Tuesday, April 26, 2016

25th april,2016 daily global,regional and local rice e-newsletter by ricpelus magazine

Today Rice News Headlines...·         Restaurant Review: Bahaar Pakistani is a unique and enlightening dining experience
·         04/25/2016 Farm Bureau Market Report
·         Babies Who Eat Rice Cereal Have Higher Arsenic Levels, Study Finds
·         USA Rice Touts Sustainability Record at SIAL Canada
·         Is guar gum’s future really bleak?
·         ARE YOU SERVING YOUR INFANT ARSENIC-LACED RICE?
·         Small but Powerful
·         APEDA AgriExchange Newsletter - Volume 1458
·         Thai rice yield shrinks, coffee crops die in VN
·         Aman rice output hits a new high
·         Thailand plans to sell 11.4 mln T of stockpiled rice within two months
·         MOAC announces rice farming strategy to balance supply and demand
·         Thai rice yield shrinks, coffee crops die in VN
·         Thailand to Sell 11.4 Million Tons of Stockpiled Rice
·         SunRice promises $400/t in 2017
·         El Niño less damaging to rice than expected
·         Coffee crops die in Vietnam, Thai rice yield shrinks
·         Drought in delta poses serious food security threat
·         Navigating Asia’s Troubled Waters
·         Boro Paddy harvesting continues
·         Rice imports from India jump to Rs13.43 billion
·         APEDA AgriExchange Newsletter - Volume 1459
·         CBN provides rice farmers with N4.9bn loan
·         Kebbi 1m metric tonnes of rice achievable – Emefiele
News Detail...

Restaurant Review: Bahaar Pakistani is a unique and enlightening dining experience

By Alan Bennett, Samuel Shepherd and Anthony Panciocco
For The Maine Campus
=It seemed to be a lonely night in the Bahaar Pakistani restaurant, located at 23 Hammond St. in Bangor. As we walked in, the family that ran the business was enjoying dinner at a table in the back corner, a testament to the restaurant’s atmosphere. Adorned with traditional Pakistani art, gold trim and decor and stylized with jars of various spicesFor the table, we ordered a skewer of beef tikka (small meatballs cooked in a clay oven) and aloo pakora, which are essentially crispy potato pancakes. The consensus of the appetizers was positive, as we scarfed down our small basket. The beef tikka managed to stay tender despite having a significant char. Both appetizers were plated in one basket and served with two sauces: one a spicy tomato chutney, and the other a cool, creamy yogurt sauce with fresh herbs. The aloo pakora were crunchy and were well complemented by both the tomato and yogurt-based sauces, and the yogurt sauce was additionally tasty with spicy beef.
The server also said that, on Saturdays, people travel hundreds of miles to eat at Bahaar. He claimed that Bahaar was the only Pakistani restaurant north of Connecticut. I found the alleged popularity puzzling because in the 90 minutes we were in the restaurant, no one else came in to dine. This made our experience all the more intimate and led our server to engage in a lot of conversation. This is where our experience became about more than food.
Despite the three of us venturing into a new country’s cuisine, the most fascinating part of the Bahaar’s experience was speaking with the waiter. While serving us water, he spent a few minutes speaking to us about Zagg’s iPhone screen protectors. He says they’re the best.
The man was also very intuitive, sensing that we were having trouble deciding what to order. When we ordered chapati bread, he quickly corrected us to naan bread.
“If I’m spending money on bread,” he said as he walked away, “I’m ordering naan.”
While this would have annoyed us at an Applebee’s, it was welcome at a restaurant that is unfamiliar with a large, whirling menu.
The server sparked up a conversation about Pakistan, where we grew up. He said that he rarely goes back because of all of the tension. He spoke of the recent bombing in a recreational park in Lahore, Pakistan’s capital.
He spoke to us softly, except for when he was forcefully ordering us dishes. He had some surprising, to us, comments about being “randomly” selected for airport security checks. He said that he didn’t mind being checked, because “they don’t know” who could be a terrorist. It was at once both a humbling and insightful experience.
The lamb vindaloo, served with basmati rice abundant, was a little bland, but it’s probably the patron’s own fault — spicy food hurts our news editor, and his philosophy on food is that my food should not leave him in physical pain. The lamb was ordered as a three on the one-to-ten spicy scale. The server said it could go to a seven, as it was a cream-based dish, but his advice was neglected.
Our news editor would like to offer the following on the topic of basmati rice: “I believe it to be an immaculate vessel for Indian and Pakistani. As I eat my way through the border from India into Pakistan, I find myself enamored with the long-grain rice. It’s fragrant, holds up well when soaked in sauces and compliments every single meat I’ve paired it with. I want to be buried in a casket filled with basmati rice. I’ll make the casket out of naan bread.”
On the naan, Bahaar’s is impeccable. Tender and chewy on the inside with a crisp, slightly oily and salty exterior, it disappeared in seconds.
The bowl of vindaloo had an inviting aroma, with hints of ginger hidden in the broth. There were a small handful of tender lamb chunks bathing in it as well, and there could have been more, considering the amount of both broth and rice to accompany it. Some members of our party did not enjoy the lamb for, despite its tender texture, they couldn’t get past its gamey flavor.
An order of beef biryani arrived at the table perfectly sculpted and as tall as the best sandcastle you’ve ever seen. A dish of seasoned rice, vegetables and seared beef meatballs, it was a veritable citadel of flavor waiting to be invaded. The meatballs were dispersed throughout the dish, often popping up seemingly at random, but to much delight. The rice was seasoned to perfection, with bright flavors of turmeric, cumin and curry and just enough heat to provide complexity. Contrasted with the perfectly fatty beef within, the biryani was hearty, balanced and delicious.
A side sauce of rich broth encompassing brown lentils, carrots and onions wasn’t quite saucy enough to coat the biryani, but the sauces provided with our tikka appetizer were perfect complements. Specially, the yogurt sauce soothed the heat and enrichened the lot. An order of chicken with garlic was equally as palatable, cooked well and to expectation (the spice was ordered at a level four).  
It’s no surprise Bahaar has been a staple of downtown Bangor for 24 years. In a city just now experiencing an uprising of restaurants, Bahaar has consistently provided residents and tourists alike with unique dining experience, both in terms of food and overall humility. Because our waiter commented this is the only fine dining Pakistani restaurant in the area, it is expected that such an establishment not only maintain good, loyal customers, but quality food and service, both of which you’ll find at Bahaar.
Alan Bennett is a fourth-year journalism student at the University of Maine and Culture Editor at The Maine Campus. His personal interests include food and dining, music, and health and fitness
http://mainecampus.com/?p=2042
04/25/2016 Farm Bureau Market Report
Rice

High
Low
Long Grain Cash Bids
Long Grain New Crop


Futures:
ROUGH RICE
High
Low
Last
Change
May '16
1091.5
1049.5
1083.5
+34.5
Jul '16
1117.5
1074.0
1109.0
+33.5
Sep '16
1135.0
1096.0
1120.5
+27.0
Nov '16
1144.5
1110.0
1129.5
+27.0
Jan '17
1160.5
1160.5
1144.5
+26.5
Mar '17
1157.0
+26.0
May '17
1159.5
+26.0
   

Rice Comment

Rice futures were higher across the board. A decent export total gave the market a boost this week. USDA says 121,300 metric tons for delivery this marketing year. Of course, 90,000 of that was the previously reported sale to Iraq. The market will be watching crop progress closely. If farmers plant what they reported to USDA in the survey, the large crop will limit the upside potential. Currently, USDA says 48% of the crop in the ground and 19% emerged. In Arkansas, the totals are 55% planted and 11% emerged. Demand is also a key factor. May closed on the 50% retracement line at $10.83, and now has an upside objective of $11.16, the 62% retracement level

