27th august,2016 daily global regional and local rice enewsletter by riceplus magazine

Today Rice News Headlines...

 

·         President emphasises steps to enhance rice exports

·         President for promoting research, development in rice sector

·         Higher rice production: president highlights importance of research

·         NFA rice distribution in Bukidnon continues as farmers resume planting

·         Rice basmati, Wheat declines on subdued demand

·         Rice import tender slated Aug. 31

·         Minimum export rice price mulled

·         VN targets $3.5b worth rice exports by 2020

·         A-Ibom partners Singapore firm on $100m rice project

·         Road to Senegal's rice self-sufficiency

·         110,000 rice farmers to switch to other crops, livestock

·         Lagosians Assured N9,000 For Bag Of Rice Before December

·         Owners removing illegal resorts from Phu Thap Boek

·         08/26/2016 Farm Bureau Market Report

·         Update: Current State of Crop in Arkansas  

·         South Louisiana Area Food Banks Accepting Donations

·         Farm Mechanisation Trend In Nigeria: Indigenous – Quasi Efforts And Challenges (II)

·         Threat of minimum export price for rice

·         Importing food 'harming' Africa - UN

·         Umahi flags off N2.1b Operation Water Ebonyi State

·         How even I failed to mess up Delia's rice pudding

·         USDA forecasts $6 billion jump in farm exports in FY 2017

·         Crop prices drop 17% in Yuba County

 

 

President emphasises steps to enhance rice exports

Mamnoon highlights importance of research, development for introducing higher yielding better quality rice seeds in order to increase rice production

25-Aug-16

ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain on Thursday emphasised the importance of research and development for introducing higher yielding and better quality rice seeds in order to increase rice production and exports.He was talking to a delegation of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP), headed by its Chairman Muhammad Shafique who called on him at the Aiwan-e-Sadr.The president underlined that REAP should itself take the initiative to promote research and development in the rice sector which would benefit not only the rice exporters but also the farmers.He noted that trade associations had an important role to play in unlocking the export potential of Pakistan by fostering business environment and representing interests of the business community.

“The government is committed to providing an enabling business environment through a consistent policy direction for trade and industry,” Mamnoon said.

He appreciated the resilience of rice exporters in dealing with cyclical business slumps as rice industry had been under pressure due to drop in international price –the rice sector was the second largest earner of foreign exchange.President Mamnoon said that the government was determined to tap the full export potential of the sector and had taken steps to encourage value-addition. He assured REAP of his full support in revitalising the sector and removing hindrances in increase of rice exports.

REAP’s delegation apprised the president about their proposals for increasing rice exports and also briefed him on their problems relating to formulation of ‘Geographical Indication Law’ for getting patent right on its Basmati rice. It praised the government's policies and initiatives to promote exports of the country.

http://dailytimes.com.pk/pakistan/25-Aug-16/president-emphasises-steps-to-enhance-rice-exports

President for promoting research, development in rice sector

August 26, 2016

ISLAMABAD - President Mamnoon Hussain has emphasised the importance of research and development for introducing high-yielding and better quality rice seeds in order to increase rice production and exports.The President expressed these views while talking to a delegation of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP), headed by its chairman Muhammad Shafique, at the Aiwan-e-Sadr here on Thursday.The President underlined that REAP should itself take the initiative to promote research and development in the rice sector which will benefit not only the rice exporters but also rice farmers.
  He noted that trade associations have an important role to play in unlocking the export potential of Pakistan by fostering business environment and representing interests of the business community.

The President said that the government is committed to provide an enabling business environment through a consistent policy direction for trade and industry.  He appreciated the resilience of rice exporters in dealing with cyclical business slumps as rice industry has been under pressure due to drop in international price of rice.The President noted that rice sector is the second largest earner of foreign exchange adding that the government is determined to tap the full export potential of this sector and has taken steps to encourage value-addition.
  The President assured REAP of his full support in revitalizing this sector and removing hindrances in increase of rice exports.

The President said that Rice Research Institute, Kala Shah Kaku and Agriculture University, Faisalabad should also strive to introduce higher yielding seeds in cotton and rice for strengthening the country’s economy.
The delegation of REAP apprised the President about their proposals for increasing rice exports and also briefed him on their problems relating to formulation of Geographical Indication Law for getting patent right on its Basmati rice, development of new rice seeds, relief in export refinance payment, utilisation of Export Development Fund and grant of industry status to the rice units.The delegation praised government’s policies and initiatives to promote exports of the country.

http://nation.com.pk/business/26-Aug-2016/president-for-promoting-research-development-in-rice-sector

Higher rice production: president highlights importance of research

August 26, 2016

President Mamnoon Hussain on Thursday emphasised the importance of research and development for introducing higher yielding and better quality rice seeds in order to increase rice production and exports. He was talking to a delegation of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP), headed by its Chairman Muhammad Shafique which called on him here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr.The President underlined that REAP should itself take the initiative to promote research and development in the rice sector which would benefit not only the rice exporters but also rice farmers. He noted that trade associations had an important role to play in unlocking the export potential of Pakistan by fostering business environment and representing interests of the business community.

He said that the government was committed to providing an enabling business environment through a consistent policy direction for trade and industry. The President appreciated the resilience of rice exporters in dealing with cyclical business slumps as rice industry had been under pressure due to drop in international price of rice.

He noted that the rice sector was the second largest earner of foreign exchange adding that the government was determined to tap the full export potential of the sector and had taken steps to encourage value-addition. President Mamnoon assured REAP of his full support in revitalizing this sector and removing hindrances in increase of rice exports. He said that Rice Research Institute, Kala Shah Kaku and Agriculture University, Faisalabad should also strive to introduce higher yielding seeds in cotton and rice for strengthening the country's economy.

