Wednesday, January 06, 2016

6 January,2016 Daily Jang eppaer news pg no 8

6 January,2016 Daily Jang epaper news pg no 8

5th january,2016 Daily Exclusive ORYZA Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

About 39% of Italy's 2015-16 Paddy Crop Sold as of December 29, 2015; Down 6% from Last Year

Jan 04, 2016

About 587,976 tons, or about 38.9% of total Italian 2015-16 (September 2015 - August 2016) paddy crop has been sold out as of December 29, 2015, down about 6% from around 625,642 tons sold during the same period last year, according to data from the Ente Nazionale Risi, the National Agency for Rice.

Year-on-year, sales of round varieties increased by about 5,428 tons to around 161,720 tons, sales of medium varieties increased by about 2,344 tons to around 16,728, sales of Long A varieties increased by about 16,171 tons to around 293,3018 tons and sales of Long B varieties declined by about 61,609 tons to around 116,220 tons.

During the week December 22-29, 2015, a total of around 293,308 tons of paddy were sold. The week's sales included about 4,715 tons of Long A, about 1,627 tons of Long B, about 3,194 tons of round paddy and 579 tons of medium paddy. Loto-Ariete, with 2,549 tons and Carnaroli, with 833 tons remained the best sold varieties during the week.

A total of around 1.510 million tons of paddy (including carryover stocks), are available as beginning stocks for 2015-16, up about 4% from around 1.45 million tons available last year.

Global Rice Quotes

January 5th, 2016

Long grain white rice - high quality

Thailand 100% B grade 360-370 ↑

Vietnam 5% broken 355-365 ↔

India 5% broken 355-365 ↔

Pakistan 5% broken 335-345 ↔

Myanmar 5% broken 410-420 ↔

Cambodia 5% broken 425-435 ↔

U.S. 4% broken 475-485 ↔

Uruguay 5% broken 510-520 ↔

Argentina 5% broken 505-515 ↔

Long grain white rice - low quality

Thailand 25% broken 335-345 ↔

Vietnam 25% broken 345-355 ↔

Pakistan 25% broken 305-315 ↔

Cambodia 25% broken 400-410 ↔

India 25% broken 325-335 ↔

U.S. 15% broken 500-510 ↔

Long grain parboiled rice

Thailand parboiled 100% stxd 355-365 ↑

Pakistan parboiled 5% broken stxd 405-415 ↔

India parboiled 5% broken stxd 345-355 ↔

U.S. parboiled 4% broken 500-510 ↔

Brazil parboiled 5% broken 520-530 ↔

Uruguay parboiled 5% broken NQ ↔

Long grain fragrant rice

Thailand Hommali 92% 680-690 ↔

Vietnam Jasmine 445-455 ↔

India basmati 2% broken NQ ↔

Pakistan basmati 2% broken NQ ↔

Cambodia Phka Mails 830-840 ↔

Brokens

Thailand A1 Super 315-325 ↔

Vietnam 100% broken 340-350 ↔

Pakistan 100% broken stxd 285-295 ↔

Cambodia A1 Super 355-365 ↔

India 100% broken stxd 265-275 ↔

Egypt medium grain brokens NQ ↔

U.S. pet food 290-300 ↔

Brazil half grain NQ ↔

All prices USD per ton, FOB vessel, oryza.com

Wholesale Basmati Rice Prices in India Decline on Increased Stocks, Sluggish Demand

Jan 04, 2016

Wholesale basmati rice prices have declined last week due to sluggish demand from traders and sufficient stocks, according to the Press Trust of India (PTI).

On January 2, 2016, prices of Pusa 1121 declined to around Rs.4,000 - 4,700 per quintal (around $605 - $711 per ton) from previous quotes of around Rs.4,100 - 4,700 per quintal (around $620 - $711 per ton).

However, prices of common basmati rice on the same day declined to around Rs.5,300 - 5,400 per quintal (around $802 - $817 per ton) from the previous level of around Rs.5,400 - Rs.5,500 per quintal (around $817 - $832 per ton).

"Subdued demand against sufficient stocks position led to the decline in rice basmati prices," traders were quoted as saying.

FAO Forecasts Dominican Republic 2015 Paddy Rice Production to Remain at Previous Year's Levels

Jan 04, 2016

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) forecasts Dominican Republic's 2015 paddy rice production at around 900,000 tons, almost unchanged at last year's level of around 899,000 tons mainly due to the good harvest from the 2014-15 main season crop (November 2014 - August 2015).

Despite the severe and prolonged drought conditions since May, main rice producing areas relied on adequate water reserves for irrigation, which benefitted crops, says the FAO.

Retail prices of first quality rice increased slightly and retail prices of second quality rice increased slightly in December 2015, according to the data from the FAO.

Government of Indonesia Urged to Fix Rice Purchase Price Based on Market Prices

Jan 04, 2016

Indonesia's state logistics agency Bulog has urged the government to fix its rice purchase price (Harga pokok penjualan, HPP) in accordance with the prevailing market prices, according to Antara News Agency.

Bulog's Procurement Director told reporters that the agency had raised the matter with the government because the HPP is being set below the prevailing market prices and due to this they are not able to procure sufficient amounts of rice from the farmers.

"The HPP should later be set by the technical ministry based on the price condition in the market. It should be set after passing through a series of calculation and assessment and after considering data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS)," he was quoted.

He also noted that the government should consider setting up of a basic price (HD) rate or the lowest price rate at the farmers level. "This optimize the absorption of farmers rice during the grand harvest season because Bulog would be able to purchase rice at a price over the basic price rate," he said.

The Bulog official also noted that the HD and the HPP must be part of a Presidential Instruction Decree.

The Chairman of the National Rice Farmers Association supported the proposal of the Bulog official. "If the market wants to buy the rice at a price over the basic price rate, it would be up to the farmers whether they will sell it to Bulog or to the market. Both will not disadvantage them," he added.

Asia Rice Quotes Mixed Today

Jan 04, 2016

Thailand rice sellers lowered their quotes for A1 super rice by about $5 per ton to about $315-$325 per ton today. Vietnam rice sellers lowered their quotes for 5% broken rice by about $5 per ton to about $355-$365 per ton and increased their quotes for 100% broken rice by about $5 per ton to about $340-$350 per ton. Pakistan rice sellers increased their quotes for 5% broken rice and 25% broken rice by about $5 per ton each to about $335-$345 per ton and $305-$315 per ton respectively. India rice sellers have kept their quotes unchanged today .

5% Broken Rice

Thailand 5% rice is indicated at around $345 - $355 per ton about $10 per ton discount on Vietnam 5% rice shown at around $355 - $365 per ton. India 5% rice is indicated at around $355 - $365 per ton, about $20 per ton premium on Pakistan 5% rice shown at around $335 - $345 per ton.

25% Broken Rice

Thailand 25% rice is indicated at around $335 - $345 per ton, about $10 per ton discount on Vietnam 25% rice shown at around $345- $355 per ton. India 25% rice is indicated at around $325 - $335 per ton, about $20 per ton premium on Pakistan 25% rice shown at around $305 - $315 per ton.

Parboiled Rice

Thailand parboiled rice is indicated at around $350 - $360 per ton. India parboiled rice is indicated at around $345 - $355 per ton, about $60 per ton discount to Pakistan parboiled rice last shown at around $405 - $415 per ton.

100% Broken Rice

Thailand broken rice, A1 Super is indicated at around $315 - $325 per ton, about $25 per ton discount to Vietnam 100% broken rice shown at around $340 - $350 per ton. India's 100% broken rice is shown at around $265 - $275 per ton, about $20 per ton discount to Pakistan broken sortexed rice shown at around $285 - $295 per ton.

FAO Forecasts Maldives 2015-16 Rice Imports at 26,000 Tons, Up 3% from Previous Year

Jan 04, 2016

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) forecasts Maldives 2015-16 (January-December) rice imports at around 26,000 tons, up about 3% from around 25,243 tons in 2014-15.

Maldives does not produce rice and is entirely dependent on imports to meet the domestic demand.

The FAO forecasts the total cereal imports of the country in 2015-16 at around 57,300 tons.

Further Extension of Quantitative Restrictions on Rice Imports will Prove Costly for Government, Says Philippines Agri Minister

Jan 04, 2016

The Philippines Agriculture Minister noted that quantitative restrictions (QRs) on rice imports are currently needed to protect local farmers from cheap imports, but a further extension of QRs is likely to prove costly for the government, according to local sources.

The present government had sought an extension of QRs on rice imports until 2017 to help local farmers to compete with imported rice. In order to continue with the QR system, the Philippines had to increase the minimum access volume (MAV) of rice to 805,200 tons (MT) per year, from the previous 350,000 tons. Rice imports under the MAV are imposed a tariff of 40% and imports over and above MAV are imposed a tariff of 50%.

The Minister noted that currently the QR system is needed but a further extension in 2017 would prove costly for the government. He noted that analysts are concerned that the QR system is currently leading to high prices in the country due to lower supplies from imports. “In my view, it is only a matter of time before we can be competitive so instead of asking for another concession, let’s just use our capacity to help the farmers become more competitive in palay production," he said.

Last year, the Economic Planning Secretary also expressed concern on the QR system. “Although the QR gives protection to our farmers, its overall cost on the economy has been so high, especially among the poor because that has led to a double-digit inflation for rice when overall inflation was only two percent to five percent,” he said.

TPP Agreement May Not be Signed in 2016

Jan 04, 2016

The U.S. Presidential elections, Congress objections and uncertainties on signing date are forming major roadblocks for the signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement in 2016.

While President Obama is keen on signing the TPP in 2016, Congress has raised issues on provisions relating to biologics, financial services and tobacco. The Senate Majority Leader reportedly asked the President not to submit the TPP to Congress before the November 2016 elections. Though the Obama administration is discussing with Senate Finance Committee Chairman and House Ways & Means Committee Republicans about their objections to TPP, it is still not clear how it would address their objections.

Some analysts say the U.S. may need to offer additional concessions to compensate TPP countries for any potential changes, as the U.S. did when it renegotiated the U.S.-Korea free trade agreement.

