Price cap on basmati rice imports
by Iran worries Indian exporters
Industry expects substantial dip
in shipments
MUMBAI, FEBRUARY
19:
The delay in restart of basmati
rice imports by Iran and the new price cap of $850 a tonne could pose a major
challenge for exporters in India.
Basmati rice prices have rallied
by 20-25 per cent since Iran announced to lift the five-month-old ban on
imports from India last month.
India exported 4.05 million tonne
(mt) of basmati rice last fiscal. Of this, one mt was to Iran. This year, the
industry expects overall exports to dip to 3.8 mt due to lower exports to Iran.
Deepak Jotwani, Assistant
Vice-President, ICRA, said, “Iran is a major export destination for Indian
basmati rice and a decline in demand from Iran has played a major role in
pulling down export realisation to $784 a tonne in the first eight months of
this fiscal against $1,298 a tonne in FY14.”
Iran’s strategy
Over the years, Iran has imposed
ban on basmati rice imports from time-to-time to reduce its inventory held by its
traders and safeguard the interests of its local farmers.
Iran last imposed a ban on
basmati rice imports in July 2016. The Union government had sent a trade
delegation to Iran in January to resolve the issue.
Following this, it was expected
that the import ban would be removed soon.
While there has been no official
notification from Iran, a group of large basmati rice importers in Iran have
recently capped the price of basmati rice at $850 a tonne.
×
In another adverse development
for the industry, the US has recently imposed fresh trade sanctions on Iran,
which restrains Iran from using dollar for trade.
These two developments have
created uncertainty around the resumption of basmati rice exports to Iran, said
Jotwani.
75% goes to West Asia
While basmati rice is consumed
across the globe, West Asian countries accounted for 75 per cent of Indian
basmati exports last fiscal. Within West Asia, Iran and Saudi Arabia are the
two largest buyers, together accounting for 40-50 per cent of total basmati
rice exports from India.
In the past, Iran had been placed
under economic sanctions by the US, Europe and the United Nations, following
which India started transacting in rupee through UCO Bank to facilitate trade
between India and Iran. This led to a surge in Indian basmati rice exports to
Iran.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/price-cap-on-basmati-rice-imports-by-iran-worries-indian-exporters/article9550665.ece?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication
Foodservice Audience Gets the Read on Rice
U.S. rice on the front line
for foodservice
February 21, 2017
By Katie Maher
Third in three-part series
ARLINGTON, VA -- This past fall,
USA Rice participated in the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC)
conference that brings together foodservice publications, publicists, and
manufacturers to discuss and share ideas for the upcoming calendar year.
USA Rice met one-on-one with 11
foodservice publication editors to provide them with information about USA Rice
foodservice programs, and to help them build editorial content beneficial to
the entire U.S. rice industry.
"Our promotions in these
publications, combined with editorial placements where we provide specific
content, will definitely increase the visibility of U.S. rice," said John
Hasbrook, USA Rice Foodservice Subcommittee Chairman. "Participating in this conference lets
us see what the foodservice community is looking at, what food trends they'll
be reporting on, and how we can support them with our recipes, photography, and
information such as research, trend reports, and operator success
stories."
For example, an upcoming
placement in the March/April edition of Flavor & the Menu, U.S.-grown rice
will be featured in a 1/3 page print ad as well as a separate story featuring a
USA Rice recipe and food photography for no additional cost.
"Future editorial
opportunities to put the focus on U.S. rice include grains, healthy eating,
build-your-own bowls, and ingredient versatility features, among others,"
said Hasbrook. "We know these
publications are the go-to sources for chefs when creating new, interesting
recipes so we're there showing the foodservice community how rice can help them
innovate their menu and meet the needs of today's customers.
USA Rice
http://www.macauhub.com.mo/en/2017/02/21/sao-tome-and-principe-spends-more-than-us5-million-on-rice-imports-in-2016/
I draft law to be tabled in NA shortly
ISLAMABAD: With a delay of more than 16 years, the
Ministry of Commerce on Monday said a draft law protecting ownership rights of
goods that have a specific geographical origin will be introduced in the
National Assembly in the next couple of weeks.
