·
Today Rice News Headlines...
Rice exporters demand
inclusion in tax-free sectors
·
Reap seeks zero rated
regime for rice exporters
·
New Philippine president to
face early test over food security
·
05/26/2016 Farm Bureau
Market Report
·
Louisiana Farmers Push
Legislators on Trade with Cuba
·
AIREA All India Rice
Exporters Association : Yes, Rice Has Arsenic, but Here's Why You Don't Need to
Panic
·
Monsoon stuck over Andamans
as heat wave shifts to east India
·
Nigeria: Customs
Confiscates 575 Bags of Foreign Parboiled Rice
·
Duterte gov’t faces early
test over food security; rice policy in focus
·
Yes, Rice Has Arsenic, but
Here's Why You Don't Need to Panic
·
As El Nino fades, hopes
increase for wet rainy
News Detail...
Rice exporters demand inclusion in tax-free sectors
Last Updated On 26 May,2016 01:17 pm
LAHORE (Dunya News)
– Rice exporters have demanded the government to elevate the market to industry
level and include it in group of the five sectors for which taxes are waived
off, reported Thursday.According to the association, rice export amounts to USD 2 billion in a year and it could
increase twofold if the government ends taxation and pay the pending funds
under export refund.Administrator of the association, Rahim Jano said
that traders face many issues despite the fact that after textile, rice export
is the biggest of all products in the country. Rice export could increase twofold if government doesn't tax it,
says association
http://dunyanews.tv/en/Business/338426-Rice-exporters-demand-inclusion-in-taxfree-sector
Reap seeks zero rated regime for rice exporters
May 27, 2016
Our Staff Reporter
Lahore : The Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) has
appealed to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar for the
grant of zero rated regime, as granted to other five export-oriented sectors.
Abdur Raheem Janoo, Chief Patron of REAP, Ch
Shafique, Chairman REAP and Nauman Ahmad Sheikh, Senior Vice Chairman REAP,
also welcomed the statement of Javed Bilwani, Chief Coordinator for five Zero
Rated Export Sectors, in which he had called for also including the rice sector
in the zero rated regime in the upcoming budget and assured full cooperation in
this regard.
REAP Chairman Ch Shafique said the rice sector
was the second largest foreign exchange earner for the country, surpassing more
than $2 billion annually.He also demanded the government to withdraw all duties
on the import of all kinds of rice machinery in the upcoming budget.
“If rice sector is discouraged, the exporters will lose established markets and will get disheartened,” he said, adding, “If the government’s intentions are good then ‘No Payment, No Refund’ policy would curb corruption.
”
“If rice sector is discouraged, the exporters will lose established markets and will get disheartened,” he said, adding, “If the government’s intentions are good then ‘No Payment, No Refund’ policy would curb corruption.
”
“If the government wants to increase exports,
then why to penalise the export sector by making it to pay first and then get
refunds,” he queried.
Shafique said that the working capital of the exporters had got blocked, as their refunds had been pending for many years.
Conveying gravity of the situation, he said, “People have to borrow loans to run their units or shut them down.
” He also called for merging other taxes/cess on all export items in one tax, to be collected through banks at the time of negotiating documents or on receipt of payments.
Shafique said that the working capital of the exporters had got blocked, as their refunds had been pending for many years.
Conveying gravity of the situation, he said, “People have to borrow loans to run their units or shut them down.
” He also called for merging other taxes/cess on all export items in one tax, to be collected through banks at the time of negotiating documents or on receipt of payments.
“This will increase the government’s revenues and
eliminate corruption.
Besides that its calculation formula is very easy,” Shafique said.
Besides that its calculation formula is very easy,” Shafique said.
He also demanded exemption for exporters from
sales tax on packing material, local supply and electricitybills.“It will give
a peace of mind to them, and their exports will increase and once the exports
increase the government revenue increases,” he noted.
“If all these demands are met on war footing,
REAP assures to increase rice exports to $4 billion by the end of 2018,” he
concluded
http://nation.com.pk/business/27-May-2016/reap-seeks-zero-rated-regime-for-rice-exporters
New Philippine president to face early test over food security
Different
rice varieties are pictured at a food stall in the mountain resort of Baguio
city in northern Philippines April 17, 2016.
While Philippine elections this
month were dominated by talk about crushing crime, the next president faces
another critical early test: ensuring there is enough rice for the country's
more than 100 million people.
The Philippine crop is suffering mounting drought
damage, just as the country's big Asian rice suppliers also suffer from an El
Nino weather pattern.
In a country where rice accounts
for about a quarter of the expenditure of the poor, any supply disruptions are
extremely sensitive. Big purchases by the world's third-biggest importer can
also send shockwaves through markets.
There are now concerns that
potentially vital imports may be delayed as the incoming administration of
Rodrigo Duterte, who campaigned on making food available and affordable, looks
to overhaul policies and review existing state purchase plans."Now is the
right time to import as prices are starting to trend up," said Bruce
Tolentino, deputy director general for communication at the International Rice
Research Institute (IRRI).
