Rice
price remains unaffordable to masses
Despte 400,000 MT of imports
By Ding Cervantes
Jun 09, 2015
ANGELES CITY- The government is set to import 150,000 metric tons
(MT) from Vietnam on top of the earlier approved importation of 250,000 MT,
with an option to purchase another 100,000 MT purportedly to secure rice stocks
in the coming lean months.Despite this, the price of rice has continued to be
out of reach of poor folk in the rural areas amid reports that in urban areas,
rice prices went down, Anakpawis partylist Rep. Fernando Hicap said
yesterday.“Just recently the National Food Authority (NFA) awarded Vietnam
through government- to-government trade deal scheme 150,000 MT.
Also it got an approval for the procurement of another 250,000 MT
and has an option to buy another 100,000 MT ostensibly to secure stocks of rice
in the coming lean months from July to September.But despite the massive
volumes of rice imports, the price of commercial rice in the local market
continues to be put out of reach of ordinary consumers” noted Hicap.Hicap cited
NFA as claiming that the price of rice went down in the market in the past
months. Well milled rice went down from P39.02 to P38.57 per kilo while regular
NFA rice dropped from P35.76 to P35.35 per kilo. Average commercial well milled
rice on the other hand went down from P 42.12 to P41.72 per kilo while regular
milled rice also cut its price from P38.47 to P37.97 per kilogram.But the party
list lawmaker said that this downward trend was limited to some major cities
and towns. The lower rice price is not felt nationwide. “Even these lowered
prices are not readily affordable to the masses.
The P15 wage increase is not even enough for transport fares for
work,” Hicap added.Hicap noted Food Security and Agricultural Modernization
Sec. Francis Pangilinan’s admission that 26 percent of NFA rice goes to the
poor and about 74 percent either goes to waste or illegally converted to
commercial rice by some traders.“Now we are wary that the additional rice
imports of 250,000 MT plus the 805, 000 MT coming from the traders which the
government allowed to be delivered in the 3rd quarter of this year will be used
to manipulate the prices of rice in the market just like what happened in the
past” Hicap said.
“The NFA policy of continuing massive rice importation not only
undermines the development of our local rice industry but is also sending a
very wrong signal that importation is the only answer to rice shortage.In fact
it is using the sorry state of the local rice industry to further advance the
interest of few players in the industry and continuing subservience to one
sided agreements in the World Trade Organization particularly in the
agricultural sector.The only way to secure affordable and sufficient locally
produced rice supply would mean the implementation of genuine agrarian land
reform on top of getting our agriculture out of the WTO” Hicap also said.
http://punto.com.ph/News/Article/22822/Volume-8-No-88/Headlines/Rice-price-remains-unaffordable-to-masses-br-span-style-color-rgb-255-0-0--Despte-400-000-MT-of-imports-span
NFA-Kalinga
buys 16,000 bags of palay from farmers
June 09, 2015 Larry Lopez
Facebook Google + Tweet Email
TABUK CITY, Kalinga, June 9 (PIA) - - The National Food Authority
(NFA) provincial office had bought
16,000 bags of palay from farmers in the
last harvest season (April-May)under its procurement program.
NFA-Kalinga Asst. Manager Ric Baliang reported that the agency has not been so aggressive in its
procurement activity in the past due to higher prices offered by traders until
the last harvest when their buying
rates were lower than NFA’s P17/kg.
The situation however lasted for just a
short time.Meanwhile, NFA provincial office had assured enough stock of rice
for the province in the leans starting June up to September.Based on its latest
inventory, NFA-Kalinga has 54,000 bags of imported rice from Vietnam to meet
the province’s rice requirement for the period.Following NFA’s mandate to
provide sufficient supply of quality cheap buffer in the country, the rice
shall be distributed to target areas in the province through accredited bigasan
outlets, Baliang reported. NFA sells its rice at P27-32/kg but allows bigasan outlets in remote areas to make
reasonable add-on to defray transportation cost. (JDP/LL-PIA CAR, Kalinga)
http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/181433727048/nfa-kalinga-buys-16-000-bags-of-palay-from-farmers#sthash.AMDzCuCr.dpuf
Govt
to sell low-price rice to low-income people
The Nation June 9, 2015 2:16 pm
The government plans to sell low-price rice to low-income people
via special channels, Con Winthai Suvari, spokesman of the National Council for
Peace and Order said Tuesday.The plan was discussed during a joint meeting of
the NCPO and the Cabinet. NCPO chief and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha
ordered government agencies concerned to find channels to distribute low-price
rice to help low-income people, the spokesman added.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Govt-to-sell-low-price-rice-to-low-income-people-30261926.html
Gen.