“The law is being finalised in consultation with all
stakeholders,” Commerce Secretary Azmat Ranjha told the National Assembly
Standing Committee on Commerce.
The committee, headed by Siraj Muhammad Khan, asked
the ministry to complete the process at the earliest to protect indigenous
products.
The ministry has been working on the Geographical
Indication (GI) law since 2000. The draft has been vetted many times by
authorities concerned. But no action has been taken so far in this regard.
ADVERTISEMENT
In the absence of the GI law, Pakistan may lose
ownership rights of the hybrid variety of super basmati rice. The proposed law
will also provide protection to other products, like apricot, Peshawari
chappal, Multani halva, Hala’s ajrak, Sargodha’s kinno, Kasuri methi, Sindhri
mango, Dir’s knives, Swat’s wild mushrooms, Neeli Ravi buffalo, Chaman’s grapes
etc.
World Trade Organisation (WTO) members need to give
protection to GIs under Article 22-24 of the Trade-Related Aspects of
Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) agreement. Unless Pakistan provides GI
protection, it cannot obtain the same for its own goods in other countries that
have the GI law.
The separate law will make Pakistan capable of filing
such applications in other countries to protect its various GIs.
The standing committee was informed that the
Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO) received 44,344 applications for the
registration of patents, trademarks, copy rights and industrial designs in
2015-16. The IPO registered as many as 15,686 patents, trademarks, copy rights
and industrial designs under the four categories.
Published in Dawn, February 21st,
2017
Sao Tome and Principe spends more
than US$5 million on rice imports in 2016
FEBRUARY 21ST,
2017 HOME SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE
Sao Tome and
Principe spent 122.6 billion dobras (US$5.3 million) on rice in 2016, the most
imported food product, the Sao Tome National Statistics Institute (INE) told
Macauhub on Monday.
Data provided
by INE showed that rice imports accounted for 29.4% of imports of food products
in 2016, with 8,314 tonnes and a cost of US$5.3 million, compared to US$6.2
million in 2015.
Following rice
in the list of food imports was flour with 7,886 tonnes and a cost of US$3.2
million and milk costing US$2.9 million.
Japan is the
largest supplier of rice for donation to Sao Tome and Principe, under a food
aid deal estimated at just over US$2 million annually as part of bilateral
cooperation.
Through a fund
in Sao Tome, the money from the sale of Japanese rice has been applied to
social projects, including the construction of rural roads, schools, health
centres and water supply in order to improve the living conditions of the
population. (macauhub)
http://www.dawn.com/news/1316008/gi-draft-law-to-be-tabled-in-na-shortly
Dept. of Ag Seed Lab Discovery
Prevents Significant Rice Losses
Posted: Feb 21, 2017
1:54 AM PSTUpdated: Feb 21, 2017 2:14 AM PST
LDAF Seed Lab discovered the quality was significantly
negatively impacted during the historic 2016 flooding in rice production areas
(PHOTO COURTESY LDAF)
Louisiana Department of
Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Commissioner Mike Strain issued an
Emergency Rule Friday relative to the sale of seed rice which does not meet
germination standards. Germination is the process by which a plant grows from a
seed."While performing routine tests like purity and germination on seed
rice, the LDAF Seed Lab discovered the quality was significantly negatively
impacted during the historic 2016 flooding in rice production areas,"
Strain said.
Most seed rice available to
Louisiana growers is certified and is required to possess a higher purity
and germination quality percentage (80 percent) than non-certified seed rice
(60 percent). The LDAF Seed Programs Division administers the state's Seed
Certification Program.
"After testing numerous seed
rice samples, our seed analysts confirmed that much of the seed rice
available to producers for the 2017 planting season does not meet the current
minimum certified seed germination standard. Had we not discovered this, it
could have resulted in a significant shortage of rice for the 2017 planting
season and a more than $100 million loss for our rice farmers. It could have
also put some of our rice farmers out of business," said Strain.
