Wednesday, March 09, 2016

9th March 2016 Daily Exclusive Oryza Rice e-Newsletter by riceplus Magazine

India Rice Sellers Lower Some of Their Quotes Today; Other Asia Rice Quotes Unchanged

India rice sellers lowered their quotes for 5% broken rice and 100% broken rice by about $5 per ton each to around $365-$375 per ton and $260-$270 per ton respectively today. Other Asia rice sellers kept their quotes unchanged today.                      
5% Broken Rice
Thailand 5% rice is indicated at around $360 - $370 per ton, about $10 per ton discount to Vietnam 5% rice shown at around $370 - $380 per ton. India 5% rice is indicated at around $365 - $375 per ton, about $30 per ton premium on Pakistan 5% rice shown at around $335 - $345 per ton.
25% Broken Rice
Thailand 25% rice is indicated at around $350 - $360 per ton, on par with Vietnam 25% rice shown at around $350- $360 per ton. India 25% rice is indicated at around $330 - $340 per ton, about $25 per ton premium on Pakistan 25% rice shown at around $305 - $315 per ton.
Parboiled Rice           
Thailand parboiled rice is indicated at around $365 - $375 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 $325 - $335 per ton, about $10 per ton discount to Vietnam 100% broken rice shown at around $335 - $345 per ton. India's 100% broken rice is shown at around $260 - $270 per ton, about $25 per ton discount to Pakistan broken sortexed rice shown at around $285 - $295 per ton.

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Drought and Salt Water Intrusion Damage More than 200,000 Tons of Rice in Vietnam, Says MARD


Mar 08, 2016
Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) reports that the on-going drought and salt water intrusion have damaged more than 200,000 tons of rice worth one trillion VND (around $44.64 million), according to Radio Free Asia.
The MARD noted that salt water intrusion appeared two months earlier than previous years due to lower water levels in rivers. If the drought persists until June this year, the Ministry expects about 500,000 hectares of rice crops to be at risk.
An expert from the Can Tho University told reporters that drought and more upstream agricultural development in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam are pushing up the saline levels in rivers. Salinity in the Vam Co, Tien and Hau Rivers and other rivers in Mekong Delta is reportedly higher than traditional levels.
Last month, the Deputy Prime Minister announced 2.3 billion VND (around $103,132) aid for farmers in the Mekong Delta region.
Meanwhile, exporters are worried that a likely lower production due to drought an salinity may impact exports as well. They say lack of water for irrigation has reduced the quality of Vietnamese rice and its competitiveness against rice from other countries in the region.
So far this year, Vietnamese rice exporters have signed contracts to export more than 1 million tons. Vietnam exported 856,219 tons of rice in first two months of 2016, up about 103% from 421,202 tons of rice exported during same period in last year, according to data from the Vietnam Food Association (VFA). 
In order to boost exports to high-end markets, experts are stressing on the need to invest in improving rice varieties, developing more large-scale fields, building trademarks, and expanding trade promotion programs.
 Global Rice Quotes
March 9th, 2016
Long grain white rice - high quality
Thailand 100% B grade           370-380           ↔
Vietnam 5% broken     365-375           ↓
India 5% broken          365-375           ↔
Pakistan 5% broken     335-345           ↔
Myanmar 5% broken   420-430           ↔
Cambodia 5% broken 410-420           ↔
U.S. 4% broken           455-465           ↔
Uruguay 5% broken    445-455           ↔
Argentina 5% broken   435-445           ↔
Long grain white rice - low quality
Thailand 25% broken 350-360           ↔
Vietnam 25% broken   355-365           ↑
Pakistan 25% broken   305-315           ↔
Cambodia 25% broken            395-405           ↔
India 25% broken        330-340           ↔
U.S. 15% broken (sacked)       440-450           ↔
Long grain parboiled rice
Thailand parboiled 100% stxd             365-375           ↔
Pakistan parboiled 5% broken stxd      NQ       ↔
India parboiled 5% broken stxd           355-365           ↔
U.S. parboiled 4% broken       480-490           ↔
Brazil parboiled 5% broken     520-530           ↔
Uruguay parboiled 5% broken             NQ       ↔
Long grain fragrant rice
Thailand Hommali 92%           660-670           ↔
Vietnam Jasmine         450-460           ↑
India basmati 2% broken         NQ       ↔
Pakistan basmati 2% broken    NQ       ↔
Cambodia Phka Mails 755-765           ↔
Brokens
Thailand A1 Super       325-335           ↔
Vietnam 100% broken             340-350           ↑
Pakistan 100% broken stxd     285-295           ↔
Cambodia A1 Super    335-345           ↔
India 100% broken stxd          260-270           ↔
Egypt medium grain brokens   NQ       ↔
U.S. pet food   280-290           ↔
Brazil half grain           NQ       ↔
All prices USD per ton, FOB vessel, oryza.com