In 2008, lower Asian rice output
also due to an El Nino prompted India to ban exports, sparking panic measures
in the Philippines - including ordering troops to supervise subsidized rice
sales and asking fast food chains to serve half-portions.
Manila also had to scramble to
import more rice in 2014 after prices shot up due to typhoon crop damage.On May
13, Duterte's campaign spokesman Peter Lavina said an April plan to allow the
state buyer to import an additional 500,000 tonnes this year would be reviewed
and the administration would immediately talk to Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia
on new deals.
Lavina said the aim was to make
the country self-sufficient in rice within one to two years, but would still
allow imports until this was achieved.Duterte's choice for agriculture
minister, Emmanuel Pinol, has said the administration will bar private traders
from importing rice and put the task entirely in the hands of the state grains
agency, the National Food Authority (NFA), a move that some traders say could
stall imports.
"Many traders were expecting
the Philippines to make the large 500,000 tonnes purchase shortly after
approval was received, but no deals have happened, and this is really adding
some intrigue to the market," said James Fell, an economist at the
International Grains Council in London.
NFA spokesman Angel Imperial said
there was no urgent need to import given ample stocks. April stocks can meet 99
days of consumption, up from March's 87 days, after the delayed arrival of some
rice imported last year.
Nonetheless, there are concerns
that time is running out for deals to safeguard stocks in the lean harvest
season beginning in July as the new government will not officially take office
until the end of June.
"It will create supply
problems if they don't buy until the end of June," said a Singapore-based
trader, who declined to be named as he was not authorized to speak to media.
RICE HARVEST SHRINKING
Local rice prices have largely
been stable in recent months, after authorities aggressively boosted state
reserves following price spikes in 2014.
But the first-quarter rice harvest
shrank nearly 10 percent from a year earlier to 3.9 million tonnes.
"Some of the NFA's imported
stocks are more than six months old so there's also a need for them to
immediately unload and then replenish," said Jaime Magbanua, president of
the Grains Retailers Confederation of the Philippines.
While an El Nino is now
weakening, farm officials have warned of more crop damage later in the year
when La Nina, the counterpart of El Nino, could develop and bring intense
rains.
"WATCHING THE
PHILIPPINES"
With no import deals yet this
year, the Philippines may need to boost 2016 imports to a six-year high of 2
million tonnes, based on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecasts.
That is as much as 300,000 tonnes
higher than the NFA's initial 2016 import estimate. It also comes as countries
such as Indonesia and Iran are increasing purchases and world rice production
is forecast to decline for the first time since 2010.
Thai rice prices hit a two-year
high last week and have boosted prices in Vietnam, the main supplier to the
Philippines.
"Everybody is watching the
Philippines' moves in the open market, which could trigger panic among
buyers," IRRI's Tolentino said.
(Additional reporting by Naveen
Thukral in SINGAPORE; Editing by Ed Davies
05/26/2016 Farm Bureau Market Report
Soybeans
High
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Low
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Cash Bids
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1086
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1020
|
New Crop
|
1071
|
1024
|
Riceland Foods
Cash Bids
|
Stuttgart: - - -
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Pendleton: - - -
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New Crop
|
Stuttgart: - - -
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Pendleton: - - -
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Futures:
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Soybean Comment
Soybeans closed slightly lower, as modest export demand was not
what the market expected today. While strong product markets remain supportive
of soybeans, the market continues to face ample supplies next year which may
limit gains. Yesterday's rally put prices back near highs, and prices will need
additional help to get soybeans much above these his.
High
|
Low
|
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Cash Bids
|
476
|
431
|
New Crop
|
476
|
451
|
Futures:
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Wheat Comment
Wheat prices were the big leader in today's market as the current
wet weather has traders worried about this years crop. Additionally, the market
finally got a decent sales report for next; however, sales still remain well
below levels needed to reach the current USDA forecast.
High
|
Low
|
|
Cash Bids
|
370
|
364
|
New Crop
|
350
|
327
|
High
|
Low
|
|
Cash Bids
|
410
|
383
|
New Crop
|
410
|
400
|
Futures:
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Corn Comment
Corn prices continue to climb today as good export demand is
providing support for prices. With prices putting in new highs and further
weakness in soybeans today could mean corn could see profit taking tomorrow. The market is close to oversold
territory and could see a correction as we head into the long weekend.
Futures:
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Cotton Comment
Cotton futures were sharply higher today. July is now testing
resistance at the recent high of 64.75 cents while December shattered previous
resistance and set a new high for the move. The next resistance for December is
the January chart gap between 64 cents and 64.08 cents. Export commitments
reached 99% of USDA's projection for the marketing year, and shipments now
total 77%. Of course, USDA projects total exports to be down 20% from the
previous marketing year. Reports indicate that China's daily auctions are
slowing down. Cumulative sales are reportedly over 500,000 metric tons, or about
2.3 million bales. Planting progress is now running behind the 5 year average
at 46% planted. Arkansas farmers are ahead of their usual pace, though, with
94% of the crop in the ground, compared with a 5 year average of 84%.