The Emergency Rule allows the
germination standards to be temporarily lowered for 120 days to allow more seed
rice to be made available to farmers to plant.
"Louisiana rice farmers
produce some of the highest quality rice in the world because of our rigorous
standards. Even though the germination is lower, it will still produce a
healthy product. This allows our farmers to adjust their planting rates to
produce enough rice to sell and get through the 2017 planting season which
could have been ruined had our analysts not made this discovery," added
Strain.
According to the LSU AgCenter,
there are 1,024 rice producers in the state. Rice planting season typically
starts in March. Rice is an approximately $482,000,000 industry in the state of
Louisiana
Watch Video on
http://www.katc.com/story/34548629/ldaf-seed-lab-discovery-prevents-significant-rice-losses
http://www.katc.com/story/34548629/ldaf-seed-lab-discovery-prevents-significant-rice-losses
Gov't to pay 1.5 tln
won in subsidies to rice farmers
2017/02/21 11:09
SEJONG, Feb. 21 (Yonhap) -- The
South Korean government will pay nearly 1.5 trillion won (US$1.3 billion) in
subsidies to rice farmers this year as compensation for falling prices, the
agriculture ministry said Tuesday.
Under the law designed to protect
the local rice industry, the government gives rice farmers the difference between
the target price of rice and the actual market price.
For 2017, the target price was
188,000 won for an 80-kilogram sack of rice, with the market price remaining at
129,915 won.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food
and Rural Affairs said it decided to set the subsidies at 33,499 won per 80 kg
this year, while some 706,000 hectare of rice paddies are subject to the
government subsidies.
As a result, a total of 1.5
trillion won will be paid to rice farmers in 2017.
The market price of rice has been
on a share decline for years in South Korea due mainly to decreasing demand for
the staple crop stemming from changes in diet habits.
Some 300,000 tons of rice
remained in excess last year, as the 4.2 million ton supply outnumbers the 3.9
million tons consumed, and the glut will likely stay at 200,000 tons in 2017.
The South Korea government has
spent trillions of won to support the price for years, through giving out
subsidies to rice farmers and purchasing oversupplied rice.
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2017/02/21/15/0200000000AEN20170221005500320F.html
Government to maintain rice price above Rp 3,700 per kg
Wednesday, Feb 22,
Anton Hermansyah
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta | Tue, February 21, 2017 | 07:29 am
Farmers carry harvested rice stalks to be milled at a
factory in Ngawi, East Java. (Antara/Ari Bowo Sucipto)
The government will maintain the price of rice
above Rp 3,700 (28 US cents) per kilogram by buying the commodity directly from
farmers.
Declining prices have been seen in some
regencies in Central Java and East Java such as Blora, Bojonegoro, Ngawi and
Pati, Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman said on Monday.
Price drops, mainly caused by increased
production, were feared to have discouraged farmers from cultivating their
fields. Recent prices have varied from Rp 3,100 to Rp 3,500 per kg.
According to Central Statistics Agency (BPS)
data, in January the average price of rice was still at Rp 5,400 per kilogram.
"Our team is already in the field along
with the State Logistics Agency to monitor prices. […] The day after tomorrow
we will hold a meeting, and then the market operation will begin," Amran
said at the State Palace on Monday.
Indonesia’s annual rice production increased by
9 million tons to 79.14 million tons in 2016 because a long wet season enabled
farmers to plant more than usual.
The 2017 rice production target is 75 million
tons. (bbn)
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/02/21/government-to-maintain-rice-price-above-rp-3700-per-kg.html
Mekong
Delta learns to ‘live in peace’ with saltwater
VietNamNet
Bridge - Ten years ago, Vietnam began calling upon farmers to restructure
agricultural production, but no considerable changes have occurred.
The Mekong Delta still doesn't know which plants to grow or animals to breed once the income from rice and fish begins to fall.
The saltwater intrusion in the last few years, especially in 2016, has affected agricultural production and people’s daily lives in the Delta.
|
Ten years ago, Vietnam
began calling upon farmers to restructure agricultural production, but no
considerable changes have occurred.
|
Scientists
recently warned that climate change and rise in seawater levels may come more
quickly than initially thought. Meanwhile, Vietnam is one of the countries most
affected by climate change.