Syria Issues Tender to Buy 8,113 Tons of White Long-Grain Rice

Mar 08, 2016
Syria's General Foreign Trade Organization (GFTO) has issued a tender to purchase 8,113 tons of white long-grain rice of third class, according to a notice dated March 7, 2016, on its website.
Rice is for delivery in three tranches between June 15, 2016 to December 15, 2016. The schedule of delivery is as below:
Offers should be submitted to GFTO Secretariat by 3 p.m. Damascus time, March 22, 2016, according to the notice. Tender closes on March 23, 2016 and the offers will be valid for 60 days from closing date.
This is the third tender issued by the GFTO this year. The first two tenders were also for 8,113 tons of white long-grain rice each.

Oryza February 2016 Rice Market Review
Mar 09, 2016

The Oryza White Rice Index (WRI), a weighted average of global white rice export quotes, ended the month of February at $382 per ton, down about $4 per ton from a month ago and down about $37 per ton from a year ago.
Thailand
Thailand 5% broken rice quotes ended the month of February at about $360 per ton, down about $10 per ton from a month ago and down about $45 per ton from a year ago.
The government of Thailand has sold about 397,639 tons of stockpiled rice in the two auctions this year. 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 has reportedly sold about 5 million tons of stockpiled rice worth $1.5 billion since it seized power in May 2014. Separately, the Thai Commerce Ministry is considering opening the auctions of stockpiled rice to foreign bidders as part of its efforts to sell at least 5 million tons of rice from the stockpiles this year.
Meanwhile, the government set Thailand’s 2016 rice export target at about 9.5 million tons, down about 5% from about 10 million tons exported in 2015, due to the impact of extended drought conditions on this year's production. The USDA Post reports that Thailand's 2015 rice exports declined about 11% to about 9.8 million tons from about 11 million tons in 2014 mainly due to a sharp decline in parboiled rice exports. The Post forecasts Thailand's 2016 rice exports to further decline to about 8 million tons.
The USDA Post forecasts Thailand's MY 2015-16 (January - December 2016) paddy rice production at about 24 million tons, down from last year's 29.4 million tons and down from USDA's official estimates of about 29.4 million tons due to a sharp reduction in off-season rice acreage and production. Separately, Thailand's 2015-16 secondary rice crop (January - June) acreage declined by about half to about 800,000 hectares due to extending drought conditions, Bloomberg quotes Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives. Water levels in the country's dams stood at about 3.2 billion cubic meters as of February 15, 2016 compared to about 6.8 cubic meters on November 1, 2015. Authorities have been discouraging rice farmers  planting  the secondary rice crop due to insufficient water supplies.  The Prime Minister of Thailand said that the government is planning a new water resource management system based on the current water demand and supply conditions, as well as crop planning.
Vietnam
Vietnam 5% broken rice quotes ended the month of February at about $360 per ton, up about $5 per ton from a month ago and down about $10 per ton from a year ago.
Vietnam exported 856,219 tons of rice in first two months of 2016, about double the  421,202 tons of rice exported during same period in last year, according to data from the Vietnam Food Association (VFA).  Separately, Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) has urged the trade counsellors and domestic rice exporting companies to reduce their dependence on China and expand into other markets including Europe, Japan, South Korea and the U.S.
Meanwhile, the Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has been formally released in January 2016. The whole text will be in force after a legal verification as well as ratification by the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament. According to the Agreement text, the EU will completely remove duties on about 80,000 tons of rice imports annually from Vietnam, including 20,000 tons of husked rice imports, 30,000 tons of milled rice and 30,000 tons of aromatic rice imports. However, for other rice products, it will gradually remove tariffs over the next five years.