The REAP delegation apprised the President about their proposals for increasing rice exports and also briefed him on their problems relating to formulation of Geographical Indication Law for getting patent right on its Basmati rice, development of new rice seeds, relief in export refinance payment, utilisation of Export Development Fund and grant of industry status to the rice units. The delegation praised the government's policies and initiatives to promote exports of the country.

http://www.brecorder.com/agriculture-a-allied/183:pakistan/79307:higher-rice-production-president-highlights-importance-of-research/?date=2016-08-26

NFA rice distribution in Bukidnon continues as farmers resume planting

• August 26, 2016

ALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon, August 24 — The National Food Authority (NFA) continued its rice releases to the provincial government for distribution to drought-hit families in Bukidnon as farmers resume planting.Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office’s reports showed that NFA has released a total of 105,000 bags of rice worth over P144 million as part of the provincial government’s rice subsidy program.
In the first distribution cluster, 52,000 families received one sack of NFA rice each at P1,500 per sack of 50 kilograms (kgs).For the second set, 53,000 families received one sack each at P1,250 per bag.
Likewise, the food agency’s other marketing channels in government such as Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, and local government units, among others, also distributed 13,634 bags from January to May 2016.  
Also, late this July, NFA released 4,000 bags of rice worth P5-million to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for distribution to hundreds of drought-affected families from the towns of Cabanglasan, Dangcagan, Kitaotao, Lantapan, Maramag, Quezon, San Fernando, and the cities of Malaybalay and Valencia.
NFA Bukidnon Provincial Manager Mila P. Tanguamos said the agency’s rice releases is pursuant to February 15, 2016 Board Resolution placing the province under state of calamity caused by El Niño phenomenon that started in October 2015 until early June this year.
Before the onset of the planting season, NFA records showed it has already released a total of 122,442 bags.
“As a government entity, NFA will continue to be at the forefront of the country’s food security to ensure supply stability and availability of the staple cereals especially in times of emergency,” Tanguamos said. (Maria Socorro S. Mellomida, NFA Bukidnon/RLRB, PIA 10-Bukidnon)

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1501472186870/nfa-rice-distribution-in-bukidnon-continues-as-farmers-resume-planting-#sthash.FBQpYRRG.dpuf

Rice basmati, Wheat declines on subdued demand

Press Trust of India  |  New Delhi  August 26, 2016 Last Updated at 14:32 IST

Rice basmati slides on muted demand; wheat recovers Rice basmati slide on subdued demand Rice basmati slides on muted demand; wheat edges up Wheat falls on increased supply; rice basmati up Wheat eases on adequate stocks, rice basmati up

            Prices of rice basmati and wheat drifted lower by upto Rs 100 per quintal at the wholesale grains market today owing to slackened demand against sufficient stocks position. However, other bold grains held steady in thin trade.

Traders said besides sluggish demand from retailers, ample stocks positions led to slide in rice basmati prices.

They said reduced offtake by flour mills kept pressure on wheat prices.

In the national capital, rice basmati common and Pusa-1121 variety fell by Rs 100 each to Rs 5,000-5,200 and Rs 4,175-4,950 per quintal, respectively.

Wheat dara (for mills) also eased by Rs 15 to Rs 1,800-1,805 per quintal. Atta chakki delivery followed suit and traded lower by a similar margin to Rs 1,805-1,810 per 90 kg.

Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal):

Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,300-2,835, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs 1,800-1,805, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,805-1,810, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs 275, Shakti Bhog (10 kg) Rs 275, Roller flour mill Rs 970-980 (50 kg), Maida Rs 1,060-1,070 (50 kg) and Sooji Rs 1,090-1,100 (50 kg).

Basmati rice (Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300, Super Basmati Rice Rs 9,700, Basmati common new Rs 5,000-5,200, Rice Pusa (1121) Rs 4,175-4,950, Permal raw Rs 2,000-2,050, Permal wand Rs 2,175-2,250, Sela Rs 2,850-2,900 and Rice IR-8 Rs 1,840-1,850, Bajra Rs 1,470-1,475, Jowar yellow Rs 1,900-2,000, white Rs 3,550-3,700, Maize Rs 1,540-1,545, Barley Rs 1,500-1,505.

 (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/rice-basmati-wheat-declines-on-subdued-demand-116082600494_1.html

Rice import tender slated Aug. 31

by Reuters
August 25, 2016

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The Philippines, one of the world’s top rice buyers, is seeking to import up to 250,000 tons of rice from Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia in a tender scheduled on Aug. 31, according to a copy of a government document seen by Reuters. The volume is part of the government’s plan to import up to 1 million tons of rice to secure supply through next year while prices are low in top exporters Vietnam and Thailand.The imports would also boost the Southeast Asian nation’s buffer stock ahead of the typhoon season towards the end of the year.Despite the upcoming tender, benchmark rice prices in Vietnam and Thailand remained near multi-month lows.The National Food Authority is looking to buy 25 percent broken rice, with delivery of the first 100,000 tons expected not later than Sept. 30 and the remaining amount not later than Oct. 31, according to the document.

Of the planned 1 million tons of rice to be imported, 750,000 tons will be purchased via government-to-government deals, while the remaining amount will be shipped in by private companies, Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said last week.

The Philippines expects its paddy rice output to reach 18.135 million tons in 2016, flat from last year, following crop losses in the first half due to the El Niño-induced drought.During a congressional hearing tackling the Department of Agriculture’s 2017 budget, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol on Thursday reiterated his target to make the country self-sufficient in rice production by 2019.“We don’t know when the next El Niño will hit us, we don’t know when the next La Nina will hit us. We cannot continue relying on imported rice,” Piñol told lawmakers.“We will focus on boosting rice production and increasing the income of our farmers. We will provide free irrigation to our farmers, like those in Vietnam and Thailand.”The Philippines imported around 1.8 million tonnes of rice in 2015, below a record volume of 2.45 million tons in 2010

 http://www.mb.com.ph/rice-import-tender-slated-aug-31/#AoUdVIIvLexOSzGm.99

Minimum export rice price mulled

PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI

THE NATION August 26, 2016 1:00 am

THE Commerce Ministry is considering mandating a minimum export price for rice after a plunge by Bt2,000 a tonne in the past two weeks.Such a minimum price would be the first in Thai history. Thailand is the world's largest rice exporter.Chutima Bunyapraphasara, permanent secretary of the ministry, admitted that the measure would affect the world market price. An investigation will be launched and the measure will be seriously considered only if the ministry finds that irregular factors were behind the recent price decline."If the government finds any irregularities, the minimum price will be set. This is to prevent rice traders from pushing farmers to lower their prices, with the aim of dumping [rice on] the market," she said.

The market price for 5-per-cent white paddy rice is now Bt8,400-Bt9,000 per tonne.

Chutima noted that the recent price decline was huge while global demand remained high. There are fears that this could hurt the upcoming harvest season.

A source from the rice-trade industry attributed the plunge to weak demand in many countries as well as expectations that global output would increase as drought ended. He added that the Thai government's rice auctions also created a negative psychological impact, as more supplies were hitting the market.

