11th April,2016 daily global,regional and local rice e-newsletter by riceplus magazine

·        Today Rice News Headlines...

·         Pakistan seeks to be Iran's top rice exporter

·         3rd Meeting of FPCC&I Standing Committee on Rice urged to discuss serious issues of SMEs

·         Qatar Foods and Services to distribute Unikai products

·         Vietnam could disrupt plans to bolster NFA’s rice buffers

·         Experts: Third rice crop may lead drought and salinity to worsen

·         Rice planting off to good start

·         Despite El Niño, global rice output may rise in 2016

·         Gov’t handling dry spell well, insists Palace

·         Passage of new rice imports policy a must’

·         Philippines Should Drop Rice Import Quotas: World Bank

·         TABLE-THAI-VIETNAMESE 5 PCT GRADE RICE PRICES - APRIL 11

·         Russia. Rice exports dropped by 67%

·         Thailand strikes rice deal with Hong Kong

·         Good Southwest monsoon expected this year'

·         Rice prices declining – Palace

·         Joint Efforts Needed To Enhance Basmati Exports

·         04/11/2016 Farm Bureau Market Report

·         Arkansas Leaders Pledge Support for Cuba

·         APEDA AgriExchange Newsletter - Volume 1451

·         Causes of rice seedling diseases - what you can do

·         U.S. rice production declined 13 percent in 2015

·         Rice Price Going Up By 10 To 15 Per Cent

·         Vietnam could disrupt plans to bolster NFA’s rice buffers

·         Gunny Bags Add to Farmers' Woes

·         Unisame gives roadmap for revival of rice industry

·         Craft some USPs to boost exports

·         INDIAN MASTER CHEF RIPU DHAMAN HANDA WOWS CUSTOMERS AT LULU FOOD FIESTA

News Detail...

Pakistan seeks to be Iran's top rice exporter20160410T000000Z 

Global English (Middle East and North Africa Financial Network)

Pakistani traders seek an increase of at least 30pct inexport of aromatic Basmati rice to Iran, as the latter is one of the world's biggest rice importers, based on reports.Iran ships in more than USD2bn of the commodity yearly and Pakistan on the other hand has a modicum share in the neighboring market, so it emerges as a top candidate to be a top exporter.Moreover, Pakistan expects outbound shipments to grow 20-30 percent in the near future; however its biggest challenge now is to break a long-standing monopoly of Indian aromatic rice in Iran.We are eager to regain our lost share of basmati rice to India, as in the past few years, India has flooded the Iranian market with its basmati rice at knockdown prices," said a top Pakistani official.

http://www.world-grain.com/news/news%20home/LexisNexisArticle.aspx?articleid=2567580631

3rd Meeting of FPCC&I Standing Committee on Rice urged to discuss serious issues of SMEs

The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME has invited the attention of the Standing Committee (SC) on rice of Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCC&I) to include very important issues of the rice sector in the agenda for the meeting to be held on 13th April 2016 at FPCC&I.

President UNISAME Zulfikar Thaver has requested Rafique Suleman Chairman FPCC&I Standing Committee on Rice to include important points in the agenda namely decline in export of basmati rice, deteriorating supply chain, geographical indication of basmati rice, trademark of basmati rice. He lamented that these important issues are not being discussed and are side tracked.He said the export of basmati rice is negligible as compared to India who has captured global markets despite the fact that our super basmati rice is superior in taste, look and cooking.He urged the SC on rice to discuss the ways and means to regain lost markets.Secondly he pinpointed that the supply chain from the farms to the factories needs the immediate attention of the stakeholders as the grains supplied by the farmers to the millers and from the millers to the processors is getting more field mixtures, broken percentage and many times the paddy is not sufficiently dried as per acceptable standards.

Thirdly Thaver emphasized the need for the Intellectual Property Organization (IPO) to resolve the issue of GI which has not been advocated properly.Fourthly the Trade Mark issue of basmati rice needs the immediate attention of all stakeholders to enable our equal claim on the basmati trademark alongwith India.He urged the chairman SC Rafique Suleman to invite Director General Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) Dr Usman Narejo and Alamgir Chaudhry CEO of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) and Asif Hayat an expert in Intellectual Property Rights and Trade Marks to the meeting to make it meaningful and to seek their support for the agenda and expert advise on the dominating issues.ocus on

Qatar Foods and Services to distribute Unikai products

April 11, 2016 - 2:25:24 am

Doha: Qatar Foods and Services, the wholesale division of Quality Group International, has announced its distributorship of renowned Unikai food products in Qatar.As per the MoU signed by Shamsudheen Olakara, Chairman, Quality Group International, and Neeraj Vohra, Managing Director, UAE-based Unikai Foods, Qatar Foods & Services will be the sole dealer of all Unikai brand products in Qatar.
Unikai, a 40-year heritage company, mainly produces milk and dairy products, including world-class ice creams. Also, Basmati rice, juices, snacks, yoghurt and margarine, among others, are  included in its product line.

“Unikai believes in delivering the freshest products to consumers at their nearest point of purchase. Quality Group International, the fastest growing company in GCC, will be our partner in Qatar to reach out to the people,” Vohra said in a statement.

Quality Group International is very happy to introduce the branded and standardised products of Unikai to Qatar’s market and is trying to introduce another world-class brand product to the local market, Olakara said. Moideen K, General Manager, Quality Group of Companies; Mins Mathew, Finance Controller; and Yasar Al Hamar, Export Manager, Unikai, were present at the  MoU signing ceremony

By Janina C. Lim

Vietnam could disrupt plans to bolster NFA’s rice buffers

 

THE strong drought hitting Vietnam, a key source of Philippine rice imports, could disrupt the government’s plan to build up reserves of the staple held by the National Food Authority (NFA), an industry official said.

Workers unload sacks of rice at a warehouse of the National Food Authority. -- AFP

In a phone interview, Philippine Confederation of Grains Associations (Philcongrains) President Herculano Co, said that government may not be able to count on additional imports of 500,000 metric tons (MT) of rice on top of its current government-to-government contract with Vietnam for 500,000 MT, citing a potential rise in prices as El Niño hurts production across the South China Sea.According to “Vietnam Consolidated Report on Drought and Saltwater Intrusion” collated between October and March by the United Nations Disaster Risk Management Team (UNDRMT), provinces in the Mekong Delta, Southern Central and Central Highlands regions have been feeling the impact of the El Niño-induced dry spell since the end of 2015.The Mekong Delta is Vietnam’s source of about half the country’s rice and fruit, with 159,000 hectares (ha) of the staple grain reported damaged by the drought as well as by saltwater intrusion as of March 9.

“Since the end of 2015, water levels in the lower Mekong River have been at their lowest level since records began nearly 100 years ago. It is estimated that levels of water shortage in the rivers of the Mekong Delta range from 30-50%,” reported the UNDRMT, adding that “further 500,000 ha of paddy rice is likely to be damaged by mid-2016.”As to the possibility of importing the additional 500,00 MT of rice, Mr. Co said: “I don’t think so” because Vietnam will have a hard time accumulating quantities needed to supply trading partners.