Meanwhile, Australia has rejected the U.S. Republicans' suggestion to change the biologics provisions. Japan has also expressed concern that the signing won't be possible without a fixed date.

Some TPP countries are preferring to sign the deal in New Zealand on February 4, 2016, just after the expiry of the 90-day Congressional review period. Some of them are opining that signing would be delayed until the Obama government addresses the objections of the members of the Congress.

FAO Estimates Malaysia 2015-16 Rice Imports to Increase Despite Record Production

Jan 04, 2016

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) forecasts Malaysia's 2015-16 (July - June) rice imports to increase despite an increase in the 2015 rice production due to an expected increase in domestic demand.

The FAO forecasts Malaysia's 2015 paddy rice production to increase to around 2.694 million tons, up about 2% from around 2.645 million tons in 2014 due to increased yields, favourable weather and continued government support to the rice sector, including subsidies for agricultural inputs. It says the increase in production more than offsets a slight contraction in area planted.

Planting of the 2016 paddy crop is almost complete. Most of the planting has been done between June and September. Rainfall levels have been generally normal to near-normal between June and mid-December over the main rice producing areas, according to the FAO.

The FAO expects the on-going El Nino-induced dry conditions to negatively impact the yield potential of the 2016 paddy crop.

FAO Forecasts Brazil 2015 Paddy Rice Production to Increase 3% y/y on Higher Acreage, Yields

Jan 04, 2016

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) forecasts Brazil's 2015 paddy rice production at around 12.44 million tons, up about 3% from around 12.122 million tons in 2014 due to an increase in acreage as well as yields.

Planting for the 2015-16) rice crop (December - August) will begin this month in the North/North East regions. Planting is complete in the main rice growing region of area Rio Grande do Sul. Planting operations in the Rio Grande do Sul region were reportedly disrupted in October due to heavy rains. The acreage is likely to decline in the state accordingly.

FAO's projections are in contrast to the country's National Grains Supply Company (Conab) projections. In December, Conab estimated the country's 2015-16 paddy rice production at around 11.921 million tons (around 8.2 million tons, basis milled), down about 4% from an estimated 12.436 million tons (around 8.6 million tons, basis milled) in 2014-15 due to a likely reduction in acreage.

USDA estimates Brazil MY 2015-16 (April – March) paddy rice production at around 11.765 million tons (around 8 million tons, basis milled), down about 6% from an estimated 12.5 million tons (around 8.5 million tons, basis milled) in MY 2014-15.

Oryza U.S. Rough Rice Recap - Prices Dip Marginally but Prices Still up Sharply from December

Jan 05, 2016

The U.S. cash market was marginally weaker today although the prices that were seen trading today were roughly $0.50-$0.75 per cwt (about $11-$17 per ton) higher than the numbers that were traded in December.Analysts note that many in the industry are hopeful that new demand from Colombia, Venezuela, and Iraq will show up in January; however, they note that there will likely be stiff competition in these markets from South American Origins.

In the meantime, the USDA reported that cumulative net export sales for the week that ended on December 24^th, totaled 72,800 tons, an increase of 73% from the previous week and 38% higher than the prior 4-week average.Increases were reported for the following destinations: 25,600 ton to Japan, 22,200 tons to South Korea, 10,500 tons to Mexico, 7,200 tons to Guatemala that was switched from unknown destinations, and 6,500 tons to El Salvador including 2,900 tons switched from unknown destinations, while a reduction of 6,200 tons was reported for unknown destinations.

U.S. rice exporters shipped 34,000 tons, a decrease of 35 from than last week and 46% lower than the prior 4-week average.Increases were reported for the following destinations: 16,400 tons to Japan, 7,200 tons to Guatemala, 3,500 tons to El Salvador, 2,100 tons to Taiwan, and 1,900 tons to Canada

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

6th january,2016 Daily Exclusive ORYZA Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Sri Lanka Grants Duty Free Access to Pakistan Basmati Rice

Jan 05, 2016

Sri Lanka has granted duty free access to 102 products from Pakistan, including basmati rice, oranges and engineering goods, as part of a free trade agreement (FTA), according to Lanka Business Online.

The two countries have agreed to include services and investment chapters in the bilateral FTA, that was signed in 2005. They have reportedly agreed to offer preferential market access to each other’s' exports through tariff concessions.

The Premiers of the two countries finalized the extended bilateral FTA today in Colombo. They also signed 8 bilateral agreements in the fields of hydro power, cement, fishing and navel.

Italy's Piedmont Region to Tighten Controls on Organic Rice Growers

Jan 05, 2016

The administration of Italy's Piedmont region has decided to tighten controls on organic rice growing in order to prevent speculation against the consumers' confidence, according to local sources.

Organic rice in the European Union (EU) is generally grown according to specified practices, including the elimination of chemicals and the use of a crop rotation. Yields are low and prices are high for organic rice.

"We want farmers to continue to make organic rice, a real opportunities for them. We decided to tighten up controls to offer better guarantees, both for consumers and businesses in order. Those who try to be cunning must be punished: not it will be easier," the alderman for agriculture of Piedmont told local sources.

He noted that the tighter controls are needed because the organic rice farmers are found not to use all their farmland for organic rice. Nearly 90% of farmers use only part of their area for organic growing. Most of the organic rice farmers do not obtain resources from the Rural Development Plan and are controlled by private certification bodies, who determine whether the producers are meeting the organic standards. The region has decided to increase pressure on the private certification bodies to take a closer look at the organic rice growing practices, starting from sowing time. The analysis of samples will also include all active principles allowed in conventional farming.

The new standards will be prepared by the University of Turin. The monitoring bodies can start with the inspections in 2016, and are expected to give account to the Region.

Australian Weather Forecaster Predicts Chances of La Nina in Second Half of 2016

Jan 05, 2016

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology (ABM) has predicted that the current conditions of El Nino will return to neutral during the second quarter of 2016 with chances of La Nina occurrence in the second half of 2016, according to Bloomberg.

Most of the other El Nino-Southern Oscillation indicators also suggest that the current El Nino has peaked and will decline in the coming months.

La Nina is said to be an opposite phenomenon of El Nino and is often associated with a cooling in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. While El Nino brings droughts to Asia and South America, and heavy rains to the U.S., La Nina brings dry conditions to the U.S. and heavy rains to Australia and Indonesia. El Nino events are generally followed by La Nina events, according to the ABM. They are extreme phases of a naturally occurring cycle, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and both peak during the Northern hemisphere winter.

Analysts are predicting that a transition from a strong El Nino to a strong La Nina may lead to volatility in rice and other grains prices. Global rice prices were expected to increase due to likely lower production in the top rice producing countries, including India and Thailand. However, the effects of the current El Nino have not been properly factored by rice market due to lack of demand.

Experts Call for Curtailing $533 Million Annual Rice Wastage in Saudi Arabia

Jan 05, 2016

Experts noted that curtailing rice wastage of about 700,000 tons worth SR 2 billion (around $533 million) per year would help the economy significantly and keep rice prices in check, according to Arab News.

According to local sources, about 40% of the rice slated for domestic consumption is wasted because of banquets, celebrations and social occasions involving providing food for guests. Saudi Arabia is the largest rice consumer outside the East Asian countries with an annual consumption demand of about 1.4 million tons worth about SR 5 billion (around $1.3 billion). Saudi Arabia imports about 68% of its annual rice requirements.

Prices have been increasing due to increasing demand according to experts. In 2015, prices increased by about 5% to around 31 halala per kilogram (around 310 riyal or $82 per ton).

"It is a known economic fact that when demand is high, prices increase. The solution in this case is to rationalize consumption by raising awareness among people on the importance of saving and rationalizing in consumption,” said one of the country's leading economists.

Some youth organizations are striving to stop abundant food leftovers during social occasions.

Oryza U.S. Rough Rice Recap - Prices Edge Higher as Trade Activities Picks up in the New Year

Jan 06, 2016

The U.S. cash market was slightly firmer today with uptick in trade activity as both buyers and sellers showed a willingness to come off of their price ideas to get something done.

Colombian authorities announced today that they will hold a Tariff Rate Quota auction for 65,972 tons of export licenses on February 1 for shipment no later than June 30.

This is Col-Rice’s first auction in 2016 and the licenses will allow the successful bidders to export U.S. rice duty-free to Colombia.

Indonesia May Import 350,000 Tons of Rice in First Quarter of 2016

Jan 05, 2016

The government of Indonesia is planning to import 350,000 tons of rice in the first quarter of 2016 to enhance stocks and curb price hikes, Jakarta Globe quoted the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs.

The Minister told reporters that the government is also planning to rely on sugar, soybean and cattle imports in the first three months of 2016 to maintain the inflation within its 3-5% target.

"Information from [the Meteorological, Climatology and Geophysics Agency] and the Agriculture Ministry showed that we will likely experience food shortage at the end of February and March," he was quoted. "The situation will return to normal in April, as we can expect [a rice] harvest," he added.

Indonesia already imported one million tons of rice from Thailand and Vietnam in the last quarter of 2015. About 485,000 tons of rice has arrived in the country.

Last week, the Trade Minister also hinted at additional rice imports in the first quarter of 2016 though he did not mention the volume.

Stocks with the country's state logistics agency Bulog currently stand at about one million tons. According to data from the UN's Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), average domestic rice prices have reached a high of Rp 10,633 per kilogram (around $784 per ton) in December and the government is undertaking rice market operations in an effort to stabilize rice prices at around Rp 8,300 per kilogram ($612 per ton), price at which Bulog normally sells rice to the public.

The USDA estimates Indonesia to import 1.6 million tons of rice in 2016, up from an estimated 1.4 million tons in 2015. It estimates Indonesia's paddy rice production to increase to around 57.165 million tons in 2016, up from around 56.315 tons in 2015.

