Tuesday, September 12, 2017

12th September,2017 daily global,regional and local rice e-newsletter by riceplus magazine

Bumper rice crop

From the NewspaperSeptember 09, 2017
APROPOS the news report ‘Bumper crop of rice expected in Sindh’ (Aug 28). The report states that though cultivation is banned in areas fed by the left bank perennial canals of Sukkur and Guddu barrages like Rohri, Nara and Ghotki feeder canals, influential land owners still cultivate crops.
The report adds that Sindh’s farmers got water more than their normal quota, and Balochistan had no option except to raise this issue with the Centre. Pakistan’s water condition is getting worse with each passing day, and Quetta, Balochistan’s capital, is almost dry facing a severe water shortage. If we continue to plant water guzzling rice in Sindh, soon we will have no water left either for staple crops or for drinking.
Can someone in the power corridors please order a stop to this practice and ensure that the country stringently adopts water saving practices so there is enough of this precious commodity for our next generations
https://www.dawn.com/news/1356484/bumper-rice-crop

DA to convert 20,000 hectares of idle lands for rice production in Kalinga
 September 11, 2017
CITY OF TABUK, Kalinga, Sept. 5 (PIA) -- Kalinga contributes 1.3 percent to the rice requirement of the country and this is seen to increase with the “Masaganang Ani sa Nayon” Project (Project MANA).
The Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Project MANA intends to convert 20,000 hectares of rainfed and idle lands for rice production in the province this year.
Joe Casibang, Kalinga Rice Program Coordinator, said that the Project MANA sites are located in the province’s rice production towns of Pinukpuk, Tanudan, Rizal, and this City.
Project MANA involves two phases - first is the identification and opening of potential ricelands that include rainfed and idle lands, and second is the provision of needed farming interventions through small irrigation systems.
For the farming interventions, DA is distributing free 150 units of mechanized water-pump and accessories. It will also construct small water impounding projects in Rizal municipality and this city.
Casibang explained that the project is under DA’s effort to increase rice sufficiency level in the country by opening new areas for rice production.
Based on present DA data, the country needs to fill in additional five to ten percent of its rice sufficiency requirement. (JDP/ Larry T. Lopez-PIA CAR, Kalinga)
 Department of Agriculture, Project MANA, Rice, Rice Production and Agriculture
http://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1000179

INDEF: Gov’t Rice Export Plan is a Joke

JAKARTA, NETRALNEWS.COM - Bustanul Arifin, economic observer from the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF), says Indonesia's rice production cost is one of the most expensive compared to other countries.
He said rice production expenses in Vietnam and Indonesia are still relatively lower than in Indonesia. Therefore, the Indonesian government’s idea of exporting rice is just a joke."It will be a joke if the government wants to export rice from its rice surplus if the cost to produce it is still high,” Bustanul said during a discussion on highest rice retail price in Jakarta on Saturday (9/9/2017).
Bustanul said domestic rice production cost reaches US $4,000. Meanwhile, rice production in Malaysia only costs $2,000, and with that they can already reach surplus.
"[Our] efficiency is still far lagging behind from Vietnam and Thailand," he said.
He also added that it would be better for the government to focus on subsidized rice in the domestic market rather than exporting rice abroad
http://www.en.netralnews.com/news/business/read/10928/indef.gov...t.rice.export.plan.is.a.joke



Govt considers importing two million tons of rice

11.09.2017 | UkrAgroConsult
Up to eight million tons of Boro paddy had been destroyed by the latest bout of monsoon floods that inundated several districts

The government is thinking of importing two million tons of rice, to compensate for the shortage caused by the recent rain and flood in various parts of the country.
Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal announced it during a meeting at the National Economic Council conference room in Agargaon, Dhaka on Sunday.

He further mentioned that up to eight million tons of Boro paddy had been destroyed by the latest bout of monsoon floods that inundated several districts.

He estimated that a total of 12-14 million tons of rice had been damaged as well, causing a rather significant deficiency.

As the flood has dispersed many families out of their homes, the demand for food and shelter has increased.

The government is aware of this situation and hopes to make up for the shortage of food, sources in the Ministry of Planning said. http://www.blackseagrain.net/novosti/govt-considers-importing-two-million-tons-of-rice

Kushtia millers raise rice prices again

·         Al Mamun Sagor Kushtia
·         Published at 05:58 PM September 10, 2017

In late August, mill owners raised the prices of all rice varieties by Tk3 per kg Dhaka Tribune

The prices rose for the second time in just two weeks amid widespread allegations of price manipulation against the rice mill owners