High
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Low
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Long Grain
Cash Bids
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- - -
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- - -
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Long Grain
New Crop
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- - -
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- - -
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Futures:
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Rice Comment
The selloff continued in the rice pit today. Arkansas farmers have
now planted 98% of their intended acres. The question remains, though, will
they stop there? The five year average for this date is 89%, so if conditions
remain favorable, the crop might get bigger, at least 1.6 million acres are
likely. This large crop could limit the upside potential of the market,
however, dry conditions in other rice growing regions of the world could
provide support. July continues to trend higher, but the chart has taken on a
negative appearance. The uptrend in July has been broken and futures could be
headed for a retest of the recent low of $10.76.
Futures:
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Live Cattle:
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Feeders:
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Cattle Comment
Cattle prices reversed early losses to end higher again today.
While beef prices were sharply lower again today, markets were able to bounce
off of lows and close higher again today. The bearish cattle on feed report,
will likely continue to limit upside potential in the market.
Futures:
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Louisiana Farmers Push
Legislators on Trade with Cuba
By Peter Bachmann
WASHINGTON, DC -- Yesterday, Louisiana rice farmers and USA Rice
members Eric Unkel and Jeffrey Sylvester spent the day here visiting their
Members of Congress and participating in the White House briefing on "Business
Opportunities in Cuba."
The duo arrived in the capital just in time
for the first sunshine in weeks and began their busy day with Cuba-related
visits with Senators Bill Cassidy and David Vitter and a stop in Rayburn House
Office Building to see Representative John Fleming.
The general request was for support on
existing legislation that would lift the regulations blocking U.S. financial
institutions from providing credit to Cuban buyers for agricultural
commodities, such as rice. They pointed
to an economic analysis put together by the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba
and Engage Cuba and approved by the USDA that outlines the potential market for
rice and soybeans in Cuba, Louisiana's top agricultural exports. Representatives Ralph Abraham and Charles
Boustany of Louisiana have already openly supported legislation and other
efforts to open the Cuban market for agriculture.
The afternoon was consumed by the
White House Business Council's briefing on Cuba with the two Administration
panels with representatives from the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, State,
Treasury and Commerce. The audience of
more than 160 participants from all sectors and from all over the United States
participated through a question-and-answer process. At least one of the panelists indicated
Cuba's strong desire to purchase U.S.-grown rice and the need for Congressional
action to remove the financing barriers preventing agricultural exports.
You are here
"It's a rare feeling to leave
Washington optimistically but after meeting with Senator Cassidy and getting
Senator Vitter's commitment to cosponsor the legislation that would allow U.S.
financing to Cuba for ag commodities, I'm feeling pretty good," said
Unkel, president of the Louisiana Rice Council (LARC).
Sylvester, president of the
Evangeline Parish Rice Growers Association, said, "Hearing questions and
comments coming from other industries was helpful to me because we're so
focused on the impacts to and by the rice industry that we forget about all of
the other businesses that would benefit from normalized trade with Cuba. There was an overwhelming excitement in the
room and the Administration representatives seemed like they really want to be
helpful in making business with Cuba a reality
AIREA
All India Rice Exporters Association : Yes, Rice Has Arsenic, but Here's Why
You Don't Need to Panic
05/25/2016 | 04:06am EDT
The report late last month that babies fed
heavily on rice have higher concentrations of arsenic in their bodies sent shivers
through parents worldwide. It is true that rice naturally contains high
concentrations of arsenic relative to other grains, but overall, rice is not
the new cigarette and an easy cooking tip can minimize the amount of arsenic in
grains generally and rice in particular.
And one can feed the kids rice, as long as one feeds the kids other things too.It is true that arsenic is not benign.
And one can feed the kids rice, as long as one feeds the kids other things too.It is true that arsenic is not benign.
A Dartmouth study earlier this year found that
eating even low levels of the mineral by overweight women can reduce the birth
weight and length of baby girls, though their baby boys may be longer. Also,
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that exposure to arsenic during
pregnancy and in infancy can impair a child's performance on certain
developmental tests. The FDA doesn't suggest that people forgo rice, but is
belatedly proposing to cap the amount of inorganic arsenic that rice-based baby
food may contain. In contrast to organic arsenic (often found in seafood, for
instance), inorganic arsenic is not easily flushed from the body.
The Israeli consumption directives are broken
down by inorganic (the more hazardous type) and organic. In Israel, the Health
Ministry has published detailed directives regarding maximal permissible
amounts of most heavy metals in different foods, including for babies and
children. Their directives cover inorganic arsenic in various categories of
food and were most recently updated this very month (the last update had been
in 2009), the ministry told Haaretz.