Babies Who Eat Rice Cereal Have Higher Arsenic Levels, Study Finds

April 25, 20163:48 PM ET
A new study finds that babies fed rice cereals and other rice-based snacks have higher concentrations of arsenic in their urine.
When it comes to introducing babies to solid foods, rice cereal is often first. And rice is a staple in many baby and toddler foods.
But, as we've reported, multiple studies have found that rice-based foods contain traces of arsenic, and sometimes levels are surprisingly high.Now comes a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics that finds babies who are fed rice cereals — and other rice-based snacks — have higher concentrations of arsenic in their urine compared with infants who are not fed rice."The highest arsenic concentrations were among those who consumed infant rice cereal," says researcher Margaret Karagas, an epidemiologist at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine. "Among those [babies] who ate rice snacks, levels were about double [that of] non-rice eaters."
The study was based on data from the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. The researchers analyzed the eating habits of about 750 infants of mothers enrolled in the study."We knew rice cereal was a common first food, but we didn't really know how common it was or what age it was introduced," Karagas says. The study found that, by age 1, about 80 percent of babies had been introduced to rice cereal, usually starting at 4 to 6 months. "We were surprised by the number of infants consuming rice products," Karagas says.
The potential health effects of regularly consuming infant rice cereal — and other rice-based products —containing traces of arsenic are unclear. But the authors write in their paper that "emerging epidemiologic evidence suggests that [arsenic] exposure in utero and during early life may be associated with adverse health effects" on immune system and brain development.
Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration proposed a limit of 100 parts per billion for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal. Inorganic arsenic is the type that public health officials worry about the most.
"Our actions are driven by our duty to protect the public health and our careful analysis of the data and the emerging science," Susan Mayne, director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said in a statement on the proposed limit.
The FDA's statement points to research that links exposure to inorganic arsenic early in life to decreased performance on certain developmental tests.
The FDA tested 76 samples of infant rice cereals from retail stores for concentrations of inorganic arsenic. The agency found that about half of the samples contained levels of inorganic arsenic that were higher than 100 ppb, but most exceeded the proposed limit only slightly.
So, what advice does the agency have for parents? Rice doesn't need to be the only — or first — source of grain in your baby's diet, the FDA says. Other sources include oats, wheat and barley.
"For toddlers, provide a well-balanced diet, which includes a variety of grains," the agency says.
This advice is seconded by the American Academy of Pediatricians. A wide variety of foods "will decrease [a] child's exposure to arsenic from rice," concludes the AAP's advice to parents. And as the AAP notes, other foods — like finely chopped meats or vegetable purees — "are equally acceptable as a first food.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/04/25/475599295/babies-who-eat-rice-cereal-have-higher-arsenic-levels-study-finds
USA Rice Touts Sustainability Record at SIAL Canada 
 MONTREAL, CANADA -- The 13th edition of SIAL Canada, the North American food innovation exhibition, was held here this month attracting more than 15,000 visitors.  USA Rice participated in this trade show that showcased 850 exhibitors from 60 countries through the U.S. Sustainability Alliance (USSA). USSA, which featured more than a dozen U.S. commodities, partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service and hosted a booth which U.S. Ambassador to Canada Bruce Hayman chose as the backdrop for the opening ceremony of the USA Pavilion.  Ambassador Hayman later gave a cooking demonstration featuring foods from the U.S. as part of the promotional program. 
USA Rice stocked the booth with sustainability pamphlets and bags of U.S. rice and also provided a video on rice and sustainability practices that showed alongside other producer stories from soy and wheat.

"For the last 100 years, U.S. farmers, fisherman, and foresters have served as stewards to the environment by participating in conservation programs that help protect the land's natural resources," said USSA's David Green.  "It's time we share our great story with the many consumers who are demanding greater environmental responsibility."

Is guar gum’s future really bleak?

PRERNA SHARMA
Over the last three years, guar has slowly lost its lustre due to oversupply, reduced demand on account of oil price crash, and emergence of substitutes that further reduced its demand. Guar products enjoyed their dream run for two successive years, 2011-12 and 2012-13, becoming India’s largest agricultural export item, surpassing the famed basmati rice. In 2012-13, export of guar products reached a record high of $4 billion but declined to $1.5 billion in FY2014-15. That fell further to $0.47 billion in FY2015-16 (till January). However, a careful analysis of the data shows that guar exports volume remained more or less stable (except in 2015-16), though prices fell substantially.
India accounts for 80 per cent of the world’s production of guar, followed by Pakistan. Rajasthan is the leading producer, contributing 70 per cent of India’s production. India mainly produces guar gum, or guar splits made from guar seed that are further processed into guar gum powder. The other guar products are korma and churi, which are used by the cattle feed industry.
Over 80 per cent of India’s guar products are exported, mainly to the US, Germany and China. The top consuming industry is oil & gas, accounting for 60-65 per cent, followed by food (25-30 per cent) and the rest by pharma. The textile printing industry is the major consumer of guar domestically.
Guar gum started to play a key role in the extraction of shale oil and gas through the fracking process, post-2009. It helped the US to increase shale gas production to 11.3 trillion cubic ft in 2013, almost nine times that in 2005. The shale revolution and speculation of drought in India, together with expectation of production shortfall, led to panic stocking by the US. As a result, the US became the top importer of guar, accounting for 73 per cent of global imports in 2012. However, its share fell to 57 per cent in 2015.
Endof bull run
An unprecedented rise in prices, especially after 2009, saw Indian farmers preferring guar over competing kharif crops, such as cotton, moong, soyabean and bajri. As a result, India’s guar production has risen to 2.45 million tonnes (MT) in 2015-16 from 0.9 MT in 2005-06. New guar processing facilities were built in Rajasthan. Cultivation was extended to non-guar producing States. However, sharp rise in the prices of guar products prompted importing countries, such as China and Australia, to encourage indigenous guar cultivation and processing. Also, the food industry’s demand for guar gum was adversely impacted by extreme volatility and sharp rise in prices, especially during 2011-12. Higher prices also prompted guar consuming industries to explore and shift to cheaper substitutes.
All these developments substantially reduced the demand for gaur with implications for prices, which fell from 30,000 a quintal in April 2013 to 7,000 a quintal in December 2013. Crude oil price declined from $115/barrel in August 2014 to $30/barrel in January 2016.
That gave a big jolt to guar exports in the form of reduced demand from US shale oil and gas producers. As a result, guar prices dropped to 4,000 a quintal in 2015 from the high of 30,000 a quintal in 2012. Current prices stand at 6,000 a quintal. Even if crude oil price hovers around $40/barrel, US shale oil and gas production will continue to grow, though at a slower rate. China has set a production target of 300 billion cubic meters of gas by 2020. That would mean steady demand for guar gum.
Guar gum is used to modify water properties and acts as a thickener in the food industry. The European food industry accounts for over 10 per cent of India’s guar gum exports, and is expected to continue importing from India. Growing awareness towards natural or organic food and further rise in per capita incomes of developing countries could likely boost the demand for guar gum from the food industry. All these developments mean steady demand for guar and make guar an attractive investment option in the long run.
Crude oil price holds the key to demand for guar products. Crude oil prices seem to have bottomed out now. However, Iran seeking to capture its old market share may cause a further fall in crude prices. If that happens, it may pressurise guar.
Guar price shocks in the past have prompted international buyers to look for cheaper alternatives, such as tara gum, locust bean gum and xanthan gum, which are being used in the food industry. Synthetic polymers are used in the shale oil and gas industry. But nothing has come out as effective as guar. Nevertheless, guar substitutes will keep guar prices from shooting up unreasonably.
The writer is VP and Head, Agriculture, Food and Retail at Biznomics Consulting
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/portfolio/real-assets/is-guar-gums-future-really-bleak/article8516594.ece



ARE YOU SERVING YOUR INFANT ARSENIC-LACED RICE?