Rice millers in Kushtia have once again raised rice prices, this time by Tk1-Tk4 per kg.
Fine rice, otherwise known as Miniket, was selling at Tk58 per kg at the wholesale market on Saturday, whereas the price was Tk54 per kg on Thursday. The prices of coarse rice varieties, such as BR-28, also went up by Tk1-Tk1.5 per kg during this period.
They rose for the second time in just two weeks amid widespread allegations of price manipulation against the rice mill owners.
In late August, the millers had raised the prices of all rice varieties by Tk3 per kg.
Media reports on the price anomaly prompted Kushtia Deputy Commissioner Md Zahir Raihan to call an emergency meeting with officials concerned on August 30. He gave an ultimatum to the mill owners to rein in the soaring prices within 24 hours.
However, the mill owners did not take heed to the warning, instead claiming that they were compelled. They noted that paddy prices at the growers’ level have been high due to low production in the preceding Boro season.
Kushtia Rice Mill Owners Association President Jainal Abedin Prodhan said: “The mill owners have nothing to do with this. The farmers don’t have the paddy. There is a huge paddy crisis across the country. Thus, the millers do not have bargaining power while buying paddy.”
Meanwhile, a recent intelligence agency report has revealed that major rice mills in Kushtia are sitting on huge stocks of rice.
The report mentioned that at least 70 mills in Kushtia have abnormally high stocks.
Among them, six of the top mills have a total stock of 1 million tonnes of rice.

http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2017/09/10/kushtia-millers-raise-rice-prices-again/


Rice basmati strengthens on rising demand

PTI | Sep 2, 2017, 23:17 IST
New Delhi, Sep 1 () Rice basmati prices strengthened by Rs 100 per quintal at the wholesale grains market today on rising demand.
However, other grains moved in a narrow range in scattered deals and pegged at last levels.
Traders besides rising demand from stockists and retailers against restricted supplies from producing regions mainly kept rice basmati prices higher.
In the national capital, rice basmati Pusa-1121variety edged higher by Rs 100 to Rs 5,200-5,300 per quintal. Non-basmati rice permal raw, wand and IR-8 also settled higher at Rs 2,200-2,225, Rs 2,250-2,275 and Rs 1,850-1,875 from previous levels of Rs 2,150-2,175, Rs 2,200-2,225 and Rs 1,825-1,850 per quintal respectively.-
Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal):
Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,100-2,350, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs 1,755-1,760, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,760-1,765, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs 260-300, Shakti Bhog (10 kg) Rs 255-290, Roller flour mill Rs 950-960 (50 kg), Maida Rs 990-1,000 (50 kg)and Sooji Rs 1,030-1,040 (50 kg).
Basmati rice (Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300, Super Basmati Rice Rs 9,800, Basmati common new Rs 6,400-6,600, Rice Pusa (1121) Rs 5,200-5,300, Permal raw Rs 2,200-2,225, Permal wand Rs 2,250-2,275, Sela Rs 2,300-2,400 and Rice IR-8 Rs 1,850-1,875, Bajra Rs 1,205-1,210, Jowar yellow Rs 1,425-1,475, white Rs 2,800-2,900, Maize Rs 1,320-1,325, Barley Rs 1,460-1,470. SUN KPS ADI MKJ

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/rice-basmati-strengthens-on-rising-demand/articleshow/60342385.cms


Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Septmember 08, 2017

SEPTEMBER 8, 2017 / 1:28 PM

Nagpur, Sept 8 (Reuters) – Gram and tuar prices recovered strongly in Nagpur Agriculture Produce
and Marketing Committee (APMC) here on increased demand from local millers amid weak supply from
producing belts. Fresh hike Madhya Pradesh gram prices and repeated enquiries from South-based
millers also helped to push up prices.
About 500 of gram and 200 bags of tuar were available for auctions, according to sources.

    FOODGRAINS & PULSES
    
   GRAM
   * Gram varieties ruled steady in open market here on subdued demand from local traders
     amid ample stock in ready position.
  
   TUAR
     
   * Tuar gavarani moved down in open market here on poor demand from local traders amid
     high moisture content arrival.  

   * Major wheat reported higher in open market on renewed demand from local traders amid
     tight supply from producing regions.
                                                 
   * In Akola, Tuar New – 4,300-4,500, Tuar dal (clean) – 6,300-6,500, Udid Mogar (clean)
    – 8,600-9,200, Moong Mogar (clean) 6,600-7,100, Gram – 5,500-5,800, Gram Super best
    – 8,600-9,000

   * Rice and other foodgrain items moved in a narrow range in scattered deals and
     settled at last levels in thin trading activity.
      
 Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
   
     FOODGRAINS                 Available prices     Previous close  
     Gram Auction                  4,800-5,990         4,800-5,800
     Gram Pink Auction            n.a.           2,100-2,600
     Tuar Auction                3,600-4,125         3,500-4,125
     Moong Auction                n.a.                3,900-4,200
     Udid Auction                n.a.           4,300-4,500
     Masoor Auction                n.a.              2,600-2,800
     Wheat Mill quality Auction        1,600-1,645        1,600-1,650
     Gram Super Best Bold            8,500-9,200        8,500-9,200
     Gram Super Best            n.a.            n.a.
     Gram Medium Best            7,600-8,000        7,600-8,000
     Gram Dal Medium            n.a.            n.a
     Gram Mill Quality            5,900-6,000        5,900-6,000
     Desi gram Raw                5,800-6,000         5,800-6,000
     Gram Kabuli                12,500-13,500        12,500-13,500
     Tuar Fataka Best-New             6,700-7,000        6,700-7,000
     Tuar Fataka Medium-New        6,400-6,600        6,400-6,600
     Tuar Dal Best Phod-New        6,200-6,400        6,200-6,400
     Tuar Dal Medium phod-New        5,700-6,000        5,700-6,000
     Tuar Gavarani New             4,300-4,500        4,400-4,600
     Tuar Karnataka             4,800-5,000        4,800-5,000
     Masoor dal best            5,200-5,400        5,200-5,400
     Masoor dal medium            4,600-4,900        4,600-4,900
     Masoor                    n.a.            n.a.
     Moong Mogar bold (New)        7,200-7,500         7,200-7,500
     Moong Mogar Medium            6,700-7,000        6,700-7,000
     Moong dal Chilka            5,500-6,200        5,500-6,200
     Moong Mill quality            n.a.            n.a.
     Moong Chamki best            7,000-8,000        7,000-8,000
     Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 9,000-10,000       9,000-10,000
     Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG)    6,500-8,000        6,500-8,000   
     Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG)        5,000-5,600        5,000-5,600    
     Batri dal (100 INR/KG)        5,000-5,600        5,000-5,600
     Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg)          3,000-3,200         3,000-3,200
     Watana Dal (100 INR/KG)            2,900-3,100        2,900-3,100
     Watana White (100 INR/KG)           3,500-3,700           3,500-3,700
     Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG)    3,600-4,800        3,600-4,800  
     Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG)        1,900-2,000        1,800-1,900
     Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG)    1,750-1,850        1,700-1,800  
     Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG)         2,100-2,300           2,100-2,300        
     Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG)    2,200-2,400        2,100-2,400   
     Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG)   1,900-2,100        1,900-2,000
     Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG)    n.a.            n.a.
     MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG)    3,300-3,800        3,000-3,600   
     MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG)    2,200-2,800        2,200-2,700          
     Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG)        3,300-3,400        3,300-3,400   
     Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG)        2,800-3,200        2,800-3,200   
     Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG)         2,600-2,900        2,600-2,900     
     Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG)      2,500-2,600        2,500-2,600  
     Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG)      2,300-2,400        2,300-2,400  
     Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG)        3,800-4,000        3,800-4,000    
     Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG)        3,500-3,800        3,500-3,800   
     Rice Shriram best(100 INR/KG)      4,800-5,200        4,800-5,200
     Rice Shriram med (100 INR/KG)    4,500-4,700        4,500-4,700  
     Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG)    9,500-13,500        9,500-13,500    
     Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG)    5,000-7,500        5,000-7,500   
     Rice Chinnor best 100 INR/KG)    4,800-5,000        4,800-5,000   
     Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG)    4,300-4,500        4,300-4,500  
     Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG)        2,000-2,200        2,000-2,200   
     Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG)         1,800-2,000        1,800-2,000

WEATHER (NAGPUR) 
Maximum temp. 34.4 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 24.1 degree Celsius
Rainfall : 10.6 mm
FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rains or thunder-showers. Maximum and
minimum temperature would be around and 34 and 24 degree Celsius respectively.

Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, butincluded in market prices)

https://in.reuters.com/article/nagpur-foodgrain/nagpur-foodgrain-prices-open-septmember-08-2017-idINL4N1LP37G

Paddy cultivation area down

OUR BUREAU

THE HINDU
NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 8:  
The area under paddy cultivation is down by half-a-million hectares, compared to the previous kharif season, according to data released by the Agriculture Ministry on Friday.
Rice has been sown in 371.46 lakh hectares (ha), which is 1.44 per cent lower than 376.89 lakh ha covered during the corresponding period last year, mainly because of lesser sowing in the drought-hit Karnataka and flood-affected Assam. The total acreage under kharif cultivation, too, shrank to 1,041.17-lakh ha against 1,049.87-lakh ha in the same period last year.
Worst affected

Oilseeds are the worst hit with acreage down by almost 10 per cent to 169.20-lakh ha, whereas the area under cotton cultivation went up by 18.94 per cent to 120.98-lakh ha in the same period.
Pulses cultivation

There is nearly 4 per cent drop in area under pulses cultivation, with acreage under arhar and moong coming down by 18 per cent and 8 per cent to 42.81-lakh ha and 31.48-lakh ha respectively. Urad cultivation on the other hand is up by 21 per cent and now has covered a total area of 42.15-lakh ha compared to 34.83-lakh ha in the same period last year. Lesser sowing for pulses was mainly reported from Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. The total area under pulses cultivation is 139.17-lakh ha.
The sowing of coarse cereals, on the other hand, recovered slightly compared to last week, with ragi sowing picking up momentum in Karnataka. There is also improvement in the acreage under bajra cultivation by nearly 4 per cent to 71.38-lakh ha.
With most parts of the country receiving good showers, there is substantial improvement in water levels in reservoirs across the country. The cumulative water levels in 91 monitored reservoirs have increased to 58 per cent of the storage capacity to 91.2-billion cubic metres
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/paddy-cultivation-area-down/article9852061.ece