Basically, the Israeli directives are the same as Europe's, it says. Arsenic, arsenic everywhere Arsenic is a common mineral in the soil and water. Some take up less, some take up more. Rice takes up more, relative to, for instance, millet and quinoa. Consumer Reports found measurable levels of arsenic in almost all the 60 rice types it checked, noting that the mineral is also found in rice pasta, drinks and cereals.
Basically, the Israeli directives are the same as Europe's, it says. Arsenic, arsenic everywhere Arsenic is a common mineral in the soil and water. Some take up less, some take up more. Rice takes up more, relative to, for instance, millet and quinoa. Consumer Reports found measurable levels of arsenic in almost all the 60 rice types it checked, noting that the mineral is also found in rice pasta, drinks and cereals.
The worst offender is brown rice, which has the
highest values of 'good' minerals of all the rices but also the highest concentration
of inorganic arsenic.(Organic rice is supposed to have lesser amounts of
pesticides, not natural toxins like arsenic, by the way.) Processed foods made
from rice, including baby food, also contain arsenic, which has long been
associated with heightened risk of bladder, lung, and skin cancer, as well as
heart disease and type 2 diabetes. A rice vendor in Thailand, selling different
species of rice, each of which commands a different price.
And each of which would have a different
endemic concentration of arsenic.Reuters But how serious is the danger? Should
we forgo our biriyani and rice cakes? Not so fast. Cooking it away 'It's easy
to deal with arsenic. It's soluble in water,' points out Mariana Urbach, head
dietitian at Clalit Health Services. Whatever rice you're preparing, be it
high-arsenic brown or low-arsenic basmati, to minimize arsenic content, wash
the rice first, Urbach says.
Cook six cups of water to one cup of rice, discard all the water during the process and replace it with two cups of fresh water. Finish cooking. Rinse the finished product in yet more water. Ta da. This cooking method will also discard some nutrients, but you can't have it all. And if you can't be bothered to monkey with your rice? Putting things into proportion, the FDA estimates that exposure to arsenic in rice and rice products causes about four cases of lung and bladder cancer over the lifetime for every 100,000 Americans. In other words, the rice habit is responsible for a fraction of 1% of America's lung and bladder cancer cases. Meanwhile, in a draft guidance to baby cereal manufacturers, the FDA recommends equating American restrictions on inorganic arsenic to European levels: no more than 100 parts per billion. Should pregnant women abstain from rice, especially brown rice, despite its nutritional kick?
'I think that rice can be part of a healthy
diet,' Diane Gilbert-Diamond, assistant professor of epidemiology at Dartmouth
and lead author of 'Relation Between in Utero Arsenic Exposure and Birth
Outcomes in a Cohort of Mothers and Their Newborns from New Hampshire',
published in Environmental Health Perspectives, told Haaretz. 'But I think it's
important to eat a varied diet. Rather than only eating rice as a grain,
pregnant women should eat a variety of grains and foods, which can help
minimize their health risk. It's the best way to get a combination of nutrients
as well.' For baby: Once a day Harvesting rice in Thailand: People love rice
but rice loves arsenic.
It now turns out that even low amounts of arsenic
can affect birth weight.Bloomberg The FDA stresses that it isn't suggesting
people change their rice consumption habits. It is, the organization says, just
providing 'targeted information for pregnant women and infants to help reduce
exposure'. Note however, that feeding rice cereal to babies can be
proportionally different than feeding it to adults. Relative to body weight,
rice consumption for infants in a meal - mainly in rice porridges, drinks and
cereal - can be about three times greater than for adults, the FDA explains.
Consumer Reports for recommends that babies
average no more than one serving of rice porridge a day, and that parents be
diligent about giving them variety in their grains. Question of origin You
might prefer to buy a type of rice with lesser arsenic content. Good luck
figuring out which it is. First of all, bags of rice don't come with little DIY
testing kits for toxins. Secondly, in today's globalized world, we may not know
where the bag came from. Under Israeli law, a food importer must cite the
country of origin on labeling.
But we still can't know in what part of that
country the rice was grown or where the irrigation water comes from. Is the
water laden with arsenic? Does the land have other toxins, like Chernobyl has
radioactive ions in the soil, as Urbach points out? 'The source of rice
imported to Israel is the same countries that export rice to all the world
markets,' the Health Ministry told Haaretz. 'Food products imported to Israel
are sampled and checked randomly for various contaminants, including heavy
metals, before their arrival in Israel.' So wash your rice first and cook it
with lots of water. And stay in proportion. Almonds are chock full of cyanide
but Israelis eat them by the ton and death by macaroon is not an issue.
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-05-26/north-korea-begins-instructing-students-to-work-harder-on-rice-fields
Monsoon stuck over Andamans as heat wave shifts to east India
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MAY 26:
The South-West monsoon has remained stuck over the Andaman and
Nicobar islands even as heat wave conditions over the mainland shifted from
North-West India to the eastern parts of the country.
Maximum and minimum temperatures over North-West and adjoining
Central India may however start gradually rising over the next two days, an
India Met Department update said.
