higher, crude oil is seen trading about 2.8% lower, and the U.S. dollar is seen trading about 0.8% lower at about  1:00pm Chicago time.Friday, there were 270 contracts traded, down from 610 contracts traded on Thursday. Open interest – the number of contracts outstanding – on Friday decreased by 1 contract to 8,978.

Download/View On-Line the above News in pdf format,just click the following link

17thMarch (Tuesday) ,2015 Daily Exclusive ORYZA Rice E_Newsletter by RiceplusMagazine

16th March (Monday) , 2015 Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Balmore Trust’s £60K for Malawi farmers

John Riches and Sue Bond from the Balmore Coach House with bags of Malawi fair trade rice which they are selling in aid education for children in the African country. Friday, Feb. 26 2010.(Photo/Chris Clark)

16:00Sunday 15 March 2015

The Balmore Trust has been awarded £60,000 to help develop a pedal-driven rice threshing machine for Malawi farmers.

The trust, which imports fairly traded rice and other produce from a number of African countries, received the funding from the Scottish Government’s Small Grants Fund. It is the largest single award to date.Chairman and founder of the trust, John Riches, said the project was the brainchild of Paul Tofield, from Dumfries.He said: “Two years ago he met Howard Msukwa, one of the farmers whose rice we sell. Paul was deeply impressed by Howard’s determination and the sheer amount of work which his rice farming involved.

When Howard told him that farmers thresh their rice by beating it against a log, Paul told him about the pedal-driven threshing machines they used to have in Orkney. That summer Paul went to Orkney and found an old machine. That was the basis for the three machines which have just reached Malawi.”The grant will help to get the machines manufactured in Malawi, which will in turn provide jobs for locals.Mr Riches added: “It will make low-cost machines available to farmers’ clubs, freeing them from the huge burden of threshing, and allowing them more time to develop their farms.

We think it will make a big difference, increasing productivity without damaging the environment and like to think that this is one of the real advantages of doing fair trade.“By building really close links with farmers you can enlist remarkable support. People buy their products and then help them find innovative solutions.Humza Yousaf, Minister for Europe and International Development in the Scottish Government, said: “These threshing machines will make a huge difference to famers and communities in Malawi by improving crop production. It’s exciting to think that machinery built in Scotland is being used thousands of miles away to help farmers in other nations. We are proud to support the Balmore trust.”

http://www.milngavieherald.co.uk/news/local-headlines/balmore-trust-s-60k-for-malawi-farmers-1-3718533

APEDA NEWS

Today's Leads

Seller Leads         Buyer Leads

Market Watch

Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 14-03-2015 Domestic Prices Unit Price : Rs/Qtl Product Market Center Variety Min Price Max Price Barley (Jau) 1 Dhanera (Gujarat) Other 1500 1500 2 Deoli (Rajasthan) Other 1200 1320 3 Satna (Madhya Pradesh) Other 1180 1301 Maize 1 Amreli (Gujarat) Other 1350 1350 2 Deoli (Rajasthan) Other 1350 1400 3 Theni(Tamil Nadu) Other 1000 1200 Orange 1 Ludhiana (Punjab) Other 2000 4000 2 Uklana(Haryana) Other 3500 5000 3 Nagpur(Maharashtra) Other 1300 2800 Brinjal 1 Surat (Gujarat) Other 1200 1800 2 Bonai (Orissa) Other 1500 2000 3 Sirhind(Punjab) Other 1000 2000 Source: agmarknet for more products Egg Rs per 100 No. Price on 14-03-2015 Product Market Center Price 1 Pune 280 2 Chittoor 268 3 Nagapur 250 Source: e2necc.com International Benchmark Price Price on: 13-03-2015 Product Benchmark Indicators Name Price Garlic 1 Chinese first grade granules, CFR NW Europe (USD/t) 1800 2 Chinese Grade A dehydrated flakes, CFR NW Europe (USD/t) 2000 3 Chinese powdered, CFR NW Europe (USD/t) 1300 Ginger 1 Chinese sliced, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 4600 2 Chinese whole, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 5100 3 Indian Cochin, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 3000 White Sugar 1 CZCE White Sugar Futures (USD/t) 787 2 Kenya Mumias white sugar, EXW (USD/t) 879 3 Pakistani refined sugar, EXW Akbari Mandi (USD/t) 477 Source:agra-net for more products Other International Prices Unit Price : US$ / package Price on 14-03-2015 Product Market Center Origin Variety Low High Onions Dry Package: 50 lb sacks 1 Atlanta Mexico Yellow 13 14 2 Baltimore New York Yellow  10.50 11 3 Chicago Nevada Yellow 9 10.50 Cauliflower Package: cartons film wrapped 1 Atlanta Mexico White 31 31.50 2 Baltimore California White 26 26 3 Detroit California White 33 34 Grapefruit Package: 4/5 bushel cartons 1 Atlanta Florida  Red 14.50 15

Southern California Water Agencies Look North For Water Sale

March 14, 2015 10:42 AM

SACRAMENTO (AP) — The drought has water agencies in Southern California offering big prices for water belonging to Northern California rice farmers.California’s giant Metropolitan Water District and other Southern California agencies are offering to buy up to $71 million in water from Sacramento Valley farmers, the Sacramento Bee reported Saturday. That’s for enough water to supply between 100,000 and 200,000 households for a year.The Metropolitan agency serves 19 million people in Los Angeles and beyond.Four years of some of the steepest droughts on record have made water increasingly scarce in California, and have led state and federal water projects to limit water deliveries to arid Southern California again this year.