No water at the end of canal for rice zone farmers

HYDERABAD:  Muhammad Ramzan Jatt, a farmer from village Abdul Rehman Jatt, is totally blissed out because he’s looking forward to a long-awaited rub of the green after being able to cultivate his 14 acres of fertile land that had been lying barren for many years owing to scarceness of irrigation water.
“We collected an amount of Rs3,60,000 from farmers from a dozen of villages to hire excavation machinery to clean the water body up to seven kilometers,” said Ramzan sharing the success story of the initiative that made it possible. 
“This is how the farmers at the tail end of Raj Wah (canal) in Badin district had the watercourse de-silted after 32 years with their joint interventions.” 
Ramzan said farmers in this area depend on irrigation water for cultivation without which there would be no crops to cultivate or livestock to raise that means suffering and hardship. 
Ramzan’s family was one of the few lucky ones, which got a piece of state land on lease during 1960s. At that time the area was abandoned and the government had designed a comprehensive plan to bring farmer families from different areas, offered them pieces of land to cultivate and settled there. Around 0.4 million acres of land was given to the farming families that now live in scattered villages.
“We have managed to cultivate a decent crop of rice after a gap of 15 years,” said he hoping to have enough water through the recently de-silted canal. 
This dream of theirs, however, was shattered when heavy monsoon that jumpstarted in June forced the irrigation department to minimise the flow of water into the canal to avoid breaches. As a result, farmers lost their investment on the cultivation of water-intensive crops like rice and sugarcane.
“Since Badin district is a rice belt, the water shortage adversely affected the yield this year,” he added.
Raj Wah is a tributary of Akram Wah (canal), which was built in 1962 with 4100 cusec capacity. It covers a distance of 80 kilomters from Kotri barrage to the coastal area in Badin district.
Ramzan, who is also a community elder, said when the government had leased out the land five decades ago, it was very fertile and their forefathers used to cultivate almost all food and cash crops. “They had more graains, milk, and butter because of adequate water supplies. But after many years the political maneuvering in agriculture sector the tail-end farmers were left to suffer because powerful landlords starting stealing water thus,” he added.
Reportedly, major landlords from Hyderabad and Tando Muhammad Khan districts also laying claim to the irrigation water of canals and watercourses, including Raj Wah.
Initially there were 137 watercourses registered with irrigation department on Akram Wah. Currently hardly 82 watercourses are functional, while the rest neither get their proper share of water, nor any attention from the government.
The farmers depending on Raj Wah still fear reversal of the situation after temporary relief due to the “different” approach of authorities.
The responsibility of dealing with water courses, distribution and maintenance is shifted from irrigation department of the provincial government to Sindh Irrigation Drainage Authority (SIDA).
SIDA has formed farmers’ organisations (FOs) to work independently with the powers to deal with problems in their areas. These FOs generate funds on their own by collecting water tax from landlords to utilise the same on the maintenance of watercourses.
A SIDA spokesman told The News that the main problem at watercourses is illegal direct outlets made by influential landlords, who operate lifting machines for 24 hours and deprive the tail-end farmers of their due share of water.
“Akram Wah has now lost its capacity and can carry only 2000 cusec instead of its original capacity of 4100 cusec,” said the spokesman. To ensure supply to tail-end users, the SIDA representative said, the authority and the provincial government were trying to secure funding from World Bank to improve capacity of Akram Wah. 
Nazir Ahmed Jatt, vice president of Sarsabz Ittehad, a representative body of 12 villages in UC Kadhan, informed The News that they were mobilising farmers, including peasant women to take initiative to resolve local problems on their own instead of waiting for the government’s help. 
Sarsabz Ittehad is a brainchild of Indus Consortium, a national support organization, which has mobilised the community people in two union councils of the district Badin. “We convene joint meetings with heads of local bodies’ institutions for the resolution of water supply and drainage schemes,” said Nazir adding that actually Sarsabz Ittehad, which means green alliance, is the driving force behind the recent de-siltation of Raj Wah canal. He said its members are continuously approaching area legislators, political parties and government authorities, sensitising them to extend the help to farmers, who are facing problems, specifically acute water shortage.
Abdul Wahid Brohi, popularly known as Jumma Khan in the area and owner of 32 acres of family land, said the area has been declared prone to disaster. “We have seen disasters like breaches in Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD) after devastating rains in 2011, earthquake in 2001, prolonged drought-like-situation due to the closure of canal and continuous sea intrusion, which has played a major role in polluting underground water.”
Presently, Brohi disclosed, the underground water was heavily contaminated with arsenic. “Recently 80 people, including children and women of neighbouring village Fazal Jatt were brought to hospitals in Badin and other smaller towns. They were all diagnosed with arsenic poisoning,” Brohi said. The incident, he added, had created panic in the area.  Badin district health department officials visited the area and found the hand-pumped groundwater unfit for human consumption because it was tainted with arsenic.  
He said the government teams dealing with health matters responded to the crisis by bringing in thousands of bottles of safe mineral water for the villagers, but it can hardly be called a solution.  “They are ready to provide stopgap solutions but are not willing to touch the influential landlords, who control the watercourses, leaving not a single drop of water for the tail-end villagers,” said he lamenting the government’s apathy towards tail-end farming communities
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/228830-No-water-at-the-end-of-canal-for-rice-zone-farmers