NFA spokesperson Angel G. Imperial said that the Philippine plan to import about 500,000 MT more rice is “not yet a definite plan... It’s just a possibility” being considered to boost buffer stocks as a precaution against the dry spell, which has been hurting farms here since February 2015.Earlier, the NFA announced that buffers may be sufficient to rule out import in the first half of the year.“This will be an interesting few months for the global market, which faces a tight supply situation for the first time since 2007-08,” according to a post by Dr. Sam Mohanty, head of the Social Sciences Division of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) dated Feb. 22 on the official IRRI Web site.The rice stocks of five major exporters -- India, Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan and the United States have declined since reaching a peak of nearly 41 million tons in 2013, according to IRRI, citing United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) data.

The USDA was quoted as saying that the biggest drawdown of stocks in the exporting countries is under way this year, with a 40% drop from a year earlier to reach 19 million tons by late 2016.Mr. Co said that with great crop damage resulting from the dry spell, a potential crisis looms that reminded him of the rice crisis of 2008, when prices exceeded $1,000 per MT.“If we rely on imports, what happens if the countries have problems [supplying] their own like what is happening now? We will be hostage to the rise in prices,” said Estrella F. Catarata, executive director of the Philippine Network of Food Security Programmes, a convenor of the Green Action PH, civil society group.

Ms. Catarata also noted similarities to 2008.“If possible this may be even worse than 2007-2008 crisis when there were no weather disturbances to spur the crisis,” Ms. Catarata said, noting that the violence in Kidapawan City may be a sign of the worsening situation.“If the government is serious in eradicating poverty and boosting agriculture, they should invest in irrigation,” said Ms. Catarata. She estimated that nongovernment organizations can establish irrigation systems for P300,000-P400,000 adequate to the needs of a community of some 200 households.UNIDRMT reported that Vietnam has allocated $23.3 million in emergency funds to compensate farmers suffering from El Niño as well as providing them with water tanks and other provisions.

http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Economy&title=vietnam-could-disrupt-plans-to-bolster-nfa&8217s-rice-buffers&id=125840

Experts: Third rice crop may lead drought and salinity to worsen

VietNamNet Bridge – The Department of Cultivation’s plan to expand the acreage of the 2016 autumn-winter rice crop, or the third rice crop, in the Mekong Delta to offset the losses in the winter-spring crop could lead drought and salinity in the region to worsen in the coming years, said experts.

A farmer uses an excavator to erect dikes to keep water for his rice field in the Mekong Delta in the previous third crop. The Department of Cultivation’s plan to expand the acreage of the 2016 autumn-winter rice crop, or the third rice crop, in the Mekong Delta could lead drought and salinity in the region to worsen in the coming years – Photo: Trung Chanh

The department, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, plans to encourage farmers to start sowing paddy on 900,300 hectares in the third rice crop in the delta in July and early August, up 57,160 hectares year-on-year. Rice output is expected to exceed 4.9 million tons, up 361,000 tons from the same period last year.The output rise is well above 180,000 tons of paddy damaged by drought and saltwater intrusion in the 2015-2016 winter-spring rice crop in the key rice producing region in Vietnam, according to the department.However, Nguyen Huu Thien and other experts said the rice farming expansion might make matters worse in the region in 2017 because the construction of closed dikes to retain water for the third rice crop will severely affect water storage capacity in the Mekong Delta during the flooding season.

Thien said the Mekong River downstream has three natural water reservoirs, namely the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia and Vietnam’s Dong Thap Muoi (the Plain of Reeds) and Long Xuyen Quadrangle. The 700,000-hectare Dong Thap Muoi is on the left bank of the river in the provinces of Dong Thap, Tien Giang and Long An, while the Long Xuyen Quadrangle covers 590,000 hectares on the right bank of the river in An Giang and Kien Giang provinces.

Every year, floodwater from the Mekong River upstream flows into the Tonle Sap Lake, making the lake expand from approximately 300,000 hectares in the dry season to 1.5 million hectares in the wet season. Floodwater of the river also runs into the Dong Thap Muoi and Long Xuyen Quadrangle.Thien said the three natural reservoirs regulate water flows of the Mekong River, store water to ease floods in the wet season and release water into the Tien and Hau rivers to help reduce salinity in coastal areas during the dry season.

However, the construction in previous years of closed dikes to keep water for the third rice crop has compromised water storage in the Dong Thap Muoi and Long Xuyen Quadrangle.Statistics showed water volume in the Long Xuyen Quadrangle dropped from 9.2 billion cubic meters in 2000 to only 4.5 billion cubic meters in 2011 due to the construction of 1,100 square kilometers of such dike. As a result, more flooding hits the areas outside the dikes in the flooding season while drought and saltwater intrusion worsen in the dry season.The wider area for rice farming in the third rice crop means more dikes would be built. Relevant agencies need to find ways to solve the drought and salinity problems caused by the third crop in previous years rather than planning to expand the acreage of the crop as this will result in more dikes being built.

VietNamNet Bridge

Rice planting off to good start

Sat, 04/09/2016 - 10:21am

Rice seeds spread onto a field by airplane have sprouted a few days after planting. (Photo by Bruce Schultz)

By Bruce Schultz bschultz@agcenter.lsu.edu

Crowley, La.. --Good weather set the stage for good planting conditions for the 2016 rice crop in Louisiana. “In general, we’re off to a good start,” said Steve Linscombe, director of the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station. “I think this has probably been the most favorable growing conditions in the month of March in my career.” Some farmers were finished planting as early as March 7, he said.Linscombe said most farmers appear to have good stands, with only a few scattered fields needing to be replanted.The bird repellent AV-1011 is working well at preventing birds from eating rice seed, he said.

“This has been an outstanding product for us.”Unlike last year, rains kept farmers out of fields for only a few days, he said.All research projects on the Rice Research Station are on schedule, with a few plots remaining to be planted.Louisiana’s rice crop could increase over last year’s 412,000 acres, Linscombe said. It may be too late to replant flooded corn fields, and a portion of that land could be used to grow rice.

 “By the end of the week, there won’t be too much left to plant in southwest Louisiana,” said AgCenter rice specialist Dustin Harrell.Planting started in early February, and Harrell estimated a third of the crop had been planted before March 10. Favorable weather this year, unlike 2015, allowed farmers to drill-seed more of their rice.Farmers prefer to spread their planting over a few weeks to prevent the rice from ripening and reaching desired moisture levels all at once, Harrell said.“I feel we’ll be close to the acreage we had last year,” he said.Not much rice has been planted in northeast Louisiana, and Harrell expects it will be at least two weeks before it gets fully underway. “A lot of that ground is still underwater,” he said.Andrew Granger, AgCenter county agent in Vermilion Parish, said planting is 80 percent complete there.Farmers who haven’t finished are probably still harvesting crawfish, or they don’t typically plant early, Granger said.Vermilion Parish rice acreage is likely to decrease by about 10-15 percent this year to around 40,000. “The price is the drag,” he said.

Todd Fontenot, AgCenter county agent in Evangeline Parish, said farmers are taking advantage of the good weather. “If they’re not finished planting, they’re going to be finished this week. It’s moving along pretty fast,” he said.Fontenot estimated 65 percent of the fields are planted and doesn’t expect an acreage change from 2015 in Evangeline Parish. “We’ll be pretty much in line with the 40,000 acres last year,” he saidJeremy Hebert, AgCenter county agent in Acadia Parish, said planting is nearly finished. “It’s going very, very well, with extremely favorable growing conditions,” he said.