Experts have warned that increasing salt water intrusion in Vietnam is likely to impact the nation's rice production and exports significantly
Cambodia, Myanmar, & Laos
Cambodia 5% broken rice quotes ended the month of February at about $415 per ton, down about $15 per ton from a month ago, and down about $20 per ton from a year ago. Cambodia exported about 95,945 tons of milled rice in the first two months of 2016, up about 30% from about 73,597 tons exported during the same period last year, according to data from the Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export Formality (SOWS-REF). Month-over-month, Cambodia's rice exports in February 2016 increased about 18% from about 44,033 tons in January 2016. Year-over-year Cambodia's rice exports in February 2016 increased about 38% from about 37,676 tons in February 2015. Meanwhile, Cambodian rice exporters have expressed concern that Cambodia lacks a comprehensive rice export policy, which they say could aid in boosting production and exports. They noted that despite winning the world's best rice competition for three consecutive years, the Cambodian rice industry continues to face challenges such as access to finance, as well as inadequate irrigation, milling and storage facilities. Cambodian rice exporters have also expressed concern that Cambodian rice exports to the EU under the Everything But Arms (EBA) Agreement would be impacted following the finalizing of the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (FTA), under which the EU has agreed to scrap duties on about 80,000 tons of Vietnamese rice annually. The EU reportedly accounts for about 40% of Cambodia's total rice exports.
Myanmar 5% broken rice quotes ended the month of February at about $425 per ton, up about $5 per ton a month ago and up about $10 per ton from a year ago. Myanmar's Ministry of Commerce is estimating the country's rice exports will fall sharply in FY 2015-16 (April - March) based on the current pace of exports. The Ministry data shows that Myanmar has so far in this fiscal year exported about 1.037 million tons, down about 17% from about 1.255 million tons exported during the same period last year. Myanmar exported 1.84 million tons of rice in FY 2014-15, with China accounting for about 70% of the country's exports. Meanwhile, officials from the Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF) urged the government to consider securing reserve rice stocks this year amid concerns of El Nino strengthening by the middle of this year.  The MRF officials reportedly suggested that the government purchase about 200,000 tons of rice for reserves.
The government of Laos is aiming to export one million tons of rice this year, local sources quoted the Director of the Department of Planning and Cooperation under the Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. In order to achieve the goal, the government targets a production of about 4.2 million tons of paddy in the 2015-16 season, according to the official.
India
India 5% broken rice quotes ended the month of February at about $365 per ton, up about $5 per ton from a month ago, and down about $30 per ton from a year ago.
The government of India forecasts India's 2015-16 (July - June) milled rice output to decline about 2% to about 103.61 million tons from about 105.48 million tons in 2014-15. Meanwhile, the USDA estimates India's MY 2015-16 rice production at about 100 million tons, down from last year's 104.8 million tons and unchanged from USDA's official estimates. The FAO forecasts India's 2015 paddy rice output to decline about 2% to about 155.407 million tons from about 158.210 million tons in 2014 due to an expected decline in secondary rabi rice crop (November - May).
The USDA forecasts India's exports in MY 2015-16 (October - September) at about 8 million tons, down about 33% from last year's 11.871 million tons and down from USDA's official estimates of about 8.5 million tons. Meanwhile, the government of India is hoping to secure a one million ton rice export deal with Indonesia, as the South East Asian nation is likely to witness a fall in its rice production this year due to the extending dry conditions. Separately, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has made it mandatory for all Indian rice mills/processing units exporting basmati rice to the U.S. to register with India's plant quarantine organization, National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO), to ensure quality rice exports to the U.S.