MP govt and APEDA in Basmati rice geographical indication registry row
Monday, 11 September, 2017, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
Ashwani Maindola, New Delhi
The geographical indication (GI) registry over Basmati rice has sparked a row between the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and the Madhya Pradesh government, following the latter’s application for the GI registry of the central Indian state for Basmati rice production.
B M Sahare, additional director, ministry of agriculture, government of Madhya Pradesh, said, “Thirteen or fourteen districts of the state are currently producing Basmati rice.”

“There is a formidable basis for our application, and even the GI Registry, which is based in Chennai, has recognised our claim. But this was challenged in the court, and the matter is now sub judice,” he added.
Sahare stated that the state government applied for GI Registry after conducting several of the mandatory tests at accredited laboratories to prove the claim. However, a senior official dealing with the issue stated that APEDA’s position was open and clear. Only seven states are a part of the GI registry for Basmati Rice, and the authority will oppose any move to include any other state for it.
APEDA also fears that this will open a Pandora’s box, and Pakistan and China can also claim the GI tag for Basmati rice. Currently, eleven districts in Pakistan, under a treaty with India, enjoy GI registry for Basmati rice.
India, meanwhile, has a 85 per cent share in the global basmati rice trade. It exported basmati rice worth Rs 21,604 crore in 2016-17.
In a previous statement, the ministry of commerce and industries reported in Parliament that the National Agricultural Research System, under the ministry of agriculture and cooperation has recognised only the states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Uttarakhand, the western part of Uttar Pradesh and two districts of Jammu and Kashmir (namely, Jammu and Kathua) as the traditional geographical indication for Basmati rice cultivation.
This means that the basmati rice produced in these regions are considered an intellectual property and will be acknowledged as Basmati rice, while the Basmati rice produced in other places will not be considered Basmati rice, as APEDA does not consider areas other than those with the GI tag for Basmati rice production.
http://www.fnbnews.com/Top-News/mp-govt-and-apeda-in-basmati-rice-geographical-indication-registry-row-41107

Govt considers importing two million tons of rice

·         Bilkis Irani
·         Published at 12:22 AM September 11, 2017

Up to eight million tons of Boro paddy had been destroyed by the latest bout of monsoon floods that inundated several districts

The government is thinking of importing two million tons of rice, to compensate for the shortage caused by the recent rain and flood in various parts of the country.Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal announced it during a meeting at the National Economic Council conference room in Agargaon, Dhaka on Sunday.

He further mentioned that up to eight million tons of Boro paddy had been destroyed by the latest bout of monsoon floods that inundated several districts.He estimated that a total of 12-14 million tons of rice had been damaged as well, causing a rather significant deficiency.As the flood has dispersed many families out of their homes, the demand for food and shelter has increased.The government is aware of this situation and hopes to make up for the shortage of food, sources in the Ministry of Planning said.

http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2017/09/11/govt-considers-importing-two-million-tons-rice/



EU Ban Basmati Imports; Indian Consumer To Get Premium Basmati At Affordable Prices

Basmati rice is India’s preferred domestic variety of rice with the highest standard of texture and aroma
In a not so very surprising decision, European Union has decided not to allow Basmati rice imports from India. Such decision may affect the price of Basmati rice in the market. The European Union which has witnessed many such decisions has done it in the name of strict laws for higher standards of no use of pesticides.

This decision appears to be strange in nature. Basmati rice is India’s preferred domestic variety of rice with the highest standard of texture and aroma.

All India rice exporters association (AIREA) has told that permission to export Basmati rice to EU nations had been earlier given till 31 December. Post that the permission will automatically get cancelled due to no extension. The reason given is the use of fungicides for the safety of Basmati rice to EU nations (another possible incident of fumigation laws manipulation). It is also evident that India usually exports (PB-1) and 1,401 Basmati breeds to EU.

AIREA also asked for one year’s extension to the given export limits and may soon ask union government to intervene in the matter.      

It will definitely increase the domestic availability of Basmati rice by at least 1,00,000 tonnes to 3,00,000 tonnes, which may send a chill to domestic consumers.