He said a minimum export price would make Thai rice even less attractive, especially compared with Vietnam's, which is cheaper.In a related development, the Foreign Trade Department said only 20 rice traders showed interest in joining the government's fifth rice auction of the year, where 700,000 tonnes would be available for bidding. Only 13 were interested in joining the auction of 300,000 tonnes of poor-quality rice, good for the feed-meal industry and biomass-fuelled power generation.Chutima hinted yesterday that releases of the government's rice stockpile might be halted if this puts pressure on rice Prices

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Minimum-export-rice-price-mulled-30293804.html

VN targets $3.5b worth rice exports by 2020

Updated: Wednesday, Aug 24, 2016 03:06 PM

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has unveiled a strategy for developing rice exports in 2016-20 that targets reversing a declining trend over the last two years and increasing earnings to US$3 billion next year. — Photo cafef.vn

HCM CITY (Biz Hub) — The Ministry of Industry and Trade has unveiled a strategy for developing rice exports in 2016-20 that targets reversing a declining trend over the last two years and increasing earnings to US$3 billion next year. It also targets a gradual shift towards export of high-quality, high-value, organic, nutritional, speciality, and Viet Nam brands of rice and rice-based products.The export of low-quality white rice is expected to fall to 15 per cent of total shipments by 2020 and 10 per cent by 2025.

In the latter year medium-quality white rice will account for 20 per cent and high-quality white rice, fragrant rice, and glutinous rice for 60 per cent.The ministry will make efforts to diversify export markets, with a focus on markets with demand for high-quality rice.It hopes to capitalise on free trade agreements like the Viet Nam-EU FTA and the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement to boost exports to demanding markets in Europe and the Americas.
The ministry has sent the draft strategy to relevant ministries and industries to solicit their opinions.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the country exported 2.93 million tonnes of rice for $1.32 billion in the first seven months of this year, a year-on-year decrease of 18.4 per cent in volume and 14.4 per cent in value.
Last year exports had been worth $2.68 billion after falling almost 4 per cent from 2014. — VNS

http://bizhub.vn/news/17913/vn-targets-35b-worth-rice-exports-by-2020.html

A-Ibom partners Singapore firm on $100m rice project

On August 26, 20164:14 amIn News0 Comments By Chioma Onuegbu Uyo —THE Akwa Ibom State Government has entered into an agreement with Ashdene Associates, a Singapore based investment organisation to set up a $100million rice farm in the state. Gov Emmanuel Udom Gov Emmanuel Udom Speaking, yesterday, in his office in Uyo during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, the state governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel said that the rice project was part of his administration’s commitment to develop the agricultural sector and the economy of the state. Emmanuel said that the rice farm and a rice mill will be both located in Ini local Government Area of the state. Emmanuel explained that government decided to partner Ashdene Group because it is a competent company known to have successfully executed businesses in about 29 countries of the world. “I commend the company’s decision to set up a rice farm alongside a processing mill at Ini Local Government Area. This will also attract road construction and other developments in communities.

” He assured the company that his government will ensure that they enjoy a peaceful working environment to enable the company grow. “I want to assure you that this is an investor friendly government. Our policies, strategies and focus centres on investments. Be rest assured that the responsibilities of government in the agreement signed would be duly executed.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/08/ibom-partners-singapore-firm-100m-rice-project/

Road to Senegal's rice self-sufficiency

Watch video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raxiaf2qr3Q

25/08 - 13:20

Senegal is determined to end its rice imports. According to the stakeholders in the rice sector, the total domestic production of white rice has been significantly increased. Triggered by high international prices since 2011, several initiatives to upgrade the rice value chain have emerged in the private sector. Rice is a staple food in Senegal. The country’s government is aiming to achieve self-sufficiency by next year.
The Senegalese are big consumers of rice, with an average of 90 kg of rice per year per capita. Half of this amount per capita comes from the importation of Thai or Chinese rice.
In the country, the slogan “Feeding the Senegal by Senegalies” is about to materialize. Major public investments in the rice sector is done in the Senegal River Valley (SRV) paddy rice,, to extend production areas already in existence.
Because of the the exacerbation of biological and institutional constraints in the valley, rice growers had difficulties in maintaining productivity of their land. These constraints prevented them from further intensification- jeopardizing the national objective of self-sufficiency.
A platform was created, bringing together traders, millers and rice importers. It includes the Senegalese government and the banks to discuss substantial efforts to extend the initiative.
All these actors gathered this week to take stock of the situation of rice in Senegal and are yet to report of the outcomes

http://www.africanews.com/2016/08/25/road-to-senegal-s-rice-self-sufficiency/

110,000 rice farmers to switch to other crops, livestock

• 26 Aug 2016 at 13:55 7,134 viewed2 comments
• WRITER: ONLINE REPORTERS

A farmer redistributes young rice plants grown in a nursery field to a flooded paddy field. (file photo)

About 110,000 rice-growing families whose land is not well-suited for the grain have signed up to a programme to help them switch to other crops or raising animals, Agriculture Department director-general Olarn Pithak said.About 80,000 of them have opted for other crops and 30,000 for animal husbandry, Mr Olarn said.

The department would submit the list of these families to the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) for examination for eligility for loans. The cabinet had already approved 15 billion baht for the programme, he said.
The families eligible to participate live on a total of 570,000 rai of land in 40 provinces which is considered inappropriate for rice farming. Each family must have no more than 15 rai of land.
Families chosing to switch to other crops will each be allocated 30,144 baht to prepare their land for a supplementary occupation, for example raising fish or chickens.
Those who want to switch livestock will be eligible for a loan through an agriculture group at 2% interest and a repayment period of six years.

Lagosians Assured N9,000 For Bag Of Rice Before December

Post by Chiamaka Okoh August 25, 2016

A bag of rice, which currently sells for N20,500, will drop to N9,000 before December. Lagosians were assured of this by Ganiyu Quadri, a top chieftain of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and Chairman of Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos state.Also See: Stop Blaming Jonathan – Sanusi Admonishes Buhari Mr. Quadri, who gave the assurance while receiving a delegation of Rotary Club of Akowonjo 9110, led by its District-Governor, Patrick Ikheloa, and President, Shola Abidakun, stressed that the APC administration in Lagos swung into agro-business simply to ensure food security for its people. And that by the end of the year, or first quarter next year, things will change in Lagos.