Paddy procurement by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and other government agencies in the 2015-16 kharif marketing season (KMS) has reportedly reached about 28.412 million tons as on March 02, 2016, up about 21% from about 23.42 million tons last year. The government is targeting to procure about 30 million tons in KMS 2015-16.
An agricultural scientist has advised all the state governments in India to promote and popularize black rice cultivation, as it is full of therapeutic properties, according to The Hindu BusinessLine. He says, black rice has anti-carcinogenic properties and is known to arrest the growth of cancer cells. It also has anti-inflammatory properties. Its anti-angiogenesic effects inhibit the formation of new blood vessels, which encourage tumour growth. Presence of anthocyanins in black rice specifically arrest growth of breast cancer cells, say researchers.
Pakistan
Pakistan 5% broken rice quotes ended the month of February at about $340 per ton, down about $5 per ton from a month and a year ago.
Pakistan exported about 2.445 million tons of rice (including 223,634 tons of basmati and 2.22 million tons of non-basmati) in the first seven months of FY 2015-16 (July 2015 - January 2016), up about 11% from about 2.196 million tons (290,013 tons of basmati and 1.91 million tons of non-basmati) exported during the same period in FY 2014-15, according to provisional data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). Meanwhile, the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) has urged the government to provide zero sales tax status to them as they are facing severe liquidity crunch due to pending tax refund claims.
Separately, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has resumed banking ties with Iran allowing all commercial banks and financial institutions in the country to restart business with their Iranian counterparts.
The Variety Evaluation Committee (VEC) under the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) has selected 14 new rice hybrids for commercial cultivation in the country. The new varieties are said to have yielded about 106 maunds per acre (about 10.6 tons per hectare). It has advised the National Seed Council to push for their commercial cultivation.
Bangladesh's Agriculture Ministry may import seeds of hybrid rice varieties from India, the Daily Star quoted the Director General of the Ministry’s Seed Wing. The Ministry is reportedly considering some popular rice varieties grown in India, and imported by Bangladeshi farmers through border trade. Separately, an agro processing, seed and crop solution company in Bangladesh has collaborated with the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to enhance varietal rice breeding in the country.
The government of Sri Lanka, which has about 200,000 tons of surplus paddy rice, is planning to export it to the Southern African nations, according to the Sunday Times Sri Lanka. The government is also planning to clear the excess rice stocks by distributing it among the recipients of its social welfare scheme 'Samurdhi.' The government of Sri Lanka is reportedly expecting paddy rice output from the 2015-16 Maha crop (September - March) at about 2.93 million tons, up about 7% from about 2.74 million tons last year.
The FAO estimates Bhutan's MY 2015-16 (July - June) rice imports at about 70,000 tons. The agency estimates Bhutan's 2015 paddy rice production to increase about 1% to about 78,000 tons from about 77,000 tons in 2014.
Philippines
The government of the Philippines may not import rice for the lean season (July-September) this year due to adequate stocks, the Manila Times reports. The country's Food Security Committee (FSC) has reportedly deferred the plan to import about 400,000 tons of rice for the lean season as the current rice inventories and the output from the dry season are sufficient to cover the country's demand. Normally, the government imports rice during lean months to ensure adequate stocks and to curb price hikes.