The Metropolitan and Kern County water agencies and other water districts are now offering farmers around Northern California’s Feather River more for their water than farmers would earn if they used the water to grow crops. At $700 an acre foot of water, Sacramento Valley water holders are being offered about 40 percent more for their water this summer than last summer.“That reflects the desperation and the competition from the people down there,” Ted Trimble, general manager of the Western Canal Water District in Richvale, Butte County, one of the participating sellers, told the Sacramento Bee.

Many of the farmers involved are rice farmers. Jim Morris, spokesman for the California Rice Commission, said the commission wasn’t familiar with the tentative sale and couldn’t comment on its impact on this year’s crop. “We’re still looking at what the upcoming season will hold,” Morris said.California’s rice farmers already cut planting by one-fourth in 2014 because of the drought. Trimble says his district won’t idle more than one-sixth of its acres this year to take the water deal, because that would undercut the long-term health of California’s rice industry.

California’s rice fields do more than just grow rice; the Nature Conservancy says the rice fields provided more than 13,000 acres of critical wetland for migratory wildfowl this winter through a project with state rice farmers.Sandi Matsumoto of The Nature Conservancy said Saturday that less water will mean less habitat for the birds for a fourth straight winter. Matsumoto said she hopes the impact on wildlife will be considered in the water sales.

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015/03/14/southern-california-water-agencies-look-north-for-water-sale/

Sierra at Tahoe ski resort closes due to lack of snow

Posted: Mar 16, 2015 5:52 AM PDTUpdated: Mar 16, 2015 5:52 AM PDT

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) - The Sierra at Tahoe ski resort is turning off its lifts and closing its trails due to a lack of natural snow.General manager John Rice issued a statement saying the resort has decided, "with a heavy heart," to suspend winter operations starting Monday.The popular ski area on Highway 50 in Twin Bridges is known for its varied terrain and snowmaking ability. But, Rice says, the lack of natural precipitation has left too many bare spots on runs.Rice says Sierra at Tahoe is prepared to resume operations if snow starts falling again.The Sacramento Bee reports (http://bit.ly/1EUzajh ) the announcement comes on the heels of the mid-February closure of Donner Summit for the same reason.The Northstar ski resort, another popular Tahoe destination, remains open.Information from: The Sacramento Bee, http://www.sacbee.com

http://www.cbs8.com/story/28527943/sierra-at-tahoe-ski-resort-closes-due-to-lack-of-snow

Japan launches initiative to boost rice exports to Singapore

KYODO

MAR 16, 2015

SINGAPORE – A rice export association has launched an initiative to sell more rice to Singapore, taking advantage of the wealthy city-state’s appetite for Japanese cuisine.The program, titled “This is Japan Quality,” was developed by the Japan Rice and Rice Industry Export Promotion Association in partnership with the agriculture ministry to “expand Japanese culinary culture” by highlighting “the merits of Japanese rice.”It aims to “ultimately increase the amount of rice and rice products exported globally by first focusing on Singapore,” the association’s chairman, Ryo Kimura, said Monday.

In particular it aims to use Singapore as a “strategic springboard” to spread Japanese culinary culture in Southeast Asia and fuel interest in Japanese rice products.The agriculture ministry estimates that Japan exported more than 1,200 tons of rice valued at more than ¥370 million to the tiny city-state last year — about 10 times the amount exported to China.The association has designed a new logo for Japanese rice products and a website with information about Japanese rice. The rice will have QR codes on the packaging that will enable buyers to have easy access to the website.

Akira Karasawa, director general for crop production at the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, said at the launch event that the government is trying to promote the export of agriculture and fishery products globally.Japan’s global export value of rice is small at only ¥1.4 billion last year. The government has set a goal of raising the export value of rice and rice products to ¥60 billion by 2020, Karasawa said.He added that one of the reasons for launching the initiative in Singapore is due to the nation’s high income level.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/03/16/business/economy-business/japan-launches-initiative-to-boost-rice-exports-to-singapore/#.VQiRrNLF_Jc

Neda backs moves to lift rice import restrictions

Philippine Daily Inquirer

7:26 AM | Monday, March 16th, 2015

MANILA, Philippines–Keeping the high import duties slapped on rice while allowing the private sector to influence the commodity’s supply would auger well for rice prices, according to the country’s chief economist, amid calls to remove the quantitative restriction (QR) on imports.Also, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan told reporters last Friday that the government was looking at the possibility of repealing RA No. 8178, or the Agricultural Tariffication Act of 1996, which put in place the QR on rice importation.Balisacan, who is also the director-general of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda), noted that the QR puts the burden of rice demand and supply on the government, while market forces are being limited by the quota system.