Global Rice Quotes

January 5th, 2016

Long grain white rice - high quality

Thailand 100% B grade 360-370 ↑

Vietnam 5% broken 355-365 ↔

India 5% broken 355-365 ↔

Pakistan 5% broken 335-345 ↔

Myanmar 5% broken 410-420 ↔

Cambodia 5% broken 425-435 ↔

U.S. 4% broken 475-485 ↔

Uruguay 5% broken 510-520 ↔

Argentina 5% broken 505-515 ↔

Long grain white rice - low quality

Thailand 25% broken 335-345 ↔

Vietnam 25% broken 345-355 ↔

Pakistan 25% broken 305-315 ↔

Cambodia 25% broken 400-410 ↔

India 25% broken 325-335 ↔

U.S. 15% broken 500-510 ↔

Long grain parboiled rice

Thailand parboiled 100% stxd 355-365 ↑

Pakistan parboiled 5% broken stxd 405-415 ↔

India parboiled 5% broken stxd 345-355 ↔

U.S. parboiled 4% broken 500-510 ↔

Brazil parboiled 5% broken 520-530 ↔

Uruguay parboiled 5% broken NQ ↔

Long grain fragrant rice

Thailand Hommali 92% 680-690 ↔

Vietnam Jasmine 445-455 ↔

India basmati 2% broken NQ ↔

Pakistan basmati 2% broken NQ ↔

Cambodia Phka Mails 830-840 ↔

Brokens

Thailand A1 Super 315-325 ↔

Vietnam 100% broken 340-350 ↔

Pakistan 100% broken stxd 285-295 ↔

Cambodia A1 Super 355-365 ↔

India 100% broken stxd 265-275 ↔

Egypt medium grain brokens NQ ↔

U.S. pet food 290-300 ↔

Brazil half grain NQ ↔

All prices USD per ton, FOB vessel, oryza.com

Oryza CBOT Rough Rice Futures Recap - Chicago Rough Rice Futures Rally as Cash Market Sees Uptick in Buying Interest and Firmer Grains Add Support

Jan 06, 2016

Chicago rough rice futures for Mar delivery settled 15.5 cents per cwt (about $3 per ton) higher at $11.925 per cwt (about $263 per ton). The other grains finished the day higher; Soybeans closed about 0.2% higher at $8.5725 per bushel; wheat finished about 0.7% higher at $4.6125 per bushel, and corn finished the day about 0.4% higher at $3.5300 per bushel.

U.S. stocks traded in a range Tuesday, attempting to steady after a sharply lower start to the year, as a decline in oil prices weighed. The major U.S. averages fluctuated between gains and losses. The Dow transports attempted gains after earlier falling to hit a fresh 52-week low. European stocks ended higher, but off session highs. Earlier, Dow futures recovered a decline of more than 100 points to trade about 20 points lower ahead of the market open, with traders noting support from gains in European stocks. Overnight, the Shanghai composite swung in a 4% range before closing down about 0.3%. The blue-chip CSI300 closed nearly 0.3% higher. The Hang Seng fell more than half a percent, while the Nikkei 225 was off about 0.4%.

The People's Bank of China (PBOC) injected nearly $20 billion into money markets, its largest cash injection since September, Reuters reported, noting traders suspected the PBOC was using state banks to prop up the yuan at the same time. In afternoon trade, the Dow Jones industrial average declined 63 points, or 0.38%, to 17,084. The S&P 500 traded down 2 points, or 0.13%, to 2,010, with energy leading six sectors lower and telecommunications the greatest advancer. The Nasdaq composite fell 14 points, or 0.29%, to 4,888. Gold is seen trading about 0.3% higher, crude oil is seen trading about 2.4% lower, and the U.S. dollar is seen trading about 0.5% higher at about 2:30pm Chicago time.

Monday, there were 986 contracts traded, up from 797 contracts traded on Thursday. Open interest – the number of contracts outstanding – on Monday decreased by 325 contracts to 13,476.

Seaweed Extracts can Enhance Rice Growth by 30%, Find Philippines Scientists

Jan 05, 2016

Scientists from the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) have found that extracts from seaweeds can boost rice production as well protect rice plants from major pests when they are treated with slight gamma radiation, according to a study published in the January edition of the Radiation Physics and Chemistry journal.

A team of scientists led by the Chief of PNRI's chemistry research section showed that the carrageenan-derived polysaccharide, a carbohydrate, enhances rice growth when degraded through a “very small dose” of gamma radiation. They developed the carrageenan plant food supplementor (CPFS), which is derived from carrageenan extracted from red edible seaweeds.

The PNRI scientist told reporters that the chemical arrangement of carrageenan can provide more agricultural benefits. The long-chain carrageenan polymer can be broken down into shorter chain fragments known as oligomers, which can be easily absorbed by plants to help their growth and development and also improve their resistance to diseases.

“Using gamma radiation, we were able to cut up the polymer into oligomers without using chemicals or complicated and expensive processes,” she says. The CPFS is nor radioactive and is a clean and add additive-free method that is safe, non-toxic, environment friendly and, most of all, effective, she adds. The scientist noted that the new technology can increase rice yields by at least 30%.

She also notes that rice plants treated with CPFS have produced longer rice stems and panicles compared to conventional crops. CPFS also induces resistance against major rice pests such as rice tungro virus and bacterial leaf blight, she told.

A scientist at the at the National Crop Protection Center and who headed the field trials in Bulacan noted that three bags of chemical fertiliser per hectare combined with 200 parts per million or 20 millilitres per litre of CPFS yielded higher rice grain weight of 450 grams per 10 hills (mound of soil that is planted with seeds). On the other hand, the conventional farmers’ practice of applying nine bags of chemical fertiliser per hectare yields a grain weight of only 275 grams per 10 hills.

Philippines Plans to Import More Rice from Vietnam and Thailand in 2016, Says NFA Administrator

Jan 05, 2016

The National Food Authority (NFA) of Philippines is planning to import more rice from Vietnam and Thailand in 2016 to ensure rice sufficiency throughout the country this year, local sources quoted the NFA Administrator.

He told reporters that the agency is planning to import at least 50,000 tons of rice from Vietnam and Thailand to ensure enough rice stocks in times of calamity or disaster that may occur this year.

“See to it that we have enough rice in time of calamities that can immediately be dispatched to various disaster councils and local government units,” the NFA official was quoted.

Last month, the official noted that the NFA was planning to finalize the volume and timing of the additional rice imports of about 300,000 - 400,000 tons approved by the NFA Council and the Cabinet Task Force on El Nino.

The NFA already imported 500,000 tons from Vietnam and Thailand for the first quarter of 2016. The Philippines imported around 1.8 million tons of rice in 2015.

New imports may push up Thai and Vietnam rice export quotes which have eased during December 2015 due to lack of demand. Thai 5% and Vietnam 5% rice quotes have declined to around $355 per ton and $360 per ton respectively in the new year from around $355 per ton and $375 per ton in the beginning of December 2015.

Thailand Rice Sellers Increase Their Quotes Today; Other Asia Rice Quotes Unchanged

Jan 05, 2016

Thailand rice sellers increased their quotes for 100% high quality rice and parboiled rice by about $5 per ton each to about $360-370 per ton and $355-$365 per ton, respectively, today. Other Asia rice sellers have kept their quotes unchanged today .

5% Broken Rice

25% Broken Rice

Parboiled Rice

Thailand parboiled rice is indicated at around $355 - $365 per ton. India parboiled rice is indicated at around $345 - $355 per ton, about $60 per ton discount to Pakistan parboiled rice last shown at around $405 - $415 per ton.

100% Broken Rice

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

5th january 2016 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine-Latest Rice News Updates

History on India's Side, Not Pakistan, on Basmati GI Tag'

By Express News Service

Published: 05th January 2016 04:46 AM

Last Updated: 05th January 2016 04:46 AM

NEW DELHI:With a tussle over getting a Geographical Indication tag for Basmati rice on, as Pakistan had laid claims over the origins of the variety of rice grown here, an RSS mouthpiece article termed the neighbouring country’s “illegible claim” as one of the unfinished agendas of partition.An article in Organiser last week, said Basmati Growers Association (BGA), Lahore had claimed and registered a case that Basmati Rice is owned only by Pakistan, and India does not ‘own or have rights’.

Hitting out at Pakistan’s attempt to lay sole claim over the origin of Basmati rice, the article added, “Basmati rice is one of the testimonies for Bharat’s deep-rooted history, culture and civilisation, where Basmati Rice has a relationship with the ‘Kuru Vamsa’ of Mahabharat... Contrary to the claim of BGA, Lahore, there are a number of facts to prove that Bharat owns (exclusively) Basmati but it never claimed so.”Talking about the legal issues starting from the partition, the article said, “The Partition Proceedings never mentions that basmati rice is to be shared with Pakistan by United Bharat or Bharat.

Further, an agreement between Pakistan and Bharat on certain outstanding financial issues dated June 12, 1955 at Karachi does not capture in the list of issues provided by India as well as Pakistan anything relating to sharing of Intellectual Property Rights on Basmati,” the article added.Going on to the history of rice growing, it said “The Royal Commission on Indian Agriculture in 1926 and its subsequent development of Rice Research Stations including Doiwala, Dehradun and Kala Shah Kaku, Pakistan under the charge of Late Sardar Mohammed Khan, who had special training in rice breeding in Madras, provides facts about the real geographical origin of basmati rice.

The phenomenon of commercial basmati rice production in Pakistan’s Punjab was merely from the year 1933...a lack of history on basmati production in Pakistan’s Punjab underlines the fact that Basmati Rice’s Geographical Indication is exclusively owned by India.”The article added, ‘The legal and historical facts provide ability to register Basmati Rice as an exclusive GI of India.” It said, India could thus claim penalty or royalty from Pakistan, which could run into several billion dollars of compensation.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/History-on-Indias-Side-Not-Pakistan-on-Basmati-GI-Tag/2016/01/05/article3212459.ece

RSS Mouthpiece Hits Out at Pakistan's 'Illegible Claim' on Basmati Rice

By Express News Service

Published: 04th January 2016 09:08 PM

Last Updated: 04th January 2016 09:09 PM

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NEW DELHI: With tussle over getting a geographical indication tag for Basmati rice on, as Pakistan had laid claims over the origins of the variety of rice grown here, a RSS mouthpiece termed the neighbouring country’s “illegible claim” as one of the unfinished agendas of partition.An article in the RSS magazine - Organiser – last week, said Basmati Growers Association (BGA), Lahore,has claimed and registered a case that Basmati Rice is owned only by Pakistan but India does not ‘own or have rights’.Hitting out at the Pakistan’s attempt to lay sole claim over the origin on basmati rice, the article added, “Basmati rice is one of the testimonies for Bharat’s deep-rooted history, culture and civilisation, where Basmati Rice has relationship with ‘Kuru Vamsa’ of Mahabharat.