Separately,  a Senior Research Fellow at the state-run Philippine Institute of Development Studies (PIDS) has advised the government to consider imposing a 35% tariff on rice imports after the WTO-imposed quantitative restrictions (QRs) on rice imports expire in July 2017, according to local sources.
The researcher noted that the expiration of QRs would intensify competition among rice importers and foreign suppliers leading to a fall in domestic prices and affecting the incomes of local farmers and traders. The World Bank Lead Economist advised the government of the Philippines to remove quantitative restrictions on rice imports and open the rice import market to avoid unnecessary price increases and enhance the efficiency of the rice sector.
The Philippines Department of Agriculture (DA) is also targeting to cut the production cost of paddy rice by about 22% to about P 8.50 per kilogram (about $178 per ton) from about P 11 per kilogram (about $231) as part of its efforts to help farmers become more competitive. Meanwhile, extending dry conditions due to the El Niño phenomenon have damaged about 94,934 tons of rice worth P1.62 billion (about $24 million) as of February 18, 2016 in the Philippines, Business Mirror quoted a report by the Department of Agriculture (DA).
China
China imported about 287,200 tons of rice in January 2016, about 2.3 times from about 122,400 tons imported during the same period last year, according to data from China Customs General Administration. Meanwhile, in January 2016, China exported about 22,200 tons of rice, down about 20% from about 27,900 tons exported in December 2015 and up about 15% from about 19,300 tons exported in January 2015.
Meanwhile, China is currently facing rice storage problems due to the government's procurement policy at high prices, according to experts, reports Caixin Online. Though the policy is very attractive to farmers, they are now the victims as the state grain buying agency Sinograin is not in a position to buy rice as all its warehouses are filled up. While Sinograin's warehouses can hold up to 500,000 tons of rice annually, it had to buy nearly 1.7 million tons of rice in 2013, 1.2 million tons in 2014 and 1.5 million tons in 2015.
Separately, the government of China is planning to clear old rice and corn stocks and has asked local grains administrations to recommend potential buyers of the stocks. Separately, China is left with very few options to deal with its massive grain stockpiles, but all outcomes are bad for global grain markets, a senior USDA official said.
The FAO forecasts china's MY 2015-16 (June - May) rice imports to decline about 6% y/y due to government's efforts to limit informal imports. The agency forecasts China's 2015 paddy rice output at about 208.25 million tons, up from about 206.507 million tons in 2014 due to favourable weather conditions.
Indonesia
The government of Indonesia is targeting to produce about 76.22 million tons of paddy rice in 2016, up about 1.1% from an estimated 75.36 million tons in 2015, Reuters quoted the Director General of Food Crops at the Agriculture Ministry. Separately, the Director of procurement at the state logistics agency Bulog said that the country may not import rice this year due to adequate stocks.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Agriculture Minister has highlighted the need to shorten the rice supply chain in the country in order ensure fair prices to consumers as well as the farmers.
Latin America
Brazil’s National Grains Supply Company (Conab) forecasts Brazil's 2015-16 paddy rice production at about 11.5 million tons, down about 7.7% from an estimated 12.44 million tons in 2014-15 due to a likely reduction in acreage and yield. Conab's production forecast is also down about 1% from its January forecast of about 11.63 million tons. Brazil rice stocks stood at about 110,388 tons in January 2016, down about 4% from about 115,126 tons in December 2015 and down over 50% from about 240,544 tons in January 2015, according to Conab.
Brazil exported about 96,050 of rice in January 2016, up about 37% from about 69,913 tons exported in January 2015, according to data released by the Rice Institute of Rio Grande do Sul (IRGA).