Farmers are pleased with the stands. “It seems like everything planted has germinated,” Hebert said.Acreage will be at least the same as last year’s 82,000 acres, he said. “I haven’t heard of anybody reducing rice acreage.” Frances Guidry, AgCenter county agent in Jeferson Davis Parish, said planting has gone smoothly. ”Some are done. Some actually were done in the middle of March,” she said.Farmer Johnny Hensgens, of Calcasieu Parish, said he only has 100 acres remaining, and he will be finished by week’s end.He finished planting last year in March. “I could have finished in March this year, but I held off,” Hensgens said.He said some of his seed seemed reluctant to emerge after cool temperatures that followed rain, but he didn’t have a problem with blackbirds feeding on seed because he used AV-1011. Two neighboring farmers who didn’t use the product had blackbird problems, he said.Farmer Clarence Berken, of Jefferson Davis Parish, said his planting went well. “We couldn’t have had any better weather in terms of getting it out there and getting it done,” he said.Berken said he finished planting earlier than ever. “I think everybody is satisfied with the way things have gone.”

http://www.eunicetoday.com/local/rice-planting-good-start

Despite El Niño, global rice output may rise in 2016

GLOBAL rice output in 2016 may grow by 1 percent due to expectations of recovery in the Philippines and other major rice-growing countries, according to a United Nations-supervised monitoring system.

Based on the latest monthly market report of the Agricultural Market Information System (Amis), worldwide production of rice is now pencilled in at 495 million tons.

Along with the Philippines, better prospects are also seen for India, Thailand and the United States.

“In the Philippines, the dry season crop conditions are favorable in the northern regions and mixed in the southern regions due to insufficient water and intense heat brought about by prolonged dry spells,” the Amis said.

Amis, which is supervised by the Food and Agriculture Organization, said the El Niño continued to cause concern and impact conditions in Southeast Asia, especially in Thailand.

“The ongoing El Niño continues to decline from its peak strength in late 2015, with neutral conditions expected by June,” the Amis said.

Citing estimates by United Nations agencies, the climatic phenomenon has already resulted in 60 million people affected by droughts, floods and extreme weather.

“Its aftermath impact on food security is expected to continue well into 2017,” the Amis said.

As for global rice trade, Amis said this was tentatively forecast to decrease to reflect reduced import demand by several countries in Asia.

Trade volume is now pegged at 44.1 million tons, down by 1.7 percent from the estimated 44.9 million tons traded in the previous year.

Last week, National Food Authority administrator Renan B. Dalisay said there was yet no need for fresh importation as national inventory of milled rice was sufficient.

“The national inventory — is good for 94 days, of which 34-days’ worth of rice is with the NFA and the rest is with commercial warehouses and households,” Dalisay told the Inquirer.

NFA’s most recent purchase from abroad was for a total of 750,000 tons, for which state-run suppliers in Vietnam and Thailand were contracted through a bidding conducted last year.

Of the total volume, 250,000 tons arrived during the fourth quarter of 2015 while the rest arrived during the first quarter this year.Dalisay said there was no decision yet on whether importation would be needed for the months of lean supply which starts in July. This would depend on the assessment of the supply situation in the runup to the lean months.

http://business.inquirer.net/209375/despite-el-nino-global-rice-output-may-rise-2016#ixzz45bWp5zHi

Gov’t handling dry spell well, insists Palace

Philippine Daily Inquirer

01:57 AM April 11th, 2016

@inquirerdotnet

Philippine Daily Inquirer

01:57 AM April 11th, 2016

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

DESPITE calls for emergency measures to address the laments of Kidapawan farmers, Malacañang Sunday insisted  the impact of the long dry spell on the country has been well managed and food supplies and prices were stable.Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. made the assurance when asked on government radio to comment on Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III’s call for the government to declare a state of calamity in the country due to the widespread impact of El Niño on the agricultural sector.

Coloma said the El Niño Task Force, which faced the Senate inquiry into the violent police dispersal of North Cotabato farmers in Kidapawan City last Friday, had reported that different programs put up by the government to address the El Niño were able to ease the drought by ensuring a sufficient food supply as well as stable food prices in the country. He said government actions included providing appropriate production support for farmers like irrigation and providing seedlings to non-vulnerable and mildly affected provinces.

The government also increased the buffer stocks of the National Food Authority and imposed a price freeze in areas that declared they were under a state of calamity.Quoting a report by Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Emmanuel Esguerra, he said inflation data showed that prices of food, particularly rice, “have been low and stable in the past months.”“In fact for March 2016, despite the El Niño phenomenon, rice prices remained lower than in the previous year (-1.7 percent in March from 2 percent in February) and have been declining consistently since October 2015,” Coloma said, quoting from Esguerra’s report.

Likewise, the report said the price of vegetables was trending downward and declined by 2.9 percent in March 2016 from the previous month or a total decline of 7.8 percent since beginning of the year, according to Coloma.He said supply and buffer stock management were “being done well with timely purchases.”

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/778916/govt-handling-dry-spell-well-insists-palace#ixzz45bX1o9zc

Passage of new rice imports policy a must’

• News
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by Cai Ordinario - April 11, 2016

The next Congress must prioritize the amendment of a law which allowed Manila to protect the rice sector by limiting the entry of cheap rice imports, a senior official of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said on Monday.Neda Deputy Director General Rosemarie Edillon said Republic Act (RA) 8178, or the Agricultural Tariffication Act, should be amended before the extension of the quantitative restriction (QR) on rice granted by the World Trade Organization (WTO) expires in July 2017.While the QR on rice has temporarily given palay farmers a reprieve from the deluge of cheap imports, its extension has necessitated the grant of concessions that were detrimental to other farm sectors.

“July 2017 is less than two years away and when the new Congress begins its session, I suppose [the amendment of RA 8178] will have to be one of the first bills that should be filed and passed,” Edillon told the BusinessMirror in an interview.After July 2017, the Philippines may no longer be allowed to enjoy the QR, as it has been over 20 years since the country joined the WTO. The Philippines officially became a member of the WTO on January 1, 1995.The country’s accession to the WTO means it agreed to liberalize trade for all commodities, including rice—the country’s staple.

Over time, other countries, like Japan and South Korea, were no longer allowed to impose the QR, allowing rice imports to arrive freely in their markets, provided traders would pay the corresponding tariff and duties.Edillon said Manila’s decision to retain the protection for rice is due to the fact that Filipinos consider it irreplaceable as it is a cheap everyday food.The exemption also aims to protect farmers, many of whom could not compete in the international market. Only farmers living in plains like those in Central Luzon will be able to compete with international rice sellers.“What we’re saying is that protection doesn’t have to be in the form of QR. In fact, if you replace QR with tariffs, the money could be used to modernize our agriculture,” Edillon said.

“The government could help farmers currently planting rice in nonsuitable areas to shift to cultivating other more
profitable crops. It is a win-win proposition,” she added.The Neda and the World Bank said that in lieu of the QR, the Philippines can set rice tariffs at 35 percent to 40 percent, or even 30 percent, when the WTO waiver expires in July 2017.The World Bank said this is the “most acceptable” thing to do since assigning a tariff on rice and gradually reducing it will encourage free trade and result in the decline in local rice prices.The Washington-based multilateral development bank said poor Filipinos, who allocate 20 percent of their household budgets for rice, are the ones who suffer the most when the price of the staple goes up.Retaining the QR and the government’s control over the country’s rice trade did not result in 100 rice self-sufficiency—a campaign promise made by President Aquino. Farmers have remained poor and consumers are forced to buy expensive rice. This despite allocating around 65 percent of the budget of the Department of Agriculture and related government- owned and-controlled corporations for rice production since the 1960s. Government efforts to boost output were fraught with low-quality investments and few support mechanisms.

