Basmati rice exports may drop to 3
year low on new EU rule
Basmati rice exports may
decline as much as 5% to 3.79 million metric tons in the year that began on 1
April from a year earlier
Rice
companies are expected to focus on the domestic market after a surge in local
prices following lower stockpiles and concerns that a drop in the crop area
would lead to lower output. Photo: Hemant Mishra/Mint
New Delhi: India’s basmati rice exports may drop to a three-year low
this year as the European Union (EU) tightens a fungicide rule and local prices
strengthen.
Exports may decline as much as 5%
to 3.79 million metric tons in the year that began on 1 April from a year
earlier, said Vijay Setia, president of All India Rice Exporters Association.
That would be the lowest since 2014-15, according to the association’s data.
“We will try to export polished
rice to the European Union to avoid the new fungicide norms,” Setia said in a
phone interview. Exporters are possibly not yet fully prepared to meet the new
stringent norms, he said.
According to the European Union’s
rule, the residue level of Tricyclazole fungicide in basmati rice should not
exceed 0.01 parts per million from 1 January 2018, compared with 1 part per
million currently, Setia said. About 80% of India’s basmati rice shipments
include unpolished grains. The rest is sold after polishing, which
significantly lowers fungicide residues.
Rice companies are expected to
focus on the domestic market after a surge in local prices following lower
stockpiles and concerns that a drop in the crop area would lead to lower
output, Setia said. Basmati paddy output may fall 8% from a year earlier to
5.65 million tons in 2017-18, a decline for a third straight year and the
lowest since at least 2009, according to the association.
Farmers across the country have
reduced planting 7.7% to 1.55 million hectares (3.8 million acres) from a year
earlier to grow other agricultural crops, according to the association.
Local prices of some aromatic
varieties used in dishes such as biryani and pilaf have surged 50% to around
Rs30 per kilogram from a year earlier. The price rally may boost earnings of
millers such as KRBL Ltd and LT Foods Ltd, which have already seen their share
prices doubling this year.
Basmati rice exports totaled 2.12
million tons in the six month through 30 September, compared with 2.06 million
tons a year earlier. Total rice exports climbed to 6.07 million tons from 5.43
million tons, according to the association’s data. Bloomberg
http://www.livemint.com/Home-Page/6ECgIN0oPp60aQfM3ISt2L/Basmati-rice-exports-may-drop-to-3-year-low-on-new-EU-rule.html
Water is Scarce in Egypt; so are Research Funds
El Ibrahimiya Canal, Egypt's largest irrigation canal, depends
on water from the Nile. (Photo by Tarek Abd Elgalil)
ASSIUT, Egypt—Egyptian
researchers are exploring innovative solutions to some aspects of the country’s
water-scarcity problem, including projects that seek to make the use of water
in agriculture more efficient, to devise affordable ways of desalinating
brackish water, and to recycle the “gray water” produced by laundries. But weak
public funding for these projects makes it difficult to carry them out.
One promising new project aims to cut in half the amount of water
needed to cultivate rice—a significant issue as rice crops now consume more
than 10 billion cubic meters of water a year, or one-fifth of the 55.5 billion
cubic meters of water that Egypt claims as its annual share of the Nile River’s
flow. But that claim is coming under pressure as disputes intensify between
Egypt and other nations that share the Nile and its headwaters.
Egypt’s economy, especially agriculture, depends almost entirely
on water from the Nile. Even with its current allotment, Egypt faces a deficit
between available water resources and current uses. Its per-capita water resources—about
660 cubic meters per person per year, according to a 2014 report—are already
below the global “water poverty” line and
approaching the threshold the United Nations defines as “absolute scarcity.”
The water politics of the region and the heavy use of water in
growing rice underscore the importance of projects like one led by Mohamed
El-Sayed El-Hagarey. El-Hagarey, a researcher at the Desert Research Center of Egypt’s
Ministry of Agriculture, was honored last
year by the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage,
an international organization based in New Delhi, for devising a plow and planting technique that can
save about half the amount of irrigation water needed to grow rice.
“Rice needs to be continuously
immersed with water until it reaches 10 to 15 centimeters above the soil
surface,” said el-Hagarey. “This causes significant loss of water and
fertilizers.”
El-Hagarey’s new plow forms
V-shaped trenches in the soil, and a seeding tray that follows the plow
deposits rice seedlings into the furrows. The trenches are then filled with the
water necessary for the plants’ growth. This amount is much less than the
irrigation water used in traditional rice cultivation, in which the entire
field is flooded.
The new technique was tested in
a field in Kafr El-Sheikh, a governorate famous for rice cultivation in Egypt.
“The results were satisfactory, with the crop increasing by 4.6 percent and the
use of water decreased by 50 percent,” said el-Hagarey.
Egypt’s concerns over its water resources have increased since
2011, when Ethiopia began building its Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on
the Blue Nile River, a major tributary of the Nile. The new dam, now nearing
completion, will create a reservoir that ultimately is expected to hold more
than 60 billion cubic meters of water. It will take years to fill the
reservoir, and that process threatens to reduce the flow of fresh water
downstream to Sudan and Egypt.
“This will cause the
desertification of three million acres of land in Egypt,” said Nader
Noureddine, a professor of water resources and land reclamation at Cairo
University. That’s an area equivalent to 51 percent of the country’s
agricultural land, he said, and its loss would worsen the nation’s food gap.
Other Sources of Fresh Water
Another option for providing
fresh water is desalination, but that technology typically has been considered
too slow and expensive for widespread adoption.
At Alexandria University,
researchers are testing a technique that they believe can filter and desalinate
highly saline water in a short time and at a reasonable cost. The new technique
relies on “membrane evaporation,” a process in which water is filtered through
a membrane to remove large particles and then heated. The evaporating steam is
condensed to remove small impurities before collecting the clean water.
“The membrane can be easily
made using cheap components, which makes it an excellent choice in Egypt,” said
Ahmed El-Shafe’i, an assistant professor of agricultural engineering and
bio-systems at the University of Alexandria and one of the researchers involved
in testing the technique.
“This method can be applied in
remote areas because it only requires providing membranes for the filtration
process and then the heat to evaporate the filtered water,” said el-Shafe’i.
Other scientists are working on
projects for treating and reusing “gray water,” which includes the wastewater
from commercial laundries as well as from domestic bathtubs and washing
machines, and even the runoff from washing cars.
Egypt produces about 10 billion
cubic meters of gray water per year, says Wael Abdel Mo’ez, a professor of
chemical engineering at Minia University who has developed a device for
cleansing it of chemicals that can damage sewage networks.
The device separates oil and
grease from the water, then uses a chemical treatment to remove any industrial
detergents, heavy materials and other residues. Finally it performs a
sterilization process to eliminate bacteria and other biological contaminants,
so the water can be recycled for industrial or agricultural use.