An expert on the consumer affairs matter had termed it as a bright chance to ordinary consumer class which would never have the chance to opt for premium Rs 200 per kilograms or higher rate’s Basmati rice.

According to the food and agriculture organisation of UN, Basmati is still believed to be a luxury food item among a huge 300 million plus middle-class consumer market of India.

India’s overall progressive procurement for rice as on 1 September 2017 for the year 2016-17 was 387.38 lakh tonnes against the procurement of 341.43 lakh tonnes in the parallel period of previous year. The procurement of wheat for the rabi marketing season (RMS) for 2017-18 was 308.01 lakh tonnes against the procurement of 229.62 lakh tonnes in the corresponding period of RMS of the year 2016-17
http://businessworld.in/article/EU-Ban-Basmati-Imports-Indian-Consumer-To-Get-Premium-Basmati-At-Affordable-Prices/12-09-2017-125943/

Nigeria: Government Moves to Crash Price of Local Rice


 By Joke Falaju
Abuja — The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, has hinted of plans to reduce the price of 50kg bag of local rice from N18,000 to N13,000.
In this respect, he said talks were ongoing with the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria to crash the N150,000 per ton price tag of paddy rice to N120,000 to enable millers sell the commodity at N13,000 per bag.
Ogbeh, who was speaking at the week
end in Abuja on the upcoming national conference on the transformation of the country's livestock industry, lamented that local rice were becoming costlier thatn imported ones.
He regretted that a ton of paddy rice that sold for N65,000 in July 2015 had suddenly jumped making it extremely difficult for millers to sell a 50kg bag of rice less than N17,O00. The minister said: " To Nigerians, I'm sorry that the prices of food are too high. We are not too happy about it, but we are not going to turn around and bully the farmers. We will persuade them, but with the increase in food production, prices will go down. Then non-farmers can eat very well. We don't want any Nigerian to go hungry because he or she is an end user of farm product.
Ogbeh alleged that farmers in Katsina and Kano states were hoarding their grains, thereby inducing an artificial scarcity, as a ton of maize rose from N85,000 to N130,000 with its adverse effects on poultry which need them as feeds.He clarified that government had not banned the importation of any food commodity, saying: "You can still bring in rice as long as it comes in through the ports and you pay levy. It is smuggling we do not want."The clarification comes in the wake of protests by local farmers over the importation of a large vessel of maize into the country by a certain big company.
He, however, promised to persuade the firm from the act beginning from next year.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201709110501.html

Government distributes rice donated by China

BY OBEY MANAYITI
GOVERNMENT yesterday took delivery of part of the $14,7 million worth of rice donated by China amid fears that the donation was meant to oil Zanu PF’s campaign machinery ahead of next year’s general elections.
Speaking at the handover ceremony in Harare, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare minister Priscah Mupfumira said the donation would go a long way in helping needy communities, particularly hospitals, prisons, old people’s homes and children’s homes.
Among those who benefited yesterday were First Lady Grace Mugabe Children’s Home and many others who received an average of five tonnes each. Hospitals and prisons were given 120 tonnes each.
Mupfumira said there were many food-insecure households affected by cyclone Dineo and excessive rainfall received during the last summer season.
“In view of this, China has again made another donation of 12 500 metric tonnes for distribution to the vulnerable of society. This donation from our friends will go a long way in mitigating the effects of floods-caused hunger,” she said.
“It is therefore my ministry’s mandate to ensure that the distribution of rice will focus on vulnerable households who include the elderly, chronically ill, persons with disabilities and child-headed households, flood victims, victims of other disasters, registered institutions accommodating vulnerable children, schools and hospitals.”
Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe Huang Ping said the donation was a follow-up to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit in 2015.
The rice donation comes at a time when Zimbabwe is boasting of a bumper harvest in the previous season owing to the command agriculture and when the ruling party has upped its 2018 election campaign where foodstuffs and other goodies are distributed at campaign rallies.
https://www.newsday.co.zw/2017/09/donation/


CV Anand warns dealers against hiking prices

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By AuthorTelanganaToday  |   Published: 12th Sep 2017  1:20 am