“Decades of substantial budget outlays, even when supported by QR on rice imports with high in-quota tariffs and government control over rice trade by the National Food Authority, did not advance the goal of rice self-sufficiency,” the World Bank said.“Instead, rice supply has been inadequate and kept domestic rice prices artificially high relative to world prices,” it added.Philippine Institute for Development Studies senior fellow Roehlano Briones said the government’s rice spending reached P37.44 billion in 2012, almost half of the government’s total agriculture spending in that year. Data showed that the government spent a total of P62.64 billion for agriculture-related programs and projects. This was significantly higher than the P14.38 billion spent in 2005.Also, government spending for other crops like corn only amounted to P951 million in 2012; high-value crops, P1.63 billion; coconut, P2.08 billion; livestock, P2.72 billion; and 3.308 billion for fisheries

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/passage-of-new-rice-imports-policy-a-must/

Philippines Should Drop Rice Import Quotas: World Bank

Manila. The Philippines should scrap rice import quotas and instead charge tariffs on shipments of the grain, the World Bank said on Monday (11/04), as it urged the Southeast Asian country to open up its economy to more competition. The country is the one of the world's top rice buyers, but its import controls aimed at protecting farmers have previously caused shortages and in 2014 local prices hit a record high and increased the number of Filipinos living in poverty. World Bank lead economist Rogier van den Brink said the government should replace import caps with an initial 30 percent tariff, compared with 35 percent currently imposed. "Simulations show that these policy changes will reduce poverty and hunger significantly," van den Brink told a news briefing, citing the private sector's capacity to meet supply shortages efficiently. Easing restrictions on rice imports has been a hot issue in the Philippines, with the government retaining tariffs and quotas to protect farmers, despite its commitment to removing global trade barriers.

The state grains procurement agency, the National Food Authority (NFA), is the only body allowed to import rice tariff free. Liberalizing rice trading and easing restrictions on local and foreign capital, and investments in sectors like telecommunications, shipping and construction, should generate more jobs, increase income and lower prices, van den Brink said. In its latest outlook, the World Bank kept its 6.4 percent and 6.2 percent growth forecasts for the Philippines for this year and next, making it among the fastest growing economies in the region. The economy grew 5.8 percent in 2015. But Karl Kendrick Chua, senior country economist at the World Bank, said the economy faced a range of risks including an uneven recovery of richer economies, financial market volatility, slower remittance growth from oil exporting countries, the El Niño weather pattern, and uncertainty around the May 9 Philippine elections

http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/international/philippines-drop-rice-import-quotas-world-bank/

TABLE-THAI-VIETNAMESE 5 PCT GRADE RICE PRICES - APRIL 11

4/11/2016

BANGKOK, April 11 (Reuters) - Following is a table of Thai
and Vietnamese 5 percent broken grade supplied by traders.
(Bulk quotations in U.S. dollars per tonne FoB assessed by
Thomson Reuters)

Shipment Bid Ask Previous
Thai $371-$388 $371-$377 FoB Bangkok
Vietnam $370-$375 $370-$375 FoB Saigon

(Reporting by Pairat Temphairojana in BANGKOK and Ho Binh Minh
in HANOI; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

http://www.agriculture.com/content/table-thai-vietnamese-5-pct-grade-rice-prices-april-11

Russia. Rice exports dropped by 67%

11.04.2016

During July-February of season 2015/16  rice exports from Russia reached 69.8 KMT that was almost 67% lower than during the same period of last season (about 200 KMT).Rice exports reduced despite increase in total crop by 5.8% to 1.11 MMT  in Russia in 2015. It was due to decline of rice purchases by the main Russian importers such as Turkey, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan. The share of traditional Russian rice purchaser Turkey decreased to 30% against 50% in 2014/15 MY.During the reporting period Turkey reduced purchases by 83 % - to 21.6 KMT compared to 134.1 KMT during July-February last season.On the contrary, China and EU countries increase purchases of Russian rice.

http://www.blackseagrain.net/novosti/russia-rice-exports-dropped-by-67

Thailand strikes rice deal with Hong Kong

BY EDITORON 2016-04-11THAILAND

BANGKOK, 11 April 2016 (NNT) – Thai rice exporters have signed a 120-million-US-dollar deal with seven rice importers from Hong Kong.Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn traveled to Hong Kong with a group of Thai rice manufacturers to strike the deal that will see a total of 150,000 tons of rice exported to the island administration.

This deal puts the Ministry of Commerce on track to achieve its target of doubling trade volume to 300,000 tons of rice to Hong Kong. Thailand has already exported 33,000 tons of rice worth 28 million dollars within the first two months of this year. The ministry expects Thai rice exports to decline globally from 10 million tons last year tons to 9.5 million tons this year, due to drought crisis. The government will explore additional markets to ensure Thailand maintains its market share.

http://news.thaivisa.com/thailand/thailand-strikes-rice-deal-with-hong-kong/138103/

Good Southwest monsoon expected this year'

PTI

The Hindu

The Met Department’s predictions will be out later this month, giving a clear picture of monsoon. Photo: K.R.Deepak

The government directed states to chalk out plans to boost crop acreage and production in kharif season starting June.

After two years of deficient rainfall, the government on Monday said the monsoon this year is expected to be normal and directed states to chalk out plans to boost crop acreage and production in kharif season starting June.“El nino condition is declining. It is expected that La Nina condition will takeover, and will perhaps favour a good monsoon this year,” Agriculture Secretary Shobhana K Patnaik said addressing a national conference to launch kharif campaign for 2016-17.The Met Department’s predictions will be out later this month, giving a clear picture of monsoon, he added.India’s foodgrain production declined to 252.02 million tonnes in 2014-15 crop year (July-June) from the record 265.04 million tonnes in the previous year, due to poor monsoon.The output is estimated to rise slightly to 253.16 in the ongoing 2015-16 crop year due to 14 per cent less rains.

Two consecutive bad monsoons have led to farm distress and water scarcity in the country.The Secretary asked the state governments to make advance preparation for sowing of kharif (summer) crops like rice and pulses by making adequate availability of seeds, fertilisers, and other agri-nputs.Less-than-normal rainfall in the last two years has left farmers and resources at stress. There is high moisture stress in soil, he added.Even the Economic Survey in February had said El Nino, which is held responsible for extreme weather events across the country last year, is unlikely to repeat this year.However, it had suggested that the government should still be ready with the contingency plan to deal with any eventuality besides announcing in advance the MSP for crops like pulses.

Keywords: El Nino, La Nina, Southwest monsoon, Kharif crops

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/government-expects-good-southwest-monsoon-this-year/article8461416.ece

Rice prices declining – Palace

By Delon Porcalla (The Philippine Star) | Updated April 11, 2016 - 12:00am

Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. of the Presidential Communications Operations Office said the supply of rice remained stable based on a report submitted by El Niño task force head and National Economic and Development Authority chief Emmanuel Esguerra. File photo

MANILA, Philippines – Rice prices have declined steadily since the last quarter of 2015, a Palace official said yesterday amid the protest of starving farmers in Kidapawan City.Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. of the Presidential Communications Operations Office said the supply of rice remained stable based on a report submitted by El Niño task force head and National Economic and Development Authority chief Emmanuel Esguerra.