“In this way, 80 percent of the
water can be restored to be used in washing, provided there are underground
tanks in the laundries to collect the outgoing water after cleaning,” Abdel
Mo’ez said.
The new Assiut Barrage on the
Nile, which provides irrigation water for 1.6 million acres in Upper Egypt.
Financial and Logistical Hurdles
Despite the diversity of
projects seeking solutions to the water-scarcity problem in Egypt, putting them
into practice has been hampered lack of funding and other problems.
El-Hagarey, the researcher
whose plow project won an international award, financed his research at his own
expense, but needs more money to develop the machine. “The cost of the machine
is 100,000 Egyptian pounds — about 5,000 U.S. dollars,” he said. “But I am
seeking greater funding from the government to develop it and make it suitable
for commercial use.”
Abdel Mo’ez needs more than
money to see his gray-water purification project succeed on a large scale.
“Besides funding, the government must pass legislation that forces building
owners to allocate separate gray-water drainage,” he said.
Hossam Abu El-Nasr, a professor
of agriculture at Assiut University, says he believes that researchers have
developed models that can reduce waste, reuse water, and manage water resources
better. But research alone is useless, he said.
“There is no real encouragement
from government institutions, which invariably argue that there is no funding
budget, even though the water crisis is worsening one day after another,” he
said.
The problem has worsened in recent years as the government has cut
its investment in research and adopted austerity measures
in response to an economic crisis that
now grips the country.
The ministry of agriculture’s
budget amounts to 545 million Egyptian pounds ($30.8 million) for the 2016-17
fiscal year. But the Agricultural Research Center’s budget was reduced sharply
this year, to 3 million Egyptian pounds ($170,000), compared to 70 million
pounds (about $4 million) the previous year. The Desert Research Center’s
budget was reduced from 32 million Egyptian pounds ($1.8 million) to 4 million
pounds ($226,000).
The reduction in research funds
“is very large and unjustified, especially with our urgent need to increase
agricultural production amid droughts, climate change and the shortage and
pollution of Egyptian water resources,” said Noureddine, the professor of water
resources and land reclamation at Cairo University.
Others called for more
cooperation between government and academic research centers. “Every ministry
has research centers that work separately from other centers, and there is no
coordination with university research centers,” said Ali el-Bahrawi, a
professor at the department of irrigation and hydraulics at Ain Shams
University’s college of engineering. “Efforts to carry out research and
cooperate in their implementation must be consolidated.”
Hani el-Nazir, the former head of the Academy
of Scientific Research and Technology, a nonprofit organization
affiliated with Egypt’s ministry of higher education, agrees with el-Bahrawi
that research successes in Egypt are mostly individual and lack governmental
support and institutional cooperation. “Government spending is very weak on
research,” he said. “The efforts of institutions to conduct real research at a
large level must be combined.”
“This article is part of the science journalism
project “Schreiben über Wissenschaft of the Goethe-Institut and the
German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), supported by the German Federal
Foreign Office. More information can be found at https://www.goethe.de/egypt.”
https://www.al-fanarmedia.org/2017/11/water-scarce-egypt-research-funds/
Why dietary choices have an impact on global wildlife and human
populations
November 10, 2017
by Julia Horton
Credit: PlanetEarth
Online
Tropical climates in the depths of
Asia, Africa or South America might seem a world away from the checkout queue
in your average Scottish supermarket or corner shop. But if your basket
contains chocolate, coffee, bananas or rice, you can almost guarantee that what
you eat comes from far warmer places thousands of miles away.
And, as a result, your dietary and
lifestyle choices will be having a real impact on people and wildlife on the
other side of the planet. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be buying those
foods, far from it, but it does mean that you should know how they are produced
and what you can do to help reduce the risk to the environment and the economy
in countries already hard-hit by climate change.
Paul Hallett at Aberdeen
University, whose research on soil health in tropical
regions also considers social issues that balance environmental
and economic concerns, said:
"People have a perception that
what they eat and buy affects the local area, and it does. But there is not a
person in the UK whose diet does not have some kind of impact on tropical
countries. A lot of what people here are buying comes from tropical climates
with a huge amount of biodiversity, which are very susceptible to climate
change, but where people also need to earn a living. What we're
trying to do is balance both sides to make that shopping basket of diverse
foods people buy in Scotland have a much lower impact on the environment in
tropical places.
Scientists are developing ways to
grow rice with less water. Credit: PlanetEarth Online
We're helping farmers in countries
such as Brazil use less fertiliser or water, so that they can make more money
from what they produce. At the same time, by making those improvements the soil
is then also better maintained and farming produces smaller amounts of
greenhouse gases, which is also better for the planet. The same approaches are
being applied in Ethiopia to improve food security and in China to cut
pollution."
To do that, experts have been
conducting research to improve understanding of the natural environment
in tropical countries, and of the needs and
customs of local people.
Many tropical food crops require
large amounts of things like water or fertiliser. This is expensive for
small-scale farmers and can cause conflict over scarce resources like drinking
water.
Scientists at Aberdeen have been
investigating ways of producing crops and fruits that require fewer resources,
such as growing rice with less water. It could save farmers money, but the
environment also wins because increased profits would mean they'd be less
likely to need to expand into protected areas. The new crops would even produce
fewer greenhouse gases. Which is fantastic
considering that, after livestock, rice emits more methane than anything else
we grow.
Palm oil plantation edging into the
rainforest. Credit: PlanetEarth Online
Fellow Aberdeen environmental
scientist Dr Yit Arn Teh said:
"You might already know about
conservation issues in the tropics; for example how the orangutan's rainforest
habitat has been lost to palm oil plantations in countries like Malaysia. Palm
oil is in demand for a range of foods, including chocolate and some brands of
oatcake. But, although a lot of production is by big business, 40% is produced
by small communities. In parts of Indonesia and Malaysia smaller businesses
make up over half of the trade. So there are a lot of issues around balancing
people's economic needs with environmental concerns.
It's not just about palm oil,
it's also about rice, bananas, coffee, cocoa beans... Consumers really can make
a difference, and what they do matters. Big food chains like Unilever or Tesco
are really paying attention to the fact that some customers care if their
shopping is sustainable, or is having an environmental impact. These firms will
then ask their suppliers to verify the ethical or sustainable nature of their
products, which means that growers will then receive a fairer price for their
produce. Things like Fairtrade really do make a difference."
https://phys.org/news/2017-11-dietary-choices-impact-global-wildlife.html#jCphttps://phys.org/news/2017-11-dietary-choices-impact-global-wildlife.html
Elevated CO2 Alleviates Aluminum Toxicity in Rice
Zhu, X.F., Zhao, X.S., Wang, B., Wu, Q. and Shen, R.F. 2017. Elevated carbon dioxide alleviates aluminum toxicity by decreasing cell wall hemicellulose in rice (Oryza sativa). Frontiers in Physiology 8: 512, doi: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00512.Setting the stage for their study, Zhu et al. (2017) note that aluminum (Al) is the most abundant metal on earth. When present in significant quantities in the soil, it can be detrimental to plant growth, disrupting physiological and molecular properties. In many instances, aluminum toxicity inhibits root elongation, even at very low concentrations, making it difficult for plants to acquire nutrients, thus leading to a reduction in both the magnitude and quality of their growth.