Five percent broken rice from Uruguay and Argentina quotes ended the month of February at about $440 per ton, down about $30 per ton from a  month ago and down about $160 per ton from a year ago.
The USDA Post forecasts Argentina's MY 2015-16 (December 2015 - November 2016) paddy rice production at about 1.262 million tons, down about 17% from an estimated 1.523 million tons in MY 2014-15, and down from the USDA's official estimates of about 1.431 million tons. The Post forecasts Argentina's 2016 rice exports to increase to about 520,000 tons from an estimated 400,000 tons in 2015.
The USDA Post forecasts Peru's MY 2016-17 (April - March) milled rice imports at about 220,000 tons, unchanged from the previous year. USDA is yet to publish its official estimates. The Post reports that Peru imported about 237,987 tons of rice in the calendar year (CY) 2015. The Post estimates that some 50,000 MT of paddy rice were unofficially exported from Peru to Ecuador in CY 2015.
Bolivia's 2015 paddy rice production increased by about 25% to about 472,000 tons from about 378,000 tons in 2014, according to the FAO.
U.S.
U.S. 4% broken rice quotes ended the month of February at about $460 per ton, down about $10 per ton from a  month ago and down about $20 per ton from a year ago.
The USDA lowered the U.S. all rice paddy average farm prices to about $242.51-$255.73 per ton from its last month's forecast of $279.98 - $302.03 per ton, based on reported prices to date and expectations regarding prices for the remainder of the market year.
Separately, The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) is considering cutting trading hours for rice futures as well as changing its delivery instrument from warehouse receipts to shipping certificates.
Africa
The government of Rwanda may stop importing rice by 2018 as part of its efforts to reduce the bulging trade deficit, according to local sources. Rwanda imported about $37 million worth rice in 2015 compared to about $31.1 million in 2014. The country 's trade deficit stood at about $1,761.3 million in 2015. Higher deficit is attributed to a fall in the country’s exports due to falling global prices.
The FAO estimates Tanzania's MY 2015-16 (July-June) rice imports at about 100,000 tons.
It estimates Tanzania's 2015 paddy rice production to decline about 7% to about 2.4 million tons from about 2.586 million tons in 2014. In Tanzania, rice is a Msimu/unimodal crop and is grown between November – June every year.
Europe
The EU imported about 583,986 tons of rice during the period September 1, 2015 - February 23, 2016, up about 18% from about 493,787 tons imported during the same period last year.
Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) total milled rice production (Japonica and Indica) is estimated at about 1.772 million tons in the marketing/crop year (MY) 2015-16 (September 2015 - August 2016), up about 8% from an estimated 1.637 million tons in MY 2014-15, according to the latest balance sheet published by the EU Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development (EU-DGARD). 
Other Markets
The FAO forecasts Iran to import about 1.2 million tons of rice in 2015-16 (April-March) despite an increase in 2015 paddy rice production. The agency estimates Iran's 2015 paddy rice production to increase by about 17% to about 2.7 million tons from about 2.3 million tons during the previous year.
The FAO forecasts South Korea to import 440,000 tons of rice in 2016. The agency estimates South Korea's 2015 paddy rice production at about 5.8 million tons, up about 2% from about 5.638 million tons in 2014 due to favourable weather conditions, which boosted yields to an all-time record of 7.2 tons per hectare. Separately, the government of South Korea is planning to purchase about 157,000 tons of rice from local farmers next month as part of its efforts to stabilize prices, Yonhap News quotes a ruling party lawmaker. It will reportedly spend about 140 billion won (about $113.6 million) for the purpose. Meanwhile, the government of South Korea is planning to sell old rice from its stocks to animal feed industry as part of efforts to handle increasing rice inventory and declining consumption as well as to reduce corn imports, Yonhap News quoted the Agriculture Ministry.