 

“Already, we are into agro-business in Kebbi State. We have massive land on which we planted grains, among which is rice, our people’s staple food. And it is expected that the truckloads of rice will storm Lagos soon.“So, I can assure you that before the end of this year,

the price of a bag of rice, which is about N18,000, will drop to N9,000.”

Lagos State Government embarked on agro-business to ensure food security in the state.

Following the recent ban on importation of rice through land borders across the country by the Nigeria Customs Service,the Lagos government had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Kebbi state government to produce 70 per cent of Nigeria’s rice demand annually.Also See: 272 Companies Have Been Forced Out Of Business – MAN

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode had said that the future of the State was tied partly on food security. Lagos State is the largest consumer of food commodities in Nigeria by virtue of its population. It also has the required purchasing power and an estimated consumption of over 798,000 metric tons of milled rice per year which is equivalent to 15.96 million of 50 kilogramme bags with a value of N135 billion per annum.

http://buzznigeria.com/rice-9000k-december/

Owners removing illegal resorts from Phu Thap Boek

•           26 Aug 2016 at 11:27 5,392 viewed2 comments

•           WRITER: ONLINE REPORTERS

Officials surround Rong Tiam resort on Aug 19, but were frustrated in their attempt to tear down the buildings. (Photo by Sunthorn Kongwarakom)

PHETCHABUN -- Owners of 19 illegal resorts on Phu Thap Boek mountain in Lao Kao district have begun demolishing them, as ordered by the provincial governor, reports said.

The 19 illegally built resorts are the first batch ordered removed by the Royal Forest Department, which owns the land. They are among 111 resorts earmarked for demolition.

Police, troops and forestry officials began removing them on Aug 19.  However, the work was halted by angry Hmong hilltribe people and resort owners. The Hmong have the right to farm the land, but they instead leased much of it to investors, who built the resorts

After the protest, the Phetchabun governor issued an order that owners of the 19 resorts dismantle them and the work must be finished by Aug 29.

Yesterday, workers and employees of the 19 resorts started to pull down buildings and other structures.

The owners of some resorts put signs up in front of them saying: "Business closed. Demolition underway"

Kunyapas Chatpattanarungruj, the owner of Rong Tiam resort, one of the first of the19 ordered removed, hired about 50 workers to pull down the buildings.  He said it was about half completed.

Somthop Saikhamlert,  owner of Rai Ta-Yai resort, said the about 70% of the structures had been removed.

Chanwit Fuangfukijkarn, a legal adviser to Phu Thap Boek business operators, said the four protest leaders to be charged with obstructing officials performing their duty were waiting for a summons to report to police.

He said the protesters closed the road to the resorts only so they could first ask the authorities how many resorts would be demolished, not to prevent them doing their job.

08/26/2016 Farm Bureau Market Report

Rice

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

Futures:

ROUGH RICE High Low Last Change Sep '16 1004.5 968.5 973.0 -5.5 Nov '16 1024.0 987.0 992.5 +2.5 Jan '17 1037.5 1008.0 1015.5 +10.0 Mar '17 1038.0 +7.0 May '17 1059.5 +7.0 Jul '17 1079.5 +6.5 Sep '17 1072.5 +6.5

Rice Comment

Rice futures traded in a wide range Before ending mostly higher. Nationwide, 13% of the crop is now rated poor to very poor, up from 8% last week. Another 25% is in fair condition, while 61% remains in good to excellent condition.

 In Louisiana, 17% is now in poor to very poor condition, while at home in Arkansas, 19% is in poor to very poor condition, 29% is in fair condition, and 52% is in good to excellent condition. Excessive rains have resulted in rice that has lodged and has sprouted in the field. This will all result in poorer quality rice and less than ideal yields. November has resistance at the recent high of $10.70, while support is at the recent lows around $9.50.

Update: Current State of Crop in Arkansas  

By Lauren Waldrip

Rice fields underwater

            Rice fields still under 6.5 feet of water in Greene County (Photo credit: Dan Hosman)

LITTLE ROCK, AR-- The University of Arkansas Rice Research and Extension Center has recently begun assessing potential losses and the economic impact of flooding across the state, specifically in northeast Arkansas. Rice extension agronomist Dr. Jarrod Hardke has estimated 40,000 acres of rice have already been impacted. Depending on the level of future rain, that number could possibly reach 100,000 acres of flooded rice.

"Knowing where and how far this will carry until the flooding stops depends on additional rain which will just exaggerate the problem," said Hardke.

Counties affected include Randolph, Lawrence, Clay and now Craighead and Jackson as a result of the Cache River flooding. Hardke also stated that a few days of flooded rice is still recoverable. Seven days of a flooded crop is recoverable about half the time. However, ten days of a flood leads to an unrecoverable crop. The flooded rice acres in Arkansas have the potential to be complete losses.

Grower Michael Cureton reported that his farm is one of those affected by the severe weather. He has been relying on his levees to keep out as much water as possible and has been fortunate to keep the water pumped off his rice, but most farmers are not able to do that.

According to Cureton, "I am very concerned that people do not understand how serious this situation is for farmers in northeast Arkansas and Louisiana when combined with below cost commodity prices." Arkansas grower Joe Christian echoed Cureton's concerns. "Lots of acres around me, north of me, are totally lost-- both rice and soybeans," said Christian. "Rice is completely submerged.  We think 10,000 acres in Craighead County along and over 100,000 total. The Black River and the Cache River have totally overflowed. These farms may not survive and we just can't lose crops right now."The Arkansas Rice Federation is contacting the Governor's office to use all possible resources to assist those impacted by the flood and cooperating with his staff to ensure the data necessary to declare a disaster area is available.

USA Rice Daily, Friday, August 26, 2016

South Louisiana Area Food Banks Accepting Donations 

By Carrie Castille

 

BATON ROUGE, LA -- Recent flood damage in south Louisiana did not discriminate as even those whose mission it is to help others were effected.  The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank suffered major flood damage, including loss of half a million pounds of food and their delivery trucks.  The Food Bank serves 90,000 unique visitors per year in an 11-parish area.  

Executive Director of the Louisiana Food Bank Association (LFBA) David A. Coffman said, "The food bank here in Baton Rouge has already set up a temporary facility at 13122 Choctaw Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70806."  Coffman suggests those wishing to donate food, please email disasterfood@brfoodbank.org to coordinate deliveries to one of our partner agencies to accelerate distribution.According to Coffman, "In Lafayette, Second Harvest Food Bank at 215 East Pinhook Road is also taking donations.  They have several food distributions throughout the Acadiana area and folks in need can call their helpline at 855-392-9338."  LFBA has been working tirelessly for the past few weeks to respond to the August floods and says cash donations are the most needed resource right now as they enable quick and effective response to changing needs in effected communities. 