A detailed legal and cultural history of Basmati Rice is not available... Contrary to the claim of Basmati Growers Association Lahore, there are number of facts to prove that Bharat owns (exclusively) Basmati but it never claimed so. “Talking about the legal issues starting from the partition, the article said, “The Partition Proceedings never mentions basmati rice to be shared with Pakistan by United Bharat or Bharat. Further, an agreement between Pakistan and Bharat on certain outstanding financial issues dated of June 12, 1955 at Karachi does not capture in the list of issues provided by India as well as Pakistan anything relating to sharing of Intellectual Property Rights or Basmati,” the article added.Going in to the history of rice growing, it said “The Royal Commission on Indian Agriculture in 1926 and its subsequent development of Rice Research Stations including Doiwala, Dehradun and Kala Shah Kaku, Pakistan under the charge of Late Sardar Mohammed Khan, who had special training in rice breeding in Madras, provides fact about real geographical origin of basmati rice.

The phenomenon of commercial basmati rice production in Pakistan Punjab was merely from the year 1933...a lack of history on basmati production in Pakistan Punjab underlines the fact that Basmati Rice Geographical Indication is exclusively owned by India.”Suggesting that India solely owns the rights over basmati, the Organiser article added, ‘The legal and historical facts provide ability to register Basmati Rice as an exclusive GI of India. Such exclusive ownership position of Bharat has authority to claim penalty or royalty on infringement of use of word “Basmati Rice” by Pakistan in International Court or WTO, which could run several billion dollars compensation to Bharat.”

The Indian express

Pakistan, Sri Lanka include services and investments in FTA

Author LBO
Posted on January 5, 2016 | Politics

Jan 05, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka and Pakistan have agreed to include services and investment chapters in the bilateral Free Trade Agreement, Pakistan Premier Nawaz Sharif said.The existing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and Sri Lanka has been operational since 2005.Under the existing agreement, the two countries have agreed to offer preferential market access to each others’ exports by way of granting tariff concessions.

“We discussed the issues relating to the implementation of Pakistan, Sri Lanka FTA. The two countries have agreed on the inclusion of services and investments chapters in the bilateral FTA.” Pakistan PM said.Pakistan Prime Minister was speaking at an event held at Presidential Secretariat to sign 8 bilateral agreements which includes the fields of hydro power, cement, fishing and navel.

“This would enable our companies to form joint ventures for exports for third countries. Sri Lanka enjoys exceptional position of being the first country with which Pakistan entered into a FTA,”“The present volume of trade does not reflect the true potential. We have agreed to re-liberate our efforts to realize the goal of achieving one billion dollars bilateral trade target at the earliest.” the Pakistani PM said.Through the FTA signed in 2005 Sri Lanka was able to enjoy duty free market access on 206 products in the Pakistani market including tea, rubber and coconut.Pakistan, in return, has gained duty free access on 102 products in the Sri Lankan market. These products include oranges, basmati rice and engineering goods.

Pakistan Premier invited Sri Lankan President to visit Pakistan soon.

Full Statement by the Pakistan Prime Minister:

President Maithripala Sirisena!

On behalf of myself and my delegation, I would like to thank you for the warm hospitality accorded to me and my delegation. My visit, which comes eight months after Your Excellency’s visit to Pakistan in April last year, is a testimony to strong bonds of friendship between our two countries. Pakistan and Sri Lanka enjoy excellent relations, based on mutual respect and shared interests. They are marked by cordiality and commonality of views on major regional and global issues and close cooperation in the multilateral forums.

Both sides wish to further deepen and broaden these ties through regular high level contacts and exchange of visits.Today, we comprehensively reviewed the whole range of our multifaceted bilateral relationship, in the fields of political interactions, trade and commerce, defence, education, science and technology, culture and agriculture etc.

The talks were held in a warm friendly and cordial atmosphere and were marked by full trust and complete understanding. Both sides reached broad consensus on ways and means to further strengthen our bilateral cooperation in a comprehensive manner. We have agreed to hold frequent summit level meetings, promote parliamentary exchanges and enhance the process of consultations, cooperation and coordination between our respective institutions.We also discussed the issues related to the implementation of the Pakistan-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. The two countries have agreed on the inclusion of Services and Investments chapters in the bilateral FTA. This would enable our companies to form joint ventures for export to third countries. Sri Lanka enjoys exceptional position of being the first country with which Pakistan entered into a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

The present volume of trade (approx. US $325 million) does not reflect true potential. We have agreed to re-invigorate our efforts to realize the goal of achieving US $1 billion bilateral trade target at the earliest. I re-iterated Pakistan’s offer to setup Cement and Sugar Plants in Sri Lanka, on mutually agreed terms, for the long term benefit of Sri Lankan economy. We have also conveyed our readiness to welcome Sri Lankan investment in Pakistan. We have also expressed satisfaction on the work of Pakistan-Sri Lanka Joint Economic Commission in promoting bilateral trade.Both sides expressed their satisfaction at the existing bilateral cooperation in the field of Defence.

I appreciated the participation of the Sri Lankan Navy in the annual AMAN exercise of the Pakistan Navy. I also conveyed our desire for more frequent port calls, participation in military exercises and fence seminars and training of military personnel.Both sides also agreed to give further impetus of their cooperation in the fields of education, science and technology, healthcare, agriculture, tourism, sporting contacts, cultural exchanges and people to people contacts. They also agreed to prioritize Cooperation in the Field of Gems and Jewelllery.

We have also signed a number of Agreements and MoUs today, which would help promote cooperation between our two countries in the fields Trade promotion, Culture, Health, Gem and Jewellery, Science & Technology and Combating Money Laundering and Terror Financing.Sri Lanka has been a strong and steadfast friend of Pakistan. It has stood by us in our most difficult moments. We remain eternally grateful to the people and government of this beautiful Island State.We now look forward to welcoming President Sirisena to Pakistan, at an early date, so that the relations of mutual trust and confidence can be further enhanced.

Colombo, 05 January 2016

Lanka business online

Plant Engineering to Improve Thermotolerance in Rice and Tomatoes

Paper Reviewed

Shen, H., Zhong, X., Zhao, F., Wang, Y., Yan, B., Li, Q., Chen, G., Mao, B., Wang, J., Li, Y., Xiao, G., He, Y., Xiao, H., Li, J. and He, Z. 2015. Overexpression of receptor-like kinase ERECTA improves thermo-tolerance in rice and tomato.Nature Biotechnology 33: 996-1003.Concerned about the possibility that the detrimental effects of predicted global warming on crop productivity "threaten to reduce the world's food supply," Shen et al. (2015) also worried about the fact that the genetic modification of crops to improve thermo-tolerance had demonstrated what they describe as "little success to date." And, therefore, they decided to see if they could discover something that would have success in this regard.Focusing on three transgenic lines of the Arabidopsis thaliana (mouse-ear cress) receptor-like kinase ERECTA (ER), the 15 Chinese scientists conducted field experiments on rice and tomato plants over the course of three summers (2012, 2013 and 2014) in Shanghai, Wuhan and Hainan, China.

And this work revealed, as they discovered, that "transgenic tomato and rice lines overexpressing Arabidopsis ER showed improved heat tolerance in greenhouse and field tests." In addition, they discovered that "ER-overexpressing transgenic Arabidopsis, tomato and rice plants had increased biomass."And the take-home message of their findings? Shen et al. say that they open the door, so to speak, "to engineering or breeding thermo-tolerant crops with no growth penalty." And, as they also add, with considerably-enhanced water use efficiency. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26280413

Supreme Court refuses claim of rice importer, Jack Charles

05 January 2016— by Rowland A. Parks

BELIZE CITY, Mon. Jan. 4, 2016–Supreme Court Justice Sonia Young, sitting in chambers, denied the application of businessman Jitendra Chawla, better known as “Jack Charles,” for a judicial review into the Government’s decision to block his importation of Guyanese riceJack Charles had applied to the high court seeking permission to file a writ of mandamus, which, if successful, would have the court order the Belize Agriculture and Health Authority (BAHA) to release his three containers of rice that had been held at the Big Creek Port since they arrived almost a month ago.Charles had imported the rice from Guyana without securing the necessary importation permit from BAHA; as a consequence, Justice Young found that Charles was in violation of the BAHA Act and the court would not countenance his application for judicial review.

Upon exiting the court, attorney Eamon Courtenay, SC, who was attempting to join the case on behalf of the local rice producers, told reporters that they did not have to present any arguments, since the case was speedily turned down by the court.“The court looked at the application that was filed, and it was not properly done, and so [the judge] said that it does not affect our client, so we weren’t called upon to make any submissions,” Courtenay explained.“Essentially, what the government argued, quite rightly in their submissions, was that basically the issue that is before the court is an importer who says, ‘I need a license; I applied for it.I didn’t get it.’ Then they come to court and say, ‘I don’t have the permit, and I want the court to order the importation of a product that requires a license.

’ In effect, asking the court to assist him to break the law. The court was very clear that the court is not here to assist anyone in breaking the law; and therefore, a person who does not have the necessary import permit for the importation of rice will not be allowed to use the court as a basis to get some sort of relief,” Courtenay elaborated.Courtenay said Charles’ action was as described by the CEO in the Ministry of Agriculture in his affidavit, as being done in defiance of the law.“Mr. Charles obviously believes that by bringing the product here, he will be able to get what he wants—notwithstanding what the law says,” Courtenay said.Courtenay said that the Customs Department had given Charles the option of sending back the rice, before it is destroyed.“We do not want rice that has not been subject to a test to be brought into Belize. It constitutes a risk, not only to the agricultural sector but also to food security and safety,” Courtenay said.