Rain
scale-up
According to the US Climate Prediction Centre, the
thundershowers lining up over South India will scale up during the week
beginning June 1.
Western parts of Sri Lanka, parts of Kerala and north Coastal
Tamil Nadu (Puducherry-Chennai belt) are expected to witness moderate to heavy
rain during this period.
According to the US National Centre for Environment Prediction,
moderate to heavy rain is forecast over the seas (Arabian Sea) off the Kerala
coast during the current week ending on June 3.
The following week (June 3-11) would see heavy to very heavy
rain lash the Kerala and Karnataka coasts as also South Interior Karnataka,
Rayalaseema and Telangana.
This more or less corroborates the India Met outlook for heavy
rain associated with the delayed onset of the monsoon this year.
Heating
under check
Dust storms or thunderstorms being triggered by a passing
western disturbance would keep the temperatures under check in Punjab, Haryana,
Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
Thunderstorms have also been forecast for Bihar, Gangetic West
Bengal, Assam and Meghalaya while heavy rain will lash parts of Kerala as well
as Assam and Meghalaya.
There is no heat wave warning for Saturday but heavy rain has
been forecast at isolated places over Kerala, Assam and Meghalaya.
Thunderstorms accompanied by squall will continue to put a cap
on the heat in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
This would be the likely weather pattern for Sunday as well, the
Met forecast says.
(This
article was published on May 26, 2016)
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/monsoon-stuck-over-andamans-as-heat-wave-shifts-to-east-india/article8650910.ece
Nigeria: Customs Confiscates 575 Bags of Foreign Parboiled Rice
The anti-smuggling campaign of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has yielded more results as its officers and men in the Western Marine Command (WMC), Ibafon, Apapa, Lagos have seized about 575 bags of foreign parboiled rice.
The commodity was intercepted by men and
officers of the NCS, who were on a joint patrol with their Nigerian Navy
counterparts at the Badagry axis of the Lagos waterways.
Customs Area Controller (CAC), WMC, Comptroller
Yusuf Umar, who disclosed this in Lagos, said the officers intercepted two
wooden boats loaded with foreign parboiled rice but on sighting the patrol
officers, the smugglers escaped into a creek at Itonhu jetty in a bid to escape
arrest. According to him, the boat hit a hard surface that broke it and high
tidal wave, which resulted in it being sunk with a large quantity of the bags
of rice.
Umar explained that the patrol team was able to
salvage the remaining bags of rice totaling 575 with a duty paid value (DPV) of
N4, 447,625 valued at N2, 616,250 and brought them to the command headquarters.
Though no suspect was arrested in connection
with the seizure, the CAC stated that WMC will continue to fight smuggling
activities as long as the smugglers refused to turn away from their nefarious
activities.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201605260289.html
Duterte gov’t faces early test over food security; rice policy in focus
WHILE Philippine elections this month were dominated by talk about crushing crime, the next president faces another critical early test: ensuring there is enough rice for the country’s more than 100 million people.
The Philippine crop is suffering
mounting drought damage, just as the country’s big Asian rice suppliers also
suffer from an El Niño weather pattern.
In a country where rice accounts for about a quarter of the expenditure of the poor, any supply disruptions are extremely sensitive. Big purchases by the world’s third-biggest importer can also send shockwaves through markets.
There are now concerns that potentially vital imports may be delayed as the incoming administration of Rodrigo R. Duterte, who campaigned on making food available and affordable, looks to overhaul policies and review existing state purchase plans.
“Now is the right time to import as prices are starting to trend up,” said Bruce J. Tolentino, deputy director general for communication at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
In 2008, lower Asian rice output also due to an El Nino prompted India to ban exports, sparking panic measures in the Philippines -- including ordering troops to supervise subsidized rice sales and asking fast food chains to serve half-portions.
Manila also had to scramble to import more rice in 2014 after prices shot up due to typhoon crop damage.
On May 13, Mr. Duterte’s campaign spokesman Peter T. Laviña said an April plan to allow the state buyer to import an additional 500,000 tons this year would be reviewed and the administration would immediately talk to Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia on new deals.
Mr. Lavina said the aim was to make the country self-sufficient in rice within one to two years, but would still allow imports until this was achieved.
Mr. Duterte’s choice for agriculture minister, Emmanuel F. Piñol, has said the administration will bar private traders from importing rice and put the task entirely in the hands of the state grains agency, the National Food Authority (NFA), a move that some traders say could stall imports.
“Many traders were expecting the Philippines to make the large 500,000 tons purchase shortly after approval was received, but no deals have happened, and this is really adding some intrigue to the market,” said James Fell, an economist at the International Grains Council in London.
NFA spokesman Angel G. Imperial Jr. said there was no urgent need to import given ample stocks. April stocks can meet 99 days of consumption, up from March’s 87 days, after the delayed arrival of some rice imported last year.
Nonetheless, there are concerns that time is running out for deals to safeguard stocks in the lean harvest season beginning in July as the new government will not officially take office until the end of June.