Chatchai: More study needed before selling stockpiled rice to the public
ไม่มีรายการวีดีโอ
Date : 9 มิถุนายน 2558
BANGKOK, 9 June 2015, (NNT) - Commerce Minister General Chatchai
Sarikalya told news media that further deliberation is needed before the
government can greenlight selling stockpiled rice to the public. The minister
had been referring to Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha’s recent idea to
sell stocked rice at affordable prices. He stressed that the proposal is in its
infancy, and more careful study and discussions with related agencies are
required. These agencies include the Public Warehouse Organization, the Market
Organization for Farmers, and other agencies under the ministry of Commerce. He
reiterated that the ministry would only sell good quality rice to the public,
of which there are two million tons in government silos.
http://thainews.prd.go.th/centerweb/newsen/NewsDetail?NT01_NewsID=WNECO5806090010003#sthash.AFFBwQ24.dpuf
Program aims
to boost rice resilience to climate change
Tue, 9 June 2015
As climate change increases the severity of droughts and floods
across the Kingdom, a push is being made for farmers to adopt more resistant
rice varieties.The Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute
launched a USAID-financed project in Phnom Penh yesterday in a bid to
“accelerate the adoption of stress-tolerant rice varieties by smallholder
farmers”.The project will last three years and be implemented in both Cambodia
and Nepal, with each country allocated $3 million.“Drought and flood are the
two biggest constraints to rice production,” IRRI representative Dule Zhao told
the Post yesterday.“Now that we have a lot of flooding problems, if the [seed]
variety we are using is not stress tolerant then the damage will be much
bigger.”The project will aim to train farmers, seed companies, and farmers’
associations to use better quality seeds for their crop.One thousand farmers
will be selected across the country and given a small amount of seed free of
charge, with one of the main goals being in-house production of quality
Cambodian seeds.
“Most of the farmers, they use their own stored seed – they just
use their seed from the previous crop,” Zhao said.Thy Sokhun, secretary of
state at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, said at the
project’s unveiling in Phnom Penh yesterday that over one million hectares of
farmland were damaged by drought and floods from 2011 to 2013.“Considering the
potential impacts of global warming and climate change, damage attributable to
floods and droughts is expected to become more severe,” he said.Despite the
increasing impact of such factors, Cambodian farms remain vulnerable due to a
lack of quality seed production and dissemination, according to Sokhun.“The
primary reasons for the rather slow pace of advancement of the production and
marketing of rice seed are that these are relatively unprofitable activities
that are unattractive to private investors”, he said.
Abdelbagi Ismail, principal scientist at the IRRI, said that
Cambodia’s initial advantage in overcoming a lack of seed varieties was its
open economy and strong links to Thailand and Vietnam, which respectively rank
as the second and third largest exporters worldwide.But Ismail said that as
farmland gets gobbled up by construction projects and Cambodia’s population
continues to increase, the Kingdom’s rice fields need to become more productive
to compete.“Cambodia has to develop its own markets, and Cambodia has to
develop its own brand.”Although Cambodia is the world’s fifth-largest rice
exporter, the country’s average rice yield per hectare stands at a relatively
low 3.2 tonnes, while neighbouring Vietnam’s is at around 5 tonnes, according
to the Agriculture Ministry. The Cambodian government plans to export one
million tonnes of rice this year, a massive increase from the less than 400,000
tonnes that were exported in 2014.
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/program-aims-boost-rice-resilience-climate-change
Viet
Nam wins Philippines' rice supply deal
Accordingly, 150,000 tonnes of rice, of which 25 per
cent is broken white rice, from Viet Nam will be shipped to the Philippines on
July 15. — File Photo
HA NOI (VNS) — Viet Nam won a bid for rice supply
to the Philippines late last week, with an offer of US$410.12 per tonne,
according to the Philippines' National Food Authority (NFA).Accordingly,
150,000 tonnes of rice, of which 25 per cent is broken white rice, from Viet
Nam will be shipped to the Philippines on July 15. Earlier, the NFA invited Cambodia, Thailand, and Viet Nam to take
part in bidding for 250,000 tonnes of rice supply to the country in accordance
with intergovernmental contracts. Cambodia did not participate in the
bidding.Bilateral deals allow the Philippines to import rice from Thailand,
Viet Nam, and Cambodia under intergovernmental contracts.Last year, the
Philippines imported 1.5 million tonnes of rice. — VNS
http://vietnamnews.vn/economy/271451/viet-nam-wins-philippines-rice-supply-deal.html
El Nino
data point toward 1997 pattern: Australia
All five Nino indices are at
least plus 1.2 degrees Celsius above-normal, says Australia’s Bureau of
Meteorology
Countries that are vulnerable to an El Nino-related inflation
outbreak include India, Indonesia and the Philippines, according to an analysis
by Citigroup. Photo: PTI
El Nino warming Pacific, data point toward 1997-98 pattern:
Australia
Melbourne: The
El Nino developing in the Pacific keeps sending signs reminiscent of the most
severe event in 1997-98, according to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, which
said that recent data point toward a pattern that’ll last all year.The 2015 El
Nino, the first since 2010, continues to develop and models suggest further
warming of the tropical Pacific is likely, the bureau said on Tuesday in a fortnightly
update. Sea-surface temperatures are forecast to remain above El Nino
thresholds for the remainder of the year, it said.