“While drought entails low production leading to high prices of agricultural products, inflation data showed that prices of food, particularly rice, have been low and stable in the past months,” Coloma said.“In fact for March 2016, despite the El Niño, rice prices remained lower compared to the previous year,” Coloma added.He said the prices of vegetables also went down by 2.9 percent last March from the previous month, for a total decline of 7.8 percent since the year began.The Aquino administration has offered the untouched funds of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to give relief to the Kidapawan farmers.

Headlines ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said the national and local governments have put in place contingency measures to prevent the effects of El Niño in the countryside – from rice distribution to cash-for-work programs.

Abad said the government could use the NDRRMC funds to help the farmers affected by drought.Abad refuted the claim of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano that part of the problem was the delay in the release of funds for El Niño.“Let us not politicize the situation of the farmers and the poor,” Abad said.He said the Department of Agriculture, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and other government agencies have calamity and emergency funds on top of the Quick Response Funds.“Local government units, including the provincial government of North Cotabato, can distribute rice using their calamity funds,” Abad said.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/04/11/1571733/rice-prices-declining-palace

Joint Efforts Needed To Enhance Basmati Exports

 Apr 10, 2016 |  Thaver

The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) has given a road map to the Ministry of Commerce (MINCOM) for the revival of the basmati rice industry on fast track basisPresident UNISAME Zulfikar Thaver said the first step to enhance basmati rice exports would be to facilitate the rice exporters to export to third world countries by financing trade with third world countries by insuring the transaction risk through export credit guarantee insurance. This will make the commercial banks comfortable in financing the rice exporters.Secondly a currency swap agreement with Iran is very essential for smooth exports to Iran. This will enable Iran to buy basmati rice from Pakistan again.

Thirdly warehousing facilities for goods in many countries are needed for enhancing exports.Fourthly it is important that Pakiatani basmati rice exporters have regular basmati festivals in Europe, Latin American countries and U.S.A.Pakistani basmati rice is no where seen on the super market shelves in these countries, all that one sees is Indian basmati brands. Pakiatani brands need aggressive marketing with free gifts, and one plus one marketing schemes.Fifthly the government needs to remove import duties on packing material of rice.Sixthly the withholding tax on export of rice must be reduced to quarter percent and export development surcharge be removed fully.

The government needs to promote Pakistani basmati rice features of aroma, length and look, superior taste and it’s recognition of world’s number one rice because our super basmati rice is the rice used for banquets by the royal families.UNISAME also called upon the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) to upgrade the rice industry and improve the supply chain from the primary sector to exports.The Intellectual Property Organization (IPO) needs to convene a meeting of stakeholders for the solution of the Geographical Indications (GI) and the Trade Marks Registrar (TMR) intervention is also required to settle the issues of GI and TM without loss of time to overcome the erroneous findings of the Indian forum.

http://www.unisame.org/joint-efforts-needed-to-enhance-basmati-exports/

04/11/2016 Farm Bureau Market Report

Rice

	High	Low
Long Grain Cash Bids	- - -	- - -
Long Grain New Crop	- - -	- - -

Futures:

ROUGH RICE High Low Last Change May '16 1003.0 983.5 984.5 -10.5 Jul '16 1030.0 1012.0 1011.5 -10.5 Sep '16 1045.0 1030.0 1030.0 -11.0 Nov '16 1062.0 1052.0 1046.5 -11.0 Jan '17 1075.0 1075.0 1064.5 -10.5 Mar '17 1083.5 -10.0 May '17 1084.5 -9.5

Rice Comment

Rice futures were lower across the board. It looks like futures are attempting to consolidate above the recent spike low. Weekly exports came in at 91,200 tons for 15-16 and 11,000 tons for 16-17 delivery. The market charted a huge bearish reversal last week in reaction to USDA's planting intentions report. Rice acres are expected to be up 17% from 2015 at 3.064 million acres. All of that gain and then some will be in long grain rice, while medium grain acreage will actually be down 17% across the country. Arkansas is expected to plant 1.581 million acres of rice consisting of 1.43 million acres of long grain and 150,000 acres of medium grain. Technically, the first level of support for May is the recent low of $9.42 1/2, while overhead trendline resistance is currently near $10.15.

Arkansas Leaders Pledge Support for Cuba 

By Peter Bachmann

LITTLE ROCK, AR -- This morning, a group of the top business leaders in Arkansas gathered here at the Capital Hotel to officially launch the Arkansas State Council for Cuba sponsored by USA Rice and Engage Cuba.Engage Cuba is the leading coalition of private businesses and organizations working to end the travel and trade embargo on Cuba.  The State Council launched today represents a broad cross-section of agribusiness, community, and academic leaders from across the state with the common goal of improving U.S.-Cuba relations.Fourteen of the Council's members work directly within the Arkansas rice industry from the grower, marketer, and processor perspectives.  Arkansas is the fifth state to launch a state council with the intention to garner support to lift the embargo and end the travel ban from U.S. and state legislators.

 Dow Brantley, Arkansas rice farmer and chairman of USA Rice, spoke at this morning's press conference as a member of the State Council, and said, "We applaud the positive steps made by the current Administration but feel we are at the point where further progress is dependent on our leaders in Congress.  We ask our legislators to continue this momentum by normalizing trade with this nation." 

In reference to efforts by USA Rice, Brantley added, "We've been at the forefront of the push to lift the embargo since the 1990's, before there was the momentum we see today that we welcome and embrace.  Restoring mutually beneficial, two-way commerce is at the heart of all of our industry's efforts and the movement is making history almost daily."

 Other speakers at the press conference included:  James Williams, President of Engage Cuba; Juan Lamiguerio Leon, Deputy Chief of Mission for the Cuban Embassy in Washington; Robert Moery, Agriculture Liaison for Governor Asa Hutchinson; and Wes Ward, Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture.

APEDA AgriExchange Newsletter - Volume 1451

International Benchmark Price

Price on: 06-04-2016

Product Benchmark Indicators Name Price Garlic 1 Chinese first grade granules, CFR NW Europe (USD/t) 3500 2 Chinese Grade A dehydrated flakes, CFR NW Europe (USD/t) 4500 3 Chinese powdered, CFR NW Europe (USD/t) 3000 Ginger 1 Chinese sliced, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 2150 2 Chinese whole, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 2300 3 Indian Cochin, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 2850 Guar Gum Powder 1 Indian 100 mesh 3500 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t) 3750 2 Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps technical grade, FOB Kandla (USD/t) 3005 3 Indian 200 mesh 5000 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t) 2270 Source:agra-net For more info

Market Watch Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 09-04-2016 Domestic Prices Unit Price : Rs per Qty Product Market Center Variety Min Price Max Price Rice 1 Jajpur (Orissa) Other 1800 2400 2 Dibrugarh (Assam) Other 2000 2900 3 Sainthia (West Bengal) Common 1750 1770 Wheat 1 Dehgam (Gujarat) Other 1550 1855 2 Satna (Madhya Pradesh) Other 1375 1450 3 Umared (Maharashtra) Other 1500 2250 Mousambi 1 Thirurrangadi(Kerala) Other 3500 3700 2 Ganaur (Haryana) Other 2600 3000 3 Solan (Himachal Pradesh) Other 4500 5000 Brinjal 1 Palayam (Kerala) Other 900 1100 2 Nabha (Punjab) Other 600 1000 3 Surat (Gujarat) Other 700 1400 Source:agmarknet.nic.in For more info