To date, there has been surprisingly little research conducted on the response of plants to aluminum stress under elevated atmospheric CO2 conditions. Therefore, Zhu et al. set out to investigate the interactive effects of elevated CO2and aluminum toxicity on one of the most important global food crops -- rice (Oryza sativa).
Working with two subspecies cultivars (ssp. indica, cv Kasalath and ssp. japonica, cv Nipponbare), the five Chinese scientists subjected 3-day-old seedlings to 24 hours treatment of one of two CO2 concentrations (400 or 600 ppm) and one of two aluminum solutions (no added aluminum or 50 µM aluminum added) in a controlled environment chamber, measuring a number of physiological and molecular parameters before and after the treatment to discern impacts of these two growth-competing variables. And what did their experiment reveal?
As shown in the left and center panels of the figure below, acting alone, aluminum toxicity inhibited root growth in both cultivars, relative to control conditions, by 69 percent in Kasalath and 52 percent in Nipponbare. Elevated CO2, in contrast, stimulated root growth in Kasalath, but had no impact on Nipponbare. In the combined treatment, elevated CO2 ameliorated the negative impacts of aluminum toxicity on root growth, causing a smaller 49 and 32 percent reduction in root growth relative to control in the Kasalath and Nipponbare cultivars, respectively.
Searching for the potential mechanism responsible for the reduction in aluminum toxicity by elevated CO2, Zhu et al.'s additional analyses revealed that "elevated CO2 significantly reduced aluminum retention in the [root] cell wall (see figure 4c), which in turn increased aluminum resistance in rice, indicating the operation of the cell-wall-based aluminum exclusion mechanism." And thus it is, that the authors conclude that "elevated CO2 can alleviate aluminum toxicity in rice," which is a pretty magnificent finding for them to have observed.
Figure 1. Effects of elevated CO2 on the relative root growth of cultivars Kasalath (Panel A) and Nipponbare (Panel B) on three-day-old rice seedlings that were treated with 0.5 mM CaCl2 solution with or without 50 µM Al under ambient (400 ppm; CK) or elevated (600 ppm; CO2) CO2 for 24 h (pH 4.5). Root length was measured before and after treatment. Panel C shows the effects of elevated CO2 treatment on root cell wall Al accumulation in Kasalath under the same treatment conditions. Columns with different letters are significantly different at P < 0.05. Adapted from Zhu et al. (2017).
http://www.co2science.org/articles/V20/nov/a7.php
Recent floods to affect food production growth: FAO
| Update: 16:40, Nov 10, 2017
The
recent floods have dampened the outlook for Bangladesh, likely translating into
a third successive season of little or negative food production growth, mainly
rice, says FAO.
Barring
major setbacks, production recoveries could instead permit Bangladesh and Sri
Lanka to slightly lower their 2018 imports to 1.1 million and 450 000 tonnes,
respectively, according to the latest Food Outlook published by the UN Food and
Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Among
other rice importers, Bangladesh, Iraq, Nigeria and the Philippines are all
similarly predicted to replenish their inventories, according to the report a
copy of which news agency UNB obtained.
These
gains are, however, likely to be offset by stock reductions in the Republic of
Korea, Madagascar, Sri Lanka and the United Republic of Tanzania, all linked to
output shortfalls.
Although
the use of rice as animal feed is being sustained by the release of supplies
from government granaries in Japan, the Republic of Korea and Thailand, more
affordable feedstuffs are expected to displace rice in most other countries,
especially in Bangladesh, China (Mainland) and Vietnam.
Since
the previous Food Outlook report, a series of unfavourable climate-related events
have affected main paddy crops in the Northern Hemisphere, which have now
reached the harvesting stage.
This has
been the case in Asia, where, unlike 2016, the critical Northern Hemisphere
summer months were characterised by mixed growing conditions that inhibited
planting expansions.
As a
result, FAO’s latest forecast of world rice production in 2017 points to a
broadly stable output level of 500.8 million tones.
Production
in Asia is now forecast to fall 550,000 tonnes below the 2016 bumper harvest to
452.5 million tonnes.
The UN
agriculture agency has said the cost of importing food is rising in 2017,
driven by increased international demand for most food stuffs, as well as
higher freight charges.
The cost
of importing food is forecast to rise six per cent in 2017 to $1.413 trillion,
making it the second highest bill on record while food commodity prices have
been generally stable, according to the latest Food Outlook that expressed
concern about the economic and social impact of this trend on poor countries.
Although
weather disruptions are set to stall production growth this season, global rice
supplies are still forecast to exceed utilisation, enabling a small expansion
of world rice inventories.
After
staging an 8 percent recovery in 2017 global trade is expected to rise only
modestly in 2018.
The food
import bills are set to increase by double-digit rates for least-developed
countries (LDCs) and low-income food-deficit countries.
Aromatic
rice varieties have risen eight times faster than the FAO All Rice Index, which
is up four per cent on the year.
However,
the higher import costs come at a time when inventories are robust, harvest
forecasts are strong and food commodity markets remain well supplied.
The
export of tropical fruits is promising for poverty relief and rural development
as almost all production takes place in developing countries.
The
export volumes of mango, pineapple, avocado and papayas are on course to
achieve a total combined value of $10 billion this year, according to the Food Outlook.
Cost of importing food poised to
rise by 6% to $1.413 trillion in 2017
Saturday, 11 November, 2017, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
Rome
While food commodity prices have been generally stable, the cost of
importing food is set to rise in 2017 to $1.413 trillion, a six per cent
increase from the previous year and the second-highest tally on record. This
was stated by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in its latest Food
Outlook report, which was published recently.
The higher import bill was driven by the increased international
demand for most foodstuffs as well as the higher freight rates. Of particular
concern were the economic and social implications of the double-digit increases
in the food import bills for least-developed countries (LDCs) and low-income
food-deficit countries (LIFDCS).
“Higher bills do not necessarily translate into more food being
bought by them, as the cost of importing has greatly escalated,” said Adam
Prakash, economist, FAO.The higher import costs come at a time when inventories
are robust, the harvest forecasts are strong and the food commodity markets
remain well supplied.
The food commodity outlok, issued twice a year, takes a close look
at the markets of key food categories, including cassava, the livestock and
dairy sectors, fish, vegetable oils and the main cereal grains.
