FAO Estimates Bolivia 2015-16 Rice Imports to Decline on Record Production
Feb 17, 2016
The UN's Food and
Agricultural Organization (FAO) estimates Bolivia's rice and other cereal
imports to decline from high levels of the previous two years due to record
production in 2015. It estimates 2015 total cereal imports, including rice to
decline about 19% to around 476,000 tons from last year's 588,000 tons.
Bolivia's 2015 paddy
rice production increased by about 25% to around 472,000 tons from around 378,000
tons in 2014, according to the FAO. It estimates 2015 total cereal production
at around 2.63 million tons, up about 6% from last year's 2.47 million tons.
Bolivia’s 2015-16 rice crop
(October - March) is likely to have reached harvesting stage currently
Scientists Aim to Develop Hyper-efficient Drought-Resistant Rice Variety
Feb 17, 2016
A group of scientists
from twelve universities in eight countries are working to develop a new
hyper-efficient, drought-resistant rice variety known as C4, according to
Newsweek.
The scientists say
normally rice plants exhibit C3 photosynthesis process, in which they take
carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and break it down and use the carbon
molecules to form 3-phosphoglyceric acid (3-PGA). However, another molecule
called ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO), which is
supposed to facilitate the CO2 reaction, reacts with oxygen in the air and
creates a toxic compound that reduces the plant's efficiency to make food. They
say at hotter temperatures, RuBisCO interacts more with oxygen further reducing
the plant's efficiency.
To address this
problem, scientists say corn plants exhibit a C4 process in which "RuBisCO
transforms CO2 into energy away from the leaf surface in specialized cells,
called bundle sheath cells. This prevents RuBisCO from reacting with oxygen in
the air and forces it to react only with CO2, allowing the photosynthetic
process to operate at maximum efficiency." As stomata on the leaves remain
closed during the photosynthesis process, plants don't lose much water through
transpiration making them more drought-resistant.
Scientists are now
working to replicate the C4 process in a rice plant so that it will have
greater drought-resistance. “C4 plants have a better tolerance for periods of
low water supply. With increased fluctuations in climate, we are going to need
a crop that is more resistant. C4 could be the answer,” says a Professor of
molecular physiology at Cambridge University.
Oryza CBOT Rough Rice Futures Recap - Chicago Rough Rice Futures Continue
Higher as U.S. Grains Continue to be Supported by Rally in Crude
Feb 18, 2016
Chicago rough rice
futures for Mar delivery settled 20 cents per cwt (about $4 per ton) higher at
$11.040 per cwt (about $243 per ton). The other grains finished the day higher;
Soybeans closed about 0.3% higher at $8.8525 per bushel; wheat finished about
1.2% higher at $4.7450 per bushel, and corn finished the day about 1% higher at
$3.7150 per bushel.
U.S. stocks traded
higher Wednesday, trying for a three-day win streak, helped by a rise in oil
prices and some encouraging economic data ahead of the afternoon release of the
Fed meeting minutes. The S&P 500 topped the psychologically key 1,900 level
in intraday trade for the first time since Feb. 5 and came within 10% of its
52-week intraday high, out of correction territory on an intraday basis. Energy
led advancers. U.S. crude oil futures surged more than 5.3% to near $30.60 a
barrel after comments from the Iran oil minister raised hopes for the
possibility of cooperation on an agreement to freeze production. Iran Oil
Minister Bijan Zanganeh said he supports any effort to stabilize the market and
prices, according to a Reuters report citing the Iranian oil ministry's
official Shana news agency. The Iran oil minister also said in the report the
Tehran oil producers meeting was good. Zanganeh did not explicitly say in his
remarks quoted by Shana that Iran would keep its own output at its January
level. In economic news, industrial production for January rose 0.9%, while
capacity utilization was 77.1%.U.S. producer prices unexpectedly rose last
month, rising 0.1% after falling 0.2% in December. Excluding food and energy,
PPI rose 0.4%. Housing starts fell 3.8% in January, while building permits fell
0.2%.In afternoon trade, the Dow Jones industrial average gained 235 points, or
1.46%, to 16,431. The S&P 500 traded up 29 points, or 1.54%, to 1,924, with
energy leading nine sectors higher and utilities the only decliner. The Nasdaq
composite gained 90 points, or 2%, to 4,526. Gold is seen trading about 0.1%
higher, crude oil is seen trading about 5.4% higher, and the U.S. dollar is
seen trading about 0.1% lower at about 1:00pm Chicago time.
Tuesday, there were 2,658
contracts traded, up from 1,614 contracts traded on Friday. Open interest – the
number of contracts outstanding – on Tuesday decreased by 92 contracts to
13,151.