Egg Rs per 100 No Price on 09-04-2016 Product Market Center Price 1 Ahmedabad 335 2 Nagapur 290 3 Namakkal 350 Source: e2necc.com

Other International Prices Unit Price : US$ per package Price on 07-04-2016 Product Market Center Origin Variety Low High Potatoes Package: 50 lb cartons 1 Atlanta Colorado Russet 17 17.50 2 Chicago California Russet 21 21 2 Detroit Wisconsin Russet 16 16.50 Carrots Package:20 1-lb film bags 1 Atlanta California Baby Peeled 20.25 20.75 2 Philadelphia California Baby Peeled 16 16 3 Dallas Mexico Baby Peeled 17 20 Apples Package: cartons tray pack 1 Atlanta Virginia Red Delicious  25.50 26 2 Chicago Michigan Red Delicious  13.50 13.50 3 Miami Virginia Red Delicious  18 22 Source:USDA

 

Causes of rice seedling diseases - what you can do

Apr 8, 2016Yeshi Wamishe, University of Arkansas | Delta Farm Press

Grape colaspis is known to cause substantial loss in seedling stands. It may also give rice seedlings a sick appearance, making seedling diseases more complex and difficult for diagnosis.

Photo: University of Arkansas

Seeds from storage may carry seed rotting microbes. These microbes may have been carried into the storage from fields in the previous season. Moreover, secondary infection can also be caused from soil or water. Certain environmental conditions such as puddled spots also favor seed rotting.Rotting seeds become mushy and may be surrounded by gooey substances or white moldy growth due to microbial activities.

Seedling diseases can be caused by multiple factors:

Microbes: Multiple bacterial and fungal microbes may be responsible to cause complex symptoms in rice seedlings. Problematic seedlings may show brownish discoloration below or above the soil line causing seedling blight.

When diseases are severe the seedlings are stunted, turn yellow, and eventually could die, resulting in a poor stand.

Seedlings may also have darker rot at the base of the plant. Pathogen structures such as mycelia may easily be detected on collar of infected seedlings or may be seen radiating from rotted seeds.

Environmental factors: Low temperatures and wet conditions can make soil conditions unfavorable for normal growth of rice seedlings. Cool temperatures at or shortly after planting intensify seedling problems. Likewise, warmer temperatures under wet conditions also favor some fungi to cause seedling diseases.

Water seeding: Seeds for water seeding are not often treated with chemicals and hence, seedling diseases are usually severe. Even if treated, the chemicals can quickly wash off, lowering the benefit to seedling protection.

As a result, chemical seed treatment for water seeding is not generally recommended. Therefore, water molds in water-seeded rice can cause more severe seedling diseases than in drill-planted fields.

DELTA FARM PRESS DAILY

Freezing nights: Rice seedlings in early spring often show white bands (rings) at the leaf that started at soil line.Freeze leaf spots are formed when dew or water drops on young and tender leaves freeze at night. Seedling stands are not usually affected by the white bands or freeze spots as long as the seedlings continue growing.

Soil types: Seedlings emerge faster and easier in sandier soil than in clay soil provided water and seed quality are not limiting for seeds to germinate.

Rice cultivar genotypes: Rice varieties may not emerge equally and uniformly even on the same soil type. Different rice cultivars clearly show differences in emergence and seedling vigor.

Knowledge about your field in relation to cultivar emergence is useful to match the right cultivar with the right soil type. The faster the seeds germinate and emerge, the higher the chance of escaping the early-season disease complex.

Herbicides: Chemical compounds applied pre-emergence or postemergence can substantially affect young and tender seedling tissues making seedling disease diagnosis difficult. The white bands (rings) formed due to freezing can be confused with symptoms caused by herbicide damage as with the herbicide Command.

Sometimes damage caused by herbicides can be more substantial than actual seedling diseases.

Herbicide damage on seedlings may also be caused by herbicide carryover or drift from other fields.

Insects: Grape colaspis is known to cause substantial loss in seedling stands. It may also give rice seedlings a sick appearance, making seedling diseases more complex and difficult for diagnosis.

Salt damage: Different soils have different salt levels. Higher levels often kill rice seedlings.

Zinc deficiency in soil can show a distinct leaf bronzing symptom in rice seedlings. Zinc deficiency affects crop growth.

Symptoms are more prominent at seedling stage. However, the problem can persist throughout the growth cycle of the crop, ultimately affecting the grain yield unless corrected in a timely manner.

To read more on zinc deficiency, go to chapter 9 Pages 92-93 in

Consider the following to ensure adequate seed germination, good seedling stand by reducing seed rots, and seedling disease complex at early stage of your rice crop.

• Plant healthy-looking, plump seeds treated with appropriate fungicides and insecticides.

• Higher rates of seed treatment containing mefenoxam, fludioxonil, metalaxyl, trifloxystrobin, either individually or in combinations of two fungicides need to be used for early planting or even for late planting if the season stays cold and wet. A field with a known history of disease such as rice blast requires higher rates of the appropriate fungicides.

• Gibberellic acid seed treatment may be considered on cultivars with weak seedling vigor to increase emergence and seedling vigor.

• Make sure seeds are treated uniformly.• Avoid using seeds stored inadequately for a lengthy period. For instance, seeds stored under high moisture and temperature can lose their viability within a few months.• Before planting, test for germination. Seeding rates may need to be adjusted based on your germination results.• Check for adequacy of soil moisture to promote seed germination.

• Correct low areas that puddle in your field so you can have more uniform emergence and less seed rotting.

• To maximize crop tolerance to diseases, correct nutrient deficiencies in a timely fashion.

Yeshi Wamishe is the Extension Rice Plant Pathologist with the University of Arkansas. Contact him at ywamishe@uaex.edu.

http://deltafarmpress.com/rice/causes-rice-seedling-diseases-what-you-can-do

U.S. rice production declined 13 percent in 2015

Apr 8, 2016USDA, Economic Research Service | Delta Farm Press

U.S. rice production declined 13 percent in 2015-16 (August-July) to 192.3 million hundredweight (cwt), down 29.9 cwt from a year earlier, according to USDA’s Economic Research Service.The decline in production was the result of both smaller plantings and a lower average yield.At 2.614 million acres, 2015-16 rice plantings were 11.5 percent below a year earlier, primarily reflecting weather-related problems that included excessive rain in the Mississippi Delta early in the growing season and long-term drought in California and Texas.

The U.S. average yield of 7,470 pounds per acre was 1.4 percent below a year earlier, largely due to the adverse weather in much of the South that delayed plantings and interfered with field operations during the growing season.Despite the sharp decline in the 2015 crop, reported ERS, U.S. supplies are projected to contract by only 5 percent due to the substantial quantity of rice that was carried over from the previous year, when production reached the fourth highest level on record due to strong prices and normal weather in the South that boosted acreage.

http://deltafarmpress.com/rice/us-rice-production-declined-13-percent-2015

Rice Price Going Up By 10 To 15 Per Cent

Published:Monday | April 11, 2016 | 5:06 PM

Currently, Jamaica gets most of its rice from Guyana.