BY JESSICA FIRGER ON 4/25/16 AT 5:51 PM
A new study suggests infants who eat cereal and other products made of rice have higher levels of urinary arsenic.LUCAS JACKSON?REUTER
Rice cereal is one of the first solid foods an infant tries, because the bland mush is easy on digestion.  However, parents may want to be cautious about how much rice ends up in their kid’s diet.
A study published April 25 in JAMA Pediatrics found infants who ate rice and rice-based products had significantly higher urinary inorganic arsenic concentrations than those who didn’t eat any foods that contain the grain. Inorganic arsenic, or arsenic in which no carbon is present in the compound, is highly toxic. It’s on the World Health Organization’s known carcinogen list, and high exposure is dangerous, especially for developing infants. In particular, research suggests inorganic arsenic can have a neurotoxic effect and is harmful to the immune system.
Studies find infant rice cereal can contain levels of inorganic arsenic at approximately 200 nanograms per gram of food, which is twice the amount recommended by WHO and allowed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In the U.S., rice is the largest source of human exposure to arsenic.
For the study, researchers analyzed data on 759 infants that were part of the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study that took place between 2011 and 2014. At the start of the study, the researchers asked parents to keep a food diary, and checked in with the families every four months. When the infants turned 1 year old, the researchers assessed their dietary patterns. In particular, the researchers asked parents how much rice and rice-based food they fed their infant, including rice cereal, snacks made of rice, and snacks that contained brown rice syrup (used as a sweetener).
They found that 80 percent of the infants were introduced to rice cereal in the first year of life, and 64 percent of began eating rice cereal starting at 4 to 6 months. At the year mark, 43 percent had eaten rice cereal or some type of rice product the previous week.
The researchers also analyzed urine samples taken from the infants beginning in 2013. In an analysis of 129 urine samples at the 12-month point, the researchers found arsenic levels were significantly higher in infants who consumed rice and other rice-based foods compared with those who didn’t eat any of these products. Infants who ate rice cereal had the highest level of urinary inorganic arsenic. On average, levels were 9.53 micrograms per liter in infants who ate rice cereal compared to 2.85 micrograms per liter in infants who didn’t eat any rice-based products.
The researchers say there are some limitations to their study. The findings are partially based on self-reported questionnaires, which leave room for inaccuracy. It is also based on a population in New England where there is an unregulated water system. This may mean there’s more arsenic in tap water, and, depending on how much water the infants drank, could account for the higher levels in some urine samples. Lastly, the study doesn’t account for other common sources of arsenic such as apple juice, which could also elevate urinary arsenic levels
http://www.newsweek.com/arsenic-infant-rice-food-452351

Small but Powerful

A new compact rice mill may be a sound investment
by Zac Sarian
April 26, 2016 (updated)
Small-scale entrepreneurs in the countryside might as well take a second look at a compact rice mill that can perform functions of the bigger models.

This is the model LH 5001 from Korea, which is now available in the Philippines through a company that represents the cooperative of farm machinery manufacturers in that country. Philip Kim, president of the company that distributes the compact rice mill Fitcorea, says LH 5001 can be a profitable investment. One very good reason it can be profitable is that the mill has a high milling recovery of 68.1 percent. This means that for every 100 kilos of palay milled, 68.1 kilos of polished rice is recovered. This is much higher than the usual milling recovery of other small rice mills that ranges from only 55 to 60 percent, according to Kim.Moreover, the polished rice comes out to be of high quality because as much as 77 percent of the grains are whole grains and only 23 percent are broken. Whole grains, of course, command a higher price in the market. The machine has a husk separator, rice bran separator, impurities sorter, an adjustable polisher control, and a stone separator. The milled rice is therefore very clean.
Being compact, the machine can be installed in a place as small as nine square meters. And it can be operated by just one man. LH 5001 can mill five to six cavans of palay in one hour. The investor can install one in a community where small rice farmers produce small quantities that the big rice processing complexes will not care to accept.
Malou Bautista, a staff of Fitcorea, says that even if the machine operates only five hours a day, the operator can gross about p75,000 in fees of P2 per bag of polished rice. The expenses in electricity and other costs total only P21,500 per month so there is a profit of P53,500 monthly. That’s not bad for a small business in the countryside. One LH 5001 only costs P210,000. The cost can be recovered in just several months.
Usually, small rice farmers sell their palay right after harvest because they need cash to settle their loans or for some other purposes. If they can have their harvest milled and sell it as commercial rice, they will significantly increase their income, as Malou explains it.
Many farmers harvest 120 cavans of palay from one hectare. If they sell the palay at R17 per kilo, the gross income will be P102,000. But if they have their harvest milled by LH 5001, they will get a total of 3,900 kilos of polished rice. Because the rice is high quality, it will sell at P42 per kilo, with gross value of P163,000. The cost of milling is only P7,800, so there is an increase in income of P53,200 for the farmer who has his palay milled and sold as commercial rice.
So, there you are. Why not give the compact rice mill a second thought?

A technician of Fitcorea poses with the compact rice mill, LH 5001.

http://www.mb.com.ph/small-but-powerful/#rMQhmI5hb3rW3sI0.99
APEDA AgriExchange Newsletter - Volume 1458
International Benchmark Price
Price on: 21-04-2016
Product
Benchmark Indicators Name
Price
Honey
1
Argentine 85mm, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
2140
2
Argentine 50mm, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
2160
3
Argentine 34mm, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
2180
Guar Gum Powder
1
Indian 100 mesh 3500 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t)
3775
2
Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps basis, FOB Kandla (USD/t)
1175
3
Indian 200 mesh 5000 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t)
2295
White Sugar
1
CZCE White Sugar Futures (USD/t)
860
2
Kenya Mumias white sugar, EXW (USD/t)
691
3
Pakistani refined sugar, EXW Akbari Mandi (USD/t)
579
Source:agra-net
For more info
Market Watch
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 23-04-2016
Domestic Prices
Unit Price : Rs per Qty
Product
Market Center
Variety
Min Price
Max Price
Rice
1
Manjeri (Kerala)
Other
2700
3700
2
Dibrugarh (Assam)
Other
2000
2900
3
Khatra (West Bengal)
Other
2100
2200
Wheat
1
Dehgam (Gujarat)
Other
1600
1800
2
Haveri (Karnataka)
Local
1600
1650
3
Neemuch (Madhya Pradesh)
Other
1625
1990
Mousambi
1
Aroor (Kerala)
Other
3400
3600
2
Dasuya (Punjab)
Other
3500
4000
3
Gohana (Haryana)
Other
2000
2200
Onion
1
Palayam (Kerala)
Other
1100
1300
2
Deogarh (Orissa)
Other
1000
2000
3
Malout (Punjab)
Other
600
900
For more info
Egg
Rs per 100 No
Price on 23-04-2016
Product
Market Center
Price
1
Pune
305
2
Chittoor
338
3
Hyderabad
280
Source: e2necc.com
Other International Prices
Unit Price : US$ per package
Price on 21-04-2016
Product
Market Center
Origin
Variety
Low
High
Onions Dry
Package: 50 lb sacks
1
Atlanta
Mexico
Yellow
19
21
2
Chicago
Texas
Yellow
15
15
2
Detroit
Texas
Yellow
17
18
Cauliflower
Package: cartons film wrapped
1
Atlanta
California
White
18.50
21.50
2
Chicago
Mexico
White
14
14
3
Dallas
California
White
23.50
25
Apples
Package: cartons tray pack
1
Atlanta
Washington
Red Delicious
27
27
2
Chicago
Washington
Red Delicious
21
21
3
Miami
Virginia
Red Delicious
18
22
Source:USDA

 