While production trends are broadly strong across the board,
average prices in international transactions can mask more specific trends. For
example, while international wheat prices have been flat, US Hard Red Spring
wheat, a popular high-quality variety with enough protein content to make
noodles and pasta, was 40 per cent higher in July 2017 than it was a year ago.
Aromatic rice varieties have risen eight times faster than the FAO
All Rice Index, which is up four per cent on the year.Likewise, the FAO Butter
Price Index has risen 41 per cent so far in 2017, more than three times as much
as the Dairy Price Index, of which it is a component.
The livestock and dairy sectors are particularly dynamic. The meat
import bill is set to reach an all-time high of $176 billion this year, up 22
per cent from 2016.World milk production is predicted to grow by 1.4 per cent,
led by a robust four per cent expansion in India, even as more stringent
environmental regulations and quality controls in China may lead to a
contraction there.
The world output of oilseeds oils - vegetable oils and animal fats
are the largest items in the LIFDC import bills - is expected to increase
slightly this year after last year’s strong season.But global soybean
production, despite a planting boom in the Northern Hemisphere, is set to
decline as yields return to normal levels after last year’s nearly optimal
weather.
Opportunities loom for tropical fruits
“Tropical fruits are increasingly stars in global trade, with
export volumes of mangoes, pineapple, avocado and papayas on course to achieve
a total combined value of $10 billion this year,” according to the Food
Outlook. Their popularity is promising for poverty relief and rural development
as almost all production takes place in developing countries, usually through
smallholder farmers with fewer than five hectares.
FAO estimated that the total production of the four fruits could
reach 92 million tonne this year, compared to 69 million tonne in
2008.Currently 95 per cent of that output is consumed locally, but the rising
incomes and the changing consumer preferences will likely boost the export
volumes, especially if freer trade and better market access stimulate further
technological gains in distribution.
Major producers of tropical fruits include India (home to about 40
per cent of the global mango production), Costa Rica (which supplies a large
share of the world's pineapples), China and Brazil, besides Mexico, which is
the largest exporter.
Africa may set record for cassava output
As well as providing detailed analyses of the production, trade and
demand for major cereal and oil crops, the Food Outlook updates trends for
cassava, which has been one of the fastest-expanding staple crops at the global
level, and is the third most important source of calories in the tropics, after
rice and maize.Production in sub-Saharan Africa may reach a record high this
year of 156 million tonne, buoyed by various commercial expansion programmes
aimed at curbing the reliance on food imports in the region.
“Still, global production of this root will likely contract
slightly in 2017 - to 278 million tonne - after two decades of uninterrupted
growth, due to a combination of drought conditions, depressed prices and policy
changes,” said FAO
http://www.fnbnews.com/Top-News/cost-of-importing-food-poised-to-rise-by-6-to-1413-trillion-in-2017-41360
Recent floods to affect Bangladesh’s
food production growth: FAO
Sun Online Desk
10th November, 2017 04:01:17
A
sequence of floods has dampened the outlook for Bangladesh, likely translating
into a third successive season of little or negative food production growth,
mainly rice, says FAO.
Barring
major setbacks, production recoveries could instead permit Bangladesh and Sri
Lanka to slightly lower their 2018 imports to 1.1 million and 450 000 tonnes,
respectively, according to the latest Food Outlook published by the UN Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Among
other rice importers, Bangladesh, Iraq, Nigeria and the Philippines are all similarly
predicted to replenish their inventories, according to the report a copy of
which obtained.
These
gains are, however, likely to be offset by stock reductions in the Republic of
Korea, Madagascar, Sri Lanka and the United Republic of Tanzania, all linked to
output shortfalls.
Although
the use of rice as animal feed is being sustained by the release of supplies
from government granaries in Japan, the Republic of Korea and Thailand, more
affordable feedstuffs are expected to displace rice in most other countries,
especially in Bangladesh, China (Mainland) and Vietnam.
Since
the previous Food Outlook report, a series of unfavourable climate-related
events have affected main paddy crops in the Northern Hemisphere, which have
now reached the harvesting stage.
This has
been the case in Asia, where, unlike 2016, the critical Northern Hemisphere
summer months were characterised by mixed growing conditions that inhibited
planting expansions.
As a
result, FAO’s latest forecast of world rice production in 2017 points to a
broadly stable output level of 500.8 million tones.
Production
in Asia is now forecast to fall 550 000 tonnes below the 2016 bumper harvest to
452.5 million tonnes.
The UN
agriculture agency has said the cost of importing food is rising in 2017,
driven by increased international demand for most food stuffs, as well as
higher freight charges.
The cost
of importing food is forecast to rise six per cent in 2017 to $1.413 trillion,
making it the second highest bill on record while food commodity prices have
been generally stable, according to the latest Food Outlook that expressed
concern about the economic and social impact of this trend on poor countries.
Although
weather disruptions are set to stall production growth this season, global rice
supplies are still forecast to exceed utilisation, enabling a small expansion
of world rice inventories.
After
staging an 8 percent recovery in 2017 global trade is expected to rise only
modestly in 2018.
The food
import bills are set to increase by double-digit rates for least-developed
countries (LDCs) and low-income food-deficit countries.
Aromatic
rice varieties have risen eight times faster than the FAO All Rice Index, which
is up four per cent on the year.
However,
the higher import costs come at a time when inventories are robust, harvest
forecasts are strong and food commodity markets remain well supplied.
The
export of tropical fruits is promising for poverty relief and rural development
as almost all production takes place in developing countries.
The
export volumes of mango, pineapple, avocado and papayas are on course to
achieve a total combined value of $10 billion this year, according to the Food
Outlook.
India Basmati
Rice Exports May Drop to 3-Year Low on New EU Rule
By Pratik Parija
Photographer: Dhiraj Singh November
10, 2017, 9:32 AM GMT+5
·
Basmati shipments seen
falling 5% in 2017-18, Setia says
·
Production of basmati
paddy may drop for a third staright year
India’s basmati rice exports may drop to a three-year low this
year as the European Union tightens a fungicide rule and local prices
strengthen. Exports may decline as much as 5 percent to 3.79 million metric
tons in the year than began on April 1 from a year earlier, said Vijay
Setia, president of All India Rice Exporters Association. That would be
the lowest since 2014-15, according to the association’s data.
"We will try to export polished rice to the European Union
to avoid the new fungicide norms,” Setia said in a phone interview.
Exporters are possibly not yet fully prepared to meet the new stringent norms,
he said.
According to the European Union’s rule, the residue level of
Tricyclazole fungicide in basmati rice should not exceed 0.01 parts per million
from Jan. 1, 2018, compared with 1 part per million currently, Setia said.
About 80 percent of India’s basmati rice shipments include unpolished grains.
The rest is sold after polishing, which significantly lowers fungicide
residues.
Rice companies are expected to focus on the domestic market
after a surge in local prices following lower stockpiles and concerns that a
drop in the crop area would lead to lower output, Setia said. Basmati paddy
output may fall 8 percent from a year earlier to 5.65 million tons in 2017-18,
a decline for a third straight year and the lowest since at least 2009,
according to the association.