Farm Mechanisation Trend In Nigeria: Indigenous – Quasi Efforts And Challenges (II)

M.K OTHMAN

Aug 26, 2016 4:15 am |

Seed Cum Fertilizer Broadcaster was indigenously fabricated by the engineers in MAGLANDS Creations for use as seeds broadcaster and fertilizer applicator. These operations are seemingly simple to do manually but extremely difficult to achieve uniform distribution of the fertilizer and seeds. The resultant effects; neither the plant population is optimum nor the plant growth is uniform for the crops planted on the same day and on the same farm land. Obtaining lower yield of crops is often the consequence of hand or manual broadcasting of seeds and fertilizer. The indigenous broadcaster is designed to be mounted across the shoulder of an operator by means of a strap. A hand-crank rotates the spreading disc.
 Seeds or fertilizer are placed in the hopper. The size of the delivery aperture provided in the bottom of the hopper is adjusted to apply the recommended quantity of the seeds or fertilizer per unit area. As the hand crank is rotated and the person moves forward; the material is spread uniformly over a five to six metre radius. This machine is suitable for rice, wheat and grass/hay productions. The performance features of the machine are application rate ranged from 40kg/hr to 62.4kg/hr, carrying capacity from 6.5kg to 10kg, field capacity from 0.54 to 0.72ha/hr and Labour requirements to 1.38 to 1.84man-hr/ha.
Serrated Weeding hoe is another indigenous innovation to assist farmers. Weed control is an indispensable operation in the crop production system otherwise the weeds will share the soil nutrients with your crops.  Weeds are serious menace to crops as they compete with the plants for water and light in addition to the nutrients, harbour insects, pests, diseases and reduce the quality and yield of the crop. One of the most widely and traditionally used methods of weed eradication in standing crops is the use of hoes. The main advantage of using the serrated Weeding Hoe is the elimination of back-ache usually encountered with the local hoe. This is because of its short-handle which causes the farmer to bend in a bent posture. Besides, less effort is required to use the improved hoe due to superior grade of steel material used for the blade which aids in maintaining a sharp cutting edge of the blade. Depending upon the soil, crop and weed conditions, it was found that a person could weed a piece of farm land area from 0.02 to 0.04 ha/hr. Thus, the labour requirements could vary from 22 to 40 man hrs/ha, which means that a person can weed twice or trice the same area he could do with the traditional hoe and with less drudgery.
Fabrication of Wheel hoe is another feat targeted at small scale farmers. The wheel hoe is widely used to effectively control weeds. The wheel hoe is essentially an inter-row cultivator. It is used by pushing and pulling action. The stroke length is adjusted by the operator depending upon his arm length and ease of working. The depth of penetration is adjusted by raising or lowering the wheel with the help of the holes provided on the frame. The work output for an average person ranges from 0.03 to 0.05ha/hr. It is an improvement over the serrated weeding hoe.
Fabrication of agricultural processing machineries were among the indigenous efforts to address post harvest losses and improve the quality of agricultural produce. Rice Paddy Parboiler is one of such processing equipment. Traditional method of rice parboiling has led to poor quality and makes consumers to have preference for the imported rice. The Parboiler is designed to soak the paddy in water, heat and steam it over a specified period of time. This leads to partial boiling of the grains and galvanising of the starch in the rice. The process keeps the quality of cooked parboiled rice better as it can be kept for longer duration without decomposition or moulding. The Parboiler can parboil 70kg of paddy in about four hoursww. This operation can be repeated two to three times a day which means a paddy of 140 to 210 kg can be parboiled each day. A bigger parboiler with higher capacity up to two Tons of paddy rice was also developed. The parboiler can meet the needs of small scale rice processor with relatively small investment.
MAGLANDS Creations is not alone in this race of promoting indigenous and quasi – indigenous technologies for transforming our traditional farming practices to modern and efficient ones. Recently, Ahmadu Bello University Consultancy Company Nig Limited (ABUCONS) has made a giant step towards this direction. ABUCONS is the business outfit of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. The aim of ABUCONS is to provide technical, professional and other expert services to all tiers of government and private sectors. This is done through the involvement of academic staff who undertake research projects of immediate relevance to the country, thus leading to mutually beneficial relationship between teaching, research and practice.
The firm depends mainly on the widespread talents available at the university to execute consultancy projects. This means that ABUCONS has a pool of intellectual manpower with more than 2,000 academic eggheads in over 100 academic programmes of the university. In a dramatic move to provide a lasting solution to the low level of agricultural mechanisation in the country, ABUCONS has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Qicheng Engineering and Machinery Company Ltd, Hong Kong China for a joint venture. The joint venture is aimed at manufacturing, importation and assembly of small scale, affordable and quality agricultural machineries, implements and equipment. The venture is ensuring that the researchers and scientists of the two companies share their expertise and experience with researchers and academics of Ahmadu Bello University and the nation in general. 
 The venture is likely to facilitate and promote technology transfer, expertise in manufacturing, fabrication, multi-purpose engineering machinery, tools and spare parts between the two countries (China and Nigeria). Already, some of the hanging and dangling fruits of this venture are being plugged.
Samples of the joint venture’s products are hand – held rice reaper, small scale rice milling machine, multi – crops thresher, small scale combined rice de-stoning and milling machine, groundnut harvester, planting/transplanting machines, and many others. These machines are mainly for small scale farmers, targeted at Nigerian peasant farmers across the five ecological regions of the country. As stated in the MoU, these products have to be of high quality, affordable, available spare parts and trained manpower for repairs and maintenance. This is certainly a good news for our small scale farmers who have been toiling on their farms over the years with insignificant rewards for their labour.
 MAGLANDS Creations and ABUCONS are not the only private and governmental organisations working tirelessly to promote indigenous improved farming tools and machineries. National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation (NCAM) Ilorin, many engineering faculties/schools in our tertiary institutions of learning and multiple research centres across the nation have pockets of success stories on the development and testing of farm machineries. Despite these efforts, however, there are few insignificant impacts on our agricultural mechanisation due to some cwhallenges.
The first challenge to farm mechanisation in Nigeria is lack of coherent and consistent government policy on agricultural mechanisation. To the best of my knowledge, there is no separate national policy on Agricultural Mechanisation, however under Agricultural policy, there is a narrow outline on how government intends to promote Agricultural Mechanisation. This must squarely be addressed through involvement of relevant stakeholders especially, Nigerian Institution of Agricultural Engineers (NIAE), Nigerian Agricultural Society (NAS) and Association of Practicing farmers of Nigeria (APFAN) among others.
Another challenge is inadequate funding for research and development, research funds in the annual Federal government budgets are placed under capital projects, yet, the capital projects are hardly released; in the last five years, the releases were at best 50 percent of the approved budget and were never timely. In agricultural research work, “time” is an important variable under investigation and when untimely fund release makes a researcher slow down, the research result will certainly be affected. The next challenge is preference for imported goods by our elites who are mostly responsible for our massive importations of all goods and services into the country. Government has to patronise made in Nigeria goods and its policy to promote these practices.
These are few of the challenges militating against the successful promotion of the indigenous farm mechanisation in the country. The earlier the government leads in addressing them, the better for our country and we may begin to see light when government shows commitment. The road to food security for a nation has never been a smooth one.
http://leadership.ng/opinions/547890/farm-mechanisation-trend-in-nigeria-indigenous-quasi-efforts-and-challenges-ii