India's Basmati Rice Gets GI Certificate
Feb 17, 2016
India-based Geographical
Indications (GI) registry granted the GI certification to India's basmati rice
providing it a legal protection from other countries and companies from using
the 'basmati' tag, according to the Financial Express.
The development came
after the Chennai-based Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) ordered
the GI registry to grant GI certificate to Indian basmati rice, which commands
a premium in the international market. The Agricultural and Processed Food
Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), which had applied for a legal
protection for India's basmati rice grown in the Indio-Gangetic plains in 2009,
has been recognized as the sole custodian of Indian basmati rice.
The IPAB has
considered the basmati rice grown in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal
Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Western UP and the two districts of Jammu and
Kathua for the GI tag. It had sent back the petition for inclusion of India's
Central state Madhya Pradesh to the Chennai-Registry.
A GI tag
distinguishes a product with its geographic origin and, under a multilateral
framework, prevents traders from attributing its name and traits for products
from other geographies. According to official data, more than 237 Indian
products have got GI certification for preserving their uniqueness
FAO Estimates Tanzania MY 2015-16 Rice Imports at 100,000 Tons
Feb 17, 2016
The UN's Food and
Agricultural Organization (FAO) estimates Tanzania's MY 2015-16 (July-June)
rice imports at around 100,000 tons.
It estimates
Tanzania's 2015 paddy rice production to decline about 7% to around 2.4 million
tons from around 2.586 million tons in 2014. In Tanzania, rice is a
Msimu/unimodal crop and is grown between November – June every year.
Planting for 2016 rice
crop has been delayed due to early dryness in December 2015. However,
precipitation was adequate and well-distributed in January 2016, according to
the FAO. The UN agency says amount of rainfall and distribution in the coming
weeks is crucial for crop development and performance.
USDA estimates
Tanzania to produce around 1.716 million tons of rice, basis milled (around 2.6
million tons, basis paddy), and import around 150,000 tons in MY 2015-16 (June
2015 - May 2016). Tanzania is expected to export around 40,000 tons in MY
2015-16.
Survey Finds Very Few Rice Farmers in India Have Crop Insurance
Feb 17, 2016
A report, based on the
70th round of the National Sample Survey carried out between January and
December 2013, found that only 5% of rice farmers in the country insured their
crops and majority of them were not aware of the insurance concept, according
to Business Standard.
The report noted that
nearly 20% of rice farmers were not interested in insuring their crops despite
knowing about the facility. The report also noted that most of the famers who
insured their crops and experienced crop losses have not received their claims.
The survey found that
insurance coverage rates were higher among farmers cultivating other crops such
as groundnut, soybean and cotton during the crop year 2012-13 (July - June).
The data is very
discouraging as the government is keen on providing crop insurance schemes to
farmers. The government is aiming to cover about 50% of the farmers in the next
two years.
However, the report suggested
that proper awareness, enhanced geographical coverage and simplification of
procedures may encourage farmers to use the insurance facility.
Asia Rice Quotes Mixed Today
Feb 17, 2016
Thailand rice sellers
lowered their quotes for Hommali rice by about $5 per ton to around $680-$690
per ton today. Vietnam rice sellers increased their quotes for 25% broken rice
and Jasmine rice by about $5 per ton each to around $335-$345 per ton and
$430-$440 per ton respectively. Pakistan rice sellers lowered their quotes for
5% broken rice by about $5 per ton to around $340-$350 per ton and increased
their quotes for 100% broken rice by about $5 per ton to around $290-$300per
ton. Other Asia rice sellers kept their quotes unchanged today.
5% Broken Rice
Thailand 5% rice is
indicated at around $360 - $370 per ton, about $15 per ton premium on Vietnam
5% rice shown at around $345 - $355 per ton. India 5% rice is indicated at
around $360 - $370 per ton, about $20 per ton premium on Pakistan 5% rice shown
at around $340 - $350 per ton.
25% Broken
Rice
Thailand 25% rice is
indicated at around $345 - $355per ton, about $10 per ton premium on Vietnam
25% rice shown at around $335- $345 per ton. India 25% rice is indicated at
around $325 - $335 per ton, about $15 per ton premium on Pakistan 25% rice
shown at around $310 - $320 per ton.
Parboiled
Rice
Thailand parboiled
rice is indicated at around $370 - $380 per ton. India parboiled rice is
indicated at around $350 - $360 per ton, about $55 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 $325 - $335 per ton, about $5 per ton premium on Vietnam
100% broken rice shown at around $320 - $330 per ton. India's 100% broken rice
is shown at around $260 - $270 per ton, about $30 per ton discount to Pakistan
broken sortexed rice shown at around $290 - $300 per ton
Wholesale Basmati Rice Prices in India Rise on Increased Buying for
Stockpiling
Feb 17, 2016
Wholesale basmati rice
prices in the national capital have increased today owing to an increase in
buying for stockpiling, according to the Press Trust of India (PTI).