File Photo: CV Anand

Hyderabad: In an effort to control and monitor the prices of essential commodities, commissioner for civil supplies CV Anand said that necessary measures should be taken to keep prices of rice, onion and edible oil under control. He also instructed officials to keep a check on the prices of essential commodities daily and the same must be followed by the price monitoring committees. The civil supplies chief also warned traders and dealers against hiking the price by creating shortage of commodities by unauthorised stocking and moving them to black market.
He requested the representatives of the onions, edible oils dealers associations and president of rice millers association to co-operate by coming forward and taking the initiative of informing against black marketers.
CV Anand also met with representatives of the onions, edible oils dealers associations and president of rice millers association on Monday at Civil Supplies Bhavan. He said that in the last two to three months, taking the advantage of shortage of onions, the dealers have hiked the prices. He also noted that there were certain complaints registered in the department in this regard.
The Government of India requested the State government to implement the stock limits on onions so that there should not be any hoarding of onions. The licensed dealers shall store the stock as the guidelines which are for Category ‘A’ Cities (having population of 10 lakhs) 75 quintals; Category ‘B’ areas (all urban areas) 40 quintals; Category ‘C’ areas (all rural areas) 30 quintals respectively. He added that if anyone was found to be hoarding higher than the applicable quota, strict action would be taken against the dealers.
A representative of the onion dealers association informed commissioner that in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, onions were cultivated on a larger scale and due to heavy rains, a problem pertaining to crop damage and transport to Telangana, arose. Currently, onions are being sold at Rs 25 per kg. He asked the Chief Rationing Officer, Balamaya Devi to conduct a meeting with onion dealers of Malakpet Area and with officials of Marketing Department to see that the dealers bring in maximum quantity of onions from Maharastra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat States and sell their wares here, so that there will be no shortage of onions during the festival season. Anand also ordered officials to keep check on the edible oils which are now priced at a steady level, but there were chances that owing to the festival season the prices could be on the rise.
He said that there were complaints pouring in about the gradual increase in the price of rice in the open market due to hoarding of unauthorised storage of Sanna Biyyam stocks by the rice millers and requested to take stringent action against them. He requested the rice millers to supply the rice variant at Rs 40 per kg by opening Special Counters at Rythu Bazars and Market Yards.
https://telanganatoday.com/cv-anand-warns-dealers-hiking-prices

Help Improve the USA Rice Website!  

USA Rice is redesigning our website and needs your input.  In exchange for your feedback, you'll be entered into a drawing for a $100 Visa gift card!You have until next Friday, September 22, to complete a brief tree test exercise where you'll be asked to complete a series of tasks using the list of links provided.  Your responses will help us organize the content on our website
Federation of European Rice Millers Meeting Presents Global Challenges, Recognizes U.S. Sustainability Efforts 
 RAPALLO, ITALY -- More than 140 rice industry executives from 15 countries gathered here last week for the 2017 European Rice Convention to discuss sustainability, consumer trends, and agricultural policy, specifically against the backdrop of Brexit, the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU).
A genetic modification (GM) scare in 2006 effectively closed the EU to U.S. rice with the exception of the UK that imports about 50,000 metric tons of U.S. rice annually.  The United States has been working to allay misplaced concerns about GM rice - there is none in commercial production in the United States - and persistence may be paying off.
"Once again the U.S. industry sent a large delegation here with 13 members to show our dedication to the EU," said Hartwig Schmidt, regional director for USA Rice based in Germany who attended the conference.  "Through my discussions with European importers, I believe the GM issue is finally dead.  However, that means price likely will be the deciding factor for importers, and the current EU tariff regime is quite unfavorable to the U.S."
The EU gives trading preference under the Everything But Arms provisions to Least Developed Countries resulting in zero duty on rice imports from countries such as Cambodia and Myanmar, while milled rice imports from the U.S. would face a duty of €175 per ton (~$210).
Presenters felt the impact of Brexit was less clear with several possible scenarios emerging, but in all cases U.S. rice exports to the UK would at worst remain the same, but likely increase.  Presenters and attendees believe the UK will ask for a two-year extension to complete EU withdrawal negotiations, during which time it is unlikely there will be any significant change to the U.S. market share in the UK.
Sustainability was a major focus of the conference and the U.S. does appear to be well ahead of the rice producing world here.
"It was gratifying to hear the U.S. rice industry receive recognition for the positive impact we are having on sustainability efforts in agriculture," said Betsy Ward, President & CEO of USA Rice who attended the conference.  "We heard from organizations that are committed to improving rice production practices around the world, reducing water use and inputs, and the rice farmers' footprint, and the U.S. farmer already far exceeds the goals being set for the rest of the world."
The conference is a biannual meeting of the Federation of European Rice Millers (FERM), the voice of the European rice milling industry.  FERM is made up of 21 company members from around Europe as well as three national rice milling associations of Italy, Spain, and Portugal, and represents more than 90 percent of the milling capacity in Europe.  USA Rice was an event sponsor

 

What is key to reviving GDP growth in India? All you want to know

Consumer confidence at 3-year low, especially in rural areas due to farm prices collapse—will hit consumption

By: The Financial Express | Updated: September 11, 2017 5:12 AM

Though the non-farm sector, which accounts for 30-40% of the rural economy, doing relatively better than the farm sector will act as a cushion to demand, reviving the rural sector is key to good GDP growth in FY18. (Representational image: Reuters)
Most commentators have explained the big loss in economic momentum in the April-June quarter by talking of the pre-GST destocking, as also the lagged effects of demonetisation; GDP growth in Q1FY18 came in at a three-year low of 5.7% y-o-y, driven down by manufacturing which clocked a frightening five-year low of 1.2% y-o-y.