Threat of minimum export price for rice

26 Aug 2016 at 08:16 4,472

NEWSPAPER SECTION: BUSINESS | WRITER: PHUSADEE ARUNMAS

The Commerce Ministry has threatened to impose a minimum export price for rice shipments to stop any further price swings caused by manipulations and price wars among traders.Chutima Bunyapraphasara, the permanent secretary for commerce, said exporters and millers have provided false information with negative outlooks for the industry.Many of them offered low export sale prices to buyers, prompting significant rice price swings, she said."I do not understand why they give such negative outlooks for rice prices as global rice output is on the decline," said Ms Chutima.

She said rice stocks in India are expected to total 16 million tonnes, a nosedive from earlier estimates of 25 million. Vietnam cut its export target this year to 4.75 million tonnes from 6.5 million. The two countries are major rice export rivals to Thailand.Buyers such as the Philippines and Indonesia are projected to import more rice this year, which should drive up Thai rice prices."If traders continue to provide false information and negative outlooks to affect domestic rice prices, some measures will be imposed," said Ms Chutima.

Over the past two weeks, prices of paddy have dropped sharply by about 2,000 baht a tonne in line with negative news. Prices of 15% grade white rice paddy fell to between 8,400 to 9,000 baht a tonne, from 10,000 baht.

The drop came even though new harvests from the 2016/17 main crop have yet to be supplied to the market.

Ms Chutima estimated new supply from the main crop is unlikely to meet the estimate, at only 27.7 million tonnes of paddy.

She said the government has already prepared 17 measures worth over 10 billion baht to help farmers and absorb the new supply during the harvest.The government's ongoing rice sales are unlikely to affect rice market prices as the grains in state stocks are mostly old, said Ms Chutima.Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, agreed with the ministry's threat of a minimum export price but doubts whether the measure will be effective enough to deal with price speculation.He said there were other factors that caused falling market prices besides price manipulation by rice traders.

Mr Chookiat said China's abundant rice output and the tendency of international markets to buy smaller volumes of rice this year is one major factor. In addition, the recent announcement by the Philippines that it would buy a lower volume of rice than expected, some 250,000 tonnes, is another factor affecting Thai rice prices.

Importing food 'harming' Africa - UN

By: Athan Tashobya

Farmers transporting bananas to market. Nwanze says money Africa spends on food imports would do well to create more and improved jobs in agriculture sector. / IFPRI-Images/Flickr
Despite agriculture employing more than 80 per cent of the African population, the continent generates only 10 per cent of global agricultural output.Yet another shocking reality is that Africa still spends $35 billion a year on importing food, despite having a quarter of the world’s arable land, according to latest findings from the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).Kanayo F. Nwanze, president of IFAD, said the money Africa spends on food imports would have been used to create more and improved jobs in agriculture.
Nwanze, who is expected to be part of the ongoing sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), which opens today in Nairobi, Kenya, is expected to tell African leaders that the potential for prosperity on the continent is enormous, but investments need to be redirected to developing the agricultural sector.
“African leaders are failing their people by their weak investments in agricultural inputs and infrastructure, and their lack of policy support for the sector,” said Nwanze in a statement. 
“If even a portion of the money used for food imports was spent on creating jobs in rural areas, not only would the world’s largest youth population see a viable future on the continent, but Africa would be able to feed itself,” he said.
Convened by Japan, the purpose of TICAD is to promote high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and partners, with a focus on African-led development. 
This is the first time that TICAD will be held on the African continent. The conference will run until August 28.
Although Africa is the world’s second fastest growing economic region, more than 300 million Africans live below the poverty line. Most live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Unemployment rates are close to 40 per cent.
“Economic growth alone is not enough. If we want a continent with food security and social stability, we have to ensure that development focuses on people. They do not want handouts. They want economic opportunities,” said Nwanze.
“At TICAD this year, I hope we can go beyond talking about Africa’s potential and discuss what is practically needed for Africa’s people to seize that potential,” he added.
Rwanda’s food import status
Figures from the Ministry of Agriculture show that Rwanda imports more sugar and cereals than it exports.
Rwanda spends about $200 million on food imports every year, according to the State Minister for Agriculture, Tony Nsanganira.
Speaking to Saturday Times, yesterday, Nsanganira said the country’s expenditure on food imports “unfortunately keeps increasing, but we are working hard to see these figures reduce.”
“We mostly import processed food because our industries are yet to provide all that we need. We still have to import and we spend some millions on those food commodities such as sugar, wheat, rice ... which cost us in a range of about $150 million to $200 million annually,” Nsanganira said.
The 2015 food security and vulnerability report released by the ministry indicates that formal trade of cereals showed a “negative” trade balance in both 2013 and 2014.
The balance was about -268,000 metric tonnes in 2014. The total production of cereals in Rwanda in 2014 was about 583000 metric tonnes.
This year’s TICAD summit will also see the launch of Japan’s Initiative for Food and Nutrition Security in Africa, which will establish a framework for African countries to collaborate to improve their nutrition status.
In 2014, the top three importers of cereals were Bakhresa Grain Milling, Pembe Flour Mills and the ministry. The first two are active in agro-processing, while the latter focuses on whole grains and rebuilding the national strategic grain reserve among other priorities.
“We are closely working with the ministry of trade and industry to see how our industries can get raw materials and increase food productivity. We have also set up a second sugar factory to increase sugar production to 100,000 metric tonnes, which will make us self-sufficient starting 2018,” the minister said.
He described as “very unfortunate” that the country still imports rice, after seeing the heavy investment the government has invested in rice production.
But still, our goal is to be self-sufficient in rice production by 2018, he added.
However, Nsanganira admitted that it is “still difficult” for Rwanda to have sufficient wheat production, “because it is not the major food crop, so it competes with other staple crops such as beans, maize and cassava. But for the long term, we are working on land availability for wheat, which will take a long time.” 
Japan is a founding member and a leading contributor to IFAD – a specialised United Nations agency and international financial institution that invests in agriculture and rural development in developing countries around the world.
editorial@newtimes.co.rw