Thai rice yield shrinks, coffee crops die in VN

Aman rice output hits a new high


THE STRAITS TIMES
ASIA NEWS NETWORK April 25, 2016 5:58 pm
ACROSS MUCH of central and north-eastern Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam’s Mekong Delta rice bowl, temperatures are soaring into the 40s, and are likely to stay there until around the middle of next month.A second year of summer drought has been exacerbated by the El Nino effect. On Friday, Thailand's meteorological office said a heatwave late this month or early next month would push temperatures to 43 or 44 degrees Celsius. Vietnam's coffee growers have suffered, as have Thailand's rice farmers. But while a supply dip could raise coffee prices, rice prices might not be affected, analysts say.
Scientists say the good news is the El Nino effect will start fading towards the end of next month and annual monsoon rains will begin.
Meanwhile, in village after village, water tanks are dry, grass has withered and the ground is baked and cracked underfoot.
In some villages in northeastern Thailand, there has been no running water for weeks, and local fire brigades have been pressed into service to bring water from kilometres away. In many places here, for the second year running, there has been no second rice crop.
How bad the impact of the drought will be on agricultural output - not just of rice in Vietnam and Thailand but of commodities such as coffee in Vietnam - is still uncertain.
"This is not stopping here. It's going to get worse and worse," says Rolan Colieng, 28, as she looks at her coffee farm in Vietnam's Central Highlands, where the family has had to cut down swathes of dried-out coffee trees
Thai rice yield shrinks, coffee crops die in VN
THE STRAITS TIMES
ASIA NEWS NETWORK April 25, 2016 5:58 pm
ACROSS MUCH of central and north-eastern Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam’s Mekong Delta rice bowl, temperatures are soaring into the 40s, and are likely to stay there until around the middle of next month.
A second year of summer drought has been exacerbated by the El Nino effect. On Friday, Thailand's meteorological office said a heatwave late this month or early next month would push temperatures to 43 or 44 degrees Celsius.
Vietnam's coffee growers have suffered, as have Thailand's rice farmers. But while a supply dip could raise coffee prices, rice prices might not be affected, analysts say.
Scientists say the good news is the El Nino effect will start fading towards the end of next month and annual monsoon rains will begin.
Meanwhile, in village after village, water tanks are dry, grass has withered and the ground is baked and cracked underfoot.
In some villages in northeastern Thailand, there has been no running water for weeks, and local fire brigades have been pressed into service to bring water from kilometres away. In many places here, for the second year running, there has been no second rice crop.

How bad the impact of the drought will be on agricultural output - not just of rice in Vietnam and Thailand but of commodities such as coffee in Vietnam - is still uncertain.

"This is not stopping here. It's going to get worse and worse," says Rolan Colieng, 28, as she looks at her coffee farm in Vietnam's Central Highlands, where the family has had to cut down swathes of dried-out coffee trees
Aman rice output rose to a new high of nearly 1.35 crore tonnes in the immediate past season owing to increased plantation, particularly of high-yielding varieties, said officials of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
Farmers planted the monsoon-based crop on 55.90 lakh hectares last season, up from 55.30 lakh hectares a year earlier, according to preliminary data of the BBS.
Aman accounts for 38 percent of annual rice production.
With the 2.93 percent spike in aman production, the total rice output this fiscal year stands at 1.57 crore tonnes.
The output, which although is a year-on-year increase of 1.63 percent, fell short of the Department of Agricultural Extension's target of 1.60 crore tonnes.
The DAE set out to ensure production of 24.75 lakh tonnes of rice during the aus season, 1.35 crore tonnes during aman and 1.90 crore tonnes during boro season.
However, boro production target may not be achieved as cultivation declined after many farmers switched to other crops such as wheat and potato, according to agriculture officials and seed sellers.

Farmers grew boro paddy on 46.85 lakh hectares of land during the current harvesting season, down from last season's 48.40 lakh hectares, according to the DAE.
The latest acreage is the lowest since fiscal 2008-09.
“There is uncertainty,” said a senior official of the DAE about the achievement of the boro rice production target. He said harvesting of the rice has begun in the haor areas in the northeast, with many farmers encountering flash floods in their paddy fields.
“Half the crop in the haor areas has been harvested. There is a risk of crop damage for submergence,” said the official.
Early this month, the US Department of Agriculture said total boro output in Bangladesh may be 1.86 crore tonnes in the current season.
Bangladesh requires more than 3.50 crore tonnes of rice a year for consumption, according to the USDA
http://www.thedailystar.net/business/aman-rice-output-hits-new-high-1214182

Thailand plans to sell 11.4 mln T of stockpiled rice within two months

By Reuters

BANGKOK, April 25 (Reuters) - Thailand plans to sell the remaining 11.4 million tonnes of rice in government stockpiles within two months, the country's rice management board said on Monday, starting next week.
The world's second-biggest rice exporter after India has been reducing stocks left over after the end of a rice-buying scheme under the previous, civilian government.
The military government which took control following a May 2014 coup has auctioned off 5.05 million tonnes of rice worth $1.53 billion through several tenders since taking power.
Some traders were skeptical about the government's ability to sell off remaining stocks in just two months.
The government had previously said it aimed to clear the stockpile by the end of 2017.
"Auctions will start next week, with one million tonnes of rice for each lot. We aim to auction it all off within two months," said commerce ministry permanent secretary Chutima Bunyapraphasara, who is also secretary of the rice management board.
Chutima said the remaining rice stocks were worth over 100 billion baht ($2.85 billion).
Supachai Vorraapinyaporn, president of Tanasan Rice Group, Thailand's third largest rice exporter, said the government's target of offloading the rice within two months was not possible.
"This is a million percent impossible, considering that previous auctions were monthly, and only around 400,000 tonnes," said Supachai.
"Perhaps they meant two years, not two months," he added.
Thailand has about 100,000 tonnes of what the commerce ministry has called "good grade" rice in state warehouses.
The remaining stocks include 7.5 million tonnes of "substandard" rice for human consumption, 1.5 million tonnes of rice earmarked for industrial use, and 2.4 million tonnes of spoiled rice.
($1 = 35.1000 baht) (Reporting by Patpicha Tanakasempipat, Pracha Hariraksapitak and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Mark Potter)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-3557517/Thailand-plans-sell-11-4-mln-T-stockpiled-rice-two-months.html

MOAC announces rice farming strategy to balance supply and demand

ไม่มีรายการวีดีโอ                                      Date : 25 เมษายน 2559
BANGKOK, 25 April 2016 (NNT) – The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC) has announced the plan to promote rice farming in 62.12 million rais of land, set to implement the Agri-Map system to determine which areas are suitable for rice cultivation.
MOAC Minister Gen Chatchai Sarikulya has revealed the Ministry’s plan to solve the rice oversupply issue, stating that rice production each year exceeds demand, while the rice variations do not meet consumer's demand, and farmers are being taken advantage of from the lack of proper management.
He has said that the MOAC has set the new rice production target at 27.17 million tons for the 2016-2017 cycle, which is slightly higher than the demand calculated by the Ministry of Commerce, which was at 25.01 million tons. The extra supply will be reserved to substitute deteriorated rice from pests and natural disaster.
To ensure that the Kingdom's rice production strikes a balance between supply and demand, the MOAC will also push forward a complete cycle plan, which includes the declaration of rice farming promotion areas using the Agri-Map system, plans for harvesting and post-harvesting seasons, and marketing strategies for the domestic market which include the revision of Hom Mali Rice standards, the promotion of rice consumption,
http://thainews.prd.go.th/centerweb/newsen/NewsDetail?NT01_NewsID=WNECO5904250010012#sthash.amMm9HLY.dpuf


Thai rice yield shrinks, coffee crops die in VN

THE STRAITS TIMES
ASIA NEWS NETWORK April 25, 2016 5:58 pm
ACROSS MUCH of central and north-eastern Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam’s Mekong Delta rice bowl, temperatures are soaring into the 40s, and are likely to stay there until around the middle of next month.
A second year of summer drought has been exacerbated by the El Nino effect. On Friday, Thailand's meteorological office said a heatwave late this month or early next month would push temperatures to 43 or 44 degrees Celsius.
Vietnam's coffee growers have suffered, as have Thailand's rice farmers. But while a supply dip could raise coffee prices, rice prices might not be affected, analysts say.
Scientists say the good news is the El Nino effect will start fading towards the end of next month and annual monsoon rains will begin.Meanwhile, in village after village, water tanks are dry, grass has withered and the ground is baked and cracked underfoot.
In some villages in northeastern Thailand, there has been no running water for weeks, and local fire brigades have been pressed into service to bring water from kilometres away. In many places here, for the second year running, there has been no second rice crop.
How bad the impact of the drought will be on agricultural output - not just of rice in Vietnam and Thailand but of commodities such as coffee in Vietnam - is still uncertain.
"This is not stopping here. It's going to get worse and worse," says Rolan Colieng, 28, as she looks at her coffee farm in Vietnam's Central Highlands, where the family has had to cut down swathes of dried-out coffee trees.
Thai rice yield shrinks, coffee crops die in VN
ACROSS MUCH of central and north-eastern Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam’s Mekong Delta rice bowl, temperatures are soaring into the 40s, and are likely to stay there until around the middle of next month.A second year of summer drought has been exacerbated by the El Nino effect. On Friday, Thailand's meteorological office said a heatwave late this month or early next month would push temperatures to 43 or 44 degrees Celsius. Vietnam's coffee growers have suffered, as have Thailand's rice farmers. But while a supply dip could raise coffee prices, rice prices might not be affected, analysts say.
Scientists say the good news is the El Nino effect will start fading towards the end of next month and annual monsoon rains will begin.Meanwhile, in village after village, water tanks are dry, grass has withered and the ground is baked and cracked underfoot.
In some villages in northeastern Thailand, there has been no running water for weeks, and local fire brigades have been pressed into service to bring water from kilometres away. In many places here, for the second year running, there has been no second rice crop.