With the GST impact likely to be over with re-stocking taking place in the current quarter, most are looking at growth picking up over the next few quarters. Crisil, for instance, is looking at GDP growth of 7% in FY18 as compared to 7.1% in FY17, with manufacturing growth at a healthy 7.6% in FY18, though lower than FY17’s 7.9%. Agriculture, in this scheme of things, is projected to grow at 3% in FY18 as compared to 4.9% in FY17—the high base, however, means even a 3% growth is quite good.
What is worrying, however, is the collapse in agriculture GVA in the first quarter despite the reasonable rabi output, and the implications of this for both agriculture growth for the full year as well as for overall consumer demand, the main driver of GDP growth for several quarters. Agriculture GVA collapsed to 0.3% in Q1FY18, after growing at an average of 8% in the two quarters before this, thanks to a collapse in prices following a bumper crop. Combine this with the fact that consumer confidence is at a three-year low (RBI survey) and the fact that rural confidence has fallen the fastest (BSE-CMIE survey)—in other words, it is not clear if consumer demand can continue to grow at a robust pace as in the past; private consumption, as our page one story today shows, has been slowing for two quarters already.

The rural economy, as HSBC economist Pranjul Bhandari points out, presents a complicated picture. With a good monsoon and sowing on track, rural wages are growing—to a three-year high—and unemployment is slowing; this augurs well for rural demand growth in FY18. But, thanks to the collapse in agriculture prices, the landed class of farmers has been hit badly, and that explains the rise in rural indebtedness and the clamour for loan waivers—unless the more prosperous part of rural India feels richer, it will be difficult to sustain demand growth.
 If the government wants rural demand to pick up—30% of sales of companies like Maruti Suzuki and Hero Motocorp come from rural areas—it has to find ways to alleviate the stress immediately. Higher MGNREGS allocations are one way out, as are increases in MSP—but given how few farmers sell to state agencies, the latter may not help as much.

Encouraging exports by lifting price/quantity curbs is a good way to boost farm incomes—basmati rice exports rose 24% in April-July this year—as a stable source of external demand will prevent agriculture prices from collapsing every time there is an increase in production, but it is not clear whether the government is ready to completely free up farm exports as a long-term strategy.
Equally worrying, as a recent Kotak Institutional Equities report points out, despite the monsoon being ‘normal’ at an overall level—total sown area is just 0.6% lower than last year at an all-India level—several parts of the country such as Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have had a deficient monsoon; areas like Haryana, though, are mostly irrigated and so may not be affected much. Though the non-farm sector, which accounts for 30-40% of the rural economy, doing relatively better than the farm sector will act as a cushion to demand, reviving the rural sector is key to good GDP growth in FY18
Federation of European Rice Millers Meeting Presents Global Challenges, Recognizes U.S. Sustainability Efforts

Sep 11, 2017
Standing FERM

RAPALLO, ITALY -- More than 140 rice industry executives from 15 countries gathered here last week for the 2017 European Rice Convention to discuss sustainability, consumer trends, and agricultural policy, specifically against the backdrop of Brexit, the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). A genetic modification (GM) scare in 2006 effectively closed the EU to U.S. rice with the exception of the UK that imports about 50,000 metric tons of U.S. rice annually. 
The United States has been working to allay misplaced concerns about GM rice – there is none in commercial production in the United States – and persistence may be paying off. “Once again the U.S. industry sent a large delegation here with 13 members to show our dedication to the EU,” said Hartwig Schmidt, regional director for USA Rice based in Germany who attended the conference. 
“Through my discussions with European importers, I believe the GM issue is finally dead.  However, that means price likely will be the deciding factor for importers, and the current EU tariff regime is quite unfavorable to the U.S.” The EU gives trading preference under the Everything But Arms provisions to Least Developed Countries resulting in zero duty on rice imports from countries such as Cambodia and Myanmar, while milled rice imports from the U.S. would face a duty of €175 per ton (~$210).
Presenters felt the impact of Brexit was less clear with several possible scenarios emerging, but in all cases U.S. rice exports to the UK would at worst remain the same, but likely increase.  Presenters and attendees believe the UK will ask for a two-year extension to complete EU withdrawal negotiations, during which time it is unlikely there will be any significant change to the U.S. market share in the UK. Sustainability was a major focus of the conference and the U.S. does appear to be well ahead of the rice producing world here. “It was gratifying to hear the U.S. rice industry receive recognition for the positive impact we are having on sustainability efforts in agriculture,” said Betsy Ward, President & CEO of USA Rice who attended the conference. 
“We heard from organizations that are committed to improving rice production practices around the world, reducing water use and inputs, and the rice farmers’ footprint, and the U.S. farmer already far exceeds the goals being set for the rest of the world.” The conference is a biannual meeting of the Federation of European Rice Millers (FERM), the voice of the European rice milling industry.  FERM is made up of 21 company members from around Europe as well as three national rice milling associations of Italy, Spain, and Portugal, and represents more than 90 percent of the milling capacity in Europe.  USA Rice was an event sponsor.


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