Farmers across the country have reduced planting 7.7 percent to
1.55 million hectares (3.8 million acres) from a year earlier to grow other
agricultural crops, according to the association.
Local prices of some aromatic
varieties used in dishes such as biryani and pilaf have surged 50 percent to
around 30 rupees (46 cents) per kilogram from a year earlier. The price rally
may boost earnings of millers such as KRBL Ltd. and LT Foods Ltd., which
have already seen their share prices doubling this year.
Basmati rice exports totaled 2.12 million tons in the six month
through Sept. 30, compared with 2.06 million tons a year earlier. Total rice
exports climbed to 6.07 million tons from 5.43 million tons, according to the
association’s data.
India Basmati Rice Exports May Drop to 3-Year Low on New EU Rule
- Basmati shipments seen falling 5% in
2017-18, Setia says
- Production of basmati paddy may drop for a
third staright year
India’s basmati rice exports may drop to a three-year
low this year as the European Union tightens a fungicide rule and local prices
strengthen.
Exports may decline as much as 5 percent to 3.79 million metric
tons in the year than began on April 1 from a year earlier, said Vijay
Setia, president of All India Rice Exporters Association. That would be
the lowest since 2014-15, according to the association’s data.
"We will try to export polished rice to the European Union to
avoid the new fungicide norms,” Setia said in a phone interview. Exporters
are possibly not yet fully prepared to meet the new stringent norms, he said.
According to the European Union’s rule, the residue level of
Tricyclazole fungicide in basmati rice should not exceed 0.01 parts per million
from Jan. 1, 2018, compared with 1 part per million currently, Setia said.
About 80 percent of India’s basmati rice shipments include unpolished grains.
The rest is sold after polishing, which significantly lowers fungicide
residues.
Rice companies are expected to focus on the domestic market after
a surge in local prices following lower stockpiles and concerns that a drop in
the crop area would lead to lower output, Setia said. Basmati paddy output may
fall 8 percent from a year earlier to 5.65 million tons in 2017-18, a decline
for a third straight year and the lowest since at least 2009, according to the
association. Farmers across the country have reduced planting 7.7 percent
to 1.55 million hectares (3.8 million acres) from a year earlier to grow other
agricultural crops, according to the association.
Local prices of some aromatic varieties used in dishes such as
biryani and pilaf have surged 50 percent to around 30 rupees (46 cents) per
kilogram from a year earlier. The price rally may boost earnings of millers
such as KRBL Ltd. and LT Foods Ltd.,
which have already seen their share prices doubling this year. Basmati
rice exports totaled 2.12 million tons in the six month through Sept. 30,
compared with 2.06 million tons a year earlier. Total rice exports climbed to
6.07 million tons from 5.43 million tons, according to the association’s data.
Peru-Australia free trade deal to boost sugar, beef, rice and
wine for exporters
By Tom Major, Chloe
Chomicki and Charlie McKillop
Posted yesterday at 09:18
Australia will have duty free access for 90,000 tonnes of
sugar into Peru when it enters full force.
(ABC Rural: Charlie McKillop)
Australian exporters will soon have market access to one of
Latin America's fastest growing economies with the signing of the
Peru-Australia Free Trade Agreement (PAFTA).A number of key of agricultural
commodities will gain duty-free entry to Peru including sugar, beef, rice,
dairy, almonds, sheep meat and wine.
In a statement, Prime Minister
Malcolm Turnbull said the agreement is an excellent outcome, that will
eliminate 99 per cent of stiff tariffs that Australian exporters currently face.
"The export deal will
generate economic growth and Australian jobs for decades to come," Mr
Turnbull said.
"Our businesses, farmers and
families are the big winners."
Australia-Peru FTA winners:
·
Sugar: on
entry into force of the agreement, Australia will have duty free access for
30,000 tonnes of sugar into Peru, growing to 60,000 tonnes in five years and
90,000 tonnes in 18 years. This is more than any other sugar exporting country
has achieved in the last twenty years.
·
Beef cuts:
tariffs of up to 17 per cent will be eliminated within five years. This ensures
Australian beef farmers will have duty free access to the Peruvian market at
the same time as US farmers.
·
Dairy: on
entry into force of the agreement, Australia will have duty free access of 7,000
tonnes of dairy products into Peru, growing to 10,000 tonnes in five years.
·
Rice: on
entry into force of the agreement, Australia will have duty free access of
9,000 tonnes of dairy products into Peru, growing to 14,000 tonnes in five
years.
·
Sorghum:
on entry into force of the agreement, Australia will have duty free access of
15,000 tonnes of dairy products into Peru, growing to 20,000 tonnes in five
years.
·
Sheep meat: tariffs
on all sheep meat up to 9 per cent will be eliminated on entry into force of the
agreement.
·
Seafood: Peru
will eliminate all tariffs up to 9 per cent on entry into force.
·
Almonds: immediate
elimination of duties on all tariff lines up to 9 per cent.
·
Wine: immediate
elimination of duties across lines of commercial interest to Australia with the
remainder being phased out over 5 years, up to 9 per cent.
·
Wheat: tariffs
on all wheat up to 9 per cent will be eliminated on entry into force of the
agreement.
·
Mining machinery and parts: duty free access locked in across all tariff lines.
·
Iron, steel and aluminium: duty free access locked in across all tariff lines.
·
Mining equipment: duty
free access locked in across most tariff lines.
·
Base metals: duty
free access locked in across all tariff lines.
·
Raw hides and skins: duty
free access locked in across all tariff lines.
·
Mining Equipment Services and Technologies (METS) and
oilfield service providers:
Peru has granted access on non-discriminatory terms to Australian suppliers of
mining-related consulting, research and development, engineering, environmental,
mining and technical testing and analysis services.
Emerging market
Peru is a major food importer
with $6 billion of agricultural goods imported last year.
However, Australia only exported
$5.3 million dollars worth because of tariff barriers and preferential access
for competitors like the United States.
Queensland Treasurer Curtis Pitt
welcomed the opportunity to increase that figure.
"Peru has a population of 31
million and a GDP of around $189 billion, (but) our two-way trade now is only around
$500 million dollars, so the potential for expansion is real," Mr Pitt
said.
According to DFAT, Australia's
sugar market access is more than any other exporting country has achieved in
the past 20 years and equivalent to roughly 30 per cent of Peru's sugar
imports.
Around 30,000 tonnes can be
exported initially, doubling to 60,000 tonnes over five years and representing
about three per cent of Australia's sugar exports.
Canegrowers chairman Paul
Schembri backed the deal, citing the need to develop new markets.
"A grower will now be
confident that if we can grow the cane we can sell it to multiple market
destinations rather than it being confined to four to five base
customers," he said.