“It will create supply problems if they don’t buy until the end of June,” said a Singapore-based trader, who declined to be named as he was not authorized to speak to media.
RICE HARVEST SHRINKING
Local rice prices have largely been stable in recent months, after authorities aggressively boosted state reserves following price spikes in 2014.
But the first-quarter rice harvest shrank nearly 10% from a year earlier to 3.9 million tons.
“Some of the NFA’s imported stocks are more than six months old so there’s also a need for them to immediately unload and then replenish,” said Jaime Magbanua, president of the Grains Retailers Confederation of the Philippines.
While an El Niño is now weakening, farm officials have warned of more crop damage later in the year when La Niña, the counterpart of El Niño, could develop and bring intense rains.
“WATCHING THE PHILIPPINES”
With no import deals yet this year, the Philippines may need to boost 2016 imports to a six-year high of 2 million tons, based on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecasts.
That is as much as 300,000 tons higher than the NFA’s initial 2016 import estimate. It also comes as countries such as Indonesia and Iran are increasing purchases and world rice production is forecast to decline for the first time since 2010.
Thai rice prices hit a two-year high last week and have boosted prices in Vietnam, the main supplier to the Philippines.
“Everybody is watching the Philippines’ moves in the open market, which could trigger panic among buyers,” IRRI’s Mr. Tolentino said. -- Reuters
In a country where rice accounts for about a quarter of the expenditure of the poor, any supply disruptions are extremely sensitive. Big purchases by the world’s third-biggest importer can also send shockwaves through markets.
There are now concerns that potentially vital imports may be delayed as the incoming administration of Rodrigo R. Duterte, who campaigned on making food available and affordable, looks to overhaul policies and review existing state purchase plans.
“Now is the right time to import as prices are starting to trend up,” said Bruce J. Tolentino, deputy director general for communication at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
In 2008, lower Asian rice output also due to an El Nino prompted India to ban exports, sparking panic measures in the Philippines -- including ordering troops to supervise subsidized rice sales and asking fast food chains to serve half-portions.
Manila also had to scramble to import more rice in 2014 after prices shot up due to typhoon crop damage.
On May 13, Mr. Duterte’s campaign spokesman Peter T. Laviña said an April plan to allow the state buyer to import an additional 500,000 tons this year would be reviewed and the administration would immediately talk to Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia on new deals.
Mr. Lavina said the aim was to make the country self-sufficient in rice within one to two years, but would still allow imports until this was achieved.
Mr. Duterte’s choice for agriculture minister, Emmanuel F. Piñol, has said the administration will bar private traders from importing rice and put the task entirely in the hands of the state grains agency, the National Food Authority (NFA), a move that some traders say could stall imports.
“Many traders were expecting the Philippines to make the large 500,000 tons purchase shortly after approval was received, but no deals have happened, and this is really adding some intrigue to the market,” said James Fell, an economist at the International Grains Council in London.
NFA spokesman Angel G. Imperial Jr. said there was no urgent need to import given ample stocks. April stocks can meet 99 days of consumption, up from March’s 87 days, after the delayed arrival of some rice imported last year.
Nonetheless, there are concerns that time is running out for deals to safeguard stocks in the lean harvest season beginning in July as the new government will not officially take office until the end of June.
“It will create supply problems if they don’t buy until the end of June,” said a Singapore-based trader, who declined to be named as he was not authorized to speak to media.
RICE HARVEST SHRINKING
Local rice prices have largely been stable in recent months, after authorities aggressively boosted state reserves following price spikes in 2014.
But the first-quarter rice harvest shrank nearly 10% from a year earlier to 3.9 million tons.
“Some of the NFA’s imported stocks are more than six months old so there’s also a need for them to immediately unload and then replenish,” said Jaime Magbanua, president of the Grains Retailers Confederation of the Philippines.
While an El Niño is now weakening, farm officials have warned of more crop damage later in the year when La Niña, the counterpart of El Niño, could develop and bring intense rains.
“WATCHING THE PHILIPPINES”
With no import deals yet this year, the Philippines may need to boost 2016 imports to a six-year high of 2 million tons, based on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecasts.
That is as much as 300,000 tons higher than the NFA’s initial 2016 import estimate. It also comes as countries such as Indonesia and Iran are increasing purchases and world rice production is forecast to decline for the first time since 2010.
Thai rice prices hit a two-year high last week and have boosted prices in Vietnam, the main supplier to the Philippines.
“Everybody is watching the Philippines’ moves in the open market, which could trigger panic among buyers,” IRRI’s Mr. Tolentino said. -- Reuters
http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=TopStory&title=duterte-gov&8217t-faces-early-test-over-food-security-rice-policy-in-focus&id=128157
Yes, Rice Has Arsenic, but Here's Why You Don't Need to Panic
The report late last month that babies fed
heavily on rice have higher concentrations of arsenic in their bodies sent
shivers through parents worldwide. It is true that rice naturally contains high
concentrations of arsenic relative to other grains, but overall, rice is not
the new cigarette and an easy cooking tip can minimize the amount of arsenic in
grains generally and rice in particular.