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2016-08-27/202996/

Umahi flags off N2.1b Operation Water Ebonyi State

Posted by Segun Adebowale on August 27, 2016 in R&D Health | Leave a response

Governor David Umahi stated this in Abakaliki on Thursday while flagging off the state’s Sustainable Development Goals water projects in the three senatorial zones of the state, which he dubbed: “Operation Water Ebonyi State”
The Ebonyi State Government is to spend N 2.1 billion on the rehabilitation of water facilities to meet the water needs of residents of the state.Governor David Umahi stated this in Abakaliki on Thursday while flagging off the state’s Sustainable Development Goals water projects in the three senatorial zones of the state, which he dubbed: “Operation Water Ebonyi State.”Addressing the people during the ceremony, Umahi said Ebonyi State was among the 10 lucky states that accessed the SDG grant of N600 million each.According to the governor, the beneficiary states are expected to match the grant with additional N600 million each in order to access the fund.He explained that Ebonyi State did not only do so, it injected additional N900 million into the pool, thereby having the N2.1 billion for the water projects.

The sum, Umahi added, would be used to fix the Ezillo Water Plant, the Sacamori Water Station, the Juju Hill Water Scheme and the Ohaozara Water Station.A statement on Friday by his Chief Press Secretary, Emma Anya, quoted Umahi as saying: “Let me put it properly that Federal Government gave N600 million and we were expected to match it with another N600 millio.“We did and we also provided another N900 millio.
“So all together, the three lots of the projects are going to be costing us about N2.1 billion.“So, FG, N600m; Ebonyi State Government, N1.5 billion.”

http://theeagleonline.com.ng/umahi-flags-off-n2-1b-operation-water-ebonyi-state/

How even I failed to mess up Delia's rice pudding

Try as you might, it’s impossible to ruin, or even sabotage, Delia’s recipe for this nostalgic dessert

 ‘I tried to make it go wrong just to have something to write about, and honestly, I failed: Delia’s recipe for rice pudding is not just idiot-proof, but sabotage-proof.’ Illustration: Sam Island

Stephen Bush

Friday 26 August 2016 12.00 BST Last modified on Saturday 27 August 2016 00.01 BST

Rice pudding is like London’s East End: it’s changed a lot since I was little. When I was a child, the East End was a place where you might be robbed at knifepoint in broad daylight. Daylight robbery is still a day-to-day occurrence in east London, it’s just that now it happens in pop-up restaurants.And so it is with rice pudding. When I was young, rice pudding was sweet, sticky, jam-packed with E numbers and came in a small plastic pot. It was, as it happens, the first dessert I ever had. It was a regular treat from our next-door neighbour, and it was a special one, as my mother’s idea of dessert was extra cucumber. Nowadays, rice pudding is sweet, sticky, but instead of E numbers there’s cinnamon, sultanas, and it comes in a miniature pint glass or some other god-awful receptacle.Delia’s recipe for rice pudding is something in between the two, but definitely not something you’d expect to find in an egg cup in Shoreditch any time soon. The good news is that it is among the easiest recipes you will ever make. I tried to make it go wrong just to have something to write about, and honestly, I failed: Delia’s recipe for rice pudding is not just idiot-proof, but sabotage-proof.

Delia’s first rule for cooking rice: leave it alone!

The bad news is it involves something called “pudding rice”, which I had honestly never heard of, but everyone else in the world – colleagues, partner, mother, random passers-by on the street – seems to be intimately familiar with. I know this because when Delia asked me to buy “pudding rice” I complained to my partner that I was going to have to shell out at Whole Foods or some other obscure shop and she laughed at me for at least half an hour.Feeling wounded, I phoned home and asked mother if she had heard of “pudding rice”, because I certainly hadn’t, and she laughed at me before breaking into uncontrollable sobs and saying “I have no son” over and over.

Brown rice has many uses, but if you use it to make rice pudding, terrible things will happen

Then I asked people at work if they’d heard of pudding rice, but I may as well have asked if they’d heard of milk.Eventually I went to my local corner shop, where, troublingly, the pudding rice is right next to the rice I have been buying for the past three years. Clearly, I have pudding-rice blindness.If, like me, you have never heard of pudding rice or perhaps you feel that between risotto rice, basmati rice, brown rice and salted caramel rice (I made that last one up, but it can only be a matter of time), you have too much rice in your house as it is, you may wonder if you need pudding rice.

To answer that question, I decided to experiment with different varieties of rice other than pudding rice, and I learned the following two things. First off: brown rice has many uses, but if you use it to make rice pudding, terrible things will happen.
The second thing I learned is that flavour-wise, risotto or basmati rice will work just as well, although risotto rice pudding has the texture of a particularly robust milkshake, rather than a pudding. It’s slightly easier to make rice pudding with pudding rice and if you are making Delia’s recipe for the first time or attempting to make your own version of it, I’d start with that, but it’s not essential.Anyway, now I need to invest in a couple of miniature pint glasses: we have people over and I said I’d serve them rice pudding.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/aug/26/delia-smith-rice-pudding-recipe-stephen-bush-delia-project

USDA forecasts $6 billion jump in farm exports in FY 2017

By Daniel Enoch

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2016 - U.S. agricultural exports will total $133 billion in the fiscal year starting Oct. 1, up $6 billion from the revised forecast for the current year, USDA said today in its first projection for FY 2017. After two years of declines in exports, the department said the forecasts indicate farm exports have begun to rally again.The increase in overseas shipments is largely due to higher exports of oilseeds and products, horticultural goods, cotton, livestock, dairy and poultry, according to the quarterly report by USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service and the Economic Research Service."These numbers once again demonstrate the resiliency and reliability of U.S. farmers and ranchers in the face of continued challenges,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. He said the projections for the next fiscal year, if realized, would be the sixth highest on record.