The FAO forecasts Japan's MY 2015-16 (April - March) rice imports at about 700,000 tons. The agency forecasts Japan's 2015 paddy rice production at about 10.2 million tons, down about 5% from 10.77 million tons in 2014 due to a reduction in the paddy area reflecting a decline in prices. Separately, Japanese rice traders are expecting the country to import more rice this year due to an increase in domestic prices.
The USDA has estimated Malaysia's milled rice imports to increase to about 1.05 million tons in MY 2015-16 (January 2016 - December 2016), up about 5% from about one million tons in MY 2014-15 due to an expected slight increase in local demand. In 2015, Malaysia imported about one million tons of rice worth $515 million. The agency estimates Malaysia's MY 2015-16 milled rice production to remain stable at last year's level of about 1.8 million tons due to the prevailing of dry weather conditions in 2015. Meanwhile, the FAO forecasts Malaysia's 2015 paddy rice production at a record 2.7 million tons, up about 2% from about 2.645 million tons in 2014 despite a slight contraction in paddy area due to favourable weather conditions, increased yields and continued government support to the rice sector.
The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) forecasts Australia's MY 2015-16 (April 2015 - March 2016) paddy rice production to decline to about 305,000 tons (about 240,950 tons, basis milled), down about 58% from an estimated 724,000 tons (about 570,380 tons, basis milled) in MY 2014-15.
Ukraine's 2016 rice output is expected to increase about 12% due to an expected increase in acreage by about 23%, local sources quoted the Director of the National Scientific Center "Institute of Agrarian Economics."
February Tenders:
Syria has issued a tender to purchase 8,113 tons of white long-grain rice of third class.
South Korea issued a tender to buy about 40,000 tons of non-glutinous rice in tenders for delivery between May 31, 2016 and June 30, 2016; and bought about 25,000 tons of rice of the U.S. and Indian origins.
Iraq is seeking to buy about 30,000 tons of rice in tenders from the U.S., Uruguay and Argentina.
The Mauritius’ state purchasing agency has issued an international tender to purchase up to 6,000 tons of long-grain white rice.
Taiwan has completed the 2016 U.S. rice Simultaneous Buy and Sell (SBS) tender of 35,600 tons at the first scheduled held on February 18.
Research and Scientific Development:
The President of India has highlighted the need for more research in developing climate-resilient rice varieties, which can withstand extreme weather conditions such as droughts, floods and cyclones.
Researchers from the University of Vertinary and Animal Sciences have found means to replace wheat bran with rice husk in animal feed industry.
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.
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.
South Korea's Rural Development Administration is planning to encourage local companies to produce medicines and other health products using black rice as it contains one of the highest levels of anthocyanin antioxidants, which act as anti-cancer agents.
Researchers from the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) have adapted the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technique, which has been proven useful in detecting viruses in animals and humans, to detect viruses in rice plants.
Indian scientists are trying to develop rice varieties that can yield rice in drought conditions.
Researchers from the University of Western Australia have launched a plant proteins database called Crop Proteins with Annotated Locations (CropPAL) to help scientists to get more targeted information on breeding new rice varieties.
The Life+Ebro-Admiclim project carried out by the researchers at the Institute of Research & Technology Food & Agriculture (IRTA) in Spain aims to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases in rice fields.
A scientist from the University of Philippines in Los Baños is developing a mechanical device called Mechanical Postharvest Pest Removal System (MPReS) to easily remove pests from rice and corn in an environment-friendly manner.