And one can feed the kids rice, as long as one feeds the kids other things too.It is true that arsenic is not benign. A Dartmouth study earlier this year found that eating even low levels of the mineral by overweight women can reduce the birth weight and length of baby girls, though their baby boys may be longer. Also, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that exposure to arsenic during pregnancy and in infancy can impair a child’s performance on certain developmental tests. The FDA doesn't suggest that people forgo rice, but is belatedly proposing to cap the amount of inorganic arsenic that rice-based baby food may contain. In contrast to organic arsenic (often found in seafood, for instance), inorganic arsenic is not easily flushed from the body.
The Israeli consumption directives are broken down by inorganic (the more hazardous type) and organic. In Israel, the Health Ministry has published detailed directives regarding maximal permissible amounts of most heavy metals in different foods, including for babies and children. Their directives cover inorganic arsenic in various categories of food and were most recently updated this very month (the last update had been in 2009), the ministry told Haaretz.
Basically, the Israeli directives are the same as Europe's, it says. Arsenic, arsenic everywhere Arsenic is a common mineral in the soil and water. Some take up less, some take up more. Rice takes up more, relative to, for instance, millet and quinoa. Consumer Reports found measurable levels of arsenic in almost all the 60 rice types it checked, noting that the mineral is also found in rice pasta, drinks and cereals.
And one can feed the kids rice, as long as one feeds the kids other things too.It is true that arsenic is not benign. A Dartmouth study earlier this year found that eating even low levels of the mineral by overweight women can reduce the birth weight and length of baby girls, though their baby boys may be longer. Also, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that exposure to arsenic during pregnancy and in infancy can impair a child’s performance on certain developmental tests. The FDA doesn't suggest that people forgo rice, but is belatedly proposing to cap the amount of inorganic arsenic that rice-based baby food may contain. In contrast to organic arsenic (often found in seafood, for instance), inorganic arsenic is not easily flushed from the body.
The Israeli consumption directives are broken down by inorganic (the more hazardous type) and organic. In Israel, the Health Ministry has published detailed directives regarding maximal permissible amounts of most heavy metals in different foods, including for babies and children. Their directives cover inorganic arsenic in various categories of food and were most recently updated this very month (the last update had been in 2009), the ministry told Haaretz.
Basically, the Israeli directives are the same as Europe's, it says. Arsenic, arsenic everywhere Arsenic is a common mineral in the soil and water. Some take up less, some take up more. Rice takes up more, relative to, for instance, millet and quinoa. Consumer Reports found measurable levels of arsenic in almost all the 60 rice types it checked, noting that the mineral is also found in rice pasta, drinks and cereals.
The worst offender is brown rice, which has the
highest values of "good" minerals of all the rices but also the
highest concentration of inorganic arsenic.(Organic rice is supposed to have
lesser amounts of pesticides, not natural toxins like arsenic, by the way.)
Processed foods made from rice, including baby food, also contain arsenic,
which has long been associated with heightened risk of bladder, lung, and skin
cancer, as well as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. A rice vendor in
Thailand, selling different species of rice, each of which commands a different
price. And each of which would have a different endemic concentration of
arsenic.Reuters But how serious is the danger? Should we forgo our biriyani and
rice cakes? Not so fast.
Cooking it away "It's easy to deal with
arsenic. It's soluble in water," points out Mariana Urbach, head dietitian
at Clalit Health Services. Whatever rice you're preparing, be it high-arsenic
brown or low-arsenic basmati, to minimize arsenic content, wash the rice first,
Urbach says.
Cook six cups of water to one cup of rice, discard all the water during the process and replace it with two cups of fresh water. Finish cooking. Rinse the finished product in yet more water. Ta da. This cooking method will also discard some nutrients, but you can't have it all. And if you can't be bothered to monkey with your rice? Putting things into proportion, the FDA estimates that exposure to arsenic in rice and rice products causes about four cases of lung and bladder cancer over the lifetime for every 100,000 Americans.
Cook six cups of water to one cup of rice, discard all the water during the process and replace it with two cups of fresh water. Finish cooking. Rinse the finished product in yet more water. Ta da. This cooking method will also discard some nutrients, but you can't have it all. And if you can't be bothered to monkey with your rice? Putting things into proportion, the FDA estimates that exposure to arsenic in rice and rice products causes about four cases of lung and bladder cancer over the lifetime for every 100,000 Americans.
In other
words, the rice habit is responsible for a fraction of 1% of America's lung and
bladder cancer cases. Meanwhile, in a draft guidance to baby cereal
manufacturers, the FDA recommends equating American restrictions on inorganic
arsenic to European levels: no more than 100 parts per billion. Should pregnant
women abstain from rice, especially brown rice, despite its nutritional kick?