The rise in seawater level will submerge 50 percent of the rice fields in Mekong Delta under saltwater in several decades.
The Mekong Delta is the rice granary of the country, the major source of rice supply for domestic consumption and export. The rice growing area is 1.546 million hectares in the Delta, which accounts for 50 percent of total rice growing area in the country.
The rice output in the region was 25.2 million tons in the 2015-2016 crop, accounting for 56 percent of the country’s total output, and 90 percent of export volume.
An Giang, Kien Giang, Dong Thap and An Giang provinces, with rice fields and rice output accounting for 60 percent of the Mekong Delta production, are hoped to be the key provinces in the national food security strategy in the context of climate change.
In June 2013, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) decided to shift 200,000 hectares of land for rice tilling into the land for growing soybeans and maize. However, since no guidance on the shift was released, the shift was implemented on only 35,000 hectares.
Meanwhile, the income from rice exports is on the decrease. In 2012, Vietnam exported 7.72 million tons. The figure fell to 6.61 million tons in 2013 and to 5 million tons in 2016.
Mekong Delta’s farmers have been trying to adapt to the new circumstances by applying intensive farming and intercropping models, and producing new, green and safe products for domestic market and export.
Loc Troi Group in the last few years has been running a cooperation program with coastal provinces, including Bac Lieu, under which fragrant rice is grown in rotation with black tiger shrimp.Experts have pointed out that farming shrimp is a good solution under saline intrusion and climate change conditions.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has recently announced that Vietnam will become a world shrimp production base. A MARD report showed that shrimp export turnover has increased from $1.5 billion in 2007 to $3.2 billion in 2016.
The rise in seawater level will submerge 50 percent of the rice fields in Mekong Delta under saltwater in several decades.
The Mekong Delta is the rice granary of the country, the major source of rice supply for domestic consumption and export. The rice growing area is 1.546 million hectares in the Delta, which accounts for 50 percent of total rice growing area in the country.
The rice output in the region was 25.2 million tons in the 2015-2016 crop, accounting for 56 percent of the country’s total output, and 90 percent of export volume.
An Giang, Kien Giang, Dong Thap and An Giang provinces, with rice fields and rice output accounting for 60 percent of the Mekong Delta production, are hoped to be the key provinces in the national food security strategy in the context of climate change.
In June 2013, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) decided to shift 200,000 hectares of land for rice tilling into the land for growing soybeans and maize. However, since no guidance on the shift was released, the shift was implemented on only 35,000 hectares.
Meanwhile, the income from rice exports is on the decrease. In 2012, Vietnam exported 7.72 million tons. The figure fell to 6.61 million tons in 2013 and to 5 million tons in 2016.
Mekong Delta’s farmers have been trying to adapt to the new circumstances by applying intensive farming and intercropping models, and producing new, green and safe products for domestic market and export.
Loc Troi Group in the last few years has been running a cooperation program with coastal provinces, including Bac Lieu, under which fragrant rice is grown in rotation with black tiger shrimp.Experts have pointed out that farming shrimp is a good solution under saline intrusion and climate change conditions.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has recently announced that Vietnam will become a world shrimp production base. A MARD report showed that shrimp export turnover has increased from $1.5 billion in 2007 to $3.2 billion in 2016.
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/172776/mekong-delta-learns-to--live-in-peace--with-saltwater.html
Chinese scientist convicted of
stealing GMO rice seeds from Kansas research facility
PRINTER FRIENDLY
A federal jury on
[Feb. 16, 2017] convicted a Chinese scientist in Kansas of conspiring to steal
samples of a variety of genetically engineered rice seeds from a U.S. research
facility, the U.S. Justice Department said, the latest attempt at agricultural
theft linked to China.
Weiqiang Zhang, 50, a Chinese national living in Manhattan,
Kansas, was convicted on three counts, including conspiracy to steal trade
secrets and interstate transportation of stolen property….