 

Cambodian Rice Federation Reiterates Need for Government Intervention to Protect Local Farmers and Millers


Mar 08, 2016

Members of the Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF) have written a letter to the Commerce Ministry to effectively deal with the challenges faced by the local rice sector, according to the Khmer Times.

The CRF letter follows a letter from a group of millers and exporters called the Rice Industry Strategic Key Solution (RISKS) to the Ministry. Last week, the group had written to the Ministry urging it to act quickly on the issues faced by the country's rice sector. They also warned in the letter that if the government does not take immediate steps, most of the exporters and millers are likely to become bankrupt very soon. The mainly highlighted on increasing imports from Vietnam and lack of finance facilities to traders and exporters.

The letter by the Federation urged the Ministry to act quickly on the above issues. According to the letter, the CRF has identified short-, medium- and long-term solutions for the problems faced by the rice sector.

In the short-term, the CRF has asked the government to curb rice imports from Vietnam by mandating all rice importers to have import licenses. In the medium- and long-term, the CRF stated that the government should address problems of paddy storage facilities, high interest rates on loans and high electricity costs for millers.

“It has a huge impact on Cambodian farmers, consumers and rice millers. It is not too late to act now, but it will be too late if the recommendations of the rice millers and exporters are not taken into account and implemented soon,” said one of the top rice exporters.
The CRF President noted that the federation is committed to working closely with the government, relevant ministries and stakeholders to resolve the issues facing the rice sector.

 

Oryza CBOT Rough Rice Futures Recap - Chicago Rough Rice Futures Fall as Traders Make Adjustments to Holdings ahead of USDA S&D Report


Mar 09, 2016

Chicago rough rice futures for May delivery settled $0.165 cents were cwt (about $4/ton) lower at $10.535 per cwt (about $232 per ton). The other grains finished the day higher; Soybeans closed about 0.3% higher at $8.8450 per bushel; wheat finished about 0.5% higher at $4.6525 per bushel, and corn finished the day about 0.4% higher at $3.6050 per bushel.

U.S. stocks held lower in choppy trade Tuesday after weaker-than-expected Chinese trade data renewed concerns about global growth. The major averages came well off session lows in midday trade as gains in utilities, telecoms and consumer staples offset declines in energy. China's exports fell 25.4% year-over-year in February, more than expected and the largest since May 2009, according to Reuters. The trade surplus was at $32.59 billion in February, versus analysts' expectations of a $50.15 billion surplus. Analysts largely attributed the sharp drop in the data to a slowdown in business activity around the early February Lunar New Year holidays,
Reuters said. Exports for the first two months of the year were still down 17.8% and imports off 16.7% from the same period last year.

 The data also showed China's February crude oil imports jumped 20% on year to their highest ever on a daily basis, driven by import quotas and stockpiling. In afternoon trade, the Dow Jones industrial average declined 25 points, or 0.15%, to 17,048. The S&P 500 traded down 9 points, or 0.47%, at 1,992, with energy leading six sectors lower and consumer staples leading advancers. The Nasdaq composite declined 17 points, or 0.38%, to 4,681. Gold is seen trading about 0.1% lower, crude oil is seen trading about 4.2% lower, and the U.S. dollar is seen trading about 0.1% higher at about  2:30pm Chicago time.

Monday, there were 677 contracts traded, up from 352 contracts traded on Friday. Open interest – the number of contracts outstanding – on Monday increased by 70 contracts to 11,919. 

 

Losses from Thai Rice Pledging Scheme Higher Than Previous Estimates, Says Government Official

Mar 08, 2016

The Finance Ministry committee that is looking into the accounts of the rice pledging scheme, introduced by the previous government, has reported that the actual losses from the scheme are higher than the earlier estimates of around 680 billion baht (around $19 billion), according to local sources.Following the second meeting with the committee this year, the Permanent Secretary of Finance told reporters that the losses have crossed the earlier estimated figure due to the deterioration of the stockpiled rice and falling rice prices. He also noted that the losses may be higher than the initial predictions if the interest rates and the rental fees are also taken into account. He affirmed that no rice had gone missing from the stockpiles.

The official, however, did not reveal the details of the scheme's total losses and costs. The committee's report is likely to be presented to the National Rice Policy Commission next week.
It is likely that the committee's report may be used as evidence as the former Prime Minister and former Commerce Minister in the rice pledging case.

Oryza U.S. Rough Rice Recap - Prices Drop as South American Tender Offers Come in Well under U.S. Origin

 

Mar 09, 2016 
The U.S. cash market was weaker today after offers for the latest Iraqi tender were announced showing that yet again the U.S. was uncompetitive against South American origins.

Analysts note that the cheapest offer from the U.S. was $93 per ton more expensive than the cheapest offers from Argentina and $64 per ton more expensive than the cheapest offer from Uruguay.Adding to today’s bearish sentiment was the news that Argentina sold 15,000 MT of 5% broken bulk white rice to Mexico at $450 per ton CFR Veracruz.

Mexico is the U.S.’s main export market and analysts note if the U.S. loses substantial market share in that country it could be devastating to U.S. prices.

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

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