The Neda chief had partly blamed high rice prices for the higher poverty incidence registered in the first half of last year, as the commodity accounts for a fifth of low income families’ budgets.Since the government imposes a quota on rice imports, domestic prices are vulnerable to shocks resulting from meager supply.The World Trade Organization last year allowed the Philippines to extend its QR on rice until 2017, in a bid to buy more time for local farmers to prepare for free trade in light of the government’s goal of achieving rice self-sufficiency.The extended QR slaps 35-percent duty on imported rice under a minimum access volume (MAV) of 805,200 metric tons.

Importation outside of the MAV limit are levied a higher tariff of 50 percent.For Balisacan, retaining the high duties on rice is already a “very transparent, efficient and market-friendly instrument.”The Philippines’ most favored nation or MFN rate—the additional tariff imposed when imported outside of Asean—on the commodity remains at about 40 percent.Importation, meanwhile, should be the task of the private sector to allow market forces to determine prices, the Neda chief said.Balisacan disclosed that during last Friday’s economic development cluster meeting, various government agencies, including the Department of Agriculture, agreed to draft their proposals geared towards potentially scrapping the QR system.

But while RA 8178 is still in place, and acknowledging that it may take time to repeal the law, Balisacan said the government “needs to be vigilant in monitoring the supply and demand of rice,” adding that “we have to find a way to reduce upward price pressures on food.”Also, the government should focus on initiatives to increase rice farmers’ incomes rather than just increasing their production, Balisacan said. “We must determine if their inputs are expensive. We need to raise farmers’ productivity.”To do so, irrigation systems should be improved, and farmers should also be given access to new agricultural technologies that yield higher harvests, the Neda chief said.

http://business.inquirer.net/188553/neda-backs-moves-to-lift-rice-import-restrictions#ixzz3Ug67rdiT 

Rice import limits need review—Neda

By Jennifer Ambanta | Mar. 15, 2015 at 11:20pm

The National Economic and Development Authority said over the weekend the government should review quantitative restrictions on rice imports because they tend to increase food prices.Neda director general Arsenio Balisacan told reporters the limit in importing one of the most important commodities was resulting in an upward pressure on prices and eroding the income of most Filipino families. “As we have noted earlier, the gains from increased incomes were unfortunately negated by faster and higher inflation in food prices, especially of rice,” Balisacan said.He noted that the government should weigh the benefits of the quantitative restrictions against the inflationary pressure it put on rice.

“We have to study that because that should not be the case. We have to cure the root of the problem, which is the uncertainty in the... international trade for agricultural commodities,”  Balisacan said. The administration said with quantitative restrictions, farmers were more protected from dumping, or excessive inflow of rice at cheap prices, in the local market which may affect the livelihood of Filipino farmers.The World Trade Organization-Committee on Trade in Goods recently approved the Philippines’ bid to extend the implementation of the quantity restriction on rice up to 2017.“The WTO approved our request for extension of QR up to 2017. So we still have [time] to find a way to achieve what we want to achieve.

Before 2017, we need to push for measures that have been neglected. We also have a law, RA 8178, that placed rice under a QR regime. So until the law is amended, there is still a QR on rice,” Balisacan said.He said the government would create a technical working group to study the benefits and the risks of the quantitative restrictions as well as the measures needed to be  in place by 2017.“We need to make sure that we are putting in measures that will guarantee or enhance our capability to respond to price shocks,” he said.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2015/03/15/rice-import-limits-need-review-neda/

THAILAND PRESS-Officials probed over rice - Bangkok Post

Mon Mar 16, 2015 1:19am GMT

 Almost 30 Thai state officials, politicians and individuals from the private sector will be investigated for alleged involvement in a rice-pledging scheme of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra administration, Bangkok Post reported, citing a source in the finance ministry. (bit.ly/1GTqDOb)

NOTE: Reuters has not verified this story and does not vouch for its accuracy. (Compiled by Bangkok Newsroom; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)

http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL3N0WI0KY20150316

Rice charges

THE NATION March 16, 2015 1:00 am

PUBLIC prosecutors will tomorrow charge former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom and 20 others for having allegedly faked government-to-government rice deals so that they could manipulate the government's stockpiles.The prosecutors have informed the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to bring the 21 suspects to the Office of the Attorney General tomorrow for the court arraignment. Sources said prosecutors have submitted a request to the NACC to inform the 21 suspects to meet prosecutors.