"Free trade agreements do
work. If you look at Australian agriculture, if you look at the Australian
sugar industry, we're not subsidised.
"We've had to fight for
everything we've got in terms of market access and we need to do it on a
competitive basis."
Hinchinbrook MP Andrew Cripps,
whose electorate covers the fertile cane fields of the Tully and Herbert
regions, said it was a boon for the sugar industry.
Around 85 per cent of
Queensland's sugar is sold in raw form, with northern growing areas providing
the lion's share of those exports.
"This is a huge boost for
the industry and in particular the north Queensland region," he said.
"Free trade agreements and
market access mean jobs and opportunities for our agriculture sector, for our
farmers and for jobs in country towns."
Other commodities
There will be immediate duty free
access for Australian sheep meat, most wine and most horticulture products,
kangaroo meat and wheat.
The Federal Government said the
PAFTA delivers huge wins for Australian businesses with market access outcomes
that go well beyond the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement.
Export Council of Australia board
director Andrew Hudson said even though Peru is a relatively small trading
partner, the deal will be beneficial.
"It's an important part of our move towards the Americas
other than North America, so we're sort of initiating an opportunity
there," Mr Hudson said.
(ABC Rural: Lara Webster)
"North America seems to have
shut the door a bit, so you look at Latin America as being a significant growth
market.
What is an FTA?
"It will be very good for
the agricultural sector. Not just for primary producers, but also for
manufacturers of mining equipment which is currently our top export."
Mr Hudson said he did not believe
the granting of free trade entry to Peruvian products would majorly disrupt any
local industries.
"I think we're well placed
to deal with any increase in Peruvian imports," he said.
Mr Hudson nominated Peru's wine
and vitamin supplement industries as potential competitors for the Australian
sector.
"That's always the nature of
the deal, that you've got to give something up to get something on the other
side," he said.
"I think on balance this has
significant positives for Australia compared to potential threats from
competition."
Battambang facility soon to start
drying rice
Fri, 10 November 2017
Farmers prepare to plant rice seedlings in Kampot province in
2015. Pha Lina
A massive centralised rice drying
facility in Battambang province being developed by Thaneakea Srov (Kampuchea)
Plc will soon be operational, while its adjacent rice storage operations are on
track to be completed early next year, the CEO of the company said yesterday.
Construction on both facilities
began earlier this year when the firm inked contracts with three companies to
help build its 200,000-tonne capacity silo and its drying facility capable of
processing 3,000 tonnes of paddy rice a day. Thaneakea Srov first received a
low-interest $15 million loan from the state-run Rural Development Bank in
January.
While the drying facility is
nearly prepared to open its doors, the silo isn’t expected to open for several
more months, according to CEO Phou Puy.
“Our drying machines are being
tested now, and we will start full operations at our drying facility after days
of testing,” he said.
“The entire project will
hopefully be complete by April of next year, when our storage facility is
complete,” he said, adding that construction was 60 percent finished.
The completion of the storage
facility is expected to help struggling rice farmers to secure orders by having
a dedicated storage site while ensuring that the quality of rice is sustained
throughout the harvest season, said Hean Vanhan, undersecretary of state at the
Ministry of Agriculture.
“The project will benefit rice
farmers because it will stabilise the price and quality of rice during the
harvest season,” he said. “Farmers will face less stress during harvest season
as a result.”
Rice exports grow as China buys
lion’s share
Fri, 10 November 2017
Cambodia has exported 446,439
tonnes of milled rice in the first 10 months this year, a 17 percent increase
compared to the same period last year, according to a report released yesterday
by the Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export.According to the
report, China is by far the largest market for Cambodian rice and has accounted
for about one-third of all rice exports so far this year. France is the second
largest market, taking up 13 percent of rice exports, while Poland is third
accounting for 8 percent with the United Kingdom fourth with a 5 percent share.
Loans allotted to hold paddy
·
NEWSPAPER
SECTION: BUSINESS | WRITER: WICHIT CHANTANUSORNSIRI
The state-owned Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural
Cooperatives (BAAC) has set aside more than 80 billion baht in loans and grants
for rice farmers who delay selling their paddy to stabilise prices.
"The BAAC estimates farmers will apply for loans worth 70 billion
baht out of 83.7 billion in credit and subsidies. The loans will be drawn down
later this year and early next year. The money not only helps stabilise rice
prices but also boosts liquidity in the economy," said Nukul Pharachat,
senior executive vice-president.
The 83.7-billion-baht loan and grant scheme will be extended
through a 21-billion loan scheme to delay selling paddy for the 2017-18 harvest
season, a 3-billion set for cash handouts to farmers who store their paddy in
barns for a designated period, a 12.5-billion loan for agricultural
institutions that buy paddy from members to add value to product, and a
47.3-billion grant to 3.9 million rice growers who signed up with the
Department of Agricultural Extension to subsidise their harvest costs.
Under the lending scheme to slow
down paddy sales, the state-back farm bank offers credit based on average rice
prices for the past three years -- 10,800 baht a tonne will be offered
for hom mali and
glutinous paddy, 7,200 per tonne is slated for white-rice paddy and 8,500 per
tonne will be given for Pathum Thani fragrant paddy.
Retail rice farmers are each limited 300,000 baht in loans,
while agriculture cooperatives, farmer clusters and community enterprises are
capped at 300 million, 20 million and 5 million, respectively.
The government will subsidise interest worth a combined 453
million baht but borrowers who do not repay loans from the BAAC within five
months after the loan is taken out must shoulder the remaining interest.
The loan is expected to be doled out from today to Feb 28, 2018.
The programme is expected to help delay about 2 million tonnes of paddy sales
during the annual harvest season.
Participating farmers who agree to hold their paddy will receive
1,500 baht a tonne, while all rice farmers will be granted 1,200 per rai for
harvesting and rice-quality improvement costs, capped at 12,000 per family.
"The schemes are expected to be able to delay selling a
higher-than-expected volume of paddy to stabilise prices. The paddy price
stands at 11,550-13,000 baht a tonne. The BAAC will approve and be ready to
extend the loan within three days," he said.
Rice importer
acquires industrial building in Missouri City
Paul Takahashi
6:30 am, Friday, November 10,
2017
LT Foods USA, an importer and distributor of Basmati
rice, has purchased a Class A industrial building within
Lakeview Business Park in Missouri
City. The property is at 14523 Fairway Pines Drive.LT Foods USA, an importer and distributor of Basmati rice, has
purchased a Class A industrial building in Missouri City.The 49,778-square-foot
facility, located in the Lakeview Business Park at 14523 Fairway Pines Drive,
will allow the company to expand their operations and product lines in Houston.
The building, built in 2009, has 14 docks, 24-foot ceilings and about 4,500
square feet of office space.