Jamaicans are being warned to brace for a 10 to 15 per cent increase in the price of rice from Guyana following a hike in the cost to import gain.

Managing Director of Jamaica Rice Mills Derrick Nembhard says in mid-March, the Guyana Rice Development Board introduced a pricing schedule which requires Jamaican importers to pay US$400 per tonne if they are importing 1,500 tonnes or more.However, if the Jamaican importers want less than the 1,500 tonnes they will have to pay more than US$400 per tonne.Nembhard says as a result of the increase in the price of rice imported from the region, the cost is being passed on to consumers.

Recently, the Jamaica Rice Milling Company signed agreements with the Guyana Rice Development Board to import a total of 80,000 tonnes of rice from Guyana during 2016.However, Nembhard says the Guyana Rice Development Board independently arrived at the pricing schedule.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20160411/rice-price-going-10-15-cent

 

 

Vietnam could disrupt plans to bolster NFA’s rice buffers

THE strong drought hitting Vietnam, a key source of Philippine rice imports, could disrupt the government’s plan to build up reserves of the staple held by the National Food Authority (NFA), an industry official said.

Workers unload sacks of rice at a warehouse of the National Food Authority. -- AFP

In a phone interview, Philippine Confederation of Grains Associations (Philcongrains) President Herculano Co, said that government may not be able to count on additional imports of 500,000 metric tons (MT) of rice on top of its current government-to-government contract with Vietnam for 500,000 MT, citing a potential rise in prices as El Niño hurts production across the South China Sea.According to “Vietnam Consolidated Report on Drought and Saltwater Intrusion” collated between October and March by the United Nations Disaster Risk Management Team (UNDRMT), provinces in the Mekong Delta, Southern Central and Central Highlands regions have been feeling the impact of the El Niño-induced dry spell since the end of 2015.The Mekong Delta is Vietnam’s source of about half the country’s rice and fruit, with 159,000 hectares (ha) of the staple grain reported damaged by the drought as well as by saltwater intrusion as of March 9.

“Since the end of 2015, water levels in the lower Mekong River have been at their lowest level since records began nearly 100 years ago. It is estimated that levels of water shortage in the rivers of the Mekong Delta range from 30-50%,” reported the UNDRMT, adding that “further 500,000 ha of paddy rice is likely to be damaged by mid-2016.”As to the possibility of importing the additional 500,00 MT of rice, Mr. Co said: “I don’t think so” because Vietnam will have a hard time accumulating quantities needed to supply trading partners.NFA spokesperson Angel G. Imperial said that the Philippine plan to import about 500,000 MT more rice is “not yet a definite plan... It’s just a possibility” being considered to boost buffer stocks as a precaution against the dry spell, which has been hurting farms here since February 2015.Earlier, the NFA announced that buffers may be sufficient to rule out import in the first half of the year.

“This will be an interesting few months for the global market, which faces a tight supply situation for the first time since 2007-08,” according to a post by Dr. Sam Mohanty, head of the Social Sciences Division of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) dated Feb. 22 on the official IRRI Web site.The rice stocks of five major exporters -- India, Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan and the United States have declined since reaching a peak of nearly 41 million tons in 2013, according to IRRI, citing United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) data.The USDA was quoted as saying that the biggest drawdown of stocks in the exporting countries is under way this year, with a 40% drop from a year earlier to reach 19 million tons by late 2016.

Mr. Co said that with great crop damage resulting from the dry spell, a potential crisis looms that reminded him of the rice crisis of 2008, when prices exceeded $1,000 per MT.“If we rely on imports, what happens if the countries have problems [supplying] their own like what is happening now? We will be hostage to the rise in prices,” said Estrella F. Catarata, executive director of the Philippine Network of Food Security Programmes, a convenor of the Green Action PH, civil society group.

Ms. Catarata also noted similarities to 2008.“If possible this may be even worse than 2007-2008 crisis when there were no weather disturbances to spur the crisis,” Ms. Catarata said, noting that the violence in Kidapawan City may be a sign of the worsening situation.“If the government is serious in eradicating poverty and boosting agriculture, they should invest in irrigation,” said Ms. Catarata. She estimated that nongovernment organizations can establish irrigation systems for P300,000-P400,000 adequate to the needs of a community of some 200 households.
UNIDRMT reported that Vietnam has allocated $23.3 million in emergency funds to compensate farmers suffering from El Niño as well as providing them with water tanks and other provisions.

http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Economy&title=vietnam-could-disrupt-plans-to-bolster-nfa&8217s-rice-buffers&id=125840

Gunny Bags Add to Farmers' Woes

By Express News Service

Published: 12th April 2016 05:32 AM

Last Updated: 12th April 2016 05:32 AM

BALASORE:  Adding to a plethora of problems, the farmers of Balasore district now face a new issue - gunny bags. The service cooperative societies have refused to procure paddy from farmers as the Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation (OSCSC) Ltd and Food Corporation of India (FCI) fight over the quality of gunny bags to keep paddy.While the societies blame millers for not lifting paddy from their respective godowns, millers hold the FCI responsible for not lifting rice. The FCI in turn, accuses OSCSC of supplying poor quality gunny bags which do not match the standard. As per the prescribed guideline, weight of gunny bags should be between 550 gms and 580 gms each. However, the bags supplied by the corporation, as per order of the State Government, weigh around 450 gms each.  

At least 23 millers have made an agreement with the Civil Supplies Department to lift paddy. A rice miller said the FCI refused to accept rice due to weak gunny bags.Societies claimed that they are unable to procure paddy as they do not have storage space. They said farmers, who had sold paddy, have not received payment for over a month.While the farmers have registered their names to sell nearly 29.11 lakh quintals of paddy, societies have so far procured around 14 lakh quintals. Besides, the farmers who cultivated paddy as share croppers, have been losing at least `200 to `300 per quintal as the land owners who are registered as farmers take the money for allowing them to sell paddy through their cards.Although the rice millers are asked to deliver 68 per cent of rice quota to the corporation and 32 per cent to FCI, they are apprehensive of not receiving much rice as the quality of paddy is low. The farmers are also at the receiving end. Basanta Dalai, a farmer, said due to the recent rain, moisture content in the grains has gone up.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/Gunny-Bags-Add-to-Farmers-Woes/2016/04/12/article3375599.ece

Craft some USPs to boost exports

India’s exports—now for long on a continuous slippery slope—need a structural change in the ecosystem

By: Raghu Dayal | April 11, 2016 6:12 AM

Indian export basket includes around 60% of manufactured goods

As a sterile debate sporadically rages on the feasibility as much as the desirability of the country’s export-led economic growth, the continuing contraction of India’s exports has typically elicited weather-beaten demand for some quick-fixes such as fiscal incentives and interest rate subventions. Even if economic growth may not primarily be export-driven, exports signify a country’s competitiveness across the global value chain of efficiency, quality and pricing of its products and services.

With an export turnover of $310 billion in 2014-15, India, the world’s third-largest economy, ranked 19th among all exporting countries, achieving a share of less than 2% of world exports (vis-a-vis China’s in excess of 11%). Sixty years ago, India’s share in world exports was higher than China’s; by 2013, India’s exports were less than 15% of China’s.Indian export basket includes around 60% of manufactured goods (in addition to 20% petroleum, oil and lubricants products, 15% agricultural and allied products, 5% others), within which there has fortuitously been a perceptible shift from traditional labour-intensive categories such as textiles and leather to engineering products—for example, iron and steel, auto parts, automobiles, capital goods.