It is not yet known if any of the suspects would appear at the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office Holders when prosecutors file the indictment against them.Meanwhile, the court will decide on Thursday over whether to accept the suit filed by the attorney-general against former PM Yingluck Shinawatra for her alleged failure to stop corruption in the rice-pledging scheme.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Rice-charges-30256082.html

Japan launches initiative to boost rice exports to Singapore

 

KYODO

MAR 16, 2015

 

SINGAPORE – A rice export association has launched an initiative to sell more rice to Singapore, taking advantage of the wealthy city-state’s appetite for Japanese cuisine.The program, titled “This is Japan Quality,” was developed by the Japan Rice and Rice Industry Export Promotion Association in partnership with the agriculture ministry to “expand Japanese culinary culture” by highlighting “the merits of Japanese rice.”It aims to “ultimately increase the amount of rice and rice products exported globally by first focusing on Singapore,” the association’s chairman, Ryo Kimura, said Monday.

 

In particular it aims to use Singapore as a “strategic springboard” to spread Japanese culinary culture in Southeast Asia and fuel interest in Japanese rice products.The agriculture ministry estimates that Japan exported more than 1,200 tons of rice valued at more than ¥370 million to the tiny city-state last year — about 10 times the amount exported to China.The association has designed a new logo for Japanese rice products and a website with information about Japanese rice. The rice will have QR codes on the packaging that will enable buyers to have easy access to the website.

 

Akira Karasawa, director general for crop production at the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, said at the launch event that the government is trying to promote the export of agriculture and fishery products globally.Japan’s global export value of rice is small at only ¥1.4 billion last year. The government has set a goal of raising the export value of rice and rice products to ¥60 billion by 2020, Karasawa said.He added that one of the reasons for launching the initiative in Singapore is due to the nation’s high income level.

 

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/03/16/business/economy-business/japan-launches-initiative-to-boost-rice-exports-to-singapore/#.VQiT-dLF_Jc

 

Drastic fall in paddy cultivation in Karimnagar

Karimnagar district, which emerged as the rice bowl of Telangana, now faces a bleak future as the area under paddy cultivation has declined drastically, causing concern among farmers and others.Severe drought condition, a depleting groundwater table and poor inflows into the irrigation projects are cited as reasons for diminishing area under paddy cultivation in the rabi season. Since 2006, Karimnagar began to find a place on the paddy cultivation map as it registered good production. The area of paddy cultivation increased from 1.38 lakh hectares to 2.98 lakh hectares.But this rabi season, paddy cultivation came down drastically due to deficit rainfall and poor inflows into the major irrigation projects of SRSP and the Lower Manair Dam. In-charge Joint Director (agriculture) Shatru Naik told The Hindu that paddy cultivation came down to 90,850 hectares compared to 1.38 lakh hectares.In the usual course, paddy cultivation would have been taken up in over 2 lakh hectares had the district received good rains. The agriculture official said that poor rainfall would certainly impact production. He said 40 per cent of the paddy produce was meant for producing seed, 20-25 per cent for sale while the remaining is consumed by farmers.S. Komuraiah, a farmer from Chenjarla village of Manakondur mandal, said that he had cultivated paddy only in one acre of land for domestic use as the water in the well had depleted.

He had to leave the remaining four acres idle. He said he was facing hurdles in watering the crop due to depletion of the groundwater table.Annamaneni Sudhakar Rao, director of Karimnagar district rice millers association, said that the drought had cast its shadow on the rice mills as well with several of them having closed down in the district.People who had purchased harvesters to eke out a living are also at the receiving end due to low production of paddy, he added.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/drastic-fall-in-paddy-cultivation-in-karimnagar/article6997770.ece

Existing system of paddy procurement will be continued, says Chandy

SARATH BABU GEORGE

Seeking to allay the concerns of paddy farmers, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has assured that the existing system of paddy procurement will not be discontinued.Launching the harvest of the puncha crop at the Chithira Lake paddy fields in Kainakary on Sunday, Mr. Chandy said that an allocation of Rs. 300 crore has been made in the State budget for paddy procurement that was being undertaken at a rate of Rs. 19 per kg.“While the Centre provided Rs. 13.60 per kg for paddy procured, the remaining amount was disbursed by the State government as subsidy. The burden borne by the State accounted for Rs. 300 crore annually.

 Considering its financial limitations, the government could not afford to extend the subsidy any further. However, the Central government has been requested to hike the price being provided for paddy,” he said.Mr. Chandy added that the promotion of neera production has worked wonders for the coconut sector of the State. According to him, every coconut tree has been bringing huge returns of up to Rs. 3,000 per month for the farmers. Such initiatives are expected to transform agriculture into viable sources of income for the farming community, he said.