The report projects the country's agricultural trade surplus for FY 2017 rising to $19.5 billion, up 40 percent from the expected $13.9 billion this year. The U.S. has continued to post an agricultural trade surplus since recordkeeping began in the 1960s, USDA said.Vilsack made special mention of an expected growth in demand for U.S. beef, pointing out that shipments of the meat are expected to reach $5.3 billion in 2017, well above the $1.5 billion exported in FY 2004, following the discovery of a case of mad cow disease, or BSE, in December 2003.“U.S. beef exports have recovered,” Vilsack said, citing a rise in global economic growth and efforts by the Obama administration to eliminate BSE-related restrictions in countries around the world, including 16 countries since 2015.

Some other highlights of the report:

China is projected to return as the United States' top export market in 2017, surpassing Canada as the number-one destination for U.S. agricultural goods. The country's purchases are expected to be $3.5 billion higher than the current year, due mostly to increased soybean, tree nuts and pork exports.Exports of oilseeds and related product exports are seen rising $2.7 billion, to $31 billion in 2017, driven by record soybean shipments and higher unit values. Limited export availability in South America during the first half of the marketing year also supports projections for a higher export volume.

Fiscal year 2017 grain and feed exports are forecast at $29.3 billion, unchanged from the 2016 estimate as higher wheat and corn exports offset reductions in sorghum. Wheat is forecast at $5.1 billion, up $100 million from 2016.Rice exports are forecast to remain at $1.9 billion, with an increase in volume offset by a decline in value amid record supplies.Cotton exports are projected to rise $900 million due to sharply higher U.S. production and tighter foreign stocks.Exports of livestock, dairy and poultry products are seen up $800 million, primarily due to higher poultry and dairy shipments.Grain and food exports are forecast unchanged at $29.3 billion, as higher wheat and corn shipments offset reductions in sorghum.

The fiscal 2017 export forecast for horticultural products is $34 billion, up $1.4 billion from the 2016 estimate. Fresh fruit and vegetables are forecast down $200 million to $6.8 billion, based on lower shipments to Canada and Mexico.

The report also forecast agricultural imports at $113.5 billion, $400 million higher than FY 2016.USDA revised the forecast for exports in the current fiscal year to $127 billion, up $2.5 billion from the previous prediction. This would bring total agricultural exports since 2009 to more than $1 trillion, “smashing all previous eight-year totals,” Vilsack said.“Exports are responsible for 20 percent of U.S. farm income, also driving rural economic activity and supporting more than one million American jobs on and off the farm,” Vilsack said, using the report to push for approval of international trade agreements.“The United States has the opportunity to expand those benefits even further through passage of new trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership,” Vilsack said. “Such agreements are key to a stable and prosperous farm economy, helping boost global demand for U.S. farm and food products, increasing U.S. market share versus our competitors, and ensuring that our farmers and ranchers have stable and predictable markets for the quality goods they produce

http://www.agri-pulse.com/USDA-forecasts-$6-billion-jump-in-farm-exports-in-FY-2017-08252017.asp

Crop prices drop 17% in Yuba County

By Kirk Barron/kbarron@appealdemocrat.com

Market changes drove the total value of agricultural products in Yuba County down 17 percent between 2014 and 2015, according to the county's latest crop report.The report, released this week by Agricultural Commissioner Stephen Scheer, showed about 66 percent of the county's 272,480 acres was dedicated to cropland or pasture in 2015, and its production value was estimated at nearly $232 million.• Walnuts remained the county's top crop, both in acreage and value, with totals of 14,020 harvested acres and $52.74 million in value. In 2014, the walnut crop was estimated at $83.12 million for 12,314 acres.The decline in value can be attributed to several factors, Scheer said."Some of that has to do with the world economy and the strength of the dollar. Foreign countries can afford less when the dollar is strong," Scheer said. "Walnut production has been going up and up, a lot of growers are switching, so with more supply, price goes down."• Yuba County rice farmers were able to plant almost the same number of acres as 2014, while other areas of the state planted about 20 percent fewer acres due to the drought, Scheer said."Yuba County is not really in that situation because we have good water rights out of Englebright, other good water rights, plus a high-yield water aquifer," Scheer said. "We pretty much had full planting during drought years because of that unique situation."

However, rice prices dropped despite the steady acreage in the county and reduced rice production from surrounding areas. The total value of the rice crop dropped from $62.97 million in 2014 to $44.87 million in 2015.The international market and the extended amount of time that rice can be stored before sale play a role in rice prices."Rice is one of those commodities that there's so much of it that the marketing and when they sell it really has a huge effect on the price," Scheer said. "It's not always when we have less production that the price goes up."• Prune acreage grew slightly in 2015, but the prices fell to bring the crop value down almost $6 million to $43.77 million. Milk, almond and timber values also fell in 2015.• The peach crop was one of the few to see a rise in value in 2015 as a jump in price and acreage brought the total value up more than $6 million to $27.82 million for 3,341 acres."The value of peaches is up 30 percent in Yuba County, and that's basically for everybody," Scheer said. "That's a pretty big deal because those guys have been hanging on by their fingernails for a while."

Overproduction, high cost of labor and low prices drove many people out of the peach business, but it is starting to come back and some canneries are offering incentives to plan peaches again, he said.• Pasture, cattle and calves saw slight boosts in value in 2015. Cattle and calves ranked as the fifth most valuable commodity in the county at $16.65 million while pasture land increased to $5.53 million.• Kiwis are poised to see significant growth in the coming years as Sun Pacific is planning on planting 1,000 acres of kiwis in the county, a significant increase to the 358 harvestable acres in 2015 valued at $6.71 million."They have a specialty market, so it's a high value product," Scheer said.

Most of the crop numbers for 2015 came before the wet winter, and though reservoirs were replenished, the county remains in a drought situation for 2016.Early indications suggest walnut yields are up this year, which can help growers make up for lower prices, but it is still too early to know for sure how everything will shake out, Scheer said."I have been talking to a few university folks and I haven't talked to anyone who thought prices for walnuts and rice are going to change a whole lot," Scheer said. "Hopefully they won't go down further."

CONTACT Reporter Kirk Barron at 749-4796.

http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/crop-prices-drop-in-yuba-county/article_8dfed8e4-6b2b-11e6-a3b2-27ac9a2f02ba.html