Weiqiang Zhang
Zhang, who has a doctorate from Louisiana State University, worked
as a rice breeder for Kansas-based Ventria Bioscience Inc, which develops
genetically programmed rice used in the therapeutic and medical fields.
He stole hundreds of rice seeds produced by Ventria and stored
them at his Manhattan residence, the statement said.
In recent years, U.S. law enforcement officials have urged
agriculture executives and security officers to increase their vigilance and
report suspicious activity involving farm products, citing a growing economic
and national security threat to the sector.
…
In Zhang’s case, employees of a crop research institute in China
visited him in 2013 in Kansas. U.S. customs officers found seeds belonging to
Ventria in the luggage of Zhang’s visitors as they prepared to leave the United
States for China….
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the
diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original
China scientist convicted in U.S. of theft of engineered rice
·
·
·
·
A federal jury on Thursday convicted a Chinese scientist
in Kansas of conspiring to steal samples of
a variety of genetically engineered rice seeds from a U.S. research facility,
the U.S. Justice Department said, the latest
attempt at agricultural theft linked to China.
Weiqiang Zhang,
50, a Chinese national living in Manhattan, Kansas, was
convicted on three counts, including conspiracy to steal trade secrets and
interstate transportation of stolen property, the department said in a
statement.
Zhang, who has a doctorate
from Louisiana State University, worked as a rice breeder for Kansas-based
Ventria Bioscience Inc, which develops genetically programmed rice used in the
therapeutic and medical fields.
He stole hundreds of rice
seeds produced by Ventria and stored them at his Manhattan residence, the
statement said.
In recent years, U.S. law
enforcement officials have urged agriculture executives and security officers
to increase their vigilance and report suspicious activity involving farm
products, citing a growing economic and national security threat to the sector.
The number of
international economic espionage cases referred to the U.S. Federal Bureau of
Investigation is rising, up 15 percent each year from 2009 to 2014 and up 53
percent in 2015, according to the FBI.
In Zhang's case, employees
of a crop research institute in China visited him in 2013 in Kansas. U.S.
customs officers found seeds belonging to Ventria in the luggage of Zhang's
visitors as they prepared to leave the United States for China, the
department said.
Last year, a Chinese man
charged with conspiracy to steal high-tech U.S. corn seeds pleaded guilty in
federal court in Iowa for participating in the theft of the patented seeds with
the intention of transporting them to China.
The case laid bare the
value, and vulnerability, of advanced food technology in a world with 7 billion
mouths to feed, 1.36 billion of them Chinese.
China bans commercial growing of GMO grains due to public opposition to the
technology. Still, President Xi called in 2014 for China to innovate and dominate the
technique, which promises high yields through resistance to drought, pests and
disease.
ALSO
IN U.S.
In October, a geneticist at the
U.S. Agriculture Department, Wengui Yan,
pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI when questioned about
plans to send U.S. rice samples to China. Yan
admitted a group of Chinese tourists in 2013 told him of their plans to steal
engineered U.S. rice.
(Reporting by Eric Beech in Washington and Tom
Polansek in Chicago; Editing by Richard Chang and Chris Reese)
http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/224126-nigeria-install-110-rice-milling-machines-boost-production.html
:
Asset seizures in rice deals begin
- 21
Feb 2017 at 20:49 8,734 viewed6 comments
- WRITER: ONLINE
REPORTERS
The Legal Execution Department can now seize assets worth
20 billion baht from former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom and five
others in the allegedly bogus rice sale scheme during the Yingluck Shinawatra
government, says permanent secretary for commerce.
Wiboonlasana Ruamraksa said on Tuesday the Foreign Trade Department had
submitted last week a document authorising the Legal Execution Department to
seize the assets of Mr Boonsong, his deputy Poom Sarapol and four Commerce
Ministry officials. The document was sent along asset-tracing information found
in the first round. The six ex-commerce officials are on trial for alleged corruption in government-to-government rice sales with China. The sixth person is still at large.
Mr Boonsong is required to pay 1.77 billion baht in compensation and then deputy commerce minister Poom Sarapol 2.3 billion baht for the damage caused by the failed G2G rice sales. The four Commerce Ministry officials were asked to pay 4 billion baht each.