Courtenay said that a news report was cited which alleged that rice had been exported from Guyana to Chile and it was later found that the rice was contaminated and it had to be returned.“We are not advocating that Belize should bear that risk. That rice has not been tested by Belizean authorities; it should leave Belize, the quicker the better,” Courtenay urged.

“Customs is bending over backwards to Charles; they are giving him an opportunity to take it out the country”, Courtenay said.

Jack Charles’ attorney, Leroy Banner, told reporters that the judge has found that his client was in violation of Section 27 of the BAHA Act.“Without the import permit, you cannot import the goods into Belize,” Banner conceded. “According to the judge, Section 27 is so clear; I do not think there is any merit in appealing this ruling,” he said.Asked if the matter ends there, Banner said that he would have to take direction from his client.Banner added that the issue of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) law has been raised, as thought is being given to whether or not this matter should be put before the Caribbean Court of Justice.Jack Charles declined to speak to reporters when he exited the courtroom with Banner.

http://amandala.com.bz/news/supreme-court-refuses-claim-rice-importer-jack-charles/

Guyanese Rice Rejected
posted (January 4, 2016)

For the past 2 weeks, importer Jack Charles and his advisors have been waiting patiently for their opportunity to get before a Supreme Court Judge. Their position is that Customs and the Belize Agricultural Health Authority overstepped their mandate when they refused to give him a permit import Guyanese Rice.His attempt to get cheap rice unto store shelves in Belize has sparked a very serious debate about the price of this important staple. But today, he got a very swift and stern slap-down from Justice Sonya Young. The judge simply won't entertain his case.

The hearing was done in chambers, and in the absence of the press. It was expected to be a hotly contested legal battle, but the attorneys exited about 20 minutes after the hearing started. They told us that Justice Young was very clear to Charles that he is trying to use the court to legitimize his illegal action when he imported the rice into Belize without a permit.

Here's our conversation with both sides outside of court:

Leeroy Banner - Attorney for Jack Charles

"The court held that because there was no import permit and that was so important that because the importer did not have that import permit then what he did was unlawful and she would not grant leave to apply for judicial review. She is pretty much saying that you needed the import permit and without that you cannot import the goods into Belize."

Eamon Courtenay, SC - Attorney for Local Rice Producers

"The rice producers who I represent didn't even have to make any argument to the court. The court looked at the application that was filed and it was not properly done and so she said that looking at it, it doesn't even affect our clients even if she were to give permission. So we weren't called upon to make any submissions. Essentially what the government argued, quite rightly in their submissions was that basically the issue that is before the court is an importer who says, "I need a license, I applied for it and didn't get it, I don't care, I'm bringing in my goods notwithstanding the fact that I have not obtained the necessary permit." Then come to court and say I don't have the permit and I want the court to order the importation of a product that requires a license. In effect asking the court to assist him to break the law. The court was very clear that the court is not here to assist anyone in breaking the law and therefore a person who does not have the necessary import permit for the importation of rice will not be allowed to use the court as a basis on which to get some sort of relief."

Daniel Ortiz

"Sir, so would you describe his actions as sort of bullish to just force his way in as best he can?"

Eamon Courtenay, SC - Attorney for Local Rice Producers

"Well I would use the language of the C.E.O. in the Ministry of Agriculture in his affidavit that it was done in defiance of the law. Mr. Charles obviously believes that simply by bringing the product here he would be able to get what he wants, notwithstanding what the law says. I think the big issue here, insofar as my clients are concerned is the decision that the Customs has now taken which is that the product must leave Belize. They are giving them a chance to have the product leave Belize and if they don't do that then the product has to be destroyed."

Daniel Ortiz

"What is the deadline that they've been given to remove this rice?"

Eamon Courtenay, SC - Attorney for Local Rice Producers
"Well as I understand the letter to Mr. Charles, the primary position is that it is to be confiscated and destroyed. They are giving him an opportunity and this was from the 23rd December to take it out and attempt to do something with it. So, Customs once again is bending over backward saying to him listen, you brought this thing in illegally, take it out, we are not going to destroy it. I would think that a week has passed and he has done nothing - I would urge Customs to a dispatch at this stage and I hope that they do."

As you've heard, Charles has been denied in this instance by the Supreme Court. So then, is this outcome simply an affirmation of the Government's protection of the Local Rice producers to the detriment of you, the consumer? We put that question to the attorney for the Local Rice Producers, and here's how he answered it:

Daniel Ortiz

"His idea was or his pitch was "better rice for a cheaper price.""

Eamon Courtenay, SC - Attorney for Local Rice Producers

"Right, and more profits for Jack Charles. Why he didn't finish the sentence? How can somebody in good conscience promote the importation of rice to benefit the rice farmers of Guyana, to make a profit for himself and himself alone, one person and say to hell with the domestic producers of rice. To hell with all the people who are planting, who are milling, who are distributing, all the people who have jobs in the fields, all the people who have jobs in the mills, all the people in the distribution sector, to hell with them. Listen, one has to be honest when one is attempting to be charitable. Mr. Charles wants the people of Belize to believe that he loves them so much that he is going to bring in rice into Belize for sixty-nine cents. Listen, fool di talk but dah noh fool di listen. After he brings in the first few containers for sixty-nine cents, what stops Mr. Charles from taking it up to eighty-nine cents and ninety cents? There is no alternative, right?

Mr. Charles says that he is going to bring in rice for twenty percent of the market, what stops him from going to twenty-five? What stops him from going to thirty? Listen, there is nothing charitable about what he was doing. He does not have the interest of the Belizean consumers, he has his pocket as his primary interest. Nobody could quarrel with him with that except that we live in a country where you have a government that has taken a decision with respect to the rice industry, that it is going to safeguard the rice industry as an important contributor to development, to gross domestic product and also to employment."

We spoke with Charles this evening, and he told us that he isn't giving up. As you heard, the rice producers attorney, Eamon Courtenay asserted that Charles has been warned that he must remove the rice, or it will be destroyed. Well, Charles commented on that saying that his letter from BAHA does not make any such order for removal by the Government Agencies. He's offered to send us a copy of that letter as proof, but he was unable to do so this evening because he was away from his office.

He told us that he is not giving up, and he and advisors are reviewing his options

http://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=34804

Association of Rice Millers and Importers decry activities of illegal importers

Jan 5 2016 - 5:37pm

Funsho Balogun

The Rice Millers, Importers and Distributors Association of Nigeria, RIMIDAN, has refused to be silent over illegal rice importation into the country that has led to genuine importers counting their losses. RIMIDAN blames the woes of its association’s members on the decision to lift the ban on rice importation through the land borders which is being adhered to by the Nigerian Customs Service. RIMIDAN is particularly miffed that the smugglers and illegal dealers have now resorted to under declaration in bringing their commodities into the Nigerian market.

The National President of the association, Tunji Owoeye, stated at a stakeholders forum on Monday that the illegal dealers who have flooded the market with their commodity which has passed through the porous land borders are now even emboldened to the extent of brandishing documents of duties paid which are usually doctored and duplicated to cover several transactions instead of one. ‘’These die hard dealers go to the market to flag duties of what they have paid, which is duplicated four or five times as evidence to cover their illegal imports,’’ Owoeye stated.Last month, it was reported that hundreds of trucks laden with bags of rice from Thailand had found their way into Nigeria through Cotonou.

The RIMIDAN made it known to the Nigerian Customs Service that the commodity arrives in big trailers with 1200-1500 numbers of 50kg bags and that there is substantial under declaration and non-payment aspects in the massive shipments, making it non-viable for legal importers and local producers to compete with these shipments.Based on the influx of the commodity into the country, the miffed RIMIDAN, through a letter to the Customs Comptroller General, Hameed Ali, complained about high level corruption, involving Customs officials and importers at the various land borders across the country.

The association alleged that under declaration is now the new name of the game which was hitherto outright smuggling at most of the porous land borders.Industry sources gathered that smugglers are currently having a field day through under declaration by paying only 50 per cent of whatever volume of cargo that is passed. On his part, Owoeye claims that a truck of 60 metric tons passes through after it officially pays for only 30 metric tons. The illegal process, as claimed by RIMIDAN, defeats the purpose of the NCS of allowing the passage of rice through land borders which is to attract appropriate import duty towards upping revenue generation.

The NCS had earlier claimed that lifting the ban on passage of rice through land borders was for Customs to reorganize its anti-smuggling operations in these areas while ensuring that all importers through the borders bring their rice through approved routes, after paying the extant duty.Nigeria spends over 1 billion dollars on rice importation annually, and rice duty charges currently account for about 50 per cent of the entire revenue generated by the Nigerian Customs Service.

thenewsnigeria.com.ng/.../association-of-rice-millers-and-importers-decr

Low methane rice research wins accolades but could take decades for regulatory approval as genetically modified food

ABC Rural

By Sarina Locke

PHOTO: Rice paddies, like these in central Java, contribute 100 million tonnes of the heavy greenhouse gas methane a year globally. That's between 7-17 per cent of global emissions. (Sarina Locke)

MAP: Sydney 2000

A new genetically modified rice plant that produces virtually no greenhouse gas while it grows, has been recognised as one of the top scientific projects for 2015.

In warm, waterlogged soil of the rice paddies, bacteria fed by the exudates of rice roots produces tonnes of a heavy greenhouse gas a year.

"Around 100 million tonnes of methane comes from rice paddies, 15 per cent of the total anthropogenic emissions of methane," biochemist Dr Christer Jansson, of the US Department of Energy, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory said.Dr Jansson and a team of researchers across three continents produced a rice plant that generates almost no methane, and yields more rice.

Media player: "Space" to play, "M" to mute, "left" and "right" to seek.