How bad the impact of the drought will be on agricultural output - not just of rice in Vietnam and Thailand but of commodities such as coffee in Vietnam - is still uncertain.
"This is not stopping here. It's going to get worse and worse," says Rolan Colieng, 28, as she looks at her coffee farm in Vietnam's Central Highlands, where the family has had to cut down swathes of dried-out coffee trees.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Thai-rice-yield-shrinks-coffee-crops-die-in-VN-30284670.html

Thailand to Sell 11.4 Million Tons of Stockpiled Rice

FILE - Soldiers check rice stocks at a warehouse in Ayutthaya province, north of Bangkok, Thailand, July 3, 2014. Thailand plans to sell the remaining 11.4 million tons of rice in government stockpiles within two months.
BANGKOK—
Thailand plans to sell the remaining 11.4 million tons of rice in government stockpiles within two months, the country's rice management board said on
Monday, starting next week.
The world's second-biggest rice exporter after India has been reducing stocks left over after the end of a rice-buying scheme under the previous, civilian government.
The military government which took control following a May 2014 coup has auctioned off 5.05 million tons of rice worth $1.53 billion through several tenders since taking power. 
Some traders were skeptical about the government's ability to sell off remaining stocks in just two months. 
The government had previously said it aimed to clear the stockpile by the end of 2017.
"Auctions will start next week, with one million tons of rice for each lot. We aim to auction it all off within two months," said commerce ministry permanent secretary Chutima Bunyapraphasara, who is also secretary of the rice management board.
Chutima said the remaining rice stocks were worth over 100 billion baht ($2.85 billion).
Supachai Vorraapinyaporn, president of Tanasan Rice Group, Thailand's third largest rice exporter, said the government's target of offloading the rice within two months was not possible.
"This is a million percent impossible, considering that previous auctions were monthly, and only around 400,000 tons," said Supachai.
"Perhaps they meant two years, not two months," he added. Thailand has about 100,000 tons of what the commerce ministry has called "good grade" rice in state warehouses. The remaining stocks include 7.5 million tons of
"substandard" rice for human consumption, 1.5 million tons of rice earmarked for industrial use, and 2.4 million tons of spoiled rice.

 

SunRice promises $400/t in 2017

ANDREW MARSHALL
26 Apr, 2016 07:43 AM
SunRice has jumped early to lock in guaranteed rice production commitments from southern NSW growers next summer, promising $400 a tonne for medium grain Reiziq crops.
While this year’s harvest is still underway, the industry processor and marketer will also pay $380/t for Sherpa crops harvested in 2017 if they are forward sold into the contract.
As the cotton industry notches up another season of expansion and expected yield successes in the south, SunRice is trying to limit the loss of any more precious irrigation water from its traditional grain cropping heartland in the Murrumbidgee and Murray valleys.
Irrigated nuts and maize crops have also soaked up available water this past summer.
The 2015-16 Australian crop expected to have slumped to yield around 300,000 tonnes.
That compares with last year’s 690,000t harvest and is well below SunRice's annual domestic and export market for at least 1 million tonnes.
Many ricegrowers sold their limited 2015-16 irrigation entitlements last spring, rather than planting rice, as water values soared above $250 a megalitre.
SunRice’s chairman, Laurie Arthur, said on an overall farm system basis, independent research showed return on capital from planting rice in the Riverina was “compelling”, particularly when compared with wheat, canola and maize.
“Rice continues to maintain strong returns while other crops have experienced significant volatility in recent times,” he said.
“We have significant demand for Australian rice and this contract is designed to ensure growers are able to make commercial decisions now to grow rice for harvest in 2017 and participate in premium markets.”
Although traditional pools will also operate next season, the special contracts will open on May 2, taking a limited volume.
They close when an undisclosed tonnage is reached, with growers signed up on a “first in, first served” basis.
Meanwhile, SunRice is still trying to finalise plans for a shareholder vote on the grower-owned company floating part of its capital structure on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).

Andrew Marshall

is the national agribusiness writer for Fairfax Agricultural Media
http://www.farmweekly.com.au/news/agriculture/agribusiness/general-news/sunrice-promises-400t-in-2017/2752358.aspx

El Niño less damaging to rice than expected



THE Department of Agriculture (DA) has maintained its palay production estimate for 2016 at just under a million metric tons (MT) over 2015 levels, saying it is confident that damage from the strongest El Niño to ever hit the country will be less than initially expected.

“We’re still targeting 19 million MT,” Department of Agriculture Chief Proceso J. Alcala told reporters on the sidelines of the Agri-Pinoy awards on Tuesday. In 2015, palay production was 18.15-million MT, down 4.31% from a year earlier.

According to Mr. Alcala, the initial proposed budget for 2016 was drafted with a view towardspalay output of about 20-million MT, but not all proposals were approved on review.

On DA’s expectation of a possible contraction in the first quarter, Mr. Alcala said: “What’s possible is that if palay dips big time, it will be only one third of projected damage loss.”

The DA said the forecast, prepared at the tail end of 2015, anticipated palay losses from the El Niño at 957,000 MT. “But as of April 14, reports say that lost palay production is just at 233,000 MT,” said Mr. Alcala.

When asked if palay output can recover in the second quarter from the projected dip in the first three months of the year, Mr. Alcala said: “The second quarter marks the beginning of the summer cropping. If it does not dip so much, that would be good enough for us.”

Mr. Alcala also assured that the Philippines prepared for the dry spell by importing 500,000 MT of rice before the first quarter, when official weather forecasters said the dry spell would intensify.

In September, the interagency Food Security Committee allowed the National Food Authority to proceed with procurement of 500,000 MT by the first quarter of 2016 via state-to-state deals as means to top up buffer stocks in anticipation of a severe El Niño.

According to the weather agency PAGASA’s El Niño advisory last month, “climate models suggest gradual weakening of El Niño in the March-April-May 2016 season” but still advised agencies to take precautionary action and intervention measures to mitigate the adverse impact of El Niño.

When asked if the country is ready for a disaster on the magnitude of the 2007-2008 rice crisis considering the impact of the El Niño that has hit several countries including Vietnam and Thailand, the world’s biggest rice exporters, Mr. Alcala said the country, a top importer of rice should depend too heavily on satisfying domestic demand via trade.

During the 2007-2008 rice crisis, global prices shoot up by 300% to $1000 per MT in the span of four months.

Mr. Alcala said the targets set in the 2017 Agriculture budget will revisit the 20-million metric ton level initially contemplated in 2016.