"This offering presented a great opportunity for LT Foods to
expand their business without interrupting their operations," Jarret
Venghaus, who brokered the deal on behalf of LT Foods said in a statement.
Jarret Venghaus and Jeff Venghaus of commercial real estate
brokerage JLL represented LT Foods. Jason English of Colliers International
represented the seller.
Consumer goods is driving demand for distribution centers and
warehouses as the region's population grows. Earlier this week, Best Buy
announced plans to build a 550,000-square-foot delivery distribution center in
Missouri City.
The consumer electronics retailer said it was drawn to the
southwest Houston suburb because of its proximity to major highways, available
land and economic incentives from the city and Fort Bend County.
Export Summary-Iran, Japan buy wheat; Morocco seeks durum
March 21 (Reuters) - Snapshot of the
global export markets for grains, oilseeds and edible oils as reported by
government and private sources.
WHEAT SALES: Iran’s state grains
buyer GTC has purchased 120,000 tonnes of milling wheat from Australia and
Germany, European traders said on Thursday.
WHEAT SALES: Japan’s Ministry of
Agriculture bought a total of 132,777 tonnes of food wheat from the United
States, Canada and Australia in a weekly tender that closed on Thursday.
DURUM TENDER: Morocco’s state grains
agency ONICL has issued a tender to import 160,000 tonnes of U.S. durum wheat
under a preferential tariff quota, the agency said on a statement on Thursday.
The result of the tender will be decided on April 3.
FAILED CORN, SOYBEAN TENDER: The
Taiwan Sugar Corp. rejected all offers and made no purchase in a tender for
23,000 tonnes of U.S.-origin corn and 12,000 tonnes of U.S.-origin soybeans
which closed on Thursday, European traders said.
PENDING TENDERS
SOYOIL TENDER: Indian state trading
company STC has issued an international tender to purchase 5,000 tonnes of
soyoil to be sourced from the United States or South America, traders said.
Tender deadline is Mar. 22.
WHEAT TENDER: Iraq issued a tender
to buy a minimum of 50,000 tonnes of wheat from the United States, Canada, Australia,
Russia, Romania, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Germany, a statement from the trade
ministry said. The tender is open until March 24 and offers must be valid until
March 28, the statement said.
WHEAT, BARLEY TENDER: Jordan’s state
grains buyer has issued two international tenders to purchase 100,000 tonnes of
milling wheat and 100,000 tonnes of feed barley, European traders said. Tender
offer deadline for the wheat is Mar. 27. Tender deadline for the barley is Mar.
26.
WHEAT TENDER: Bangladesh’s state grains
buyer has issued an international tender to import 50,000 of wheat to boost
reserves, a procurement official said. The deadline to submit offers is March
25, with validity up to April 7, and the wheat is to be shipped in 40 days of
signing the contract.
RICE TENDER: Iraq issued a new
tender on Thursday to buy at least 30,000 tonnes of rice with origins from the
United States, Uruguay, Thailand and Argentina, the Iraqi trade ministry said
in a statement. The closing date for the tender is March 31, and offers must be
valid until April 4.
WHEAT TENDER: Bangladesh’s state
grains buyer reissued an international tender to import 50,000 of wheat as the
lowest bidder the first time round failed to meet its conditions, a procurement
official said. The deadline to submit offers is April 2, with validity up to
April 11, and the wheat is to be shipped within 40 days of signing the
contract.
TOP STORIES: Brazilian dock workers
called off a national port strike set for next week and said they are willing
to relax rules that allow unions to control labor assignments at terminals,
following talks with the government over reform of the country’s ports, union
leaders said on Thursday.
* Egyptian bakers who have
threatened a strike that could affect the staple diet of the nation’s poor said
a meeting they had hoped to hold with the prime minister on Thursday would not
take place until next week.
* Iran has started building grain
stocks again, with purchases of wheat from Australia and Germany plus maize
from Ukraine, traders said on Thursday, with Tehran getting around payment
difficulties caused by toughened international sanctions.
* China is selling between 1 million
and 1.5 million tonnes of soy from state reserves to crushers to ease tight
supply after port congestion in Brazil interrupted shipments to the world’s top
importer of the oilseed, traders said on Thursday.
* Ukraine has resumed exports of
maize to Iran, which has been hit by international sanctions, with a shipment
of 30,000 tonnes made on March 13, analysts and traders said on Thursday.
Rice producers
fear unemployment next year
IN BUSINESS ·
09-11-2017 14:21:00 ·
Rice producers from Alcácer do
Sal, south of Lisbon, have said they are worried they won’t be able to grow
anything next year if the current state of drought continues.
This year, the sown area was
already cut by between 20 to 30%. Rice producers fear they may be unemployed
next year since the quantity of stored water in two dams in the region that
supply the producers’ crops may be not enough to face future needs. The amount
of water stored in the dams has been declining for three consecutive years.
Nagpur
Foodgrain Prices Open- November 10, 2017
Nagpur
Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-November 10
Nagpur,
Nov 10 (Reuters) – Gram and tuar prices firmed up in Nagpur Agriculture Produce
Marketing
Committee (APMC) on increased demand from local millers amid weak supply from
producing
regions. Fresh rise in Madhya Pradesh pulses and reported demand from
South-based
millers
also jacked up prices, according to sources.
FOODGRAINS & PULSES
GRAM
* Gram Kabuli reported
down in open market here in absence of buyers amid increased
overseas supply.
TUAR
* Tuar gavarani recovered
marginally in open market here on good seasonal demand from
local traders.
* Batri dal moved down in
open market here on poor demand from local traders.
* In Akola, Tuar New –
4,000-4,100, Tuar dal (clean) – 5,900-6,100, Udid Mogar (clean)
– 7,900-8,400, Moong
Mogar (clean) 7,000-7,300, Gram – 4,800-4,900, Gram Super best
– 7,300-7,500
* Wheat, 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 3,651-4,580 3,620-4,300
Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction 3,700-4,075 3,550-4,075
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 1,600-1,670 1,600-1,640
Gram Super Best
Bold 7,500-8,000 7,500-8,000
Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.
