Monday, January 02, 2017

31st December,2016 daily global,regional and local rice enewsletter

U.S. Organic Rice Market – Analysis and Forecast to 2020

Press release from: IndexBox

IndexBox has just published a new report “U.S. Organic Rice Market. Analysis and Forecast To 2020” (www.indexbox.co.uk/store/us-organic-rice-market-analysis-...)

This report has been designed to provide a detailed analysis of the U.S. organic rice market. It covers the most recent data sets of quantitative medium-term projections, as well as developments in production, trade, consumption and prices.

U.S. imports of organic rice amounted to 24,444 thousand USD in 2015, which is nearly equivalent to their value in 2011. Over the period under review, imports showed mild fluctuations, rising in 2012 and 2013, and falling by 20% in 2014.

According to IndexBox estimates, Thailand remained the dominant foreign supplier of organic rice to the U.S. In 2015, Thailand's organic rice imports totaled 10,966 thousand USD, which accounted for a 45% share in terms of U.S. imports. India, Argentina, China, and Italy were the other key suppliers of organic rice in 2015, with a 52% combined share of total organic imports.

China (+125.5% per year) and Argentina (+83.5% per year) were the fastest growing exporters of organic rice to the U.S. from 2011 to 2015. India significantly strengthened its position in terms of U.S. organic rice imports, growing its share from 22% in 2011 to 39% in 2015.

Import prices for organic rice grew by a modest 0.8% annually from 2011 to 2015. The highest annual rates were recorded in Argentina (9.2%), followed by China (2.6%).

The average import price for organic rice was 1.21 USD per kg in 2015. Import prices varied considerably by country of origin. Italy (2.38 USD/kg) was a high priced country of origin, while Thailand (1.14 USD/kg) and Argentina (0.94 USD/kg) were among the lowest.

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 REPORT DESCRIPTION
1.2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
1.3 GLOSSARY AND SPECIFIC TERMS

2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
2.1 KEY FINDINGS
2.2 MARKET TRENDS

3. MARKET OVERVIEW
3.1 MARKET VOLUME AND VALUE
3.2 MARKET STRUCTURE
3.3 TRADE BALANCE
3.4 PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION
3.5 MARKET FORECAST TO 2020
3.6 MARKET ENVIRONMENT OUTLOOK

4. ORGANIC MARKET OVERVIEW
4.1 ORGANIC MARKET TRENDS
4.2 ORGANIC RICE SUPPLY
4.3 ORGANIC RICE PRODUCTION
4.3.1 PRODUCTION: ORGANIC VS. CONVENTIONAL
4.3.2 ORGANIC PRODUCTION BY STATE
4.4 REGULATION ON THE ORGANIC MARKET
4.4.1 ORGANIC RICE DISTRIBUTION
4.4.2 ORGANIC RICE SERTIFICATION
4.5 ORGANIC RICE RETAIL PRICES
4.5.1 RETAIL PRICES: ORGANIC VS. CONVENTIONAL
4.5.2 ORGANIC RICE RETAIL PRICES BY DISTRICT
4.6 OGRANIC MARKET FORECAST TO 2020
4.6.1 DEVELOPMENT OF THE U.S. ORGANIC MARKET
4.6.2 POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE ORGANIC RICE MARKET

5. DOMESTIC PRODUCTION
5.1 PRODUCTION, HARVESTED AREA AND YIELD FROM 2007-2015
5.2 PRODUCTION, AREA HARVESTED AND YIED BY STATE

6. IMPORTS
6.1 IMPORTS FROM 2007-2015
6.2 IMPORTS BY COUNTRY
6.3 IMPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY

7. EXPORTS
7.1 EXPORTS FROM 2007-2015
7.2 EXPORTS BY COUNTRY
7.3 EXPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY

8. PRICES AND PRICE DEVELOPMENT
8.1 PRODUCER PRICES
8.2 PRODUCER PRICES INDEX
8.3 RETAIL PRICES
8.4 RETAIL PRICES INDEX

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• Follow the link below to review a free sample or to buy the report: www.indexbox.co.uk/store/us-organic-rice-market-analysis-...
• Call us +44 20 3239 3063 to discuss your information needs and for special discounts on multi-report orders

• Email your order to info@indexbox.co.uk

Price: 3000 EUR for Single License

Source: www.indexbox.co.uk/store/us-organic-rice-market-analysis-...

IndexBox is a leading market research publisher in the world. We conduct market research and publish reports.

You can find more than 25,000 research reports in our web store, which cover global industries and regional markets. All the worldwide marketing data you need is at your fingertips.

We collect this data from hundreds of highly reliable sources, verify it and carry out market analysis, uncovering new business opportunities and empowering you with actionable insights.

The structure of our reports is intuitive and clear. We do our best to allow you to make strategic decisions and take immediate action. If you want to go further and be a step ahead of the market, just tell us your goals and we will tailor a report to your needs.

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Website: www.indexbox.co.uk

This release was published on openPR

http://www.openpr.com/news/403254/U-S-Organic-Rice-Market-Analysis-and-Forecast-to-2020.html Nigeria's 'plastic rice' real but inedible

By AFP

PUBLISHED: 16:14 GMT, 30 December 2016 | UPDATED: 16:14 GMT, 30 December 2016

· e-mail

Around 100 bags of "plastic rice" seized in Lagos have turned out to contain real but contaminated rice, authorities said Friday in Nigeria, where prices for the staple have rocketed.

Tests on the rice have shown that the product is "not plastic but ... contaminated with micro-organisms above the permissible limit" and therefore unfit for human consumption, according to the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control.

Authorities said there were still "several metric tonnes of expired and dangerous rice" in warehouses in neighbouring countries destined for Nigerian markets.

Description: The price for a 50-gramme bag of rice has doubled recently in Nigeria

The price for a 50-gramme bag of rice has doubled recently in Nigeria ©Tauseef Mustafa (AFP/File)

Customs would "intensify their patrols" to make sure the inedible staple did not make it onto Nigerian plates.

Officials have not said where the impounded consignment of 102 50-kilogramme (110-pound) bags of contaminated rice came from nor how it entered Nigeria, where rice prices have doubled over the year.

After the haul in Lagos, customs agents believed the bags were smuggled in from China, since Nigeria has banned rice imports to encourage domestic production, according to a customs agent who asked not be named.

The oil-exporting west African giant plunged into recession in the second quarter of 2016 and is affected by a severe shortage of foreign currency, mainly due to falling oil prices.

In October, President Muhammadu Buhari urged Nigerians to buy home-grown rice to boost agriculture and cut imports of rice and flour, which cost more than 1,000 billion naira (three billion euros, $3.2 billion) each year.

In the wake of the "plastic rice" scandal, the governor of Lagos presented the first bags of "Lake Rice", grown in Lagos and surrounding areas and sold at a reduced price.

The price for a 50-gramme bag of rice has doubled recently and inflation in the country hit 18.5 percent in November, its 13th consecutive monthly rise, pushed up mainly by rising food costs

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-4076548/Nigerias-plastic-rice-real-inedible-official.html Using 'fire to fight fire' to combat disease could make it worse, tests show

Date:

December 30, 2016

Source:

University of Exeter

Summary:

A treatment billed as a potential breakthrough in the fight against disease, including cancer, could back-fire and make the disease fitter and more damaging, new research has found. Ground-breaking research has found that introducing 'friendlier' less-potent strains into a population of disease-causing microbes can lead to increased disease severity.

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FULL STORY

A treatment billed as a potential breakthrough in the fight against disease, including cancer, could back-fire and make the disease fitter and more damaging, new research has found.

Ground-breaking research has found that introducing 'friendlier' less-potent strains into a population of disease-causing microbes can lead to increased disease severity.

The surprise findings by a team of scientists at the University of Exeter has led to calls for urgent research into the implications of using 'fire to fight fire' to combat disease. The research shows that far from being a 'silver bullet' to weaken disease, the practice of introducing pacifist microbes into a host could make the aggressive pathogen stronger, which could hamper disease management.

Until now, introducing friendlier cousins, which do not cause severe disease, into a population of pathogens has been shown to reduce disease severity and damage to the infected host. It has been suggested that this approach could be an effective way of treating cancer, and research so far has proved effective and promising. For example, scientists have already produced encouraging results in the fight against Clostridium difficile infections that are so common in our hospitals.

But the University of Exeter scientists tested this strategy using a plant pathogen, and found the therapy could go dramatically wrong, with devastating consequences for the host plant.

A team lead by Professors Ivana Gudelj, a mathematical biologist and Nick Talbot, a plant disease specialist, investigated the devastating rice blast disease. They introduced a mixed population of the fungus that causes this disease into rice, where the mixture included an aggressive strain and a pacifist mutant. They expected that the overall disease severity would decrease because of the presence of the pacifist strain. However, they found the opposite. The rice plants succumbed to much more severe disease.

The Exeter University research, published in eLife, shows that the therapy can in some circumstances have the opposite effect, and that the way the pathogen will behave can be unpredictable, leading to more severe disease. The research highlights the need for these new strategies to be carefully tested before they are used therapeutically.

The scientists used cooperation theory and mathematical modelling to identify the reason for their surprising result. They found that in some circumstances pacifists "helped" aggressive microbes to be more efficient in utilising resources obtained from the host.

Professor Ivana Gudelj, who led the research, said: "Our study shows that a promising disease management strategy may not always be effective and indeed may have damaging unforeseen consequences. Importantly, our work also provides a foundation for the analysis of when, and why, this can happen. We find that the mechanisms driving our unexpected findings when treating rice blast infection are pertinent for many diseases involving bacterial and fungal pathogens"

Developing new ways of treating infectious disease has become more pressing with the development of resistance to antibiotics.

One strategy being explored to treat infections that resist current drugs involves neutralising the disease-causing agent. This strategy involves extracting the agent from the patient so that scientists can remove components of the microbe's DNA in order to neutralise the disease.

This new harmless agent is then grown in the lab and re-introduced to the disease site with the expectation that it will out-compete its more harmful cousin by stealing resources the disease needs to proliferate. Such research has proved effective in several lab tests.

The University of Exeter scientists tested this method in rice blast infections, but found more severe disease symptoms.

Professor Nick Talbot, Professor of Molecular Genetics and expert in plant diseases, said: "The strategy of introducing less aggressive microbes to fight more aggressive ones may prove effective to control some crop disease, but our study shows that they are not a silver bullet and caution needs to be exercised. We need to understand how microbes interact with each other in natural settings, before we can try to alter their ability to cause disease in this way. Our study also shows why mathematicians and biologists need to work together more often, because we would not have understood this phenomenon at all without the mathematical analysis carried out."

Richard Lindsay, a PhD student who worked on the research team, added: "Our findings are of central importance in understanding how microbial infections evolve, but also have wider significance for the treatment of cancer and the therapeutic control of disease in humans, animals and plants."

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Exeter. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

1. Richard J Lindsay Michael J Kershaw Bogna J Pawlowska Nicholas J Talbot Ivana Gudelj. Harbouring public good mutants within a pathogen population can increase both fitness and virulence. eLife, 2016 DOI: 10.7554/eLife.18678.001

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University of Exeter. "Using 'fire to fight fire' to combat disease could make it worse, tests show." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 30 December 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161230122908.htm>

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161230122908.htm

rday, 31 December 2016 | 18:06

Kadin Wants Gov`t to Focus on Fisheries in 2017

The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) wants
the government to pay more attention to the marine and
fisheries sector in 2017

Description: Indonesian Rice Production Reaches 79 Million Tons

Rice. ANTARA/Dedhez Anggara

Home Economy & Business

Saturday, 31 December, 2016 | 08:22 WIB

Indonesian Rice Production Reaches 79 Million Tons

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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian national production of unhulled rice rose to 79 million tons in 2016 from 74 million tons in 2015.

"The production of unhusked rice will increase to 79 million tons, from 70 million tons in 2014 and 74 million tons in 2015," Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman, said on Thursday in the village of Bhakti Rasa, Sragi subdistrict, South Lampung.

Therefore, he said, Indonesia will not need to import rice and it could even export to other countries.

The country will continue to increase agricultural production through various means, including agricultural mechanization. Through measures such as the provision of agricultural machinery (alsintan) assistance to farmers, the ministry encourages mechanization of agriculture, a policy that will continue, to further improve agricultural productivity.

The minister said the use of agricultural technology was able to cut production costs by 50 percent. The production cost of one hectare, which usually reached Rp12 million, has now been reduced to Rp6 million. In addition, in one year, the farmer can plant two to three times.

Moreover, he continued, the government has now guaranteed the price of basic commodities.

"Now the government has set the price of basic commodities, such as Rp3,150 per kilogram for corn, so farmers feel safe because there is certainty of price. They will not suffer losses during the harvest period. Also, the government will guarantee the purchase price so that farmers will feel secure as their production will be absorbed," he explained.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Peoples Deliberative Assembly (MPR) Zulkifli Hasan appreciated the efforts of the agriculture minister to increase agricultural production through various measures, including mechanization.

"We both know that at this time to increase the agricultural land was very difficult. But the population will surely continue to grow so that the food production should be increased. Therefore, I appreciate the performance of the Minister of Agriculture on his efforts to increase production, especially through technology mechanization, "he said.

Zulkifli added that providing agricultural machinery to farmers is a very effective, helpful policy and in accordance with current requirements.

"It is inevitable that mechanization is really required. Farmers used to set off into the fields while it was still dark, they are exposed to the sun and their skin became dark, and they returned home very late, again when it was dark. By using alsintan like hand tractors, farmers can finish cultivating one hectare of land in three hours, where it used to take 11 days to cultivate," said Zulkifli.

The assembly speaker explained that the governments policy, including price support to commodities, whose prices plummeted during harvest time, resulting in losses to farmers, was very strategic and meant to help farmers.

Zulkifli personally expressed his gratitude to the Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman, whose efforts during the past two years, he said, had lifted agricultural production and ensured that the country did not have to import rice.

"It must be recognized, I am grateful for the performance of Amran who have proved his ability to increase agricultural production. And, this is the reality this year, the government did not import rice after 32 years of importing the commodity. It should be appreciated because with our current condition, it is not easy to do," he said

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2016/12/31/056831532/Indonesian-Rice-Production-Reaches-79-Million-Tons

Annual grower meetings upcoming for rice farmers

Friday

Posted Dec 30, 2016 at 7:00 AM

The latest news on issues affecting California rice farmers will bepresented during the upcoming Annual Grower Meetings held by the California Rice Commission (CRC), scheduled for January 19, 2017.

Those attending will receive an update on farm policy from Tyson Redpath of The Russell Group. Louie Brown of Kahn, Soares and Conway will relay information on new developments at the State Capitol. Richard Neves of Gig 7 Crop Insurance Services will provide a crop insurance overview. Northern California Water Association President David Guy will review major water issues in our region. Tim Kelleher of Rice Lawyers will outline the upcoming PLC and ARC implementation.

The morning session begins at 8:30 am at the Bonanza Inn Magnuson Grand Hotel in Yuba City, while the afternoon meeting will begin at 1:00 pm at Colusa Casino Resort Conference Center. Registration will be held thirty minutes prior to each meeting.

All members of the rice industry are encouraged to attend. Refreshments will be served and there will be raffle prizes at each meeting.

The meetings are sponsored by Dow AgroSciences.

For more information about the CRC's Annual Grower Meetings, please contact Jim

Morris at (916) 387-2264 or email at jmorris@calrice.org.

MORE VIDEO:The need for affordable housing

http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20161230/NEWS/161229709

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1171997/a-year-of-turmoil-change-hope

ICRA : Increase in export orders for Basmati rice to give a boost to industry

12/31/2016 | 06:54am EST

Jotwani said that the government's recent demonetisation move has also resulted in a cash crunch in the system, thereby leading to deferment of paddy procurement by some millers/traders. Theexport demand for Basmati rice, which was subdued for the last two years, is expected to witness a pickup in the coming months when a majority of the export orders are received. Subsequently, the Basmati rice industry is expected towitness a a reboundin H2 FY2017 and FY2018. This is expected to push up the realisations in H2 FY2017 and FY2018.
Most of the large exporters, who are holding relatively lower priced inventory, are expected to benefit from this. While paddy prices have inched up in the current procurement season, this would be comfortably covered by growth in realisations.
Deepak Jotwani, Assistant Vice President, ICRA Ltd. said: "Basmati rice has witnessed growing demand in the domestic market for the last few years. ICRA expects the export volumes in FY2017 to be around 3.99 million MT (almost similar to the volumes in FY2016). However, the improvement in realisations is expected to push the values of exports to around Rs 23,000 crore in FY2017 as against Rs 22,718 crore in FY2016. For FY2018, ICRA estimates the volume and value of exports to be around 4.03 million MT and Rs 25,800 crore respectively."
Jotwani said that the government's recent demonetisation move has also resulted in a cash crunch in the system, thereby leading to deferment of paddy procurement by some millers/traders. Further, given that a large part of the rice industry is unorganised, many buyers may witness reduction in their buying capacity. However, this is expected to be a short-term impact and the steady demand would lead to restoration of buying in Q4 FY2017.
In the past two years, the Basmati rice industry has been under financial stress on account of excess paddy supply and weak international demand, leading to a sharp decline in realisations. The average export realisations declined from Rs 77,988/MT in FY2014 to Rs 56,149/MT in FY2016. However, there has been some improvement in demand in Q1 FY2017 also reflected by the increase in export realisations to Rs 59,247/MT. For the remaining period, the export demand is expected to improve further, with Iran also expected to join the order booking. Further, steady domestic demand growth would add to the overall improvement in realisations for the industry.
Paddy production is expected to be lower in FY2017 by 15-20%. Thus, paddy prices have opened higher by around 20% in the current procurement season starting October 2016 and are expected to remain firm. Nevertheless, this is expected to be outweighed by the growth in realisations in H2 FY2017 and FY2018.

http://www.4-traders.com/ICRA-LIMITED-9743626/news/ICRA-Increase-in-export-orders-for-Basmati-rice-to-give-a-boost-to-industry-23631077/

Weekly inflation falls by 0.16pc

· Business

DECEMBER 30, 2016 BY APP

The weekly inflation ended on December 30 for the combined income group declined by 0.16 per cent as compared to the previous week.

According to the data released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) here on Friday, the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week under review in the above mentioned group was recorded at 218.11 points against 218.45 points last week.

As compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for the combined group in the week under review witnessed decrease of 0.34 per cent.

The weekly SPI has been computed with base 2007 2008=100, covering 17 urban centers and 53 essential items for all income groups and combined.

Meanwhile, the SPI for the lowest income group up to Rs 8000 decreased by 0.22 per cent as it went down from 219.40 points in the previous week to 208.93 points in the week under review.

As compared to the last week, the SPI for the income groups from Rs 8001 to Rs 12,000, Rs 12,001 to 18,000, Rs 18,001 to Rs 35,000 and above Rs 35,000 also decreased by 0.27 per cent, 0.29 per cent, 0.31 per cent and 0.41 per cent respectively.

During the week under review, average prices of 15 items registered decrease, while six items increased with the remaining 32 items’ prices unchanged.

The items, which registered decrease in their prices during the week under review, included tomatoes, potatoes, onions, eggs (farm) pulse mash (washed), LPG Cylinder, pulse masoor, moong pulse, milk (powdered), sugar, garlic, red chilly (powder), vegetable ghee loose and mustard oil.

The items, which recorded increase in their average prices, included chicken farm (live), bananas, beef, pulse gram, wheat and wheat flour. The items with no change in their average prices during the week under review included basmati rice (broken), rice (irri-6), bread, milk (fresh), curd, cooking oil, vegetable ghee (tin), salt (powder), cooked beef, cooked daal, tea prepared, long cloth, shirting, lawn, georgette, gents sandal, gents chappal, ladies sandal, electricity charges, gas charges, kerosene oil, firewood, electric bulb, washing soap, petrol, diesel and telephone local call.

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2016/12/30/weekly-inflation-falls-by-0-16pc/

Rice. ANTARA/Dedhez Anggara

Home Economy & Business

Saturday, 31 December, 2016 | 08:22 WIB

Indonesian Rice Production Reaches 79 Million Tons

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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian national production of unhulled rice rose to 79 million tons in 2016 from 74 million tons in 2015.

Therefore, he said, Indonesia will not need to import rice and it could even export to other countries.

Moreover, he continued, the government has now guaranteed the price of basic commodities.

Zulkifli added that providing agricultural machinery to farmers is a very effective, helpful policy and in accordance with current requirements.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:ddqMtBnYqUoJ:en.tempo.co/read/news/2016/12/31/056831532/Indonesian-Rice-Production-Reaches-79-Million-Tons+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=pk

Nighttime temperatures moving in wrong direction

University of Arkansas researchers, Extension specialists looking for ways to offset high nighttime temperatures in rice.

Dec 29, 2016

Arkansas rice yields have been heading in the wrong direction in recent years, and university rice specialists believe higher nighttime temperatures are playing a role in the downward trend.

“There are a lot of questions about what happened with rice yields this year,” said Jarrod Hardke, rice Extension agronomist with the University of Arkansas. This is what “will drive future research efforts, though we don’t have much to show here today.”

Speaking at the USA Rice Outlook Conference in Memphis, Tenn., Dr. Hardke said Extension specialists and researchers hope to have more to report on the issue of temperatures and rice yields in the near future.”

He also talked about seeding rates and fertility issues in rice, outlining research that indicates proper nitrogen application rates and timing can offset a world of problems with low seeding rates.

Earlier planting is also resulting in growers flooding their fields earlier, a situation that can put pre-flood nitrogen applications into a time when rains are more likely to interfere with the nitrogen timing.

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http://www.deltafarmpress.com/rice/nighttime-temperatures-moving-wrong-direction

2017 rice exports forecast at 10m tonnes

December 30, 2016 01:00
By PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI
THE NATION

THAILAND is expected to export between 9.5 million and 10 million tonnes of rice next year, the same or slightly more than this year’s total of about 9.5 million tonnes, according to the Thai Rice Exporters Association.

The forecast is close to the Commerce Ministry’s prediction of rice exports of 10 million tonnes next year.

Charoen Laothammatas, president of the association, said rice exports in 2017 should benefit from rising demand in some markets such as the Middle East, where higher oil prices will increase purchasing power.

However, competition will also be tougher as global rice production is expected increase slightly.

Other factors still to be monitored include the global economic recovery amid stronger growth in many markets, mainly the United States, while China is expected to post slower economic growth.

Expected rising oil prices will also affect the prices of commodities and crops, while climate change could have an impact on production of rice and other cereal grains.

Impact on price

Thailand’s policy to decrease rice production and plantation areas, and the government’s plan to release rice from its stockpiles, should also affect the rice price in the market, Charoen said.

Government-to-government contracts will also influence the volume and value of rice exports in 2017, he said.

The association reported that rice exports in the first 11 months of this year amounted to 8.17 million tonnes worth Bt137 billion, an increase of 1.6 per cent by volume and 0.1 per cent in value compared with the same period last year.

In November, rice exports surged by 32.1 per cent to 1 million tonnes worth Bt15.69 billion, up 24.8 per cent in value year on year.

The increase last month was largely due to the sale of rice to COFCO in China under a G2G contract, as well as exports to Malaysia, Japan and the Philippines. The volume of rice exports to some countries in Africa also increased.

Last month, white-rice export was up strongly by 24 per cent from October to 531,843 tonnes, while shipment of parboiled rice decreased 6.4 per cent month on month to 247,731 tonnes, and export of Hom Mali rice rose 37 per cent to 202,901 tonnes.

For December, the association has projected rice-export volume of about 800,000 tonnes. According to the association’s report and the website riceonline.com, as of Wednesday the price of 5 per cent white Thai rice was about $370 per tonne, while Vietnamese rice was $337 and India’s $355 per tonne

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/business/EconomyAndTourism/30303121

SRI LANKA-COLOMBO-RICE PRICE-RISE

Published on Fri, Dec 30 2016 18:15 IST | 132 Views

COLOMBO, Dec. 30, 2016 - Photo taken on Dec. 30, 2016 shows the prices of different kinds of rice have been updated by sellers in a rice shop in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka's rice prices have sky rocketed with seasonal harvest being hit by drought and an alleged foul play by a government minister in releasing the paddy stocks held by the government. Officials say the harvest of the next season in 2017 could also be damaged even if rains return.

Description: SRI LANKA-COLOMBO-RICE PRICE-RISE

http://www.prokerala.com/news/photos/sri-lanka-colombo-rice-price-rise-206745.html

Farmers gear up for rabi season in Krishna district

THE HANS INDIA | Dec 30,2016 , 01:49 AM IST

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Vijayawada: Sowing activity gains momentum in Krishna district as thousands of farmers are busy with their work in agriculture farms this rabi season.

Cultivation has been planned in 2.14 lakh hectares in Krishna district this rabi season.

Compared to the previous year rabi season, crop area in Krishna district increased by 35,000 hectares due to availability of water from Pattiseema lift irrigation project.

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Most of the districts farmers have chosen paddy, jowar, maize, red gram, green gram and black gram this rabi season.

Paddy plantation works are going on in full swing in Machilipatnam, Gudivada, Kaikaluru, Vijayawada rural, Kankipadu and other parts of the district.

According to agriculture department joint director Narasimha Rao the crop area in Krishna district increased this rabi season due to availability of Pattiseema lift irrigation waters. He said the normal paddy crop area in Krishna district is 36,442 hectares in rabi season.

Last year it was restricted to 9,861 hectares due to poor rainfall and non-availability of water resources.

This year, the crop area increased as plenty of water is being supplied through Polavaram right canal.

Maize crop area is also increasing on lines of paddy in the district. Normal maize crop area is 20,694 hectares in the district and it may increase further this season due to availability of Pattiseema waters.

He said so far maize crop has been sowed in 10,463 hectares during the rabi season.

Of the total crop area of 2.14 lakh hectares, black gram is being cultivated in 1.24 lakh hectares.

After the end of kharif season, the farmers have faced many problems due to cash crunch in the backdrop of demonetisation of high value notes and taken loans from private money lenders to begin rabi season.

http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Andhra-Pradesh/2016-12-30/Farmers-gear-up-for-rabi--season-in-Krishna-district-/271104

Sri Lanka's rice crop in 2017 Yala season could also be hit

Dec 30, 2016 08:02 AM GMT+0530 | 0 Comment(s)

ECONOMYNEXT - With Sri Lanka's ongoing main Maha cultivation season already badly hit by drought, the Yala minor cultivation season could be hit in 2017 even if rains return next year, officials said.

In the Maha cultivation season only about 30 percent of the land usually cultivated by rice had been sown up to December 2016, and paddy production could half.

Sri Lanka produced around 2.9 million tonnes in the last 2015/2016 cultivation season.

But in the 2016/2017 Maha season may plummet as low as 1.7 million tonnes, according to some estimates.

Despite lower rice cultivation, storage in most tanks after the north east monsoons were down to 25 to 30 percent, Director General of Sri Lanka's meteorological office Lalith Chandrapala said.

Sri Lanka's irrigation office had already restricted water issues for agriculture, to ensure that drinking water supplies in the island's dry zone are protected as much as possible.

In an average year tanks were more than 50 percent full after the main cultivation season, which is supplemented with next year's rains.

But because starting water levels in tanks are low, there may less water available for the Yala season, Chandrapala said.

The minor Yala season was estimated to produce about 1.47 million metric tonnes of paddy in 2016.

By avoiding rice which requires large volumes of water, and cultivating other crops which are less water intensive, farmers could protect their incomes avoid a financial disaster.

Rice is a globally traded commodity and could easily be imported. In Sri Lanka however the state controls rice trading with import duties and trade restrictions, which pushes up prices and could generate fears of a so-called 'food crisis'.

Agricultural department officers have said that they have a difficult time to get farmers to switch to other crops since, having stock of rice is considered a source of security and traditional farmers are also reluctant to switch to new crops.

Popularizing short cropping rice is also a challenge due to lack of sufficient seed paddy. Farmers have already been instructed to focus on seed paddy to make sure that adequate stocks are available.

The meteorological office is forecasting generally normal rains in the first quarter of 2017, but it is the driest period of the year, where the least amount of rain come.

If rainfall is better next year, rain fed agriculture would do better.

Until inter-monsoonal afternoon thunder showers come in April, Sri Lanka could be in for a severe drought conditions.

Sri Lanka had extended dry periods in 2016 with high rainfall concentrated in May and October. Though the two period corresponds with the main monsoons, in recent years rainfall had become concentrated to a few days, rather than being spread over a longer period.

Hydro storage for power generation is also at a record low and power cuts are also possible until rains come in April. (Colombo/December30/2016)

http://www.economynext.com/Sri_Lanka_s_rice_crop_in_2017_Yala_season_could_also_be_hit-3-6964.html Cash crunch sows the seeds for a bitter harvest

VISHWANATH KULKARNI

COMMENTS · PRINT · T+

THE HINDU

A good monsoon revived the farm sector, but note ban skewed the market dynamics

The impact of demonetisation, the year-end shocker from the Modi government, is seen extending into the new year the pain in the country’s farm sector, which was hoping to bounce back, tracking a near-normal monsoon after two consecutive years of droughts.

The currency crunch, however, coincided with the kharif harvest season, impacted farmers’ incomes, and added to the distress in the sector. Producers of perishables such as fruits and vegetables were hit hard on account of poor consumer demand; the prices of key kharif produce, such as paddy, maize, soyabean and pulses, among other commodities, were adversely influenced by the cash crunch.

The cash crunch not only lengthened the credit cycles, it also brought back the age-old barter system in several areas as the rural populace try to work around the crisis. Almost the only positive fallout has been that the crisis brought a large section of farmers and farm labourers under the ambit of banking.

In the first half of 2016, the impact of the poor rains last year manifested itself in a full-blown drought: a major part of the country reeled under the impact of the harsh summer. Dry weather affected the production of various commodities, including sugarcane.

Monsoon to the rescue

But the timely arrival of the monsoon brought in widespread rains across many parts, except in the Southern Peninsula. It raised the prospects of a bumper foodgrain output this year, and was seen helping lift the overall growth rate in agriculture and allied sectors. In fact, the kharif foodgrain production is pegged at a record high of 135.03 million tonnes.

The government is targeting foodgrain output of 270 million tonnes in 2016-17, against 252.22 million tonnes last year, and expects the growth in agri and allied sectors to be around 4 per cent, against 1.2 per cent last year. While admitting that the demonetisation did have a marginal impact on growers of perishables such as fruits and vegetables, Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI Aayog, expects the overall farm sector growth to be over 5 per cent this year.

A flare-up in prices of pulses for much of the year was harsh on consumers’ pockets, necessitating large-scale imports. The high prices ahead of the planting season in the International Year of Pulses prompted farmers to plant a record area under the legume crops, resulting in a bumper harvest of most kharif pulses. That in turn led to a sharp decline in prices, in many cases below the minimum support price levels. Growers, especially of green gram (moong) felt that government intervention in terms of timely procurement would have reduced their hardships.

“The situation is stable now and the prices of pulses are expected to be range-bound next year on ample supplies,” says Pravin Dongre, Chairman of the India Pulses and Grains Association (IGPA). An estimated 26-27 lakh tonnes of pulses have been imported during October-December, Dongre said, adding that an additional 5 lakh tonnes could come in by end-January.

Prices of sugar and wheat too firmed up during the year on supply issues. The government recently scrapped the import duties to boost supplies of wheat. The roll-out of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, the launch of electronic National Agricultural Market (e-NAM) and the fixing of the retail price and royalty for Bt cottonseed, were the major initiatives taken up by the government during the year.

Outlook for 2017

The price outlook for agri- commodities in 2017 will likely prove a mixed bag: supply-side constraints are likely to hold up prices of softs such as sugar, cotton, coffee and wheat. On the other hand, ample supplies could keep a check on the prices of edible oils and pulses, the two largest agri-commodities imported into the country.

“Prices of softs are likely to be bullish going ahead, as the domestic output of cotton, sugar and coffee is seen lower than expected,” says Amit Bharadwaj, CEO of Level A Commodities.

The bullish trend is already being reflected in the prices of cotton, which have been inching up on lower market arrivals. Raw cotton prices are hovering around ₹5,200-5,300 per quintal. Cotton has started rallying as arrivals have been rather sluggish, while sugar, which witnessed a rally for much of 2016, is likely to stay firm.

The sugar industry maintains that there will be enough supply to meet the domestic demand, and that the country may not need to go for imports. In the case of edible oils, higher supplies, both at the global and domestic levels, are expected to keep prices in check in the year ahead.

In the case of plantation commodities such as tea and coffee, the climatic conditions in South India in the next four months will be a deciding factor for the prices. C Vinayaraghavan, former APK (Association of Planters of Kerala) Chairman, said the orthodox tea prices could prove bullish as production in Sri Lanka is not doing well.

However, CTC prices will remain competitive as Kenya, the major production centre, is producing more to cater to global markets. There will not be much change in domestic production and consumption, with the figures remaining at the normal level.

With inputs from V Sajeev Kumar and Rutam Vora.

(This article was published on December 29, 2016)

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Agriculture sector restructuring prioritized next year

By Bui Dung -

December 30, 2016

Description: https://i0.wp.com/www.thailand-business-news.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Agriculture-sector-restructuring-prioritized-next-year.jpg?zoom=1.25&resize=640%2C426&ssl=1

VietNamNet Bridge – Priority will be given to the restructuring of agriculture next year to ensure higher growth for the sector, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said in a statement.

A big rice ﬁeld in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang. Priority will be given to the restructuring of agriculture next year to ensure higher growth for the sector

The statement came out after a conference held in Hanoi on December 26 to review the agriculture sector’s performance in 2016 and discuss development plans for next year.

Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong said the sector had made three important achievements this year: growth of 1.2%, export revenue of US$32.1 billion, up 6% against last year, and higher food safety.

The export turnover spike has resulted from a significant rise in exports of major products, including coffee with a 25.5% year-on-year increase, cashew nuts with an 18% improvement, pepper with a 13% surge and seafood with a 6.3% uptick.

As for next year, the ministry will focus on developing 10 major products which can register export revenue of over US$1 billion each and key products of each province.

After major and signature products are determined, the ministry will develop specialized cultivation areas and choose key enterprises while the State agencies assigned to manage the production of those products will make financial and technology preparations.

The targets which the ministry set for next year include growth of 2.5-2.8% and export revenue of US$32-32.5 billion.

Attending the conference, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc stressed the need to further improve the quality of agricultural products, add more value to them, instead of focusing only on quantity, apply advanced technology to production, and strengthen the capacity to respond to natural disasters.

The policies which obstruct the development of agriculture should be revoked, he was quoted by a Government news website report.

He told the agriculture ministry to work with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and other relevant agencies to make recommendations for amending the Land Law in a way that facilitates the implementation of large-scale farming projects.

The central bank should take policy steps that encourage banks to lend to agricultural

https://www.thailand-business-news.com/vietnam/55737-agriculture-sector-restructuring-prioritized-next-year.html

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A year of turmoil, change, hope

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2016 is passing with promised changes in political rules, a better rail system, debates over rice prices, the ongoing Wat Phra Dhammakaya saga — and the passing of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

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Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha holds up a chart showing how the 'five rivers' in charge of national administration works. Thiti Wannamontha

The passing of King Bhumibol Adulyadej

by Nauvarat Suksamran
The passing of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX, plunged the nation into profound grief on Oct 13.
Thais were weighed down with a deep sense of loss when a Royal Household Bureau announcement of the monarch's passing was televised that evening.
The King passed away at 3.52pm at Siriraj Hospital, where the late monarch had received medical treatment after years of suffering from declining health. The King was 88 and had been on the throne for more than 70 years -- the world's longest-reigning monarch at the time of his passing.
Having reigned since June 9, 1946, King Bhumibol Adulyadej was regarded as a guiding light, a unifying figure, and the heart and soul of the nation, leaving behind a legacy which will continue to inspire and motivate people.
A hard-working monarch, he worked with tireless and selfless devotion to help his people, initiating thousands of development projects modelled on his sufficiency economy principles and his "New Theory on Agriculture" approach to improve the livelihoods of the needy and the rural poor.
Shortly after King Bhumibol's passing, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, who was named by the late King as his heir, asked to defer his proclamation as the new King as he wanted to join the nation in mourning the late King's passing, according to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
On Dec 1, the Crown Prince accepted the invitation of the National Legislative Assembly president and acceded to the throne as the 10th King of the Chakri Dynasty.
The new King was formally named His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun.
The government declared a one-year mourning period as foreign royalty and world leaders expressed their deepest condolences to the royal family and Thai people over the loss of the late King.
The United Nations held a rare special assembly session on Oct 28 to pay tribute to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, with representatives of member countries speaking in the late King's honour.
In an outpouring of grief, massive crowds of mourners wearing black journeyed from across the country to pay their respects to the monarch's body which is lying in state in the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall inside the Grand Palace.
The Royal Household Bureau reported on Dec 23 that more than 2.19 million people had come to pay their respects to the late King over the past 54 days. The number is expected to continue to rise throughout the coming year.
Confronted with the greatest loss, it seemed many Thais with differing views were united by their shared grief. Many vowed to turn sadness into strength and follow the footsteps of the inspirational monarch.
The spirit of sharing has also been prevalent, with people offering help, free food, free drinking water, as well as free motorcycle rides to those travelling to pay their respects to the late King.
Thais across the country and abroad held numerous activities in tribute to King Bhumibol.
One major highlight took place on Oct 22 when Sanam Luang and surrounding streets became a sea of black as hundreds of thousands of black-clad mourners converged for a historic mass singing of the royal anthem dedicated to the memory of their beloved monarch.

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Black-clad mourners pack part of Phra Pin Klao Bridge to pay respects to His Majesty the King as the procession of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's body moves along the route from Siriraj Hospital to the Grand Palace on Oct 14, a day after the King had passed away. Patipat Janthong

Referendum and roadmap to election

by Mongkol Bangprapa
This year saw a lot of political ups and downs, but it was the charter and referendum that received a whole lot of publicity mainly because it would determine if the junta's political roadmap would stick.
The Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC), chaired by Meechai Ruchupan, completed its draft in March and as expected the document was full of controversial and potentially divisive issues.
Among them were the complex electoral system seen to be favouring small political parties rather than the big ones and the CDC's last-minute decision to let the military regime have the last word on the appointment of all 250 senators which is believed will help prolong the military's grip on power.
Critics were further stunned when the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) voted to accept an extra question to be asked at the charter referendum.
The question asked if the Senate should join MPs in selecting the next prime minister during a five-year transition period. Speculation had intensified that attempts were underway to allow a non-elected prime minister to come to power after the next general election.
Two major parties, the Democrat and Pheu Thai parties, voiced disagreement over the charter content and the extra question while former street protest leader, Suthep Thaugsuban, pledged his full support.
Just days before the referendum, Prime Minister and junta chief Prayut Chan-o-cha declared he would vote "yes" -- a move seen as a last-ditch attempt to galvanise the draft constitution's passage.
As it turned out, the draft charter and the extra question were endorsed at the Aug 7 vote with 16.82 million votes, or 61.35%, and 15.1 million votes, or 58% respectively.
However, the road to fresh elections could be bumpy; a total of 10 organic laws must be drafted within 240 days of the promulgation of the constitution and the NLA has 60 days to deliberate them.
After the laws are passed, an election must be called within 150 days or five months.
There are several factors at play which could delay the junta's political roadmap.
First, the interim charter stops short of saying what will happen if the charter fails to receive royal endorsement by the deadline, which is in early February next year.
Even if the charter is royally endorsed and promulgated, there is no guarantee the roadmap will not be delayed. The CDC and the NLA are working on a tight schedule to get all the 10 organic laws completed by the deadline.
Mr Meechai, the CDC chairman, has admitted to the possibility of the roadmap being delayed, but insisted the committee has an obligation to get all the work done by the deadline.
"The whole new drafting process will not take more than a month because we know where the problems are. If necessary, the roadmap will be delayed just a bit," he said.

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Wat Phra Dhammakaya followers gather at the temple amid rumours the DSI planned to stage a raid. Pattarapong Chatpattarasill

Wat Phra Dhammakaya saga

by King-oua Laohong
Opponents of Wat Phra Dhammakaya were disappointed after officials failed time and again to search the temple and bring its former abbot, Phra Dhammajayo, to answer criminal charges against him.
In one attempt early this month, four search warrants were issued by the court which paved the way for a planned raid by a team led by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) at Wat Phra Dhammakaya and the planned arrest of Phra Dhammajayo on Dec 13-16.
The operation was eventually shelved after a seven-hour meeting between officials and the temple on Dec 12.
A combined police-DSI operation team decided to improve the raid plan. The meeting was attended by deputy national police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul and DSI director-general Paisit Wongmuang.
In addition to charges of money-laundering and receiving stolen property in connection with the multi-billion-baht Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative embezzlement scandal, the former temple abbot is wanted in connection with two land encroachment cases -- one in Loei province and the other in Nakhon Ratchasima.
The temple was accused of moving to incite its disciples and monks loyal to Phra Dhammajayo to form a human shield against the authorities' attempt to raid the temple and detain the former abbot.
The temple also moved to persuade an international Sangha network to petition the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNHCR) to stop what it described as "violence" against the temple.
The Royal Thai Police and the DSI, meanwhile, found it was no piece of cake implementing the raid.
A drone was flown to capture a bird's eye view of the temple's land, covering more than 2,000 rai. The operation was disrupted by people in the temple flashing laser beams from the ground at the drone.
According to a source in the search operation team, the DSI wanted to act on the four search warrants right away but Pol Gen Srivara objected, predicting the team would end up failing to locate Phra Dhammajayo, and could end up in clashes with the temple's followers.
Pol Gen Srivara wanted the team to pinpoint where in the temple the former abbot actually was staying, if he was there at all, and if the temple had stockpiled weapons and mobilised people to fight.
The operation team may seek the court's approval on a fresh search warrant to raid the temple but a new request is required to be submitted along with a sound reason to explain why the previous warrants had ended in futility.
Pol Col Paisit who said the operation team decided if it had pushed ahead with the raid to detain Phra Dhammajayo, clashes with the temple's disciples would have resulted, which would play into the hands of certain political elements who would use the situation to stir up unrest.
"A critical weak point that needs to be resolved lies with the need to keep public confidence in the operation. As soon as a search warrant was out, the temple appeared to know what was afoot and was ready to fight back," the DSI chief said.

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Passengers queue at Bang Phai station to get a free ride during a test run of a Purple Line train. Wichan Charoenkiatpakul

High-speed train ambition

by Amornrat Mahitthirook
As the government has an ambitious plan to develop high-speed train projects, it has turned to China and Japan as its key partners to help materialise them.
China has come on board the rail project which runs from Bangkok to Nong Khai, while Japan is interested in the route between Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
The Sino-Thai project is split into two parts, the first involving the 252.5km Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima route and the second the 354km Nakhon Ratchasima-Nong Khai route. The speed of the train would be 250km per hour.
Construction of the first section, which will kick off first, is also divided into four lengths -- the 3.5km route from Klang Dong to Pang Asok in Nakhon Ratchasima's Pak Chong district; the 11km route from Pak Chong to Sikhiu district's Klong Khanan Chit; the 119km section between Nakhon Ratchasima and Saraburi's Kaeng Khoi district and; the 119km Bangkok-Kaeng Khoi route.
The Klang Dong-Pang Asok section would be developed first and Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith expressed confidence work on the section will begin as early as March next year.
Construction bidding should conclude a month earlier.
Based on a Dec 2 meeting between Chinese and Thai officials on the project, the Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima route is estimated to cost 179.4 billion baht.
Details of the Klang Dong-Pang Asok section have been drafted by the Chinese and they will be referred to in the bidding.
The details of Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima high-speed rail route are to be forwarded for cabinet approval next month.
In March this year, an agreement was reached where Thailand would invest in the rail construction but purchase trains and signal systems from China.
However, the talks ended up in a stalemate as China insisted it must be able to seize some properties in the event that Thailand breaches the contract, such as land plots along the rail tracks or ports to be placed as collateral.
"We cannot accept this. Further talks must be held," Mr Arkhom said. China is also offering loans to fund the signal system and trains.
The interest rate is at 2.3% for a loan in US dollars and at 2.8% for a loan in Chinese yuan.
The construction of the Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima rail section could take three years.
The Japanese-Thai high-speed train project, meanwhile, is split into two sections -- the 384km Bangkok–Phitsanulok section, worth 227.4 billion baht, and the 285km Phitsanulok–Chiang Mai section, valued at 269.3 billion baht. The speed of the train is expected to reach 300km per hour.
The Japanese sought approval to study the project this year and it will draft the design next year. Work could start in 2018 and the service is set for launch in 2022.
In August this year, Japan and Thailand signed a memorandum of cooperation on the project, which includes a condition that Japan must conclude the project feasibility study by next year.

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Ramkhamhaeng University students fill a bag with rice in an activity to help rice farmers sell their grain directly to customers. Patipat Janthong

Rice price slump upsets farmers

by Anucha Charoenpo
Rice prices were back in the picture in late October when farmers demanded the government come up with measures to help address a slump in prices of the staple crop.
The issue put the government on the defensive, with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha shifting the blame on to rice millers and some local politicians for pulling the strings that drove down the prices.
In response, some 30 executive committee members of the Thai Rice Millers Association resigned. Manas Kitprasert, who also stepped down as association president, denied the rice mill operators had anything to do with rice price manipulation.
He said millers had always followed government policy and adhered to the principle which puts farmers' interest first. However, the millers have now been accused of working with politicians to drive down rice prices to discredit the government.
Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn, meanwhile, said a worldwide oversupply of rice stock was the main reason for the depressed rice prices.
Global rice yields rose 2.4% due to favourable rainfall while worldwide demand for the grains dropped by 1.5%, according to Ms Apiradi.
The Thailand Development Research Institute said rice prices around the world have fallen as a record crop is forecast for the 2016-17 harvest season.
The quantity of rice harvested in Thailand until this month is likely to exceed that for the same period last year due to abundant rainfall throughout the year.
According to a Commerce Ministry survey, in late October the prices of Hom Mali paddy from the 2016/17 crop had fallen by as much as 1,000 baht a tonne in a week to 6,800-9,000 baht, depending on humidity (moisture).
The Commerce Ministry said the export price of Hom Mali rice would reach $490 a tonne, based on the futures price, which was the lowest in 10 years, triggered by increased output in almost all exporting countries.
With the sudden fall of rice prices this year, some farmers were forced to sell land to cover debts for seeds, fertilisers and insecticides while waiting for the government to roll out packages to help them deal with the problem.