00:00

AUDIO: Dr Christer Jansson says low methane rice has a barley gene that uses carbon in the stem and grain, not the roots. (ABC Rural)

They spliced a barley gene that changes the way rice uses carbon.Less carbon goes to the roots where in conventional rice it feeds bacteria that generates methane; instead the carbon goes to the stem and grain."The carbon in this that comes into the plant is mainly allocated to aboveground biomass, and very little, less to the below ground biomass," Dr Jansson said."In mature plants, methane production is reduced to almost nothing."It's very dramatic."

PHOTO: Conventional rice (left) compared with the new genetically modified, low methane rice show the difference in the biomass of stem and grain. (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences)

Dr Jansson said extended field trials were needed to test if the results were reproducible."But after two years of field experiments, and one in the laboratory, we can drastically reduce, to almost zero, methane in mature rice plants," he said."That's important as the world needs more food in the future, and the warmer it gets, the more methane that will be produced."The research by Dr Jansson in the United States, and Chuanxin Sun of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and China's Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Hunan Agricultural University, published their research in the journal Nature in 2015.

It has also won the Best of What's New award for 2015 by the magazine Popular Science.Dr Jansson hoped recognition would mean a greater consumer awareness of genetically engineered rice as it went through the regulatory process."Based on previous GMO crops intended for food, it will probably take 10 to 20 years," he said."That's disappointing."We hope that given this is improving not only food production but also greenhouse gas mitigation we hope the public acceptance would be improved by this specific low methane rice."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-05/low-methane-rice-wins-popular-science-reward/7067984

Seaweed extract may boost rice production

Speed read

· Seaweed extract increased rice output by over 30 per cent

· The process and product is safe, environment-friendly and inexpensive

· It is also effective on vegetables such as cabbage and mungbean

[MANILA] Extracts from seaweeds, with a little tweak of gammairradiation, can increase rice production by about a third and guard against major pests.

“Using gamma radiation, we were able to cut up the polymer into oligomers without using chemicals or complicated and expensive processes.”

By Lucille Abad, PNRI

Scientists at the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) have developed the carrageenan plant food supplementor (CPFS), which is derived from carrageenan extracted from red edible seaweeds. Carageenan is widely used for its gelling, thickening and stabilising properties in the food industry and as a binder in toothpaste and shampoo. In a study published in Radiation Physics and Chemistry this January, the PNRI scientists showed that carrageenan-derived polysaccharide, a carbohydrate, enhances rice growth when degraded through a “very small dose” of gamma radiation.

Plant food supplements are substances that improve the overall health, growth and development of plants, says lead researcher Lucille Abad, chief of PNRI’s chemistry research section.
The agricultural benefits of carrageenan are achieved from its building blocks: the long-chain carrageenan polymer that can be broken down into shorter chain fragments known as oligomers (“oligo” for few), Abad explains. These oligomers are readily absorbed by the plant to help their growth and development and also improve their resistance to diseases. “Using gamma radiation, we were able to cut up the polymer into oligomers without using chemicals or complicated and expensive processes,” she says. “CPFS can be made with nothing more than the organic carrageenan andwater processed by gamma radiation. The product that is formed is not and can never be radioactive. It is a clean and additive-free method that is safe, non-toxic, environment friendly and, most of all, effe

http://www.scidev.net/asia-pacific/innovation/news/seaweed-extract-may-boost-rice-production.html

Members of the 114 th Congress Return to Washington Today

By Peter Bachmann

WASHINGTON, DC -- Later today, Members of the U.S. House of Representatives will be returning to the Capitol to officially kick off the Second Session of the 114th Congress. The Senate is scheduled to return to Washington next Monday.Congress may be getting started for the year but they're not expected to spend much time in action during 2016. The Senate has tentatively scheduled 149 work days from their Washington offices and the House just 111 days, and, because it's an election year, it may be an even slimmer schedule.

There's a hefty pile of legislative items to be addressed in 2016, several with importance to agriculture. Issues such as biotech food labeling, Waters of the U.S. regulations, the Trans Pacific Partnership deal, welfare reform, and immigration reform, among the annual items like budget and appropriations all need to be debated. A high priority item that USA Rice would like to see addressed would be the lifting of the Cuban trade embargo.USA Rice will continue to follow Congress' agenda and rice industry members will be visiting with Members of Congress on priority issues next month during the Government Affairs Conference. Please stay tuned for conference details.

Colombia to Import 200,000 New Metric Tons of Rice...But From Where?

By Sarah Moran

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA -- Nearly one-third of Colombia's provinces are in a state of emergency due to extreme drought caused by El Niño, prompting the Colombian government to allow additional rice imports to maintain adequate inventory.

On December 22, 2015, Colombia's Ministry of Agriculture published a decree stating that 200,000 MT of rice imported in 2016 would be from the Andean community and third countries, under existing tariffs. This decree proposes to bring in tonnage above the United States' 2016 TRQ allotment of 94,209 MT; however, these additional imports would be subject to the relevant duty (56 percent duty for Paraguay, 64 percent duty for Mercosur and 80 percent for the U.S., Thailand, and others). The 80 percent duty for U.S. rice, coupled with the strength of the U.S. dollar, may create an opening for Thai rice in the near term to fill the Colombian short fall.

"Colombia is our third largest market and with ample rice supplies in the current U.S. market, the U.S. is in a position to provide this additional rice to Colombia," said Jim Guinn, USA Rice vice president of international promotion. "Imports of the Andean Community have historically been assigned to mills according to domestic harvest purchases; USA Rice is investigating whether this would occur with this allotment of 200,000 MT."

Guinn continued, "In addition, USA Rice is in regular dialog with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service in Bogotá as well as Fedearroz (Federation of Colombian Rice Producers) and Induarroz (Colombian Rice Industry) to make the strong case to buy U.S.-grown rice which has the quality and reliability they are seeking."

01/05/2016 Farm Bureau Market Report

Rice

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

Futures:


ROUGH RICE

	High	Low	Last	Change

Jan '16	1164.5	1164.5	1167.0	+16.0
Mar '16	1198.0	1168.0	1192.5	+15.5
May '16	1218.0	1211.0	1220.5	+14.5
Jul '16			1247.5	+14.5
Sep '16	1234.0	1234.0	1230.0	+6.5
Nov '16			1248.0	+6.5
Jan '17			1248.0	+6.5

Rice Comment

Rice futures were higher across the board today. March charted a bullish key reversal today, and is potentially working on charting a bull flag, which would suggest the potential of adding an additional 70 cents to the market from the breakout point if the chart pattern holds. There is also a chart gap between $12.31 and $12.41 that could be an upside target for bulls. The market is finding support from tightening world stocks and concerns about the current El Nino weather pattern impacting production.

700,000 tons of rice is wasted annually

According to the World Food Program, some 795 million people in the world — about one in nine people on earth — do not have enough food to lead a healthy active life. (AFP)

ARAB NEWS

Published — Tuesday 5 January 2016

ARAB NEWS

Published — Tuesday 5 January 2016

Last update 5 January 2016 12:34 am

JEDDAH: Around 700,000 tons of rice worth over SR2 billion is wasted per year in Saudi Arabia and putting a control on this will help the economy in a big way, say experts.Rice in particular amounts to huge wasted quantities because of banquets, celebrations and social occasions involving providing food for guests, of which 40 percent ends up in the garbage, local media has reported.

Outside East Asian countries, Saudi Arabia is the largest rice consumer in the world with an annual consumption of 1.4 million tons, worth about SR5 billion.India tops the countries in the world in exporting rice to the Kingdom, with imports accounting for about 68 percent of the total imports by Kingdom. During the current year, rice prices recorded an increase by 5 percent, equivalent to 31 halala per kilo, although prices of the commodity in India decreased last year.Nasser Al-Tuwaim, former chairman of the Saudi Consumer Protection Association (CPA), was quoted as saying that several parties and factors are responsible for the increase the prices of rice.

"Unscrupulous merchants, extravagant consumers, monopolization practices and alluding to a limited number of importers are the main reasons for such price hikes during past years." Economist Osama Filali said that the excessive wastage of food items have negative impacts on citizens and the national economy. “The wastage and extravagance we witness during banquets and celebrations need a firm and serious stand from authorities to oblige kitchen owners not to respond to the demands of people who order unneeded and unjustified quantities of food,” he said. Hasan Ahmad, head of the Bussma youth volunteer group, said the group has established a project to stop abundant food leftovers during social occasions.

“The project started with the idea to put a curb on food wastage and extravagance, and encourage people to rationalize in consumption, especially leftover food which is usually thrown into the garbage bins despite there being poor people who badly need it. Since that moment, the group adopted the project as one of its activities and put in place mechanisms on how to work out the tasks and achieve the objectives of the project,” he added.He explained that the youths coordinate with halls and lounges where a wedding or a social occasion is held, and they collect food leftovers, wrap it in clean plastic containers and then distribute it among the needy, cleaners in particular.

Economist Farouk Al-Khatib said consumer behavior represents the main reason for the high demand for rice, which is the main meal for Saudi families. “It is a known economic fact that when demand is high, prices increase. The solution in this case is to rationalize consumption by raising awareness among people on the importance of saving and rationalyzing in consumption,” he said. Meanwhile, Jeddah Municipality Spokesman Mohammad Al-Bugamy said the general directorate for hygiene distributed about 900 containers for saving bakery products with nine contracts for cleaning companies in Jeddah, including 14 sub-municipalities.He added that the daily volume of waste and garbage stands at 6,000 tons, of which wasted food accounts for 60 percent. He called on residents in Jeddah to cooperate with the municipality to reduce such food waste by redistributing it to the needy instead of throwing it in the garbage

http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/860406

Black rice is the latest superfood. Here's why!

Seema Mattoo,TNN | Jan 5, 2016, 12.00 AM IST

Known with varied names like magic rice and forbidden rice, black rice has always seemed exotic.

A rarity in the food world, those fascinated with it after knowing its health benefits, now have an option to eat it at a restaurant or just grab a packet from a gourmet supermarket and cook it at home.