He also called for reviving paddy cultivation in the adjacent Rani Lake fields during the current year. The Chief Minister also directed the district administration to pursue options in introducing a collective model of farming in the Chithira fields. The technique, if found successful, could become a model to emulate for the other parts of the State, he said.Presiding over the function, Agriculture Minister K.P. Mohanan directed the District Collector to convene a meeting to assess the ongoing harvest activities. Speaking on the occasion,

District Collector N. Padmakumar said that the Supplyco will undertake the procurement of paddy harvested from the Chithira fields. The government agency had refused to procure paddy initially. Around 600-700 metric tonne of paddy was expected from the nearly 100 hectares of cultivated field.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/existing-system-of-paddy-procurement-will-be-continued-says-chandy/article6997955.ece

In Memory:  Richard Bell 

  Richard E. "Dick" Bell 

The U.S. rice industry is deeply saddened by the passing of Richard E. "Dick" Bell, 81, in Stuttgart, Arkansas on March 13.  Bell was president and CEO of Riceland Foods for more than 23 years.  In 2005, he was named Arkansas's first Secretary of Agriculture, a post he held until he retired in 2012. Bell joined Riceland in 1977 as executive vice president and chief operating officer, and was elevated to the chief executive position in 1981.  He retired from Riceland in 2004.Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, in a statement following Bell's death, said, "His vast knowledge of the entire agricultural landscape, and the respect he earned from everyone in the agri-world, made him the best choice to launch our state's Agriculture Department when it was created."

Bell, a native of Illinois, earned graduate and undergraduate degrees from the University of Illinois-Urbana, and joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agriculture Service in 1959 as an agricultural economist.  Bell served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Agriculture and then as Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for International Affairs and Commodity Programs from 1973-1977.  Bell also served as president of the USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation and Chairman of the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation. In recognition of his accomplishments in the international trade arena, Bell was awarded the USDA's Distinguished Service Award in 1975.

"Dick Bell greatly expanded the economic importance of the rice industry in Arkansas and the United States," said USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward. "He combined a deep expertise in agriculture with a keen understanding of farm and food policy that made him an effective advocate."

 Information on services is not yet available.

Courtesy :USA Rice Federation

Growing appetite for Japanese rice in Singapore

Consumption here has doubled to 1,359 tonnes from 2011

PUBLISHED ON MAR 17, 2015 7:36 AM

FairPrice saw 50 per cent growth in demand last year from 2013 for its housebrand FairPrice Japonica Rice. Industry players attribute the popularity of Japanese rice to factors such as the growth in the number of Japanese expatriates and restaurants here as well as the rising affluence of Singaporeans. -- ST PHOTO: LIM SIN THAI

BY JESSICA LIM CONSUMER CORRESPONDENT

The short-grained, sticky Japanese rice has become more popular here despite its higher cost, with consumption more than doubling since 2011.Last year, Singaporeans consumed 1,359 tonnes of rice from Japan, up from 602 tonnes in 2011, figures from state trade promotion arm International Enterprise Singapore show.Singapore is the second largest importer of Japanese rice in the world after Hong Kong, going by data from the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries Japan (MAFFJ).People here ate eight times as much Japanese rice as the amount exported to China and 26 times that to Malaysia.

Industry players point to increasing affluence, the booming number of Japanese restaurants and the growing number of Japanese expatriates in Singapore as reasons for the increase.Others said the recent surge in the prices of Thai rice, leading to falling demand here, led to more consumers switching sources.India, for instance, overtook Thailand as the biggest rice supplier to Singapore for the first time in 2013.

Thailand, famous for its premium grade of Jasmine rice, has been the top source of the staple here since at least 1998."When prices of Thai rice went up, some consumers switched to Japanese rice and did not switch back," said Mr Andrew Tan, 35, chairman of the Singapore General Rice Importers Association.At Meidi-ya supermarket, a 5kg bag of Royal Umbrella Thai rice costs $18.95; and a 2kg bag of Niigata Uonuma rice from Japan costs $21.However, he also pointed out the fast jump in figures should be taken with a pinch of salt given that they started from a low base.Singapore consumed a total of 325,860 tonnes of rice last year, with Japanese imports not even making up 1 per cent.Mr Akira Karasawa, MAFFJ's director-general of crop production, said the greater consumption of Japanese rice here could be because there are more Japanese expatriates and restaurants here, as well as the affluence of Singaporeans.

The Japanese ministry has launched the This Is Japan Quality logo, which will be tagged onto all Japanese rice products here. It has a QR code that links to a website with information about the merits of Japanese rice.Supermarkets are also seeing brisk sales.At Giant, demand for Japanese rice has grown each year since 2011, with its spokesman reporting "high single-digit percentage growth" year on year.FairPrice saw 50 per cent growth in demand last year from 2013 for its housebrand FairPrice Japonica Rice.Consumers like Ms Jane Wong, 36, started buying more Japanese rice last year to make Japanese meals for her four children to take to school because "it is healthier", she said.However, replacing the Vietnamese rice they eat for their daily meals with Japanese rice is not an option for now. "The price is still too high," she said.

limjess@sph.com.sg

http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/growing-appetite-japanese-rice-singapore-20150317#sthash.BklF9xjt.dpuf

USA Rice Talking Trade Again in Havana

  Marvin Lehrer meets with Yudith Viera Gallardo North American division, ministry foreign trade (l),

and Aniurka Ortiz Marquetti

HAVANA, CUBA -- USA Rice's Marvin Lehrer was here last week for meetings with the Cuban food buying agency, ALIMPORT, and the Ministry of Foreign Trade.  Lehrer also visited several hard currency supermarkets, ration card stores, and public markets to see how rice is currently being sold in Cuba."I was here to re-establish the long-standing close relationships with the government entities charged with rice imports that we've developed over the years, and to take the pulse of trade in general," Lehrer said.