A commerce ministry source said the first round of asset tracing mainly involved the ex-officials’ salary bank accounts. Authorities will examine further to find if the group had other hidden assets such as land or more bank accounts.
Miss Wiboonlasana said the Foreign Trade Department had asked concerned agencies in the provinces to help in the second round of asset tracing. A working panel comprising those experienced in locating and recovering assets would be formed to help.
On Feb 10, the Central Administrative Court dismissed petitions by Mr Boonsong and four others involved in the scandalous rice sale deal for an injunction against an administrative order demanding they pay compensation for the scheme’s losses. It reasoned their assets had not been seized yet so the damages had not been done.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/1202400/asset-seizures-in-rice-deals-begin
RiceTec partners with Adama on new herbicide tolerance system
RiceTec and Adama officials
discuss development of new FullPage Rice Cropping Solution, which is
expected to have a limited launch in fall of 2017.
RiceTec and Adama announced
they are collaborating on developing new herbicide tolerance systems that will
give rice producers more options for controlling problem weeds in their
commercial rice crops.
RiceTec will
place the new technology in its latest hybrids while Adama will
supply the herbicides for their new FullPage Rice Cropping Solution, which was announced
during the National Conservation Systems Cotton and Rice Conference in Baton Rouge, La.
“As RiceTec continues
its commitment to revolutionize rice production, we see this collaboration as a
great step forward in supporting our growers,” said Mike Gumina, RiceTec CEO.
“Both global brands will work to provide a total-package weed management system
that is fully supported by a team of technical service providers to make a
positive impact on today’s farmers.”
“At Adama, we are driven by providing growers simple,
straight forward solutions,” said Rob Williams, Adama’s
vice
president for North America. “This collaboration between Adama and RiceTec exemplifies
simplicity by providing today’s rice growers with a complete seed and weed
management system to get the most from every production acre.”
The new project was announced by Brian Ottis, RiceTec’s global solutions development lead, and Dave
Feist, the asset and project leader for the FullPage Cropping Solution and
development lead for Adama.
Limited
launch for 2018
Ottis said the new technology will have a limited launch this fall with a full
availability of the new weed management system by the fall of 2018. It could
eventually include IMI and ACCase tolerance traits and herbicides.
“This is an IMI-based tolerance solution, and,
pending regulatory approval, there will be two herbicides that will be labeled
for use with the FullPage system,” said Ottis. “The first will be known as
Preface, and this will be a two-pound-per-gallon formulation of imazethapyr.
The second will be Postscript, which will be a one-pound-per-gallon formulation
of imazamox.
“This program will offer some advantages that
we will be discussing later on,” he said. “But the program promises to bring
the top genetics into the market. There won’t be any lag, if you will, in
yield. We’re incorporating a gene and traits into all of our leading genetics,
including our high quality materials.”
Like other herbicide-tolerant rice
technologies of recent years, the FullPage system does not involve GMOs. The
tolerance was developed from a naturally-occurring rice line that is resistant
to the two herbicides.
“This is a new step for Adama, and, hopefully, one of the first steps for us
moving forward to additional pieces, which we have in this agreement,” said
David Feist, development lead for Adama. “That will include, first, this IMI-based
system, the FullPage system of which we’ll be providing the herbicide products,
Preface and Postcript.
Further
innovation
“This may lead to further innovation in that
we’re currently working in the development projects for additional ACCase
chemistry, which could be coming to the marketplace in the next two to four
years.”
Feist said he believes the FullPage system
will provide farmers with a second choice. “It is a system that’s quite similar
to Clearfield, but it also means the integration of two companies that are
working on multiple agreements for the futures
“When it comes to the farmer’s perspective, we want to represent one voice when
it comes to any issues, questions, concerns or servicing. Our goal is to act as
one when working with the grower.”
More information will be
available at www.ricetec.com/fullpage.
http://www.deltafarmpress.com/rice/ricetec-partners-adama-new-herbicide-tolerance-system
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