Gram Medium Best 6,600-7,000 6,600-7,000
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a
Gram Mill Quality 3,800-3,900 3,800-3,900
Desi gram Raw 4,700-4,800 4,700-4,800
Gram Kabuli 12,400-13,000 12,500-13,200
Tuar Fataka
Best-New 6,200-6,400 6,200-6,400
Tuar Fataka
Medium-New 5,800-6,000 5,800-6,000
Tuar Dal Best
Phod-New 5,600-5,800 5,600-5,800
Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 5,000-5,300 5,000-5,300
Tuar Gavarani New 4,000-4,150 3,950-4,100
Tuar Karnataka 4,300-4,600 4,300-4,600
Masoor dal best 5,100-5,400 5,100-5,400
Masoor dal medium 4,700-4,900 4,700-4,900
Masoor n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold
(New) 7,000-7,500 7,000-7,500
Moong Mogar Medium 6,300-6,600 6,300-6,600
Moong dal Chilka 5,600-6,200 5,600-6,200
Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 7,000-7,500 7,000-7,500
Udid Mogar best (100
INR/KG) (New) 8,000-8,800
8,000-8,800
Udid Mogar Medium (100
INR/KG) 5,500-7,000 5,500-7,000
Udid Dal Black (100
INR/KG) 5,100-6,300 5,100-6,300
Batri dal (100
INR/KG) 5,000-5,400 5,000-5,300
Lakhodi dal (100
INR/kg) 2,800-3,000 2,800-3,000
Watana Dal (100
INR/KG) 2,900-3,000 2,900-3,000
Watana Green Best (100
INR/KG) 3,400-3,800 3,400-3,800
Wheat 308 (100
INR/KG) 1,900-2,000 1,900-2,000
Wheat Mill quality (100
INR/KG) 1,750-1,900 1,750-1,90
Wheat Filter (100
INR/KG) 2,100-2,300 2,100-2,300
Wheat Lokwan best (100
INR/KG) 2,200-2,450 2,200-2,400
Wheat Lokwan medium (100
INR/KG) 1,900-2,150 1,900-2,100
Lokwan Hath Binar (100
INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100
INR/KG) 3,100-3,600 3,100-3,600
MP Sharbati Medium (100
INR/KG) 2,300-2,700 2,300-2,700
Rice BPT best (100
INR/KG) 3,000-3,500 3,000-3,500
Rice BPT medium (100
INR/KG) 2,800-2,900 2,800-2,900
Rice Luchai (100
INR/KG) 2,200-2,400 2,200-2,400
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) 3,600-4,000 3,600-4,000
Rice HMT medium (100
INR/KG) 3,250-3,600 3,250-3,600
Rice Shriram best(100
INR/KG) 4,800-5,100 4,800-5,100
Rice Shriram med (100
INR/KG) 4,400-4,600 4,400-4,600
Rice Basmati best (100
INR/KG) 10,000-14,000 10,000-14,000
Rice Basmati Medium (100
INR/KG) 5,000-7,500 5,000-7,500
Rice Chinnor best 100
INR/KG) 5,000-5,500 5,000-5,500
Rice Chinnor medium (100
INR/KG) 4,700-5,000 4,700-5,000
Jowar Gavarani (100
INR/KG) 2,000-2,200 2,000-2,100
Jowar CH-5 (100
INR/KG) 1,800-2,000 1,700-2,000
WEATHER
(NAGPUR)
Maximum
temp. 31.0 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 13.8 degree Celsius
Rainfall
: Nil
FORECAST:
Partly cloudy sky. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 32 and
14
degree
Celsius respectively.
Note:
n.a.--not available
(For
oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, butincluded in
market prices)
Egypt takes
measures against rice straw burning: Environment Min
A farmer drives a tractor through smoke from burning
rice straw in preparation for the next harvest in Cairo - Reuters/Amr Abdallah
Dalsh CAIRO - 9 November 2017: A sum of 11,000 tons of
rice straw were collected and transferred into organic fertilizers and fodders
in Beheira and Dakahlia governorates in Egypt, announced the Ministry of
Environment on Thursday. Legal action has been taken by the Ministry of
Environment against farmers who continue to burn rice straw.
A number of 16 awareness seminars on measures to
address the sources of air pollution and recycling rice straw and benefiting
from it has been given to citizens and farmers in villages in Egypt, according
to the report by the Ministry of Environment. Burning rice straw in Egypt
is considered the main cause of what is known as "the black cloud," a
thick layer of smog from burning rice straw that spreads across Cairo for an
extended period of time.
The Egyptian government has adopted measures to
encourage gathering rice straw to put into effect an agro-waste system
introduced by the ministry instead of burning it, said Minister of Environment
Khaled Fahmy, last month in a press conference.
Rice exports grow as China buys lion’s share
Cambodia has exported 446,439 tonnes of milled rice in the first
10 months this year, a 17 percent increase compared to the same period last
year, according to a report released yesterday by the Secretariat of One Window
Service for Rice Export. According to the report, China is by far the largest
market for Cambodian rice and has accounted for about one-third of all rice
exports so far this year. France is the second largest market, taking up 13
percent of rice exports, while Poland is third accounting for 8 percent with
the United Kingdom fourth with a 5 percent share.
IRRI team to be
deployed to Papua New Guinea to train farmers on sustainable rice production
DA NANG,
Vietnam — The Philippines will soon deploy a team from
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to Papua New Guinea to train their
farmers on stable and sustainable rice production. President Duterte has
offered to help Papua New Guinea to develop its rice sector after asking Papua
New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to keep the “status quo” on tuna
imports to the Philippines.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte
greets Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill prior to their bilateral
meeting at the Premier Village in Da Nang, Vietnam on November 9, 2017. (ALBERT
ALCAIN/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Rice and tuna trade relations were among the topics
discussed by the two leaders on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) summit in Da Nang, Vietnam. “We were talking of trade
relations. It’s a huge land Papua New Guinea and they need to work up on their
lands. They’re importing rice. But it’s a big country and I think the soil is
compatible with rice and they are asking our expertise,” Duterte told
Manila-based reporters in an interview on Thursday night here. “We have been a
rice-producing country for so long and we have the IRRI, the IRRI who can help
them. And I’m sending a promise to send a team from the Department of
Agriculture to help them out,” he added.
The IRRI is considered the world’s premier research
organization on rice science, developing advanced rice varieties that yield
more grain and withstand pests, diseases and other climate change effects. The
President also raised the country’s concern about its tuna imports from Papua
New Guinea during his meeting with O’Neill. Papua New Guinea, home to around 18
percent of the world’s tuna stock, reportedly wants to require 100 percent of
tuna caught within its waters to be processed locally. This was part of its
government plans to become a major downstream player in the global tuna market.
Duterte said he
asked Papua New Guinea to continue to allow the country to import tuna despite
its plans to focus on developing the processing side of its fisheries industry.
“We were also talking about the import of tuna, which is plentiful in that area
but it appears because of the many countries dipping their fingers there in
fishing, including Australia. They have reached a point of just allocating everybody
a share,” he said.
“But I asked the Prime Minister if he could consider
maintaining the status quo and the number of tons that we are importing in the
Philippines which is mainly dropped at General Santos City, I think,” he added.
At present, around 40 percent of the Philippines’ tuna catch comes from Papua
New Guinea. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Papua New Guinea promised
it will be “very fair” in the tuna trade, adding it was only requiring its
canning facility to process the tuna sourced from its seas. “Hindi naman nila
pinagbabawal na yung sobra mapadala sa Pilipinas, sa iba pang parts ng daigdig
(They are not disallowing the tuna trade to the Philippines, other parts of the
world),” he said.
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