 "There have been many personnel changes throughout the Cuban government, especially at ALIMPORT, and we wanted to exchange ideas with these new people, jump start a close relationship."Lehrer also wanted to check in with people here to learn what they really think about the changing dynamic between the United States and Cuba."We certainly achieved our goals and established a warm dialogue with new people," he said. 

"It will form an excellent foundation moving forward.""We thank USA Rice for their visit," said Aniurka Ortiz Marquetti, General Vice President of ALIMPORT and in charge of U.S. purchases.  "We are well aware of their long history in working to open trade both here in Havana and in the U.S., and we know we can count on their guidance, support, and under new conditions, sales in the future.  We have had a lot of turnover the past couple of years at ALIMPORT, and re-establishing contact face-to-face is very important.

""Cuban rice imports are not as large as a few years ago as they report that local production has increased as a result of technical assistance from Cuba's Asian trading partners, but milled rice imports are still quite significant," Lehrer explained.  "Cubans know about our quality, and logistic advantage, but our ability to break into the market once again will depend upon significant changes to the embargo.  We need genuine two-way trade and some type of credit needs to be extended to the Cuban government."Cuba currently receives credit from main rice supplier Vietnam, as well as credit terms from Spain, Brazil, and some others.

"My sense is that they want U.S. rice, but we cannot be competitive due to restrictive terms imposed by the embargo," said Lehrer.Lehrer also met with several foreign press contacts and the U.S. Interests Section in Havana in order to get a better feel for their views on progress towards normalization with the U.S., as well as a sense of any changes in Cuba which might affect future sales of U.S. rice.

Contact:  Michael Klein (703) 236-1458

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures  

CME Group (Prelim):  Closing Rough Rice Futures for March 16 Month Price Net Change March 2015 $10.525 - $0.055 May 2015 $10.775 - $0.055 July 2015 $10.895 - $0.050 September 2015 $11.065 - $0.040 November 2015 $11.210 - $0.040 January 2016 $11.210 - $0.040 March 2016 $11.210 - $0.040

System of Rice Intensification earns food security prize

By Lucy Fisher

Norman Uphoff, left, shows the respective heights and root systems of randomly selected rice plants from a regular field in his hand while a farmer from West Nuwagoan village in Tripura state in India holds a plant from an SRI field.The System of Rice Intensification(SRI), an agro-ecological method of growing rice that enhances crop yields and is resilient to the adverse effects of climate change, has been awarded the international Olam Prize for Innovation in Food Security. SRI is being recognized for its impact on the availability, affordability, accessibility and adequacy of food.

Norman Uphoff, professor emeritus of government and former director of the Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development (CIIFAD), who has been working with SRI for over 20 years, accepted the prize during the third Global Science Conference on Climate Smart Agriculture March 16 in Montpellier, France. The Olam Prize provides $50,000 to support further SRI research.“The main factors that explain the impacts of SRI management are the development of larger, more effective root systems and the promotion of greater abundance and diversity of beneficial soil organisms, which are factors outside the Green Revolution paradigm,” says Uphoff. He noted that SRI concepts and methodologies are being extended to crops such as wheat, millet and sugarcane under the broader System of Crop Intensification.

Uphoff first learned about SRI in Madagascar in 1993 while serving as director of CIIFAD. Farmers there were getting paddy rice yields of 2 tons per hectare from their very poor soils with conventional methods. Using SRI methods, farmers averaged 8 tons. In 1997, after three years of such results, Uphoff began working with researchers in Madagascar and other countries to develop scientific explanations for this unexpected productivity and to get the methods evaluated elsewhere and, if successful, adopted.

SRI methods have been shown to increase crop yields by 20 to 50 percent – often as much as 100 percent and more – with significant reductions in water requirements and seed. SRI began spreading globally after 2000, in large part due to Uphoff’s initiatives and efforts, as the Olam Prize recognizes. The effectiveness of SRI methods has now been demonstrated in more than 50 countries.

In 2010, a gift from Jim Carrey’s Better U Foundation supported establishment of the SRI International Network and Resources Center (SRI-Rice) at Cornell within CIIFAD. The program now operates within International Programs of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Uphoff serves as a senior adviser for the SRI team, which promotes knowledge and advances research on SRI and SCI as freely and widely as possible.