Even so, India has remained only a peripheral player in industrial sectors which command a lion’s share in global trade. Its export thrust has remained largely confined to sectors which constitute a small segment, accounting for less than one-fourth of global exports.World exports could broadly be put into five categories.Energy and resource-intensive goods such as fuels and mining products, iron and steel, paper, etc, aggregating about 30% of the $17.3 trillion worth of total global exports in 2012;

Sunrise industrial goods largely in the electronics and telecom sectors, accounting for about 25%;

Automotive products, machinery, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, etc, approximating another 25%;

Agricultural products, 10%;

Labour-intensive tradeables such as textiles, clothing, leather goods and miscellaneous manufactures, another 10%.The share of developing countries in world trade doubled from 16% in 1991 to 32% in 2011 (World Bank: Global Economic Prospects, 2013). Notwithstanding all talk of “de-coupling”, developing countries still rely on economic health of advanced economies. India’s share of manufactures exports in affluent OECD markets declined from 58% to 41% during 2000-10. It could secure 5% share in world textile exports in 2012, and 2% in clothing (against China’s 33% and 38%, respectively); it has but a negligible share in electronic data processing and office equipment, likewise in integrated circuits and electronic components versus China’s impressive 41% and 17%.

India’s exports of $10 billion of automotive products represented 0.8% share in this sector; China’s share was over four times larger. India could muster just 11% share in world tea exports in 2012, down from 43% share in 1958-60, now trailing behind Sri Lanka (share 22%), China (16%), Kenya (14%); for garments too, with exports of $13 billion in overall global garment exports aggregating $409 billion in 2012, India trailed far behind China ($148 billion), Bangladesh ($22 billion), Vietnam ($15.3 billion).

India’s 2015-16 $325 billion export target remained hugely elusive; its exports in the year trailed far behind previous year’s level of $310 billion, with merchandise exports during April-December 2015 declining by 18%, to $196.6 billion, compared to those in corresponding nine months of the previous year; imports contracted 15.9%, to $295.8 billion. India’s non-oil exports in H1-2015 fell 9% compared to the corresponding period last year; engineering goods exports were down 12%, from $34.5 billion to $30.2 billion; textiles exports, excluding apparel, contracted 4%, and leathers 10%. Agricultural and processed food products exports fell 10% to $38.6 billion in 2014-15. While basmati rice demand declined from Iran and the US, Bangladesh and Pakistan now buy oilmeals from South America, not from India. Currency fluctuations vis-a-vis Brazil, for example, eroded India’s price competitiveness in soybean, sugar, buffalo meat, etc.

The country has underperformed even given weakening global trade growth. While India’s exports slumped, for example, during H2-2015, those in Bangladesh rose year-on-year by 8% and Vietnam’s by over 9%. Albeit external factors like sluggish global demand and falling commodity prices’ impact on foreign trade, the crux of export promotion remains the supply side. For want of domestic hardware manufacturing capability towards matching the country’s burgeoning demand for products such as computer hardware, telecom equipment and aircraft alone accounted, until lately, for more than three-fourths of the total manufacturing trade deficit.

For a breakthrough in industrial manufacturing—essential also for an export jump—India will need to craft some unique USPs with a ceaseless focus on a few items amenable to the country’s comparative advantage in terms of cost, quality, supply lines and logistics.

It also needs to identify product sectors conforming to what Carlos Ghosn, the Renault-Nissan CEO, lauded India’s “austere engineering”. With fully-loaded manufacturing wages averaging $1.80 per hour in Thailand, $0.49 in Vietnam, $0.38 in Indonesia, $0.35 in Cambodia, several industrialised countries have attracted a significant transfer of work in labour-intensive products. McKinsey (2011) found that several global clothing firms wanting to shift their sourcing from China favoured new destinations like Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia and Cambodia, not India.

The country’s trade policy-makers have remained addicted to shibboleths like small-scale, sops and stimulus. Exports are seldom construed as a national quest generating an environment of competition to excel in quality, reliability, productivity and customer care. Investment in R&D has been low, in addition to underinvestment in physical and human capital. Much touted changes in labour laws remain unrealised. It is often that economies of scale are stifled, thereby eroding price-competitiveness.

How do people do their business in a country, when, as for many decades, for example, World Bank’s Doing Business ranks India almost at the bottom? Similarly, the Global Competitiveness Report, 2013, shows India slipping to 60th rank—31 places below China. Amidst hype on the country’s “demographic dividend”, educated and trained workers are but few; skilled tradesmen with volitional quality consciousness still fewer. Perceptions matter.

Transport and logistics costs more often pose a barrier at least as large, and frequently larger than tariffs. Not merely costs, timelines of delivery are affected, adding frozen capital impact. Notwithstanding debilitating transaction costs remaining on radar for decades, trade documentation, procedures and processes continue to be labyrinthine, complex, costly, time-consuming. Despite rampant crackle of ideas and initiatives like Customs Electronic Commerce Gateway, Risk Management System, On-site Post-Clearance Audit, 24X7 operations, etc, there is little sustained change towards helpfulness and efficiency. Given modern aids such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) for prior filing of documents for regulatory clearances and logistics operations, why must India’s exports and imports continue to dwell at gateways beyond, say, a maximum of 24 hours?

Much has been expected of the Narendra Modi government to create a climate of confidence for entrepreneurs’ animal spirits to soar, drastically and urgently, prune the monstrous bureaucracy for realising avowed “Minimum Government, Maximum Governance”, rationalise the panoply of laws and rules, very many of them archaic and retrograde, free the labour laws of known rigidities, generate quality-consciousness and commitment to “zero defect”, and make India a really single market. In Prime Minister Modi’s own words, “men, machines and money must work together,” generating a fervour for “skill, scale and speed.”The author is senior fellow, Asian Institute of Transport Development, and was the first MD of the Container Corporation of India Ltd. Views are personal

 

INDIAN MASTER CHEF RIPU DHAMAN HANDA WOWS CUSTOMERS AT LULU FOOD FIESTA

April 10, 2016

MUSCAT - 

Master Chef Ripu Dhaman Handa from India wowed customers who thronged to hear and interact with him on three consecutive days at Lulu Food Fiesta in Bausher and Darsait.He was involved in a series of cooking demos as well as being the judge in the Al Mudhish Cookery Contest that was held at Bausher on April 2. The cookery contest has always been the highlight of the Food Fiesta with ambitious chefs, enthusiastic beginners, passionate foodies and anyone with a skill that fits the cookery bill. The most interesting recipes get a chance to prove their talent in front of a panel of judges headed by the chef himself. Competitions were held in three broad categories that included salads, vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisines.

The Lulu Food Fiesta has been immensely popular over the years and in a short while into this edition has received an overwhelming response. Along with an array of fun competitions, for every RO10 spent on food products, shoppers also became eligible for a raffle draw to win a grand Jaguar XF 2.0 and fabulous scratch & win prizes that includes iPhones, Samsung LED TVs, Philips Air Fryers, Lulu Gift Vouchers, Al Mudhish, Minara, Nido, Al Noor Basmati Rice and Suntop Juice products.There were also five Suzuki Swift hatchback cars to be won in a raffle and scratch & win prizes of Lulu Gift Vouchers worth RO2,000.