“Currently we’re in the process for budget preparation for 2017... we’re double-checking how to increase production [aims] to more than 19 million MT,” the secretary said. -- Janina C. Lim
http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Economy&title=el-ni&241o-less-damaging-to-rice-than-expected&id=126372

Coffee crops die in Vietnam, Thai rice yield shrinks


02:09 PM April 25th, 2016


This picture taken on March 8, 2016 shows a girl walking along a nearly dry canal in the Long Phu district in the southern Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang. Vietnam is suffering its worst drought in nearly a century with salinisation hitting farmers especially hard in the crucial southern Mekong delta, experts said. AFP
Across much of central and north-eastern Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam’s Mekong Delta rice bowl, temperatures are soaring into the 40s, and are likely to stay there until around the middle of next month.
A second year of summer drought has been exacerbated by the El Nino effect. On Friday, Thailand’s meteorological office said a heatwave late this month or early next month would push temperatures to 43 deg C or 44 deg C.
Vietnam’s coffee growers have suffered, as have Thailand’s rice farmers. But while a supply dip could raise coffee prices, rice prices might not be affected, analysts say.
Scientists say the good news is the El Nino effect will start fading towards the end of next month and annual monsoon rains will begin.
Meanwhile, in village after village, water tanks are dry, grass has withered and the ground is baked and cracked underfoot.
In some villages in north-eastern Thailand, there has been no running water for weeks, and local fire brigades have been pressed into service to bring water from kilometers away. In many places here, for the second year running, there has been no second rice crop.
How bad the impact of the drought will be on agricultural output – not just of rice in Vietnam and Thailand but of commodities such as coffee in Vietnam – is still uncertain.
“This is not stopping here. It’s going to get worse and worse,” says Rolan Colieng, 28, as she looks at her coffee farm in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, where the family has had to cut down swathes of dried-out coffee trees.
Her family is part of the K’Ho ethnic minority group, which has grown coffee for four generations, and has culled 500 trees. The community’s 50ha of coffee usually yield 100 tonnes per season but might provide only half of that this year, she estimates. Blackouts happen twice a week on average because nearby dams that produce the hydro-power have seen reservoirs dry up.
Down south in the delta, rice output was down by 200,000 tons in the winter-spring season compared with the same period last year, for a total of 11 million tons, says Bui Chi Buu, a senior researcher at the Institute of Agricultural Science for Southern Vietnam.
Losses from the drought rose to nearly US$250 million after coffee, fruit and vegetable and cash crops, as well as 4,500ha of aquaculture farms, were destroyed, Vietnam’s Central Steering Committee on Natural Disasters Prevention said this month.
This is the worst drought in a century, Buu tells The Straits Times. Some 167,000ha of rice and tens of thousands of hectares of coffee have been affected by drought and salinity, with the Central Highlands – home to many of Vietnam’s ethnic minorities – being the worst hit.
“Vietnamese people have a proverb: ‘Have a crop failure for one year, be poor for three years’,” says Buu. “So this will not affect us immediately, but in the longer term.”
With the drought having killed off coffee trees, and low yields from older trees, which account for 35 per cent of the total, Vietnam’s coffee exports could shrink by 25 per cent this year to one million tonnes, Luong Van Tu, the chairman of the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association, told Reuters this month. Tighter supply from Vietnam could see global coffee prices going up.
In Thailand, Vichai Sriprasert, the president and chief executive of exporter Riceland International, estimates that the second rice crop could suffer a 30 per cent fall in output.
It is a close estimate, says Dr. Nipon Poapongsakorn, a distinguished fellow of the Thailand Development Research Institute Foundation, a local think-tank.
But the second rice crop is only part of Thailand’s output, he emphasises. Even though there is not yet enough data to conclusively establish the impact of the drought, the main crop yield last year came to 23.5 million tons, while the dry season or second crop yield was 5.4 million tons.
This year, the main crop yield is forecast to be up to 25.2 million tons – and the second crop should go down to around 3.9 million tons, says Dr Nipon.
Thailand is not in danger of experiencing a rice supply shortage, given that it still has some 13 million tons of old rice in warehouses, Vichai notes.
The second crop yield has never been this low, he says. Yet, world rice prices, which have been low, will remain low, he predicts – because demand is also down, amid an uncertain global economic environment.
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/138909/coffee-crops-die-in-vietnam-thai-rice-yield-shrinks
Drought in delta poses serious food security threat
VietNamNet Bridge – The worst drought ever recorded in Việt Nam has prompted the government and the public to brainstorm strategies on using water sources intelligently for food security and poverty reduction.
Professor Vo Tong Xuan, a leading Vietnamese agricultural expert, talks about his suggestions to adapt to drought and saline intrusion during the conference. Photo: VNS
The historic drought and saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta caused by upstream hydropower dams and climate change has brought fears of a reduction in rice output and threatens food security.
Even though China has agreed to release water to support Viet Nam to fight drought and desalinate downstream Mekong River, the lifeblood of the region, the water flow to Viet Nam is still insufficient.
Saltwater intrusion in the Delta has destroyed at least 159,000 hectares of paddy rice, and a further 500,000 hectares are at risk before the onset of the summer monsoon.
Recently, the government approved US$23.3 million in emergency funds to compensate hard-hit farmers and provide water tanks and other critical provisions.
Viet Nam has increased rice production fivefold from 4.5 million metric tonnes in 1975 to 25.5 million metric tonnes last year, which represents 17 per cent of the world rice market. Viet Nam is the world’s second-largest exporter of rice.  
During the past five years, the world rice market was at about 40 to 42 million metric tonnes of milled rice per year while demand for rice is predicted to increase.
Professor Vo Tong Xuan, a leading Vietnamese agricultural expert, said that saline intrusion affected agricultural production in the lower Mekong River basin, putting paddy production at risk.
Xuan spoke during a conference titled “Sustainable Uses of Mekong Water Resources” organised at Can Tho University yesterday, April 22.
However, he said the challenges should be turned into opportunities by restructuring agriculture in the country, thereby improving farmers’ incomes.
Paddy farmers’ per capita income in the country, which exports seven million tonnes of rice annually, is only about US$500.
Drought and saline intrusion could be seen a silver lining in the dark cloud, pushing the country to reorganise its irrigation system.
“The government needs to restructure its agricultural and food production in the Mekong Delta to make good use of limited fresh water and opportunities with marine water,” said Xuan.
“We have been successful in building irrigation systems bringing fresh water to paddy production for decades. Now, the government should have a comprehensive plan for farmers using saline water in shrimp cultivation,” Xuan said.
He said that if farmers were forced to continue with paddy on saline farmland, they would continue to face poverty.
Areas not affected by marine water such as An Giang, Dong Thap and others should be arranged for paddy cultivation with advanced technology, meeting requirements of food security.
He said the government should also develop irrigation systems for shrimp cultivation.
Areas affected by drought and saline intrusion should also plant paddy crops during the rainy season. As soon as rice is harvested at the end of rainy season, with the fields still wet containing fresh water from rains in the surrounding ditches, saline water would be allowed to enter and shrimp post-larvae would grow in the ditches, he said.
“If we see marine water as the enemy, it will be our true failure,” Xuan added.
Kenichi Yamamoto, deputy chief representative of JICA Viet Nam, who helped establish the Centre of Excellence in Can Tho University, where information related to the Mekong River is exchanged between related countries, said that drought and saline intrusion not only affected food production in Viet Nam, but other riparian countries along the Mekong River.
Helping the delta’s farmers realise the adaptation plan, the World Bank announced that it would provide a concessionary loan of US$300 million in mid-2016 to Viet Nam for the Mekong Delta Climate Resiliency and Sustainable Livelihoods Project.
Iain Menzies, senior water specialist of World Bank, who attended the conference, said that the World Bank’s financial and technical assistance to the Mekong basin countries could be effectively used if there was a strong civil society which openly, and in good faith, debated development alternatives and helped guide governments to make well-informed decisions based on sound science.
The project enhances the capacity to manage and adapt to climate change by improving planning, promoting resilient rural livelihoods, and constructing climate smart infrastructure in selected provinces in the Mekong Delta.
Nguyen Huu Thien, who has more than 20 years of experience working on issues of climate change and natural resource management, said Viet Nam had received almost no benefits from hydropower dams. But it has had to suffer huge consequences from the construction of such dams.
Besides threatening the livelihoods of millions, climate change is also threatening the shape of the Mekong Delta, which may disappear in the future, according to the researcher.
    