A great health choice
It is the only rice to contain the antioxidant known as anthocyanins, which is found in dark-hued fruits and vegetables like blueberries, blackberries, dark grapes, dark cherries, purple brinjals, purple cabbage and purple corn amongst others. Nutritionist Dhvani Shah says, "Black rice contains high amounts of antioxidants, dietary fibre, minerals and other anti-inflammatory nutrients. It is the richest source of the antioxidant, anthocyanin, which is known to be cancer fighting, beneficial for heart health and imflammatory conditions."

Has export potential
Slightly tricky to grow in terms of yield, it is harvested only in India and China. In India, it is mainly grown and consumed in Manipur where it is known as Chakhao. It has cultural and traditional significance to the people of Manipur and other parts of Northeast India where no celebration is complete without a delicious serving of black rice. On the occasion of the World Food Day in October, the Indian government also put an action plan in place to promote unique varieties of rice with a prominent status for black rice. As people discover the numerous health benefits that whole grain black rice has to offer and with it being touted as the new cancer fighting super food, which can also prevent heart disease, black rice has a good market potential, especially in the overseas markets, as the demand for the same is growing in the USA, Australia and Europe.

Winner amongst the variety of rice
White rice, red rice and brown rice have been around for long but amongst these, black rice might emerge as the clear winner in nutritional and health benefits. Says clinical nutritionist Kanchan Patwardhan, "While polishing white rice, vitamins and minerals especially Vitamin B2, B6 and B12 in large amounts are lost whereas black rice comes packed with micro nutrients. As compared to other varieties of rice, the glycemic index of black rice is 42, which is a very good score for weight watchers and diabetics."

Pleasant nutty flavour makes it popular
The texture of black rice is a bit heavier as compared to other varieties of rice but its natural flavour is rich and sweet. It has a pleasant, nutty flavour, best enjoyed with coconut milk and in sweetened desserts, particularly rice puddings. Black in colour when harvested, once cooked it turns deep purple. Popular in cuisines in Kerala and North Bengal, it is also a good option to make European salads or Italian dishes like risotto. Currently available at high-end restaurants, it seems to be steadily gathering support. "I had the black sticky rice soup with palm sugar at one of the restaurants in town. It was purple in colour and had the texture of kheer but the taste was completely different. After knowing the properties, I am going to try and make it at home too soon," says homemaker Shanti Sen.

Tips to cook black rice
- Black rice takes longer to cook than white rice so to cut down on cooking time, soak it overnight or much before you start cooking.

-You can cook a batch in advance and keep it in the refrigerator for several days and then use it in varied dishes over the week.

-Remember, the darker the rice, the better it is but the black colour can stain your clothes while cooking.

-Select the right variety of rice for the recipe you choose since there are several varieties of black rice, including long jasmine, glutinous Thai and the short-grained version. The long-grain rice is the true 'forbidden rice' and is good for salads, while the short-grained rice created as a hybrid can be adapted to European recipes. The glutinous Thai rice cooks up much like glutinous white rice, making it great to make sushi and rice pudding.

- If you find the taste a bit too earthy, blend the rice kernels into a powder and sprinkle on salads, fish and meat dishes or add dry spices to the powder to make dry chutney.

- To start with, begin by making it in smaller portions and introduce it during regular meals till you adjust to the taste.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/diet/Black-rice-is-the-latest-superfood-Heres-why/articleshow/50439583.cms

Rice price to be main driver of poverty in 2016

Anton Hermansyah, thejakartapost.com, Jakarta | National | Tue, January 05 2016, 8:45 AM

Late season: A farmer ploughs his rice field in Wongkaditi, Gorontalo, on Wednesday. Due to the late arrival of the rainy season, farmers in Gorontalo have only just begun to plant rice in their fields. Earlier in 2015, farmers suffered through a long drought. (JP/Syamsul Huda M. Suhari)

The price of rice, one of the nation’s staple foods--especially for the poor, continued to rise in 2015 according to Central Statistics Agency (BPS) statistics.The latest BPS data shows that the rice price rose 7.2 percent in 2015, continuing the upward trend in 2014 of 12 percent.Quoting the latest results of the National Social Economy Survey (Susenas), BPS Head Suryamin said that 22.1 percent of rice in urban areas and 28.74 percent in rural areas was consumed by the poor. However, the purchasing power of farmers remained relatively unchanged. Based on BPS data, the farmer's exchange rate only rose 1.5 percent, from 101.32 in 2014 to 102.83 in 2015, far below the rice price increase of 7.21 percent.

Economist Faisal Basri in an online analysis warned about the risk of an increasing amount of people living in poverty as the rice price had soared above the rate of inflation while the international price was down. "Such a rise would hit the poor as one third of their outcome is spent on rice," he said.According to World Bank data, as of November 2015 the global rice price decreased by 5.7 percent year-on-year compared to Nov. 2014, continuing the previous decline of 1.96 percent compared to November 2013. In November 2015, Thai white rice stood at Rp 4,897,433 per metric ton, while Indonesian white rice, considered to be of a similar quality, was priced at Rp 9,564,26, almost two times higher.

Cigarettes

Ironically, cigarettes were the second-highest consumption item among the poor.The 2015 Susenas showed that cigarette consumption among the poor stood at 8.1 percent in urban areas and 7.68 percent in rural areas.Suryamin expressed his regrets that the poor were spending such a large amount of money on an item that did not provide sustenance.The BPS statistics showed that the rate of poverty in the nation has not been significantly reduced in recent years, with the percent of the population classified as “poor” remaining at 11 percent over the last three years. (ags)

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/01/05/rice-price-be-main-driver-poverty-2016.html#sthash.9qj

NFA plans to import rice from Vietnam, Thailand

Butuan City – The National Food Authority (NFA) is planning to import more rice from Vietnam and Thailand in an ensure ample supply of rice throughout the country this year.Despite the bumper rice stocks that are currently deposited in various areas of the country and this region (Caraga), the NFA said it has keen on implementing the plan so that there would be enough supply of rice in times of calamity and disaster in 2016.According to NFA Administrator Renan B. Dalisay, the agency was planning to import at least 50,000 tons of rice from Vietnam and Thailand. “(This is to) see to it that we have enough rice in time of calamities that can immediately be dispatched to various disaster councils and local government units,” the NFA official said.

The top NFA official was on a three-day swing of the Caraga region that ends today, including on-the-ground inspection of all the agency’s warehouses spread all over the region.

The NFA administrator will also scrutinize the quality of rice being sold public markets, as well as the prevailing prices for the basic commodity.Dalisay assured the public that NFA rice remains at P27 and P32 per kilo.He also made sure that rice stocks in NFA were properly secured and would not be vulnerable to isolation in case of untoward incidents.He also conducted meetings with the agency’s regional, provincial and city officials and employees.In a meeting, he directed officials of the NFA in Caraga region to complete minor repairs of some warehouses that were damaged by the series of typhoons since 2013

image: A worker stands on a pile of rice sacks at the National Food Authority’s warehouse in Quezon City. (MB file photo)

http://www.mb.com.ph/nfa-plans-to-import-rice-from-vietnam-thailand/#yCpt0I7Py9AVi2Fz.99

Soaring food prices lead to increase in poverty

Arya Dipa, Apriadi Gunawan and Panca Nugraha, The Jakarta Post, Bandung/Medan | Archipelago | Tue, January 05 2016, 3:05 PM

Due to the increase in staple food prices, the number of underprivileged people, especially in urban areas, has increased, especially in West Java and North Sumatra.The number of poverty-stricken people in West Java, the most populated among the country’s 34 provinces, increased to 4.48 million people as of September 2015, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), compared to 4.43 million people in March last year, a rise of 9.57 percent of the total population, in a province of 45 million people.The BPS West Java chapter’s statistics affairs head, Dyah Anugrah Kuswardani, said that the increase in the number of underprivileed people, as shown in the agency’s September survey, was due to the soaring prices of staple foods.

“The dominant factor affecting the poverty line is food commodity. People in the lower economic class spend more on food than housing, clothes, education and health,” Dyah said on Monday. The survey also recorded a higher number of underprivileged people were found in West Java’s urban areas, she added, saying that poverty had affected 2.7 million people in urban areas and 1.77 million in rural areas. The number of underprivileged people increased by 68,137 people, while in rural areas the figure had decreased by 18,182 people, she added.Nationally, the number of poverty-stricken people in West Java ranked 19, better than Central Java, which ranked 13, Yogyakarta 14 and East Java 15. “Jakarta is the last, Banten province ranked 30, that’s better than West Java,” Dyah said.Meanwhile, in 2014, the number of underprivileged people in North Sumatra stood at around 1,360,000 people, or 9.85 percent of its population.

The figure rose further in March 2015 to 1,463,670 people and increased again in September to 1,508,140 people, or 10.79 percent of the total population of the province.North Sumatra BPS head Wien Kusdiatmono said the increase in the number of underprivileged people in the province had been heavier in urban, rather than rural areas. In the period between March and September 2015, the number of underprivileged people in urban areas had increased from 699,000 to 727,760 people, a rise of 28,460 percent, Wien added.In rural areas, according to Wien, the growth in the number of underprivileged people had been lower, from 764,370 people in March 2015, to 780,380 people in September 2015.He added that in urban areas, an underprivileged person was likely to earn an average monthly income of Rp 369,878 (US$26), compared to Rp 352,637 in rural areas. He said the rise in the number of underprivileged people in North Sumatra had been caused by various factors, including the 1.43 percent inflation rate rise.Meanwhile, the BPS office in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) recorded 802,290 underprivileged people as of September 2015, 16.54 percent of NTB’s total population of 4.85 million.