The SRI-Rice website gives extensive information on the origins, practices, impacts and research evaluations of SRI. SRI-Rice provides online access to global SRI knowledge resources, guidance for researchers, practitioners and farmers, and technical support to a World Bank-funded program to improve and scale up SRI in 13 West African countries.Global agribusiness Olam International partnered with the Agropolis Fondation to launch the Olam Prize for Innovation in Food Security in celebration of its 25th anniversary to address global food security through agricultural innovation and the development of sustainable supply chains.Lucy Fisher is the communications director for SRI-Rice.

http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2015/03/system-rice-intensification-earns-food-security-prize

How space and sensory technology can boost rice production 

EU-funded researchers are developing hi-tech methods for monitoring rice crops in order to increase yields and encourage sustainable farming.

New ways of monitoring rice crops could provide growers with better information – including early warnings of possible threats – and enable more accurate yield predictions. These are some of the key objectives of the EU-funded ERMES project, which is set to hold its first annual meeting from 26 to 27 March 2015.The event will be held in Valencia, Spain and will give ERMES partners from Italy, Greece, Spain and Switzerland the chance to discuss progress made in developing new hi-tech methods for monitoring crops.

The project aims to compile satellite and sensory data using advance smart applications and technologies.The data collected will be used to develop two new services to improve crop production in Europe. Both of these products will be distributed to local and regional users through two web-based services: a Local Rice Service (LRS) and a Regional Rice Service (RRS).The LRS will be targeted at farmers and the agricultural service sector. This will provide added value information for farmers on yield variability, risk alerts and crop damage at the farm scale. The service will help farmers plan where to spread pesticide, what rice varieties might grow best and what parts of the field might require fertilisation.

To aid the collection of this kind of information, customised smart applications for mobile phones and/or tablets are being developed. These apps will enable farmers and field operators to collect data and automatically upload it to the ERMES database. It will also allow them to send geotagged messages and pictures with information of particular field conditions.The RRS on the other hand will be a customised agro-monitoring resource for crop mapping, yield estimating and risk forecast. This information is meant to be used by regional authority experts to support, for example, the production of digital bulletins on rice crop risks and yield forecasts. The service will allow regional operators to receive, visualise and analyse information at the regional scale.

The three Mediterranean countries responsible for 85 % of Europe’s total rice production have been selected for trials: Italy (51.9 %), Spain (25.4 %) and Greece (7.0 %). Local farmers will provide vital field information, and act as sounding boards throughout the project (which runs from 2014 to 2017). The aims and objectives of the ERMES project were recently presented at the 18th European Weed Research Society (EWRS) scientific conference, held in Crete from 3 to 4 March 2015.

ERMES, coordinated by CNR-IREA (Institute on Electromagnetic Sensing of Environment) in Italy, involves partners from four European countries with strong expertise in different scientific domains such as remote sensing, crop modelling agronomy and IT. In the long run, the project hopes to make a lasting contribution towards sustainable and competitive agriculture in Europe, through reducing production costs, achieving efficiencies and minimising the sector’s environmental impact.For further information please visit:

ERMES
http://www.ermes-fp7space.eu/

http://cordis.europa.eu/news/rcn/122548_en.html?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+March+16%2C+2015&utm_campaign=Friday%2C+December+13%2C+2013&utm_medium=email

Root and branch

The prime minister is overhauling the powerful farm co-operatives, with some success

Mar 13th 2015 |

 TOKYO | AsiaONE reason to take seriously recent moves by Japan’s government to reform the country’s vast, quasi-statist system of agricultural co-operatives is a personal story. The politician pushing hardest for reform—alongside Shinzo Abe, the prime minister—is Yoshihide Suga, the chief cabinet secretary and Mr Abe’s consigliere. Mr Suga’s late father was a struggling farmer from Akita prefecture, among the poorest, who in middle age gave up trying to make a living from growing rice. He switched to strawberries, starting a growers’ union outside the dominant co-operative system, Japan Agriculture (JA).

Mr Suga has described how he watched his father free himself from JA’s tentacles. He is not alone in his dislike: JA is popular with few outside its 240,000 employees, and many farmers criticise it. It was set up in 1947, when land reform under the American occupation meant that many peasants suddenly became landowners. But even as the farming sector declined, JA mushroomed into a vast bureaucracy. More than half of the 10m members who use its many services, ranging from banking and insurance to funerals and wedding halls, are not even farmers. Yet JA-Zenchu, the lobbying group that sits at the heart of JA, wields disproportionate clout in setting Japan’s agricultural policy.

Mr Abe is now mounting a serious challenge to its influence. Last month his government announced that JA-Zenchu would lose its privileged, semi-public status. It will also forgo its right to audit and guide Japan’s 700 local farm co-operatives, which will be prodded towards greater independence. A local JA co-operative in Echizen, in Fukui prefecture, has already broken business ties with its parent organisation. The government sees it as a model for the rest.The government also says it would like to overhaul JA’s monopolistic marketing division, JA Zen-Noh—which charges farmers above-market prices for fertiliser and other products—into an ordinary public company. The organisation is currently exempt from an anti-monopoly act. But the government appears to have backed down from removing the exemption.