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/155438/drought-in-delta-poses-serious-food-se

 

Navigating Asia’s Troubled Waters

Brahma Chellaney
 Sunday, 24 April 2016


Asia’s water woes are worsening. Already the world’s driest continent in per capita terms, Asia now faces a severe drought that has parched a vast region extending from southern Vietnam to central India.
 
This has exacerbated political tensions, because it has highlighted the impact of China’s dam-building policy on the environment and on water flows to the dozen countries located downstream.
 
Today’s drought in parts of Southeast and South Asia is the worst in decades. Among the hardest-hit areas are Vietnam’s Mekong Delta (a rice bowl of Asia) and central highlands; 27 of Thailand’s 76 provinces; large parts of Cambodia; Myanmar’s largest cities, Yangon and Mandalay; and areas of India that are home to more than a quarter of the country’s massive population.
 
Droughts may not knock down buildings, but they carry high social and economic costs. Millions of Asians now confront severe water shortages and some have been forced to relocate.
 
Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia have had to scale back traditional water festivals marking their New Year. The High Court of Bombay moved the world’s biggest and wealthiest cricket tournament, the Indian Premier League, out of the state of Maharashtra. In one Maharashtra county, the local authorities, fearing violence, temporarily banned gatherings of more than five people around water storage and supply facilities.
 
Meanwhile, the mounting drought-related losses in some of the world’s top rice-producing countries – Thailand, Vietnam and India – threaten to roil the world’s already tight rice market. Barely 7 percent of global rice output is traded internationally, because much of it is consumed where it is produced – in Asia.
 
Rice losses have been particularly significant in Thailand and Vietnam, which account for half of all rice exports and almost three-quarters of this decade’s projected export growth. Some 230,000 hectares of paddy rice cultivation has been destroyed just in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, where depleted river flows have led to saltwater intrusion from the South China Sea, rendering nearly 10 percent of the rice farms potentially infertile.
 
This drought may be unprecedented, but it is not an anomaly. On the contrary, environmental challenges in Asia, such as ecosystem degradation, groundwater depletion, the contamination of water resources, the El Niño tropical weather pattern and the effects of global warming are causing droughts to become increasingly frequent – and increasingly severe.
 
Even without droughts, Asia would be facing formidable water constraints. The annual amount of available fresh water per capita in the region (2,816 cubic meters) already is less than half the global average (6,079 cubic meters). As the region pursues rapid economic development, characterized by massive increases in resource consumption and serious environmental damage, its water constraints are tightening further.
 
The challenge is compounded by Asians’ changing dietary preferences, particularly higher consumption of meat, the production of which is notoriously water-intensive.
 
While Asia’s resource-hungry economies can secure fossil fuels and mineral ores from distant lands, they cannot import water, which is prohibitively expensive to transport. So they have been overexploiting local resources instead – a practice that has spurred an environmental crisis, advancing regional climate change and intensifying natural disasters like droughts.
 
As a result Asia, which accounts for 72 percent of the world’s total irrigated acreage, now faces a dilemma: It must grow enough food to meet rising demand, while reducing the amount of water that goes toward irrigation. Unless Asia resolves it, economic development will be imperiled, with major consequences for the entire global economy.
 
Yet the continent’s water crisis is only worsening. According to a recent MIT study, there is a “high risk” that Asia’s water stress could worsen to water scarcity by 2050. Water-sharing disputes between countries or provinces already are increasingly frequent, owing to the proliferation of dam projects that can adversely affect downstream flows – an approach that represents a continuing preference for supply-side approaches over smart water management.
 
The main culprit in this regard is China, which has heavily dammed the Mekong, Southeast Asia’s lifeline. In the current lean season, which will last until the monsoon rains arrive in June, the lower Mekong is, according to a recent United Nations report, running at “its lowest level since records began nearly 100 years ago.”
 
China is now trying to play savior, by releasing an unspecified quantity of water from one of its six upstream mega-dams to “accommodate the concerns” of drought-stricken countries.
 
China’s rulers have touted the move as underscoring the effectiveness of upstream “water facilities” in addressing droughts and containing floods.
 
Of course, in reality, all of this simply highlights the newfound reliance of downriver countries on Chinese goodwill – a dependence that is set to deepen as China builds 14 more dams on the Mekong. The environmental impact of these projects is sure to exacerbate further the ecological challenges, including drought, already facing Asia.
 
This competitive approach is putting Asia on a dangerous path, which can lead only to more environmental degradation, slower economic development and even water wars. It is time to change course and embark on the path of rules-based cooperation, based on water-sharing accords, the free flow of hydrological data and dispute-settlement mechanisms.
 
Asian countries must work together to ensure greater efficiency in water consumption, increase the use of recycled and desalinated water and promote innovative solutions that advance conservation and adaptation efforts.
 
To this end, governments must phase out state subsidies that have encouraged profligate water use, such as in agriculture, and focus on building new market mechanisms and effective public-private partnerships.
 
None of this will be possible without China’s cooperation. Indeed, if China does not abandon its current approach – from its “water grab” in the Mekong and other international rivers to its “territorial grab” in the South China Sea – the prospects for a rules-based order in Asia could perish forever. Copyright: – Project Syndicate (Mr. Chellaney, Professor of Strategic Studies at the New Delhi-based Center for Policy Research and Fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin, is the author of nine books.
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/24148/navigating-asia---s-troubled-waters/curity-threat.html
Boro Paddy harvesting continues

Harvesting of Boro paddy has been continuing in full swing in all the eight upazilas of in Jessore district during the current month.The upazilas are Monirampur, Keshabpur, Abhaynagar, Bagherpara, Sharsha, Chaugacha, Jhikargacha and in Jessore Sadar.Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) office sources said the Boro cultivators of the district finally cultivated the Boro paddy on 0.15 million hectares of land with the target of producing 0.60 million tonnes of rice.
The crops specialists of the DAE said the yielding rate of high yielding variety (HYV) of the Boro rice was found on average 3.82 tonnes per hectare, the yielding rate of hybrid variety of the Boro rice was found on average 4.75 tonnes per hectare in most of the areas of the district.Deputy Director of the DAE in the district Nitto Ranjan Biswas said the farmers are now expecting a bumper production of the Boro paddy after seeing the better yielding rate, according to a news agency report

Rice imports from India jump to Rs13.43 billion


Apr 24, 2016- Nepal’s rice imports from India jumped to a staggering Rs13.43 billion in the first eight months of this fiscal year, according to a Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) report.In the same period last year, rice and paddy imports bills stood at Rs9.91 billion. Agro experts said the figure represents a significant imbalance in what Nepal grows and eat.
“Irrigation, inputs and manpower are extremely important for food production. We lack of all these resources. Hence, the imbalance between production and consumption has been growing every year,” said Hem Raj Regmi, deputy director general at the Central Bureau of Statistics.
This fiscal year, even as the imports of most of the commodities from India have dropped due to a six-month-long trade embargo since September last year, rice imports continued to rise.
“Imports of food grains are expected to rise further as the winter crop harvest, particularly wheat output, has been projected to be dismal,” he said. “Already, Nepal’s paddy output last summer had dropped by more than 10 percent and deficit has been visible in the market with such an alarming imports bill.”
According to Regmi, rice-culture is still a general food habit in Nepal and if the paddy production drops, the deficit is offset by imports from India.
Food Imports bill has also been spurred by increasing disposable incomes of the Nepalis. “Obviously, rising income means, people prefer to eat imported foods,” he said, adding for instance, the import of basmati rice has been increasing in a dramatic way.
The central bank’s statistics show along with rice and paddy, imports of other agricultural commodities like vegetables and fruits have also jumped sharply. However, despite the jump in the imports, it has not affected prices in the market.
Looming Indian export ban
According to reports, about 330 million people in India are affected by drought, as the country reels under severe water shortages and desperately poor farmers suffer crop losses.
The impact of drought in India is likely to affect Nepal, said Bhola Man Singh Basnet, an agro scientist. “As Nepal will be facing food deficit due to poor summer harvest and projected drop in winter crops, we need to be extra cautious about the increasing concerns of India’s agricultural sector this year.”
For example, when the world suffered a worst food crisis during 2007-08, India had enforced a trade ban on several key food items to Nepal. “The episode could repeat again amid reports that farmers in India are likely to suffer crop losses due to drought and water shortage,” Basnet said. “The government should be proactive to maintain sufficient food stock so that India’s food exports ban will not affect Nepal.”
Indian metrological officials have forecast an above-average monsoon this year, offering hope for the struggling farmers. The same trend is reflected in Nepal and if it happens, food pressure will be eased from the next year, Basnet said.
The Agriculture Ministry has projected the country might face food deficit of 800,000 tonnes this year if wheat production drops sharply. The agriculture sector employs about 66 percent of the population and contributes 33 percent to the GDP.