“The number of underprivileged people in September 2015 dropped by 21,600 people, 0.56 percent, compared to the March 2015 figure of 823,890 people,” said NTB BPS head Wahyudin at his office in Mataram on Monday.The decrease in poor people in the province had been due to lower inflation caused by a decrease in the price of rice, explained Wahyudin.
According to BPS, the number of poverty-stricken people across the country had reached 28.59 million by March 2015, 11.22 percent of the total population of 255 million, an increase from the previous survey figure of 27.73 million.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/01/05/soaring-food-prices-lead-increase-poverty.html#sthash.FrLqr4ZV.dpuf

Full-year inflation in check in 2015

Tassia Sipahutar, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Business | Tue, January 05 2016, 5:20 PM

Overall prices of goods and services remained in check last year as the annual rate fell below the official target, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) announced on Monday.Data from the BPS showed that inflation throughout 2015 reached 3.35 percent, with December inflation standing at 0.96 percent.The result was below the government’s expectation of 5 percent, but slightly higher than the 3 percent estimated by Bank Indonesia (BI).All cities surveyed by the BPS reported inflation in December, with Merauke in Papua posting the highest rate at 2.87 percent and Cirebon in West Java province posting the lowest at 0.27 percent.Food and ingredients were two of the biggest contributors to inflation last year, according to the data.

Rice, for example, topped the list as it contributed 0.31 percent to the total inflation figure, followed by shallots in third position, broiler chicken in fourth and fresh fish in fifth. Cigarettes, meanwhile, were second on the list.BPS head Suryamin lauded the government and central bank’s efforts to control inflation, saying the rate was the lowest posted in the past five years.“Last year’s core inflation rate of 3.95 percent was also the lowest since 2011. It meant that prices did not get out of control, even though some upticks were recorded,” he said.BI Governor Agus Martowardojo acknowledged that there were pressures approaching year-end. “We saw rising prices of shallots, chillies, chicken and eggs.

We have met with the government, especially ministries under the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister, to better prepare for inflation in the future,” Agus said.In a separate meeting held last week, Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution said he was prepared to import several commodities to control inflation, such as rice, cattle, sugar, corn and soybeans.At least 460,000 tons of rice will be imported in January to ensure 1.35 million tons of rice stocks by the end of March.“We need to import rice in January because we are planning to conduct market operations between January and February to provide rice for the people,” he said.“This is important because we are anticipating a possible shortage due to a shift in the harvest season from the El Niño [weather phenomenon].

”Darmin added that the government expected the country to pass the lean season and domestic production to return to normal by April.Meanwhile, OCBC Bank economist Wellian Wiranto wrote in a research note that the inflation result came above market expectations, but “nonetheless represents the lowest year-on-year price increase that the economy has seen since early 2000”.Wellian added that even though December inflation was higher than expected, “it is still keeping the real rate so lofty that it would not tie Bank Indonesia’s hands in cutting rates this month”.

Glenn Maguire, ANZ chief economist for South Asia, ASEAN and the Pacific, questioned whether BI would use what could be a three-to-four month window of pronounced disinflation to cut interest rates.“We increasingly suspect the answer to that question is yes,” Maguire said, adding that ANZ had penciled in a rate cut of 50 basis points in the first half.
According to ANZ, an annual disinflation impulse was likely to occur, especially as the government plans to slash the prices of Premium, Pertamax and Pertalite gasoline, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas on Tuesday.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/01/05/full-year-inflation-check-2015.html#sthash.eULj96Em.dpuf

Rice warehouses are put back on the table in talks with China

Tue, 5 January 2016

Ananth Baliga

The Ministry of Commerce announced last week a $400 million proposal by three Chinese firms to build state-run rice warehousing facilities to increase the Kingdom’s storage capacity.Lacking such capacity has been a longstanding issue that sector experts say has in part hampered ambitions of reaching the 1-million-tonne rice export target.Commerce Minister Sun Chanthol met with representatives of Chongqing Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, Chongqing Grain Group and Guangdong Foreign Construction to discuss the possibility of building warehouses in Battambang, Pursat and Kampong Thom, according to ministry spokesperson Ken Ratha.

“The three companies have come together and proposed a plan for warehousing,” Ratha said.Construction on the three facilities is planned for 2016, but Ratha said the firms need to confirm a start date after looking into the logistics of the plan.The Cambodian government last year had drafted a memorandum of understanding asking the Chinese government for a $300 million loan to build 10 warehouses across the country, capable of storing 1.2 million tonnes of paddy. As of July last year, the two sides were still negotiating the conditions and requirements of the agreement.The recent visit of the Chinese delegation was linked to the Cambodian government’s proposal last year and was “under the same package”, with negotiations still under way on the working capital of the rice sector, according to Mey Kalyan, project leader and senior adviser to the Supreme National Economic Council.

“[The agreement] is a work in progress,” he said. “There are many players and interests to consider before finalising this.”According to Kalyan, multiple interests had to be considered before going forward with the plan, given that the building of the warehouse will be a public project, but utilisation will be by the private sector.“We have to know what we want do and do it correctly,” Kalyan said. “We will resolve it as soon as possible and move forward carefully.”Given that Battambang, and other neighbouring provinces like Pursat and Banteay Meanchey account for a third of the country’s paddy output, the new warehouses were welcomed by Kann Kunthy, CEO of rice miller Brico.However, Kunthy said it would be more useful if the warehouse were equipped with drying facilities, which would mean that fresh paddy could be dried and stored for a long period of time.

“The big harvest is in November and December, which means you must have a huge warehouse with first-class drying facility to be used during these two months and then the paddy can be used for milling for the next 10 months.”While currently millers and exporters have limited storage facilities, which means they are only able to buy a limited amount of fresh paddy and sell it, a warehouse with dried paddy stock would help increase exports across different markets, Kunthy added.“Milled rice from fresh crop, within three months of harvesting, is for markets like Malaysia, China and certain parts of Europe where Southeast Asian people live,” he said. “They prefer more aromatic and soft rice.”“The second market is Singapore, Europe and the US, which prefer older paddy because the rice is not as sticky.”

Contact author: Ananth Baliga

A worker counts sacks of rice at a grain warehouse in Phnom Penh yesterday. Yesterday the Ministry of Commerce announced that it was considering proposals from China for a multimillion-dollar rice warehousing project. Hong Menea

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/rice-warehouses-are-put-back-table-talks-china

Climate-friendly rice growing method yields more

Philippine Daily Inquirer

12:09 AM January 6th, 2016

January 6th, 2016 12:09 AM

LA UNION farmer Federico Rullamas has a lot to smile about. His second season crop of high-value organic red rice not only fetched him a very good price in the market, his yield of 170 cavans per hectare also won him the “Highest Yielder for Naturally Grown Organic Rice Farming” award in 2015.Rullamas used a new method of growing rice called the system of rice intensification (SRI), which involves a simple set of rice management practices that farmers can easily learn in one season. He also supplemented SRI with composted chicken manure plus home-made organic sprays which he learned from SRI Pilipinas trainer Venancio Garde Jr.

Garde calls his original formulation the “soil nutrient enhancer” but adds that this is no secret and that it can be learned for free via text to SRI Pilipinas Hotline (0939-1178999).Rullamas learned the new method from training that was jointly sponsored by the local government of Aringay, La Union, and SRI Pilipinas.

Through the efforts of agriculture committee chair Ramsey Mangaoang and the full support of town Mayor Eric Sibuma and Vice Mayor Charlie Juloya, the Aringay Sangguaniang Bayan has allotted P300,000 yearly for the conduct of SRI training among Aringay’s rice farmers every planting season. More than 100 Aringay farmers graduated from the training last November.Following the method, Rullamas planted very young 12-day old rice seedlings singly, at a distance of 12 inches (30 cm). He practiced alternate wetting-and-drying and used a mechanical weeder to control weeds.

For his efforts, Rullamas was rewarded amply. He got an average of 26 tillers per plant (more than double the typical number) and 41 cavans from his 2,400-square meter field—an impressive yield of about 8.5 tons or 170 cavans per hectare, compared to the national average of about 80 cavans.Rullamas’ growing method is considered very climate-friendly, because it minimizes carbon dioxide emissions by avoiding fossil-based chemical fertilizers and reduces methane emission by drying the rice field regularly.SRI is also considered climate-resilient, because the resulting rice plants are also sturdier, deeper-rooted, and therefore less vulnerable to droughts, floods and high winds.For farmers like 47-year-old Rullamas who are threatened with increasingly more extreme weather events due to climate change, that is a lot of benefit, considering that the method is also less costly than its conventional counterpart.

(For details, contact Mr. Mangaoang at 0920-8788979 or Roberto Verzola, 0917-8117747)

INQUIRER.net

NFA plans to import rice from Vietnam, Thailand

by Mike Crismundo

January 5, 2016

According to NFA Administrator Renan B. Dalisay, the agency was planning to import at least 50,000 tons of rice from Vietnam and Thailand.“(This is to) see to it that we have enough rice in time of calamities that can immediately be dispatched to various disaster councils and local government units,” the NFA official said.The top NFA official was on a three-day swing of the Caraga region that ends today, including on-the-ground inspection of all the agency’s warehouses spread all over the region.The NFA administrator will also scrutinize the quality of rice being sold public markets, as well as the prevailing prices for the basic commodity.Dalisay assured the public that NFA rice remains at P27 and P32 per kilo.

He also made sure that rice stocks in NFA were properly secured and would not be vulnerable to isolation in case of untoward incidents.He also conducted meetings with the agency’s regional, provincial and city officials and employees.In a meeting, he directed officials of the NFA in Caraga region to complete minor repairs of some warehouses that were damaged by the series of typhoons since 2013. Rice being sold at markets at the quoted P27-P32 by NFA is not the imported variety from Vietnam or Thailand but in fact poorly processed local rice. Most of the imported rice becomes re packed and sold at very expensive prices. The imported rice complies with international rice standards whereas the local ones don’t as long as the NFA officials are making their “cut” from both sides.

http://www.mb.com.ph/nfa-plans-to-import-rice-from-vietnam-thailand/#yCpt0I7Py9AVi2Fz.99

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Speed read

“Using gamma radiation, we were able to cut up the polymer into oligomers without using chemicals or complicated and expensive processes.”

By Lucille Abad, PNRI

700,000 tons of rice is wasted annually

Black rice is the latest superfood. Here's why!

Rice price to be main driver of poverty in 2016

Soaring food prices lead to increase in poverty

Full-year inflation in check in 2015

Climate-friendly rice growing method yields more

12:09 AM January 6th, 2016

INQUIRER.net

NFA plans to import rice from Vietnam, Thailand