"I think that rice can be part of a healthy diet," Diane
Gilbert-Diamond, assistant professor of epidemiology at Dartmouth and lead
author of "Relation Between in Utero Arsenic Exposure and Birth Outcomes
in a Cohort of Mothers and Their Newborns from New Hampshire", published
in Environmental Health Perspectives, told Haaretz. "But I think it's
important to eat a varied diet. Rather than only eating rice as a grain,
pregnant women should eat a variety of grains and foods, which can help
minimize their health risk. It's the best way to get a combination of nutrients
as well." For baby: Once a day Harvesting rice in Thailand: People love
rice but rice loves arsenic.
It now
turns out that even low amounts of arsenic can affect birth weight.Bloomberg
The FDA stresses that it isn't suggesting people change their rice consumption
habits. It is, the organization says, just providing "targeted information
for pregnant women and infants to help reduce exposure". Note however,
that feeding rice cereal to babies can be proportionally different than feeding
it to adults. Relative to body weight, rice consumption for infants in a
meal – mainly in rice porridges, drinks and cereal – can be about three times
greater than for adults, the FDA explains. Consumer Reports for recommends that
babies average no more than one serving of rice porridge a day, and that
parents be diligent about giving them variety in their grains. Question of origin
You might prefer to buy a type of rice with lesser arsenic content. Good luck
figuring out which it is. First of all, bags of rice don't come with little DIY
testing kits for toxins. Secondly, in today's globalized world, we may not know
where the bag came from. Under Israeli law, a food importer must cite the
country of origin on labeling. But we still can't know in what part of that
country the rice was grown or where the irrigation water comes from. Is the
water laden with arsenic?
Does the land have other toxins, like Chernobyl
has radioactive ions in the soil, as Urbach points out? "The source of
rice imported to Israel is the same countries that export rice to all the world
markets," the Health Ministry told Haaretz. "Food products imported
to Israel are sampled and checked randomly for various contaminants, including
heavy metals, before their arrival in Israel." So wash your rice first and
cook it with lots of water. And stay in proportion. Almonds are chock full of
cyanide but Israelis eat them by the ton and death by macaroon is not an issue
http://www.airea.net/article-detail/344/breaking-news/Yes-Rice-Has-Arsenic-but-Heres-Why-You-Dont-Need-to-Panic
As El Nino fades, hopes increase for wet rainy season
- 25 May 2016 at 10:40 1,561 viewed0 comments
- WRITER: TERRY FREDRICKSON
The drought is still with us, but forecasters are
optimistic this year's rains will be above normal, in part because of the end
of the unusually severe El Nino.
As El Nino fades, hopes increase for wet rainy season
It's official the Thai Meteorological Department says. The rainy season has begun. It began on May 18 when southwesterly
winds began to dominate weather patterns throughout the country, bringing moisture from the Andaman Sea, Meteorological Department chief
Wanchai Sak-udomchai said on Monday. This doesn't mean, however, that the severe drought affecting
much of the country will soon be broken. Mr Wanchai said that the rain in the
beginning of the season will be intermittent. Rain intensity
will increase in the second half of the season,
he said.Water levels at Lam Takhong and four other reservoirs in Nakhon
Ratchasima remain at only around 20% of their capacity
despite heavy rain from a summer thunderstorm.
SOMCHAI
POOMLARD
Meanwhile, the situation
is still dire in and around Thailand's biggest
dam. The Bangkok Post's Apinya Wipatayotin reported yesterday that the
Bhumibol dam has not received any water since the rainy season
started. Reports say it has only two percent of usable water remaining. Elsewhere,
reports are more favourable, however. Royal
Irrigation Department chief Suthep Noipairoj said
although the Bhumibol dam has not yet received water, three other major dams –
the Sirikit in Uttaradit, the Kwae Noi in Phitsanulok, and the Pasak Jolasid in
Lop Buri – have been blessed with rainwater flowing downstream from
the North. Over the last week 57.8 million cubic metres
flowed into Sirikit dam, 7.66 million cubic metres went into Kwae Noi dam, and 6.62 million cubic metres boosted supplies in Pasak Jolasid dam. Combined, the three dams
have received a total of 72.08 million cubic metres
of water.
El Nino ending, La Nina looking likely
Forecasters are optimistic that this year's rainfall will be above normal. One key reason
behind their optimism is the end of the severe El Nino phenomenon in place throughout the past year. The abnormally warm surface
waters flowing from the western Pacific into tropical areas have been gradually
cooling since November and are approaching normal temperatures. A severe El Nino changes
weather patterns around the world and here in
Thailand unusually dry conditions can result as
the heavy rains shift eastward, largely missing
the country. When ocean temperatures return
to normal, wetter conditions
should prevail. Climate scientists at the
US-based national Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration now say there is a 75
percent chance that the surface temperatures will actually be below normal late this year if not sooner. This condition is
known as La Nina and, for our part of the world,
that would certainly mean more rain than El Nino conditions.
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