The current plan merely urges local co-operatives not to force farmers to buy from JA.JA-Zenchu’s chairman, Akira Banzai, plays down the impact of the government’s assault on it. And indeed the government’s reforms stop short of reining in the group’s financial services or fully freeing regional co-operatives from its grip. Initial and more radical proposals, via a reform committee, had included abolishing JA-Zenchu outright. In the end, concessions were made to JA’s many friends in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).Even so, Mr Abe deserves credit.

JA-Zenchu was once thought untouchable because of its ties to the LDP. A precipitous decline in productive farming (the average age of a Japanese farmer is 66) has underlined the chronic failure of its policies, which have kept most Japanese farms tiny and inefficient. Behind the scenes, the government’s reformers won over local agricultural co-operatives, as well as Diet members who might otherwise have sought to block any change. JA-Zenchu found itself rather isolated.Takeshi Niinami, an expert on agricultural reform who sits on a key economic-policy council, argues that Mr Abe’s methods compare favourably to those of Junichiro Koizumi, Japan’s prime minister from 2001 to 2006. Mr Koizumi pushed through the bold reform of privatising the postal system, a vast collector of household savings. Yet postal reform was largely undone after Mr Koizumi left office.

 By seeking broader support, including from the local co-ops, Mr Niinami says, Mr Abe can expect his changes not to suffer the same fate.Another key test of resolve may come soon with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a 12-country free-trade agreement. Negotiations are coming to a head. In Japan, JA-Zenchu has stubbornly opposed lowering Japan’s high tariffs on rice, beef and other foods. It has whipped up other industries in Japan, including the medical business, to oppose the agreement. Weakening the organisation is one way for Mr Abe to speed up TPP negotiations. If a deal is struck, deeper agricultural reform must follow if Japanese farmers are to compete. The most significant would be allowing companies to own farmland, a move currently blocked by JA as well as by farmers. A diminished JA-Zenchu would help.

http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21646328-prime-minister-overhauling-powerful-farm-co-operatives-some-success-root-and-branch?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+March+16%2C+2015&utm_campaign=Friday%2C+December+13%2C+2013&utm_medium=email

Officials probed over rice

Two investigative panels to be set up

16 Mar 2015 at 07:12

NEWSPAPER SECTION: BUSINESS | WRITER: WICHIT CHANTANUSORNSIRI

A file photo shows a National Legislative Assembly member in January voting to impeach former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, charging her with dereliction of duty in running the rice-pledging scheme. The Supreme Court is set to decide on Thursday on whether to accept the case for trial. CHANAT KATANYU

Almost 30 state officials, politicians and individuals from the private sector will be investigated for alleged involvement in the Yingluck Shinawatra administration's rice-pledging scheme, says a Finance Ministry source.Compensation may be sought against them if they are found guilty of deliberate or serious reckless acts as stipulated in the Act on Liability for Wrongful Acts of Officials, and their acts aimed at illegally taking advantage for their own and others' benefits as stated in the Criminal Code's Section 1.If the examining panel finds no grounds of corruption, the state officials need not take responsibility for financial damages, the source said.The case will mark the first time that state officers could face damage claims from carrying out government policy, the source said.This would cause a climate of fear among state officials in executing the policies of future governments, the source said.

The Yingluck government's rice-pledging scheme, which set the price pledged to farmers at 40-50% higher than the market price, caused an estimated 536 billion baht in losses, while the administration stockpiled 17.5 million tonnes of pledged rice. The Office of the Attorney-General last month indicted Ms Yingluck for alleged dereliction of duty related to the losses incurred and corruption in the scheme.Two investigation panels will be established. One is attached to the Finance Ministry, which will carry out the probe related to Ms Yingluck, and the other panel, overseen by the Commerce Ministry, will investigate the case linked to former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom.The two panels will base their probes on the allegations filed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission.

The two committees could be set up within 10 days and the investigation would be wrapped up by Sept 1.The findings will be sent to another committee, which will decide on compensation.However, another source said that state officials had to act cautiously in proceeding with the rice-pledging policy as the project had been warned twice by the anti-graft commission, and frequently by academics.If any of the state officials have evidence that they were opposed to the project after learning that it had problems, they can submit it for deliberation. Legal action against the state officials will be taken in three ways — criminal charges if corruption or neglect of duties have been found, sacking as a disciplinary punishment, and demand for compensation.Get full Bangkok Post printed newspaper experience on your digital devices with Bangkok Post e-newspaper. Try it out, it's totally free for 7 days.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/497608/officials-probed-over-rice

Download/View On-Line the above News in pdf format,just click the following link

16thMarch (Monday) , 2015 Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine