Wednesday, July 11, 2018

11th July,2018 daily global regional local rice e-newsletter


When Disaster Strikes Close to Home, U.S. Rice Industry Takes the Reins  
HOUSTON, TX -- It's been ten long months since Hurricane Harvey inundated the Houston area with 40 to 60 inches of rain, displacing more than 30,000 people, and causing $125 billion in damage.  For those that lived through it, it was a harrowing ordeal of rising flood waters, destroyed property, and daring rescues.  For Houstonians, it was also a time to come together to help family, friends, and neighbors, no matter how dire the situation. 
For the employees of Houston-based RiceTec, it started with some phone calls. "We felt so helpless.  I was stranded in my home for several days," said Cindy Howe, compensation and benefits manager at RiceTec.  "We felt like we couldn't do anything, so we just decided to do something." 

Howe and her colleague Jean Thornton, RiceTec's manager of IT business services, knew they couldn't rest until they had contacted every single one of the company's approximately 160 Houston-area employees and confirmed that they were safe.  The two were stranded in their neighborhoods by the floodwater, but still had phones, power, and computers. 

"We reached out to determine who was impacted, what the impact was, if they needed assistance, or if they had family members who needed assistance," said Howe.  
Howe and Thornton's efforts snowballed from there.  Almost everyone Howe and Thornton got in touch with had been affected by the storm and the floods to some degree, some worse than others.  But even those who had their own problems and repairs to attend to were eager to help those coworkers in more dire situations.  

Before they knew it, there were 90 RiceTec employees involved in the recovery project who logged a total of 1,223 hours of volunteer rescue work.  The company footed the bill for supplies from the hardware store, and employees brought their own tools, expertise, and work ethic. 

"They just showed up with their hammers and their saws and their gloves and their muscles, and they got in there and got to it," said Thornton. 

Packing for Puerto Rico
This spirit of community extends to RiceTec's employees in Puerto Rico as well. The island was devastated by both Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria within the span of three weeks, leaving residents without power for months and largely isolating them from international relief efforts. But that didn't stop RiceTec.  The company purchased generators, food, water, filtration systems, satellite radios, batteries, and diapers, and miraculously managed to get the shipments through using their connections. 

RiceTec's employees in the small town of Lajas, led by Station Manager Cesar Zayas, in turn rationed out supplies to their neighbors most in need, extending RiceTec's goodwill and fellowship to their own community.  

Months afterward, one of those employees from Lajas would meet Howe and Thornton in person.  She hugged them so hard she could have cracked ribs.  "You'll never know how much that meant to us," she told them. 

Howe attributes their motivation to get "boots on the ground" to the response of their Arkansas team during the catastrophic flooding there in 2017.  While no RiceTec employees were directly affected by those floods, many of their farmers in Arkansas were drastically impacted and Marya Landford of the RiceTec office in Arkansas got a group together at a local church and helped farmers clear out the damage on their farms. 

That attitude of coming together when things get rough is an ingrained part of how the company operates.  "Our culture has always been to have each other's backs when the chips are down," Howe said of RiceTec, whether it be in Houston, Arkansas, or Puerto Rico. 

Of course, RiceTec wasn't the only company in the rice industry who stepped up to the challenges last year's hurricanes presented.  In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Riviana Foods and their employees set up a disaster relief fund that was administered by the Greater Houston Community Foundation (GHCF).  All told, Riviana raised $87,000 for their 17 employees who experienced damage to their homes and automobiles.  

"We greatly appreciate the compassion and generosity of our employees," said Senior Vice President of Human Resources Gerard Ferguson of the relief efforts.  

One of the RiceTec crews
Ten months after the devastation of Harvey, Irma, and Maria, Houstonians are still putting the pieces back together.  There's black mold and insurance policies to deal with, as well as the threat of future floods.  But thanks to the diligence and camaraderie of employees at Riviana and RiceTec, everyone impacted by the flood is back home and moving forward.  

"We are a family here," said Howe.  "It's our values.  We care and respect others and our environment and our community, and that's where this all came from." 


USA RICE DAILY
Rice Webinar:  Thursday July 12 

Tune in Thursday, July 12 at 3:00 p.m. Central Time, for a new rice webinar hosted by Dr. Bobby Coats, with the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness at the University of Arkansas.  Dr. Alvaro Durand-Morat, Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness at the University of Arkansas, describes the production, processing, and market features of the Cuban rice sector, and discusses the potential implications for U.S. rice.
 
Go 
here to register for the webinar.
USA RICE DAILY

Smugglers Export Local Rice To Benin, Mali, Others
July 10, 2018
By YUSUF BABALOLA
 Massive smuggling of locally produced rice out of the country has been identified as one of the factors hindering self-sufficiency in the country, LEADERSHIP has learnt. Kebbi State commissioner for budget and economic planning, Hon. Zailani Mohammed, told LEADERSHIP in a chat that locally produced rice was being smuggled in large quantities out of the country to Niger Republic, Mali and other African countries for greater profit. “Actually, a lot of rice produced in Nigeria is smuggled out to neighbouring countries of Mali, Niger Republic and the rest. A lot of rice is smuggled out and if we close the borders to stop the illegal smuggling, it will bring down the cost of rice.”
When asked about the perpetrators of the smuggling, the commissioner said, “They are being smuggled by individuals in the private sector because they are looking for a better market. We can’t curtail them but all we can do is to tell the farmers to produce more, because if we give farmers a price and they can get a better one outside, and with the falling rate in our naira exchange value, it seems more profitable to export or to illegally smuggle it out to Niger Republic.
 So, if we produce more, the price will come down. Nigeria currently has a yearly shortfall of 1.3 metric tonnes as  the country produces 5.7 million metric tonnes of rice as against the estimated national consumption of 7.00 million metric tonnes. LEADERSHIP reports that Nigeria is the highest producer of rice in West Africa as well as the second highest importer of parboiled rice in the world by 2014, incurring an average import bill of N1billion on rice imports, but the interventions by the federal government and state governments have increased yields of rice per hectare,  thereby reducing the country’s huge rice import bill.
 Zailani further acknowledged the intervention of the federal government and state governments in boosting rice production, saying Nigeria would achieve rice sufficiency with more investments in infrastructure and technology. “The intervention of the federal government has helped so much to increase the yield by hectares for instance, in Kebbi we have moved from 3.5MT/hectare to 5.5MT/hectare in 2018 and that is going across many rice producing states in addition to the intervention of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).” He also stated the need for government to support Nigerian rice farmers with technology and infrastructure in order for them to be able to compete with Asian paddy rice farmers who dump their end products on Nigeria’s economy.
“Foreign farmers have advantage over Nigerian farmers because they are supported effectively by their respective governments, and more or less dump (their products) on Nigeria’s economy, but if the two prices are compared, the rice produced locally is fresh but foreign rice is on the high-sea for many months and by the time you take it, the flavour is gone. Local rice is healthier and enhances the capacity of local farmers,” he said. The commissioner urged government to also invest massively in agriculture in order to bring down the cost of production by Nigeria farmers. “Foreign farmers are supported by their government with technology and infrastructural facilities to produce more and this will be at a lower cost than Nigerian farmers.
 This is the challenge and every economy will go through this process,” he noted. Also speaking exclusively to LEADERSHIP, the president of the Rice Millers and Distribution Association of Nigeria (RIMIDAN),  Tunji Owoeye, acknowledged federal government’s investment in rice so far. He, however, called on the federal government to increase its investment in the production and cultivation of rice to make Nigeria self-sufficient. “There are serious investments for us to make in order to meet self-sufficiency from both private sector and government. Government is investing heavily on production, enabling environment, encouraging farmers. The private sector is also investing heavily even on the valuation. The investment has surpassed what we have in the last 100 years”, he said. Speaking on government’s proposal to shut the borders to check smuggling, Owoeye said the move would help to stop rice smuggling into the country.
 He, however, noted that it might not be the only solution to the menace of smuggling, adding that equipping the Nigeria Customs Service with state of the art technology to fight smuggling at the borders was another approach that would work. “It may not stop smuggling completely but it will help to fine-tune the strategies used. Shutting the border will help them to rejig strategies on how to go harder on rice smugglers. It will also send strong signals to the neighbouring countries that are hiding the people, that there are consequences,  and that Nigeria is ready to protect its investments in rice production, but it is not a lasting solution,” he said.


FG Signs Agreement With Indian Company To Procure N10b Large Scale Rice Mills

The Federal Government has signed an agreement with an Indian company to procure and supply 10 large scale rice mills worth N10.7 billion before the end of this year.
 On Jul 10, 2018
 The Federal Government has signed an agreement with an Indian company to procure and supply 10 large scale rice mills worth N10.7 billion before the end of this year.
Signing the agreement in Abuja on Monday, Chief Audu Ogbeh, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the move was to ensure the country met its target of achieving self-sufficiency in rice production.
Ogbeh said the mills to be built by MV Agro-Engineers Ltd., would assist in rice processing and match the growing number of rice farmers in the country.According to him, over 13 million Nigerians are in various farms across the country growing rice and the number could increase to 20 million persons shortly.The minister said that the mills would be given to off-takers (millers) and the Bank of Agriculture would take over the repayment of the loans over a period of 10 years.
He urged the company to give the country good technology and supply adequate spare parts for the mills.He said: “We are insistent on achieving self-sufficiency in rice production because we can’t afford over five billion dollars a day of importing rice, we don’t have the money and I don’t think any country can afford that line of expenditure.“We have to produce our food, we will not depend on imports to produce our food, we cannot survive on a diet of import of everything and we have the land.
“This formula of partnerships is working for us and we want to thank you for being part of it. We will continue with it because whatever subsidy we give or support is in long term bigger profit than anything we will make in cash.“We thank you for giving us at good price and we know you can make good and the best machines for us because if you do well now, you will do more in the future.’’
The Director, Agribusiness and Marketing in the ministry, Alhaji Muyiwa Azeez, said the rice mills would be made available to off-takers in 10 states.Azeez said: “The ministry has worked hard with the company and other stakeholders to review the delivery process of the mills before December, 2019.”The Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture, Alhaji Kabir Mohammed, said the partnership was geared toward ensuring food security in the country.Mohammed said the Bank had many programmes aimed at supporting youths and women in agriculture.

The Managing Director of the Indian company, Jamu Babba-Dan’agundi, assured of the company’s commitment to deliver the mills promptly.The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the Federal Executive Council in April approved N10.7 billion for the establishment of the 10 rice mills.NAN also recalls that Lokpobiri briefed journalists at the end of the FEC meeting saying that the 10 mills had the capacity to produce 100 tonnes of rice per day and would be managed by private rice millers.The minister listed the benefitting states to include Kebbi, Zamfara, Benue, Kogi, Bayelsa, Anambra, Kaduna, Ogun, Niger and Bauchi.

RDB projects rising rice loan demand for harvest
Cheng Sokhorng | Publication date 10 July 2018 | 08:48 ICT
A rice farmer works in Kandal province during the 2016 harvest season. Heng Chivoan
State-owned Rural Development Bank (RDB) projected that the demand for loans in the rice sector will increase this season, said CEO Kao Thach on Monday.He said while more rice facilities are ready for operation this year, there will be more demand for loans.RDB disbursed $35 million to approximately 40 rice millers and exporters last year, out of the $50 million earmarked for loans.
The government’s decision to disburse loans directly through RDB sidestepped the Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF), the industry body that has lobbied the government since March 2016 to provide emergency funds for its members. In September 2016, the government transferred its share of a $27 million package to RDB so the bank could disburse loans to millers, allowing them to purchase paddy from farmers.
In August, another $23 million was injected by the government, bringing the total to $50 million aimed at propping up the struggling industry.Thach said a new loan will be issued for the rice industry at the end of July and he expects it to be in high demand.“The demand for capital in the coming season would see a huge increase as rice facilities are ready for storage and milling,” he said, adding that the total storage capacity this season would be around 450,000 tonnes on the strength of four facilities launched earlier this month.
“Even if the loan package comes up short, we will request the government to add more money,” Thach said.
AMRU Rice Co Ltd CEO Song Saran said while rice cultivation has kept growing along with buyer demand, the industry needed to supply 350,000 tonnes to the international market in the coming season.“Now that we are less concerned about storage and milling, we need at least $50 million in hand for the rice industry to supply the needs of the international market,” he said.

Memories of Mom’s chicken pilaf resonate with love

By Gholam Rahman
An imitation of Mom’s chicken pilaf rekindles long-ago memories in a faraway land.PHOTO BY GHOLAM RAHMAN
12:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Memorable meals are made in heaven. Food alone can make a meal good, even great, but for a meal to sink into the psyche that you can savor forever, it needs something else — the juxtaposition of many imponderables that only heaven’s hands can marshal at a particular point in time.
Such a moment has been burned into my memories, of a meal many decades ago when I was a young lad in Dacca, the second largest city of the British Indian province of Bengal. The food was murgh pulao (chicken pilaf) of the most exquisite taste that only my mom could make. It was the signature dish — along with the Kashmiri chai — of her parental family, the Dacca Nawab family, originally from Kashmir.
But food was just a part of the mix. The occasion was the Ramadan Eid, following the monthlong fasting, the most happy and festive occasion of the year for Muslims worldwide. On most such occasions my mom made her inimitable pilaf, and with it her halvas and occasionally even the Kashmiri chai. All the tangibles were there in good measure.
But what branded the meal on that day into my psyche was something more imponderable: LOVE. Love for each other within our large but closely knit family that our grandparents and parents inculcated into us from the very beginning. That is a gift from God.
My father had three brothers; two of them lived in Calcutta, Bengal’s largest city and its capital, the original foothold of the British in India, part of which they built to replicate areas of London. My father and his youngest brother lived in Dacca with my grandfather in a large rambling house with many courtyards.
On that Eid day, all four brothers, as well as my grandpa (my grandma had died when I was just a kid) were together in Dacca. The elders all sat for that meal at a large table that sat 12. We youngsters had a side table. Their interaction and joy in the company of each other, the serene scene was a lesson in kind that made all the didactic lessons a 3-D reality.
That is a lesson that, I firmly believe, would lead me, or any of my 14 brothers and sisters, to gladly give our lives for the sake of each other. A lesson of love I wish some of our leaders had learned at home. Back on earth out of the stratosphere, here is the recipe for the pilaf. Add the intangibles, if you desire, or can muster!
The cooking of our family’s murgh pulao is really the cooking of a shahi qorma (imperial sweet curry), to which washed and soaked basmati rice is added and cooked until the rice is done. So cook the qorma first.
PULAO WITH SHAHI CHICKEN QORMA
2 small skinned chickens, cut up into 8 pieces
1/2 cup yogurt
3 tablespoons oil and 1 stick butter
2 sticks cinnamon, broken
3 to 4 cardamom pods
2 to 3 medium onions, chopped
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced finely with 1½-inch piece of fresh ginger
2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala (see note)
1/2 cup light cream
1/4 cup Indian “mawa” or ricotta cheese
1/4 cup peeled almonds, ground
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons or so raisins, soaked and drained, optional
Couple of generous pinches of saffron, soaked in 2 to 3 teaspoons rose water
1 1/2 to 2 cups basmati rice, soaked 30 minutes, washed, drained and set aside
Water, as needed
Wash and clean the chicken of any gristle and extra fat; drain well, mix with the yogurt and set aside. Meanwhile, in a heavy, large pot heat the oil and butter. Over medium heat, saute the cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is just light golden brown. Add the minced garlic and ginger, along with the ground coriander and garam masala; cook stirring until a sauce begins to form, about 8 minutes.
Add the chicken pieces and cook until the chicken loses its raw look, stirring frequently to coat the pieces with the sauce, about 10 minutes. To tenderize the chicken, add a quarter cup of water, stir the pot and cover. Over low heat, let the chicken cook, stirring occasionally and adding a dash of water if needed, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the cream in the microwave oven in a glass measuring cup and stir in the ricotta, breaking the cheese curds as much as possible. Add the hot cream mixture to the pot in drizzles, stirring the chicken as you add it. Stir and cook a minute or so and add the ground almonds and the sugar.
Keep cooking, stirring often, until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken pieces well, about 10 minutes. By now, you would have cooked about 40 minutes. If the sauce looks somewhat separated from the oil, don’t worry; Indian sauces are not supposed to look smooth and homogenous. The chicken should be almost cooked and tender, with the fragrant sauce permeating the meat.
Just before adding the reserved rice, add half of the saffron, which should first be mashed into the rose water with the back of a spoon. Stir to combine the flavors. Total cooking time should be 45 to 50 minutes.
Cooking the rich and fragrant qorma is the key to the dish. Now stir in the drained rice and cook, stirring constantly for about a minute or so until the rice appears translucent. Add about 3 to 4 cups of water, depending on the amount of rice.
Add the remaining saffron-rose water and the raisins; stir gently to mix. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat and cook until steam vents develop over the rice, about 7 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot and cook until the rice grains test done, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Gently stir the rice with a spatula, lifting from the bottom. Serve in a shallow bowl or dish and garnish with sliced almonds. A spicy yogurt drink is generally served on the side.
NOTE: A trip to an Indian store may be worthwhile. There you can buy skinned cut-up chicken, cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks as well as rose water and saffron (often of poor quality). If you buy packaged garam masala there, ask for masala for mild qorma.
It is, however, easy to make your own garam masala, since many of its ingredients are also Christmas spices. In a coffee or spice mill, grind together 2 teaspoons coriander seeds (optional filler), 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds, 8 to 10 cloves and 1 teaspoon peppercorns; to the resulting ground, mix in 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder and a half teaspoon each grated nutmeg and allspice powder. Blend well and store in a small jar with tight lid.

Eating out at The New Knowes Hotel in Macduff

 
At a family gathering in Buckie recently, I happened to discover that my wife’s great, great grannie was formerly the owner of a hotel in Macduff many moons ago. This hotel was none other than the Knowes Hotel, an establishment that has been on our “to do” list here at YL for some time. That, and the fact my son’s football team announced they were to play in Banff one Sunday morning, gave us plenty of reasons to go.
The only problem, however, was the fact the New Knowes, as it is now known, stops serving lunch at 2pm on a Sunday and my son’s football match didn’t finish until around the same time. No problem, we were told, they could still host us for Sunday lunch, as long as we ordered our food in advance. This is never ideal, as I prefer to wait to see what my stomach is in the mood for on the day, but it was good of them to accommodate us, so we went ahead and booked, after checking the menus on their Facebook page.
After a mad dash across from Banff on a scorching hot Sunday lunchtime, we found the New Knowes (pronounced “nows” rather than “knows”) perched above Macduff in a prime location next to the impressive war memorial that looks over the town. This is a fantastic spot for the hotel as it commands glorious views over the bay. The perfect spot to enjoy some local seafood, as I was just about to do.
Wayne Stewart, chef-owner of The New Knowes Hotel
We received a friendly welcome when we entered the fresh, modern conservatory area. The interiors have been tastefully decorated in muted greys and are very “on trend”.
We took in our surroundings after being shown to our seats and drank in the ocean views that were right in front of us. The restaurant was busy with Sunday diners, with a variety of customers including local ladies enjoying a catch-up over a few glasses of prosecco, overseas travellers in for a nice meal, a group treating themselves to an afternoon tea, and a private party taking place in the function suite.
Whenever dining with little ones, it’s never good to have to wait a long time for your food to arrive, especially if one of them has just spent the last hour playing football, so we were delighted when our pre-ordered starters were brought to us withing five minutes of arriving.
I am a sucker for Cullen skink, so I was spoiled for choice when I saw it on the starters menu both as a soup and in the form of a risotto. I plumped for the risotto, while my son ordered the starter version. My Cullen skink risotto came with a poached egg, bacon salt and crispy potato and was delicious, if a touch on the sweet side. It was beautifully presented as well, which was a theme that was to be repeated throughout our visit. My son loved his soup, but again it was just a little too sweet for me.
Cullen skink risotto, poached egg, bacon salt and crispy potato. Across the table, my wife and daughter absolutely loved their eye-catching carpaccio of pineapple, passion fruit sorbet and minted mango salsa. They said the flavours were tremendous. A real winner.
With the temperature outside hitting 22 degrees and the dining room being fairly full, the heat in the conservatory was quite intense. Buildings in the north-east of Scotland just aren’t built to cope with these conditions. That would be the one drawback of having so many windows to admire the sea views. And there is even a large window into the kitchen if you want to watch the chefs creating your meal.
Crispy langoustine, sweet chilli jam, balsamic glaze, lemon and black pepper side salad
Shortly after we had polished off our starters, our mains arrived. We’d have liked a little more time between courses, but it was our fault for booking so late.
I had taken a while to decide on mine as the menu offers a fantastic choice, but with the area being renowned for its fresh seafood, I went for the poached haddock with lemon crab crust, garden pea risotto, seasonal veg and new potatoes. Once again, the presentation was wonderful. The crab crust was moreish and unlike anything I’d tasted before. The pea risotto could have done with a stronger flavour, but the vegetables were beautifully cooked while the haddock was flaky, light and had a wonderful flavour.
Poached haddock, lemon crab crust and garden pea risotto
My wife was delighted that there were four vegetarian dishes to choose from and her Thai green vegetable curry met with approval. Again, the presentation was well thought out with separate compartments for the spiced onions and mango chutney, and the dish came with naan bread and basmati rice too. It was full of flavour and she wiped the plate clean – in a ladylike manner, of course!
Thai green vegetable curry, with basil, spiced onions, naans, mango chutney and basmati rice
The children ordered sausages and a burger from the kids menu and both enjoyed their respective dishes.
We didn’t think we had room for dessert, but in the name of research we decided to share a lemon cheesecake, while the kids had some chocolate cake and Simpsons ice cream. Well, this course trumped all that went before it in terms of presentation. And as for flavour it was light and delicate and really cleansed the palate. And of course the kids devoured their Buckie ice cream.
Rasperry cheesecake
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the New Knowes Hotel. Its website states chef-owner Wayne Stewart prides himself on using fresh, local Scottish produce to create great dishes, and we can testify to this. Wayne should be commended for creating an ambitious, well thought-out menu with plenty of choice to suite all tastes.I’m sure my wife’s great, great grannie would have approved.

Readers’ Forum
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
BB can take step to reduce rice prices

Last year, the production of rice in haor areas was adversely affected by floods, resulting in increased rice prices. In response, the government withdrew import duty on rice. As the production of rice has been good this year, with adequate supply in the market, it was expected that the prices would be reasonable. However, the prices did not fall partly because of the high import duty that the government has re-imposed. Artificial hoarding of rice by dishonest businessmen is also to blame for this high price.
During the last caretaker government, when something similar happened, Bangladesh Bank instructed all banks to realise loans disbursed to rice millers, and magically, the prices of rice came down within weeks. The BB should take similar steps to protect the interest of the consumers.

Ashraf Hossain
Dhaka

Growing rice in rows becoming more popular in Arkansas

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)  
Flooded rice paddies, protected by a series of levees, have been the norm in the Arkansas Delta for many years. During the 1980s farmers experimented with systems that allowed rice to be grown in standard rows, but those fields produced a lot of blast fungus, a disease that can damage or kill a rice plant.
Science has been able to stem that trend, and rice rows have steadily grown in recent years University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture rice agronomist Dr. Jarrod Hardke told Talk Business & Politics. The number of rice row acres has jumped from 40,000 in 2017 to more than 100,000 acres this year, he said.
“It’s certainly very scattered,” Hardke said. “For the most part, you don’t have individual growers going too heavily into it, although there are a handful who have. Many growers are just trying a field here and there. But spreading that across 1.4 million acres, ‘here and there’ starts to add up.”
The reason some farmers prefer the row method is input cost savings, Hardke said. A typical rice acre has about $750 in input costs. Growing rice in rows can save a producer up to $70 per acre, per season, he said. Rice in rows can be grown in former soybean beds, meaning they don’t have to be prepped like typical rice paddies. This can save a farmer many hours on their combines and other equipment, Hardke said, adding that those fields don’t require the levee systems, and are irrigated with pipes, much like other row crops.
Stuttgart farmer Trent Dabbs and his father have worked row rice for more than a decade. In the beginning, “quite a few people thought we were crazy, but it’s worked out pretty good for us,” he said. They started small – one field, 40 acres. This year, the Dabbses have about 200 acres in row rice and may expand that acreage again next year.
Row rice means “less time creating levees and putting in gates” and “during harvest, there’s less wear and tear on the combines. You’re not jumping levees and it’s not as muddy,” Dabbs said.
Hardke said row rice does typically require more nitrogen than flooded rice, as well as the potential for more intensive pest management. Even with the changes in production practices, “we don’t see a big yield drag,” Dabbs said.
“We’ve had to make some changes in our production practices; we changed our fertility and spraying to make it work,” Dabbs said. “Instead of doing a large pre-flood shot of fertilizer, we split it into three applications to spoon feed the rice and not lose nitrogen.”
Dabbs said he uses row rice on sandier areas, fields that have difficulty holding water, and fields where he might plant no-till soybeans behind rice. Yields in row rice have historically been similar to those in flooded rice, although 2017 may have provided a skewed example for Arkansas growers. Rice farmers in the state planted 1.161 million acres last year, about 47.1% of all rice acres planted in the U.S. Those acres accounted for 82.6 million hundredweight of rice, and it represented 46.4% of the 178.2 million hundredweight produced in the country.
During the last three years, Arkansas has accounted for more than 47% of the nation’s total rice production, according to federal reports. Per acre, farmers had a yield of 164.4 bushels per acre or 7,400 pounds. It was the third highest yield on record in the state and a 570 pound per acre uptick from 2016.
“One of the dangers we tried to emphasize was that some of last year’s success was due to weather conditions,” Hardke said. “We had very good yields across the board, with excessive amounts of in-season rainfall, which made growing rice in those environments that much easier. We had some concerns going into this year that we would end up hot and dry, and well, we have. That’s going to make managing those fields a little more difficult, depending on local conditions and agronomic set-ups.”
Hybrid varieties of rice make the row system possible. About half of Arkansas’ rice acreage or 700,000 acres is hybrid, Hardke said. Hybrids can develop resistance to diseases such as blast fungus, but a hybrid blend can only be used for one growing season. Hybrids are produced when one part infertile male pollen and one fertile male pollen are combined to produce an offspring, he said. These hybrids tend to produce better yields and are more disease resistant, he said.
Most of the row rice fields are not typical or traditionally poor producing fields, Hardke said.
The state’s rice crop is on schedule and nothing significant has impacted it, Hardke said. But, there are concerns on the horizon. Temperatures have remained extremely hot for the last several weeks and the humidity has been high. These conditions are conducive to cultivating fungicide diseases. Dry conditions could also impact irrigation, he said.
“We still need rain, for sure,” he said.
India's rice exports set to ease as govt raises buying price
Reuters Staff
JULY 10, 2018 / 12:56 PM

* India hikes guaranteed prices paid for rice by 13 pct
* Wants to woo farmers ahead of general election next year
* That means Indian rice exports likely to become more expensive
* Thailand, Vietnam seen gaining market share
By Rajendra Jadhav
MUMBAI, July 10 (Reuters) - India’s rice exports are set to ease from October as the world’s biggest shipper of the grain boosts guaranteed prices that farmers receive for much of their crop, making new season cargoes expensive compared to supply from rival growers. Lower exports would mean that India loses market share in key Asian and African markets, traders and industry sources said, with exports from countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar likely to fill any gaps. India on Wednesday raised prices paid to local farmers for common grade paddy rice by 13 percent from a year ago to 1,750 rupees ($25.50) per 100 kg, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi looking to woo millions of rural poor ahead of a general election next year.The government typically buys more than a third of the country’s rice output at a fixed price, which also has a direct impact on prices paid by traders. “With this price rise, our exports will become expensive,” said B V Krishna Rao, president of the Rice Exporters Association (REA).“The customer base that we have created over a period of time is going to shift to Thailand and Vietnam.”Exporters were this week offering Indian 5 percent broken parboiled rice RI-INBKN5-P1 at $388-$392 per tonne on a free on board (FOB) basis, nearly the same as prices quoted by Thai exporters.
But the hike in guaranteed price will force Indian exporters to offer the new season crop at around $430 from October, making exports uncompetitive, a dealer said. He declined to be identified as he was not authorised to speak with media.India’s rice exports in the 2017/18 fiscal year that ended on March 31 surged 18 percent from the year before to a record 12.7 million tonnes on strong demand from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.But that demand has already been hit hard, said Nitin Gupta, business head of rice at Olam India, with Bangladesh imposing a 28 percent tax on rice imports in June to support local farmers.And Indian states like Chhattisgarh could announce additional payments to farmers on top of the prices fixed by the central government, industry officials said.
“Chhattisgarh could announce a bonus of around 200 to 300 rupees (per 100kg). This will further widen the gap between local and international prices,” said a Mumbai-based dealer with a global trading firm.India uses rice and wheat that it buys from local farmers at a fixed price to supply subsidised food to the poor and meet any emergency needs.However, Rao of REA said that the government could eventually be forced to incentivise more overseas rice sales as its storage gets closer to capacity. (Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav Editing by Joseph Radford)

RDB projects rising rice loan demand for harvest

Cheng Sokhorng | Publication date 10 July 2018 | 08:48 ICT

A rice farmer works in Kandal province during the 2016 harvest season. Heng Chivoan
State-owned Rural Development Bank (RDB) projected that the demand for loans in the rice sector will increase this season, said CEO Kao Thach on Monday. He said while more rice facilities are ready for operation this year, there will be more demand for loans.
RDB disbursed $35 million to approximately 40 rice millers and exporters last year, out of the $50 million earmarked for loans.
The government’s decision to disburse loans directly through RDB sidestepped the Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF), the industry body that has lobbied the government since March 2016 to provide emergency funds for its members.In September 2016, the government transferred its share of a $27 million package to RDB so the bank could disburse loans to millers, allowing them to purchase paddy from farmers. In August, another $23 million was injected by the government, bringing the total to $50 million aimed at propping up the struggling industry.Thach said a new loan will be issued for the rice industry at the end of July and he expects it to be in high demand.
“The demand for capital in the coming season would see a huge increase as rice facilities are ready for storage and milling,” he said, adding that the total storage capacity this season would be around 450,000 tonnes on the strength of four facilities launched earlier this month.“Even if the loan package comes up short, we will request the government to add more money,” Thach said.
AMRU Rice Co Ltd CEO Song Saran said while rice cultivation has kept growing along with buyer demand, the industry needed to supply 350,000 tonnes to the international market in the coming season.“Now that we are less concerned about storage and milling, we need at least $50 million in hand for the rice industry to supply the needs of the international market,” he said.

Senegal River Valley to produce 875,000 tons of rice by 2020


 Tuesday, 10 July 2018 - 13:16
 (Ecofin Agency) - By 2020, Senegal River Valley (VFS) would produce up to 875,000 tons of rice, up from 455,000 tons currently. This was revealed by Amadou Thiam, head of development and support to local authorities at the national authority for Delta land operation and development (SAED). According to APS which reported the news, Senegal initiated various measures to hit target, including the improvement in land development as well as higher financial support for agriculture. Mr. Thiam said through the agricultural support scheme, local farmers now have easier access to equipment. Moreover, the National agricultural credit fund (CNCAS) benefited from a CFA10 billion credit line provided by the French Development Agency (AFD) for agricultural investments. Let’s note that VFS accounts for about 60% of Senegal's rice output, according to USDA. It has a hydro-agricultural potential estimated at 240,000 hectares.
Espoir Olodo



Rice inventories decline — PSA
July 10, 2018 | 10:24 pm
 The NFA rice that came from Vietnam and Thailand are stored at NFA warehouse in Quezon City. -- PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS
RICE inventories as of June 1 were estimated at 2.36 million metric tons (MT), down on a year-on-year and month-on-month basis, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.
In PSA’s “Rice and Corn Stocks Inventory” released Tuesday, rice stocks fell 8.24% from a year earlier and were down 18.85% from a month earlier. Some 46.39% of the total was held by households, while 53.56% was held by commercial rice dealers. The remaining 0.09% consisted of inventory held by the National Food Authority (NFA).
The overall rice inventory is considered sufficient for nearly 74 days’ demand.
NFA stock is good for less than a day. The NFA is mandated to maintain at least 15 days’ worth of buffer stock at any given time and at least 30 days’ worth of buffer stock for lean months, which start on July.
Household stocks rose 1.47% year on year while commercial and NFA inventories fell 1.92% and 98.99%, respectively.
Month on month, commercial stocks fell 16.65%, household inventories were down 21.20% and NFA inventory fell 40.29%.
Rice stocks are expected to pick up with the arrival of 250,000 MT of imported rice to replenish the NFA’s holdings, with other imports also en route via private deals.
Corn stocks as of June 1 amounted to 592,010 MT, up 74.99% month on month and down 39.50% year on year.
Commercial entities held 92.13% of the inventory while 7.87% was held by households.
On a year-on-year basis commercial holdings fell 38.07% while those of households declined 49.22%. — Anna Gabriela A. Mogato

Rice Prices

as on : 11-07-2018 01:28:40 PM

Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.
Arrivals
Price
Current
%
change
Season
cumulative
Modal
Prev.
Modal
Prev.Yr
%change
Rice
Bangalore(Kar)
1788.00
-18.32
51371.00
4300
4300
2.38
Pilibhit(UP)
400.00
170.27
3678.00
2395
2415
6.92
Manjeri(Ker)
290.00
NC
4930.00
3700
3700
NC
Shahjahanpur(UP)
250.00
25
3298.40
2345
2340
-
Gondal(UP)
148.00
-0.67
9083.50
2175
2175
2.59
Bahraich(UP)
116.40
-8.71
6366.60
2250
2260
0.90
Agra(UP)
100.00
-19.35
2557.00
2550
2540
-3.77
Kalna(WB)
97.00
2.11
2957.00
3050
3350
-3.17
Lucknow(UP)
86.00
-2.27
2039.00
2290
2300
6.51
Aligarh(UP)
85.00
21.43
1830.00
2540
2500
-0.78
Ghaziabad(UP)
80.00
33.33
3470.00
2675
2670
11.46
Allahabad(UP)
75.00
25
135.00
2590
2590
-
Puranpur(UP)
75.00
-25
2017.70
2390
2400
-
Safdarganj(UP)
75.00
-
75.00
2240
-
-
Thodupuzha(Ker)
70.00
NC
1260.00
3200
3200
-3.03
Basti(UP)
70.00
27.27
2843.00
2120
2125
0.24
Chandabali(Ori)
65.00
-16.67
858.50
1500
1500
-37.50
Utraula(UP)
61.00
408.33
200.70
1
1630
-
Rampurhat(WB)
60.00
-14.29
1020.00
2500
2520
16.28
Indus(Bankura Sadar)(WB)
55.00
-26.67
2630.00
2750
2750
7.84
Gazipur(UP)
52.00
-
52.00
2680
-
-
Faizabad(UP)
50.00
35.14
1085.50
2200
2200
-2.22
Howly(ASM)
41.00
86.36
3152.50
1400
1400
-22.22
Gauripur(ASM)
40.00
8.11
1824.00
4500
4500
NC
Akbarpur(UP)
39.00
-9.3
82.00
2215
2220
-
Bazpur(Utr)
39.00
-40.09
2010.60
2350
2380
-4.08
Fatehpur(UP)
36.00
140
1286.10
2235
2250
1.59
Maharajganj(UP)
35.00
16.67
100.00
2140
2140
-
Jangipura(UP)
35.00
25
1041.00
2260
2270
-
Junagarh(Ori)
34.01
61.49
671.44
2200
2200
4.76
Lakhimpur(UP)
32.00
-8.57
1724.00
2270
2280
5.09
Khalilabad(UP)
30.00
50
1062.00
2135
2135
-
Devariya(UP)
30.00
NC
1747.50
2145
2140
0.47
Mathura(UP)
30.00
3.45
690.00
2540
2545
0.79
Bharthna(UP)
30.00
NC
6366.00
2400
2400
-
Sirsaganj(UP)
25.00
4.17
865.00
2725
2680
15.96
Sitapur(UP)
23.00
4.55
622.00
2280
2300
-
Nadia(WB)
22.00
-8.33
327.00
3800
3850
2.70
Falakata(WB)
20.00
25
96.00
2800
2840
30.23
Wansi(UP)
18.00
-10
418.00
2120
2085
-
Barhaj(UP)
17.50
2.94
102.00
2160
2150
-
Ulhasnagar(Mah)
17.00
-10.53
135.00
3500
3500
40.00
Chorichora(UP)
17.00
-32
612.50
2150
2135
-
Sahiyapur(UP)
16.50
17.86
2240.00
2150
2155
-
Bareilly(UP)
16.00
-13.51
843.90
2420
2425
-
Saharanpur(UP)
15.00
NC
1020.50
2675
2690
13.11
Balrampur(UP)
15.00
-25
249.00
2200
2300
4.76
Kayamganj(UP)
14.00
16.67
534.00
2280
2280
NC
Tamkuhi Road(UP)
14.00
16.67
897.00
2180
2175
-
Gorakhpur(UP)
13.00
-89.6
3655.50
2150
2140
2.38
Raiganj(WB)
13.00
-13.33
843.00
3150
3150
24.75
Islampur(WB)
11.00
-15.38
727.50
3250
3250
44.44
Alappuzha(Ker)
10.00
NC
50.00
6800
6850
51.96
Banda(UP)
10.00
-41.18
517.00
2300
2215
-
Kaliaganj(WB)
10.00
-66.67
300.00
2850
3250
7.55
Muradabad(UP)
9.50
18.75
299.00
2425
2425
-
Giridih(Jha)
8.88
-34.99
467.93
3500
3500
NC
Ranaghat(WB)
8.30
-7.78
245.42
3400
3400
47.83
Dibrugarh(ASM)
8.00
45.45
502.70
2920
2920
29.78
Farukhabad(UP)
8.00
77.78
219.40
2420
2460
9.50
Jaunpur(UP)
8.00
-72.41
1407.60
2230
2215
6.19
Ajuha(UP)
8.00
-23.81
107.50
2250
2300
-
Vishalpur(UP)
7.80
-13.33
268.80
2440
2425
-
Maudaha(UP)
7.50
-
7.50
2300
-
-
Kosikalan(UP)
7.00
75
116.50
2505
2535
-
Madhoganj(UP)
6.50
-
6.50
2250
-
-
Puwaha(UP)
6.00
-50
726.50
2400
2250
-
Paliakala(UP)
6.00
-14.29
958.10
2300
2300
-
Khurja(UP)
5.00
-23.08
689.00
2600
2600
-
Mirzapur(UP)
5.00
25
636.00
2220
2215
-
Buland Shahr(UP)
5.00
NC
135.50
2600
2590
11.11
Chhibramau(Kannuj)(UP)
5.00
25
339.50
2240
2230
NC
Sehjanwa(UP)
4.50
-25
21.50
2160
2155
-
Kalyani(WB)
3.50
-68.18
132.90
3400
3400
NC
Charra(UP)
2.60
160
78.60
2500
2600
-
Achalda(UP)
2.50
-
2.50
1400
-
-38.33
Mugrabaadshahpur(UP)
2.00
-
2.00
2250
-
-
Balarampur(WB)
1.81
NC
55.85
2650
2650
12.77
Chandoli(UP)
1.50
-6.25
228.20
2250
2250
-
Tundla(UP)
1.40
-30
124.80
2650
2650
-
Bangarmau(UP)
1.20
-25
37.90
2150
2150
4.88
Penugonda(Mah)
1.00
NC
6.00
4080
4080
0.25
Bilsi(UP)
1.00
-
1.00
2300
-
-
Khairagarh(UP)
0.80
NC
88.70
2570
2550
1.98
Gadaura(UP)
0.60
NC
48.00
1900
1900
-6.17
Jagnair(UP)
0.60
-25
62.20
2560
2560
0.79

Egypt to import 400,000 tonnes of rice in year: AEC

Al-Sisi’s decision to import rice to end monopolies, says Al-Najari
July 11, 2018
 July 9, 2018  

Mostafa Al-Najari, a member of the grain division of the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce (FEDCOC) and chairperson of the rice committee of the Agriculture Export Council (AEC), told Daily News Egypt that he expects Egypt to import 400,000 tonnes of rice in the period from August 2017 to August 2018.
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi agreed Monday during his meeting with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali Meselhy to allow the importation of rice, making the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC) market rice for the new year and put good prices for the crop in agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture.
Despite the criticisms of this decision due to its impact on the Egyptian economy, Al-Najari praised the decision, saying that rice is an essential crop in Egypt, noting that making the GASC market the rice for the new year is a path to reform.
He added that this decision will contribute to stopping monopolies.
“When the Supply Ministry stopped buying barley rice from farmers, this led to increasing monopolies,” he explained.
He said that importing should fill the gap between consumption and production, as consumption is now higher than production.
Egypt slashed cultivation of rice, a water-intensive crop, this year to conserve vital Nile River resources as Ethiopia prepares to fill the reservoir behind a colossal $4bn dam it is building upstream and which Cairo worries could threaten its water resources.
Previously, in January, Egypt decided to reduce the area of rice cultivation from 1,100m feddans to 724,000 feddans.Then, in May, the government agreed to increase the area allocated for rice cultivation by 100,000 feddans only this season, bringing the total area of rice cultivation to 824,000 feddans,
In this term, Mostafa Al-Saltisi, vice president of the rice division at the Chamber of Grain Industry in the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI), told Daily News Egypt that the decision to reduce the area of rice cultivation is one of the most dangerous decisions that Egypt took, explaining that Egypt’s main agricultural crops are grains and rice, describing the decision at 100% wrong.
He noted that Egypt’s main problem in importing rice is that the quality of other countries’ rice is less than that of Egypt.Moreover, he assured that importing rice threatens the local market in Egypt.
Commodities Outlook: Precious and Base Metals extend losses, Oil trades steady
Commodity Online | July 10 2018
UPDATED 17:56:43 IST

By Sam Nair
Precious Metals extend losses on dollar strength; trend remains weak

 Gold is trading lower today at 30431.0, down 0.61% whereas Silver is down 286.0 points or 0.67% to trade at 39618.0 currently.The downside in precious metals is being largely driven by technicals as the market continue to ignore the geopolitical tensions. A stronger dollar along with tensions in the Euro Zone also continue to pressure precious metals in the near term.Hedge funds and money managers raised their net long position in COMEX gold by 105 contracts to 4,291 contracts in the week to July 3, US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) data showed on Monday.

The intraday bias continues to remain negative and we expect Gold prices to test 30400.0-30350.0 today whereas Silver may make another attempt to test support at 39500.0-39300.0 today.

Base Metals push to fresh lows; Lead and Zinc fall sharply

Base Metals are trading lower today with the exception of Aluminum and Nickel which are slightly in positive whereas Copper is down 432.20, over a percent. Lead and Zinc are down nearly two percent to trade at 157.45 and 182.40 currently.The minor recovery in base metals seen yesterday was short lived as prices dipped further since open today. Ongoing trade war concerns will continue to dominate the prices fluctuations for the foreseeable future. We also believe that downsides will remain largely limited as falling inventories on major exchanges create a potential supply side situation in the near future and hence, we maintain a very cautious outlook.

Copper is expected to test key support level at 428.0-430.0 breaking which further short selling may emerge in the near future. Lead and Zinc should continue to extend the downside in the short term.

Oil prices continue to consolidate as supply concerns linger

Crude Oil is trading at 5108.0, up 59.0 or 1.17% whereas Natural Gas is down 0.21% to trade at 194.10 currently.Crude Oil prices continue to consolidate near highs as supply concerns linger from key oil-producing countries. Efforts from Russia and Saudi Arabia to increase oil output have also failed to impact the market as the size of supply disruptions are likely to be larger than the increase from both the nations.Another lingering concern comes in the form of import tariffs from China on US oil imports. The market should focus on the API and EIA oil inventories report for a fresh direction in prices.

Technically, oil prices are trading with a bullish bias and the upside should resume on a break of resistance at 5150.0-5160.0 whereas on the downside, support at 4900.0 acts as a support and key reversal point. Natural Gas has broken below a key up-sloping trendline and is expected to decline further in the short term to 188.0-182.0.

(Sam Nair is AVP - Commodities with Stewart and Mackertich Wealth Management Limited)

DISCLAIMER: The views and ideas expressed above may have been suggested to the clients of SMIFS Finance Ltd. It is advisable that investors/traders should consult with their Certified Experts before taking any investment decisions.


‘Spread of rains should remove any worry on kharif sowing’


Nabansu Chattopadhyay, Head, Agricultural Meteorology Division, IMD

Revival of monsoon and extended sowing window to help farmers

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JULY 10
The revival of monsoon post June-27 and the spread of rains should remove any major worry on the kharif front, says Nabansu Chattopadhyay, Head, Agricultural Meteorology Division, India Met Department (IMD).
“If this factor (spread of rains) along with the sowing window is available for individual crops, things are moving at a very good pace now,” Chattopadhyay told BusinessLine by phone from Pune.
For instance, East and West Madhya Pradesh would receive widespread rainfall over the next four to five days, thanks to two rain-generating systems — one already over land and the other in the making over the sea.
Rains for Central India
The offshore trough is giving plenty of rain along the West Coast and immediate interior. So all the three monsoon features are getting activated now. Only Rayalaseema, parts of Telangana and Coastal Andhra Pradesh may sit out of the rain session.
Saurashtra and Kutch, which are basically dry areas, too have been areas of some concern. The crops here do not need much rainfall. Bajra and castor are the main crops though soyabean is also taken up here on a limited scale.
“But even here, we expect the rains to come from tomorrow (Wednesday), which is very much within the sowing window,” Chattopadhyay said.
Soyabean cut-off date
In Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, cotton and soyabean planting can be done up to the cut-off date of July 10, which is today (Tuesday). The rains have picked up there in time, making the situation significantly better when compared to June 12 to 27.
If one takes East India, which is slightly deficient now, here too the rains are returning. Rice is the main crop here. Some parts of Bengal may have been flooded, but farmers are ready with the nurseries. “So around July 15, they would start transplanting. Uttar Pradesh is bracing for a good rainfall in a few days. Punjab and Haryana were deficient but they have started sowing cotton and are transplanting rice as well.”
Chattopadhyay said he was not, however, confident about Rayalaseema, especially Anantapur, where groundnut, chilli and other cash crops are grown. There is not much rainfall to look to, but the sowing window extends to July 25.
‘July looks impressive’
“Of course, we had a problem in June, but July looks impressive as of now. I don’t have the latest sowing percentage data, but the ongoing rain makes it ideal for sowing, and I’ve reason to believe that the farmers are at it...”
Farmers in Uttar Pradesh must be readying for transplanting given the outlook for rainfall. Here again, July 10 is the usual cut-off date for soyabean and cotton.
Maharashtra has been receiving plenty of rainfall from July 3/4 and one is expecting to see ‘very significant sowing percentage’ there. Same holds true for Madhya Pradesh also, which is bracing for good rains over the next couple of days.
The North-East is a high-rainfall area but there are some rice varieties which can be transplanted after 45 days (usually it is 25 days). “So, North-East also may not present much of a problem,” Chattopadhyay said.


Commodities Buzz: Korea Rice Production To Decline 6.3 percent In 2018/19

Commodities Buzz: Korea Rice Production To Decline 6.3 percent In 2018/19
July 10, 2018 10:33 IST | capital market 
As per the latest update from U.S. Department of Agriculture, With the Korean government emphasizing less rice production, output in 2018-19 is forecast to fall by 6.1%, to 3.73 million tonnes. Under the rice reduction program, the government has encouraged rice farmers to cultivate other crops in rice paddy land to relieve the burden of heavy stocks accumulated since 2013-14.
Consequently, estimated rice planting area has been revised down 6.6% to 705,000 hectares, about 50,000 hectares less than the previous year, the USDA said.
The Korean government said it will complete the draft revision of the Rice Income Compensation Act by the end of 2018, planning to implement the revised income support program from 2020 after completing public hearings next year.
Powered by Commodity Insights
Rice inventories decline — PSA
July 10, 2018 | 10:24 pm
The NFA rice that came from Vietnam and Thailand are stored at NFA warehouse in Quezon City. -- PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS
RICE inventories as of June 1 were estimated at 2.36 million metric tons (MT), down on a year-on-year and month-on-month basis, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.In PSA’s “Rice and Corn Stocks Inventory” released Tuesday, rice stocks fell 8.24% from a year earlier and were down 18.85% from a month earlier.
Some 46.39% of the total was held by households, while 53.56% was held by commercial rice dealers. The remaining 0.09% consisted of inventory held by the National Food Authority (NFA).
The overall rice inventory is considered sufficient for nearly 74 days’ demand.
NFA stock is good for less than a day. The NFA is mandated to maintain at least 15 days’ worth of buffer stock at any given time and at least 30 days’ worth of buffer stock for lean months, which start on July.
Household stocks rose 1.47% year on year while commercial and NFA inventories fell 1.92% and 98.99%, respectively.
Month on month, commercial stocks fell 16.65%, household inventories were down 21.20% and NFA inventory fell 40.29%.
Rice stocks are expected to pick up with the arrival of 250,000 MT of imported rice to replenish the NFA’s holdings, with other imports also en route via private deals.
Corn stocks as of June 1 amounted to 592,010 MT, up 74.99% month on month and down 39.50% year on year.Commercial entities held 92.13% of the inventory while 7.87% was held by households.On a year-on-year basis commercial holdings fell 38.07% while those of households declined 49.22%. — Anna Gabriela A. Mogato
http://bworldonline.com/rice-inventories-decline-psa/

Sisi allows rice imports into Egypt

July 9, 2018
7:46 pm
   
 President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi agreed to open rice imports into Egypt following a proposal raised by the Ministry of Supply to save up strategic stocks of rice.The decision comes during a meeting on Monday along with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli and Ali al-Meselhi, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade, who discussed several topics alongside this proposal.Sisi assigned the General Authority For Supply Commodities (GASC) which manages Egypt’s grain purchases to promote rice in the coming year with better prices in co-operation with the Ministry of Agriculture. Earlier this year, Sisi ratified new amendments to the Agriculture Law No. 53 of 1966, where the government will set areas to cultivate crops which consume water intensively such as rice and sugarcane, in order to effectively conserve water. The president urged the government to provide measures to control the markets and activate the price control censorship system. He also called on the reinforcement of consumer protection measures to eliminate market monopoly and commercial fraud.
The official spokesman of the presidency office said that Minister of Supply Al-Meselhi reviewed measures that have been taken by the ministry to implement it’s strategy’s objectives, shedding light on the efforts exerted to provide essential commodities in Ministry of Supply owned markets across the country in lower prices than other outlets.Meselhi pointed out the increasing number of distribution outlets and sales chains to raise the supply of products.
Hamed Abdel-Dayem, spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture said that the president’s decision to open doors for rice imports will storm monopolists in the local markets.
Dayem added that the area allocated for rice cultivation this year is 824 thousand feddans (unit of area), which is sufficient for domestic consumption. He stressed that Sisi’s decision will help all rice traders work at full capacity and will maintain the stability of rice prices in the Egyptian markets.
He also said that the ministry is attempting to develop new varieties of rice that consume less water and are of higher quality.A rice crisis has hammered the Egyptian market since the last months of 2017 and the beginning of 2018, when the rice bags started to disappear gradually from the shelves at the consumer complexes and at the government supply chains.The Ministry of Irrigation announced its decision to reduce the area of cultivated rice from 1.1 million feddans to 724 thousand due to shortage of water.
It was also reported that certain suppliers had refrained from offering rice in order to sell it at a higher price in private markets.Meselhi earlier denied any issues, stating that the current quantities of rice were sufficient to meet the needs of the country until December, and the area of race last year amounted to 1.8 million feddans with an average production of about 3.8 million tons, compared to a consumption of 2.5 million tons.However in a TV interview Meselhi said that the government overcame the rice crisis and provided enough stock for the coming months, stating that the rice shortfall was one of the country’s biggest dilemmas since he came into power.

Court dismisses Sh26mn tax demand from rice importer

TUESDAY, JULY 10, 2018 16:26Times Tower, the headquarters of the KRA, in Nairobi. FILE PHOTO | NMG 
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has suffered a setback after a decision to demand Sh26.2 million from a rice importer was dismissed.
The taxman had claimed uncollected duty from a firm, Krish Commodities Ltd, as a result of the application of a lower duty rate. The Court of Appeal in Mombasa also prohibited KRA from continuing to demand money from the company in respect of importation of rice cleared by the taxman.
Krish Commodities Ltd had moved to the Appellate Court after the High Court dismissed its application seeking to have demands by KRA quashed. Judges Alnashir Visram, Wanjiru Karanja and Martha Koome said the High Court erred in its discretion.

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“We set aside the judgment and substitute the same with an order allowing Krish Commodities Ltd application,” said the three judge appellate bench.
They also noted that identification of applicable rate of duty and assessment of what was payable was done by the Simba System previously used by KRA for customs processing.
“The appellant had no role in declaring or setting the rate to be applied, for KRA to turn around and pass the buck to the company by contending that it was aware of the right rate cannot hold any weight,” ruled the judges.
The court was told that the company had in 2008 and 2009 imported rice into the country and the consignments cleared.
Later in 2011, it received a letter from KRA demanding payment of short levied duty over the goods.The court also heard that underpayment arose from the application of the wrong duty rate during the clearance and assessment of duty payable.Through lawyer Sanjeev Khagram, the company argued among other issues that the High Court erred in failing to appreciate the circumstances under which Simba System assessed the duty payable over imported goods.
Mr Khagram further argued that having paid the duty assessed, it was unfair for KRA to try and impose the alleged short levied sugar four years’ later taking into consideration that the purported erroneous application of the wrong rate of duty was attributable to the taxman.KRA, through lawyer Pius Nyaga, argued that it conducted a post clearance audit on the consignment of rice imported by the company.
Mr Nyaga said the results revealed that the wrong duty of 35 per cent had been used in computing the duty payable for the consignment. He further argued that the Kenyan tax system is based on self-accounting and assessment since everyone is supposed to declare how much tax is due and KRA empowered to audit the declarations.

Egypt imports rice to control market, prevent increasing prices

Wednesday July 11, 2018
Caption: Rice cultivating- CC via Max Pixel
CAIRO – 11 July 2018: The decision to import rice aims at controlling the market and preventing the prices hike, Head of Rice division of the Federation of Industries Ragab Shehata said. Shehata clarified that importing rice does not mean that the local market is in need of the product as the rice crop which is scheduled to be harvested in the second half of July, will cover 90 percent of the local market requirements. He pointed out that the scheduled rice harvest is expected to reach about 4 million tons of barely rice and over 500,000 tons of barely rice will be imported to produce about 300,000 tons of white rice.

“There are several countries to import rice from, including Thailand, India, Russia, the United States and Argentina,” the head of rice division stated. He also noted that the companies began to communicate with the Ministry of Agriculture to obtain import approvals. President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi approved Sunday to import rice and to start its marketing for the coming year, and to set suitable prices for the crop in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture.

On June 5, the government announced its plan to import rice (paddy, mulled and cargo rice), in a way to reduce the rice-cultivated areas due to the water shortage crisis the country is suffering from.

President Sisi ratified on May 21, the newly-passed amendments to the Agriculture Law No. 53 of 1966, per which the government will determine the areas to cultivate certain water-intensive crops such as rice and sugarcane, amid the water shortage crisis in order to rationalize water usage. Also, Article 101 of the law stipulates that those who violate the ministerial decrees issued to implement Articles 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Agriculture Law shall be punished with a fine not less than LE 20,000 (about $1,119) and not more than LE 50,000.

On May 2, the Egyptian government agreed to increase the area allocated for rice cultivation by 100,000 feddans (one feddan equals 1.038 acres) for this season only, bringing the total area allocated for rice cultivation to 820,000 feddans, Abdel Latif Khaled, head of irrigation sector in the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources stated. Thus, it is expected that Egypt will produce about 3.3 million tons this year as one feddan produces 4 tons, while Egypt's annual consumption of rice is estimated at 4.3 million tons.

However, the cultivated areas will be shrunk in the coming seasons as a result of water scarcity, given that one feddan of rice consumes 7,000 cubic meters of water.Egypt needs at least 105 billion cubic meters of water annually to cover the needs of more than 90 million citizens. However, it currently has only 60 billion cubic meters, 55.5 billion cubic meters of which come from the Nile and less than 5 billion cubic meters come from non-renewable subterranean water in the desert. The remaining 80 billion cubic meters are covered by the reuse of wastewater.

The average per capita consumption of fresh water declined by 1.5 percent in 2015/2016 as it reached 103.4 cubic meters, compared to 105 cubic meters in 2015/2014, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) data. A further decrease in Egypt's water resources is expected in light of the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which could have a negative impact on Egypt’s Nile water share.

Egypt was the largest rice producer in the Near East region, according to the FAO data in 2004. In the period between 2015 and 2016, the country exported rice with a revenue of $58 million. However, rice export was banned in August 2016 to meet the local demand after shrinking the cultivated areas.

Additional Reporting: Samar Samir 

Blame game over rice price hike

DEEPAK ACHARJEE 
Prices of rice, especially of coarse rice, have risen, while rice millers, importers and traders blame each other for the increase amidst growing dissatisfaction among consumers, especially the poor.  The rice millers, importers and traders are blaming each other for the rising rice prices, although the country has a good buffer stock of rice and adequate availably in the markets.
To bring prices down, the Directorate General of Food has started open market sale (OSM) in different places in metropolitan cities to support low-income groups.Taiyob Ali, a retailer of Mymensing Rice Agency in Mirpur area informed that the prices of rice, especially coarse rice, have risen due to a shortage of supply.“Currently, coarse rice like Guti Swarna and Irri are selling of Tk 42 to Tk 43 per kilogram (Kg) at the retailer level which sold earlier Tk 36 to Tk 37 per kg,” he said.Taiyob Ali informed that the importers almost stopped importing Guti Swarna rice from India due to a rise in tariff, resulting in a shortage.
“As the Guti Swarna is not available in the market, the dealers raised the price of another variety of coarse rice, Irri,” he added.Acting secretary of the food ministry told The Independent that the Finance Division and the commerce ministry had increased the tariff of imported rice to 28 per cent without consultation with the food ministry and the stakeholders.“The authorities concerned should take immediate steps to stabilise the rice market,” he said.He said they had huge quantities of rice in buffer stock to meet existing demands. As of now, there are a total of 10.59 lakh tonnes of rice in the godowns.Md Shah Alam, a rice importer, told this correspondent that the commerce ministry imposed a 28 per cent tariff without consultation with the rice importers. As a result, huge quantities of rice were now awaiting release at different ports.“The government should take steps to release the imported rice immediately to stabilise the rice market,” he said.
At the same time, importers blamed rice mill owners, saying they were hoarding rice to sell them at higher price. This pushed up prices by Tk 2 or Tk 3 per kg.“The law enforcement agencies and the other monitoring bodies should take necessary steps in this regard,” he said.Layek Ali, general secretary of Bangladesh Rice Mill Owners’ Association, told The Independent that they were not hoarding rice any rice. “The retailers are playing tricks to earn money by selling rice at a high rate,” he said.“Prices at the district level were stable, so why should they increase in the metropolitan cities especially in Dhaka?” he asked.“We don’t understand why the prices have risen. There is enough supply of rice in the market against the demand,” he added.
When contacted, Director General of Directorate General of Food Md Arifur Rahman Apu told The Independent that they would continue OMS activities in the metropolitan cities to support the low-income people. Currently, there are a total of 10.59 lakh metric tonnes of rice in the government godowns. The demand of rice is about 2.90 crore tonnes annually.
INDIA'S RICE EXPORTS SET TO EASE AS GOVT RAISES BUYING PRICE
7/10/2018
* India hikes guaranteed prices paid for rice by 13 pct
* Wants to woo farmers ahead of general election next year

* That means Indian rice exports likely to become more
expensive

* Thailand, Vietnam seen gaining market share

By Rajendra Jadhav

MUMBAI, July 10 (Reuters) - India's rice exports are set toease from October as the world's biggest shipper of the grainboosts guaranteed prices that farmers receive for much of theircrop, making new season cargoes expensive compared to supplyfrom rival growers.Lower exports would mean that India loses market share inkey Asian and African markets, traders and industry sourcessaid, with exports from countries such as Thailand, Vietnam andMyanmar likely to fill any gaps.

India on Wednesday raised prices paid to local farmers forcommon grade paddy rice by 13 percent from a year ago to 1,750rupees ($25.50) per 100 kg, with Prime Minister Narendra Modilooking to woo millions of rural poor ahead of a generalelection next year.The government typically buys more than a third of thecountry's rice output at a fixed price, which also has a directimpact on prices paid by traders.
"With this price rise, our exports will become expensive,"said B V Krishna Rao, president of the Rice ExportersAssociation (REA)."The customer base that we have created over a period oftime is going to shift to Thailand and Vietnam."

Exporters were this week offering Indian 5 percent brokenparboiled rice <RI-INBKN5-P1> at $388-$392 per tonne on a freeon board (FOB) basis, nearly the same as prices quoted by Thaiexporters.
But the hike in guaranteed price will force Indian exportersto offer the new season crop at around $430 from October, makingexports uncompetitive, a dealer said. He declined to beidentified as he was not authorised to speak with media.India's rice exports in the 2017/18 fiscal year that endedon March 31 surged 18 percent from the year before to a record12.7 million tonnes on strong demand from Bangladesh and SriLanka.
But that demand has already been hit hard, said Nitin Gupta,             business head of rice at Olam India, with Bangladesh imposing a28 percent tax on rice imports in June to support local farmers.

And Indian states like Chhattisgarh could announceadditional payments to farmers on top of the prices fixed by thecentral government, industry officials said."Chhattisgarh could announce a bonus of around 200 to 300rupees (per 100kg). This will further widen the gap betweenlocal and international prices," said a Mumbai-based dealer witha global trading firm.India uses rice and wheat that it buys from local farmers ata fixed price to supply subsidised food to the poor and meet anyemergency needs.However, Rao of REA said that the government couldeventually be forced to incentivise more overseas rice sales as
its storage gets closer to capacity.

‘Gambia earns $80M in tourism, spent $74M to import rice in 2017’

Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Juldeh Ceesay, a representative of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs has disclosed that The Gambia earned 80 million U.S. Dollars in the tourism last year, saying a total of 74 million U.S. Dollars was spent to import rice in the same year.Ceesay was speaking at the start of two-day stakeholders consultation forum on Regional Rice Value Chain Development Program held at a hotel in Kololi. The forum is a step towards the funding of Mega Rice Development Project in The Gambia by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) with co-financing from the Africa Development Bank (AfDB).
“Therefore, this indicates that increased in rice production would not only ensure food security, but also go a long way in ensuring macro-economic stability including stability of the national currency,” she added.He acknowledged that it is no secret that rice is the country’s staple food and records have it that on average every Gambian consumes 117kg per annum. This, he added, is far above the world average of 56.9kg per annum.“However, while we consume that much rice, our national rice production is just about 17% of our needs leaving us to import more than 80% of our rice needs. The dependency on imports to meet the national rice deficit, in no doubt continues to dispose the food security situation in The Gambia to the vulnerability of volatile global market trends and also depletes our foreign exchange reserves,” he added.With observed trends in the decline of rice production in the country over the years, she urged the consultants to leave no stone unturned in the first step towards solving the country’s rice needs as this forum presents those opportunities.
Ken Johm, a representative from AFDB, described the meeting as very timely and important since rice stands out as a key commodity in many national strategies for food security since the soaring food prices crises in 2006-2008. “The substantial land and fresh water resources in The Gambia presents huge untapped resources within the rice value chain, which can be harnessed for economic development,” he added.The rice sector, he said, has the potential to become an engine for economic growth and development across the country, contributing to eliminating extreme poverty and food insecurity, thereby creating employment opportunities, especially for women and the youth entering job markets.
 Momodou L. Ceesay, a representative of IsDB, emphasised that majority of IDB member countries in sub-Saharan Africa have set themselves the goal of increasing domestic rice production so that they can avoid being dependent on importers. “Because the IDB has received official request from many of member countries in the continent and others have indicated their interest to collaborate with the bank in realising its objective,” he said.
Ceesay disclosed that the programme beneficiary countries include: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Sudan.“The initial estimated investment of the program is USD 300 million of which IDB is expected to finance USD175 million through the Lives and Livelihood Fund (LLF) that includes 30% grant component; USD 25 million from the contributions from the 10 beneficiary countries; USD 100 million from development partners the target direct beneficiaries are two million households. The objective is to develop effective and profit oriented National and Regional Rice Value, Chain enterprises with strong private sector participation and it will invest in infrastructure development, research and development/Science and Technology, Development of Value Chains, capacity building to enhance the enabling policy environment,” he added.
Author: Fatou B. Cham
Philippines Confident Of Meeting Rice Needs
Philippine Rice Producers Have Extended Their Assurance That They Have The Production Capacity To Supply Domestic PNG’s Rice Import Quota.
July 10, 2018
BY MATTHEW VARI
Philippine rice producers have extended their assurance that they have the production capacity to supply domestic PNG’s rice import quota.This follows from the inking of an agricultural cooperation agreement between Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte in May this year
in Manila.Minister for Agriculture Benny Allan announced this while giving an update of the agreement last week in Port Moresby.“One of the things that we believe that will bring in revenue and foreign exchange quickly to address the current (economic) situation we are going through is rice,” Mr Allan said.“Rice we are saying will address and replace the imports that we have. Already there are negotiations and talks between Philippines and Papua New Guinea.“The PM went over to the Philippines and between our prime minister and the president (Duterte) over there they have given an undertaking that Philippines will come and grow rice like any other country.”He said that investors from the Philippines have indicated they can meet the 300,000-400,000 tonnes that the country currently imports from Australia and other countries.“Within five years they can meet that and then anything that they produce in surplus they will buy back. That is the arrangement that they have and some of these investors are serious.“We are now into signing an agriculture cooperation we are working on and getting the legal clearance on the MoA,” Mr Allan said.He said while the Philippines has indicated its interest in the Central Province and Sepik Plains, there are other countries that also have a presence in the country in the rice sector like Australia, Israel, China, New Zealand, India and Korea.

Global Rice Bran Oil Market Key Market 2022 Analysis of Top Manufacturers, Market Share, CAGR, Imports & Exports

July 10, 2018
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