On February 17, 2016,
prices of Pusa 1121 increased to around Rs.3,900 - 4,800 per quintal (around
$572 - $703 per ton) from previous levels of around Rs.3,800 - 4,700 per
quintal (around $559 - $691 per ton).
Prices of common
basmati remained stable at previous levels of around Rs.5,100 - 5,200 per
quintal (around $747 - $762 per ton).
"Some buying by
stockists against restricted supplies from producing regions mainly attributed
to the rise in rice basmati prices," traders were quoted as saying.
Thailand Sells 245,262 Tons of Stockpiled Rice in Second Auction of This
Year
Feb 17, 2016
The government of
Thailand has sold around 245,262 tons of stockpiled rice worth 1.53 billion
baht (around $43 million) in the second auction of this year, Reuters quoted
sources from the Commerce Ministry.
The Ministry auctioned
about 360,000 tons of "Grade C" rice for industrial use from 64
warehouses in today's auction. Bids of nine private companies were reportedly
successful in today's auction.
While the Ministry
aimed to sell about 570,000 tons of rice in two lots (about 210,000 tons for
human consumption and around 360,000 for industrial use), it sold about 397,639
tons, or about 70% of the target volume, raising about 3.32 billion baht
(around $93.28 million).
The Ministry noted
that the sale would be approved by Thailand's rice management committee but did
not provide a time frame.
Earlier this month,
the Commerce Ministry Permanent Secretary noted that the market prices of rice
won't be affected due to the current auctions as paddy from the 2015-16 crop
has already reached the market.
The government
currently holds about 13 million tons of rice in its stockpiles and it is
reportedly planning to clear the stocks by the end of 2017. The Thai military
government reportedly sold about 5 million tons of stockpiled rice worth $1.5
billion since it seized power in May 2014.
Thailand Accused of Diverting Water from Mekong River to its North-Eastern
States
Feb 17, 2016
Thailand, which is
part of the Mekong River Commission (MRC), is accused of diverting water from
the Mekong River to its North-Eastern states that are suffering from drought
conditions without proper notice to the MRC, according to Vietnamese media
reports.
The other members of
the MRC, including Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, have been complaining that
Thailand diverted water into its territories without consulting the MRC. They
say under the rules of Mekong water utilization, any activity of diverting the
mainstream must be consulted or allowed by other MRC countries.
Earlier, Bangkok Post
quoted the spokesman of Thai Royal Irrigation Department (RID) as saying that
the agency had used three pump stations with capacity of 12,000 litres per
second each to bring water from the Mekong river into the Nong Khai province to
ease the drought there.
However, sources at
the MRC noted that they have not received any notice about water utilization by
Thailand. Experts warned if a large volume of water is diverted from Mekong
mainstream, it would impact water security in the dry season in Cambodia and
Vietnam. They noted that particularly Vietnam would be impacted as the
Vietnamese rely heavily on the water from Mekong on irrigation and daily use in
dry season as well as to prevent saltwater intrusion.
USDA Developing "Rice Studio" Software to Measure Percentage of
Brokens in Milled Rice
Feb 17, 2016
The USDA's Grain
Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) is developing a new
software called "Rice Studio," which can be used along with consumer-grade
photo scanners, to grade rice by measuring the percentage of broken kernels in
milled rice quickly and accurately, according to a news release on the USDA
website.
The USDA's "Rice
Studio" will be designed with a wide variety of computers and flatbed
photo scanners. It will quickly analyze image of milled rice from a flat-bed
scanner. It first identifies whole kernels, and then precisely compares
fractured kernels with the most similar whole kernels to determine whether each
fractured kernel is whole or broken. The program then computes the percentage
of broken kernels by weight. The entire process requires less than five
minutes.
The USDA-GIPSA is planning to
release the software to all interested users as soon as it is developed and
tested fully
Australian Rice Growers Seek Access to China Rice Market
Feb 17, 2016
The Ricegrowers
Association of Australia (RGA) is urging the government to speed up the process
of signing biosecurity protocols agreement with China so as to be able to
export rice to the world's largest rice importer, according to local sources.
The Executive Director
of the RGA noted that lack of biosecurity protocols with China has been
preventing Australia to gain access to the Chinese rice market.
He noted that China is
yet to respond to Australia's submission on the protocols. “Theoretically the
holdup is with getting paperwork organised, but the decision is political,” he
said.
Biosecurity protocols
are agreements between two countries that outline the phytosanitary
requirements of the goods being exported and includes a list of banned pest,
weed and chemicals.
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