http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2016-04-24/rice-imports-from-india-jump-to-rs1343-billion.html
APEDA AgriExchange Newsletter - Volume 1459
International Benchmark Price
Price on: 21-04-2016
Product
Benchmark Indicators Name
Price
Honey
1
Argentine 85mm, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
2140
2
Argentine 50mm, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
2160
3
Argentine 34mm, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
2180
Guar Gum Powder
1
Indian 100 mesh 3500 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t)
3775
2
Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps basis, FOB Kandla (USD/t)
1175
3
Indian 200 mesh 5000 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t)
2295
White Sugar
1
CZCE White Sugar Futures (USD/t)
860
2
Kenya Mumias white sugar, EXW (USD/t)
691
3
Pakistani refined sugar, EXW Akbari Mandi (USD/t)
579
Source:agra-net
For more info
Market Watch
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 23-04-2016
Domestic Prices
Unit Price : Rs per Qty
Product
Market Center
Variety
Min Price
Max Price
Rice
1
Manjeri (Kerala)
Other
2700
3700
2
Dibrugarh (Assam)
Other
2000
2900
3
Khatra (West Bengal)
Other
2100
2200
Wheat
1
Dehgam (Gujarat)
Other
1600
1800
2
Haveri (Karnataka)
Local
1600
1650
3
Neemuch (Madhya Pradesh)
Other
1625
1990
Mousambi
1
Aroor (Kerala)
Other
3400
3600
2
Dasuya (Punjab)
Other
3500
4000
3
Gohana (Haryana)
Other
2000
2200
Onion
1
Palayam (Kerala)
Other
1100
1300
2
Deogarh (Orissa)
Other
1000
2000
3
Malout (Punjab)
Other
600
900
For more info
Egg
Rs per 100 No
Price on 23-04-2016
Product
Market Center
Price
1
Pune
305
2
Chittoor
338
3
Hyderabad
280
Source: e2necc.com
Other International Prices
Unit Price : US$ per package
Price on 21-04-2016
Product
Market Center
Origin
Variety
Low
High
Onions Dry
Package: 50 lb sacks
1
Atlanta
Mexico
Yellow
19
21
2
Chicago
Texas
Yellow
15
15
2
Detroit
Texas
Yellow
17
18
Cauliflower
Package: cartons film wrapped
1
Atlanta
California
White
18.50
21.50
2
Chicago
Mexico
White
14
14
3
Dallas
California
White
23.50
25
Apples
Package: cartons tray pack
1
Atlanta
Washington
Red Delicious
27
27
2
Chicago
Washington
Red Delicious
21
21
3
Miami
Virginia
Red Delicious
18
22
Source:USDA

 

CBN provides rice farmers with N4.9bn loan

April 24, 2016
Godwin Emefiele, CBN Governor
Ifeanyi Onuba, Abuja
The Central Bank of Nigeria said on Sunday that a total of N4.9bn has been provided as loans to rice farmers under its anchor borrower program.
The CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele stated this while speaking during a tour of the farmlands in Kebbi state cultivated under the intervention program of the apex bank.
The anchor borrower program is designed to create economic linkages between farmers and processors, not only to ensure increased agricultural output of rice and wheat, but also close the gap between production and consumption.
Under the programme, the CBN has set aside N40bn out of the N220bn Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund to be given to farmers at single digit interest rate of nine per cent per annum.
Under the scheme, smallholder farmers are entitled to loans ranging from N150,000 to N250,000 to assist them in procuring necessary agricultural inputs like seedlings, fertilizers, pesticides, among others, to help boost agricultural outputs and productivity.
Emefiele said through the intervention, a total of 78,581 farmers were mobilized in Kebbi State under the intitiaive, with a total of 570,000 direct jobs created in the process.
The farmers,according to him would be producing about one million metric tonnes of rice for the country this year.
The governor according to statement issued by the apex bank on Sunday described the current scarcity of foreign exchange confronting the country as a blessing in disguise as local production of various essential products are now being given top priority.
The statement reads in part, “The Governor stated that the success recorded by the rice farmers in Kebbi state has rekindled hope in the ability of Nigeria to be self sufficient in rice and wheat production.
“He noted that with the sum of N210,000 granted to each farmer, they are able to cultivate a hectre of rice.
 “He disclosed that a total of 78,581 farmers were mobilized in Kebbi state under the Anchor Borrowers Programme. The farmers are already looking forward to a total of one million metric tons rice this year.
“The CBN Governor stated that with the disbursement of N4.9bn as loans to the farmers, over N570,000 direct jobs have been created and saved.”
Apart from the number of jobs created, Emefiele stated that 70,871 rural farmers now own and operate bank accounts and are also captured under the Bank Verification Number biometric project.
The Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh according to the statement said that with Kebbi State alone targeting one million tons of rice out of the projected seven million tons required by the entire country, the country was on its way to self sufficiency in rice production.
He commended the efforts of the CBN for its intervention in the agricultural sector adding that deliberate efforts are being put in place at opening up other rural areas for agricultural purposes.
http://www.punchng.com/cbn-provides-rice-farmers-with-n4-9bn-loan/

Kebbi 1m metric tonnes of rice achievable – Emefiele

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh leads the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele; Gov. Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State and other officials to inspect rice farms under the Anchor Borrowers Programme in Suru Local Government Area of Kebbi State yesterday Photo: NAN
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefile and Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe, have said that with the commitment of Kebbi State government and that of the 70,000 farmers under the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Anchor Borrowers programme, its projection of one million metric tonnes of rice by the end of this year is achievable. During the assessment tour to some rice and wheat farms in Kebbi State by the CBN governor and the Minister of Agriculture, Emefile said “If Kebbi State can commit itself to one million metric tonnes of rice by the end of this year, I am very optimistic that we have seen the green light on growing rice locally”.
The Anchor Borrowers Programme of the Central Bank was flagged-off by President Muhammadu Buhari in November last year at Zauro, near Birnin Kebbi for dry season rice farming in the state.Speaking to journalists, the CBN governor said “we have gone round the farms; we got to a place called Suru local government where over 12, 000 farmers were registered under the Anchor Borrowers Programme and over 40,000 kilometers of rice farms have been cultivated. We also stopped somewhere close to Suru where wheat is being harvested. Now we are seeing the reality in Kebbi, that wheat can be cultivated and grown in Nigeria”.He said so far, 78,000 farmers have benefitted from the Anchor Borrowers Programme, noting that the CBN only gave them a minimum of N210,000 to cultivate a hectare of land. “Thirteen states would be involved in the rice programme particularly during the rainy season. We would begin from the South-east states of Anambra, Ebonyi, Cross -River, Benue and Plateau. We would also engage northern states of Zamfara, Kaduna and Katsina”, he said.
On his part, Chief Ogbe said there was no way Nigeria’s economy could grow if they do not start this kind of agricultural programme in the rural areas.
 “In his remarks, Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, who conducted the federal government team round about eight rice and wheat farms in Suru, Augie and Argungu local government areas of the state, said “we were able to go this far due to our commitment, that of President Muhammadu Buhari, Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe, the CBN Governor, those of the policy makers and farmers who have confidence in us”.
http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/kebbi-1m-metric-tonnes-of-rice-achievable-emefiele/143805.html#g9guxgQtvZKRoX1o.99

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