“All five Nino
indices are at least plus 1.2 degrees Celsius above-normal,” the bureau said.
“It is unusual to have such a broad extent of warmth across the tropical
Pacific; this has not been seen since the El Nino event of 1997-98.”The 1997-98
event was the strongest on record, according to the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, which described the impact of that event as
spectacular, stretching from Indonesia to Chile and the US. The weather
patterns can scorch Asia as temperatures rise, hurting crops from rice to
coffee and palm oil, while crimping the hurricane season in the Atlantic and
bringing cooler, wetter summers to the US.All five sea-surface indexes in the
tropical Pacific exceeded plus 1 degree Celsius, the Australian bureau said in
the last update on 26 May, adding that that’s the first time it’s occurred
since the 1997-98 El Nino.
Food costs
El Ninos are caused by periodic warmings of the
Pacific, and they can spur turmoil as farmers contend with drought or too much
rain. Their impact can drive faster inflation across Asia as food costs rise,
and may also extend to metals markets.Countries that are vulnerable to an El
Nino-related inflation outbreak include India, Indonesia and the Philippines,
according to an analysis by Citigroup Inc. In India, forecasters said this
month that the event may hurt this year’s monsoon, potentially undermining farm
output. That could damage the country’s demand for gold, according to ABN Amro
Group NV.All eight international models indicated the central Pacific will warm
further, the Australian bureau said. The models indicated El Nino thresholds
may be exceeded at least until the end of the year, it said.A sea-surface
temperature map for the week to 7 June clearly showed the pattern in the
Pacific, with a warm tongue extending from the South American coastline, the
bureau said. The tongue extended past the international dateline, it said. Bloomberg
India, Iran to boost trade in
agricultural-commodities
Tuesday, 9 June 2015 - 7:58pm IST | Place: New Delhi
| Agency: PTI
India and Iran have agreed to enhance cooperation in
the agriculture sector and promote trade in farm commodities, including rice,
wheat and oilseeds.
India and Iran have agreed to enhance cooperation in
the agriculture sector and promote trade in farm
commodities, including rice, wheat and oilseeds.On Monday, Agriculture Minister
Radha Mohan Singh met his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Hojjati on the sidelines
of the Food and agriculture (FAO) conference in Rome.It was agreed that efforts
would also be made to put in place an institutional framework to improve
cooperation in the field of agriculture between the two countries, the
Agriculture Ministry said in a statement today.
"During the meeting, the two sides agreed to make efforts to
enhance cooperation in field of agriculture particularly to boost
trade in various commodities of mutual interest including rice,
wheat, oilseeds etc," the statement added.The ministers of both countries
have also decided to cooperate in agricultural research, mutual capacity
building, technical collaboration in fisheries, cooperation in seed and fodder
development etc.In a separate meeting, Singh also called on FAO Director
General Jose Graziano da silva, and shared with him measures being taken by the
government to improve conditions of the Indian farmers.FAO also agreed to
participate and provide technical assistance in conservation and promotion of
indigenous cattle breeds through India's Gokul mission, the statement
added.
http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report-india-iran-to-boost-trade-in-agricultural-commodities-2093984
Iraq recaptures some grain silos seized by
Islamic State
LONDON |
Iraq has re-taken control of some
grain silos previously seized by Islamic State, but most of the grain held
cannot be used as militants aim to destroy sites when retreating, a senior
grain official said on Tuesday.Islamic State, the breakaway al Qaeda group,
which declared an Islamic caliphate across parts of Syria and Iraq last summer,
has seized fertile areas and controls territory that normally produces
significant quantities of Iraq's wheat crop.
Saad al Hamdinee, general
manager, Grain Board of Iraq, told Reuters the Iraqi government had taken
control of grain facilities in areas including the town of al-Alam, which
produced 60,000 tonnes, and a site in the northern Iraqi city of Samarra, which
produced around 120,000 tonnes of grain."When the terrorists leave any
area they try to destroy the infrastructure there," he said on the
sidelines of a grains conference in London."All the wheat in the silos -
we could not make any use of it because they are destroyed," he said via a
translator.
Hamdinee said Iraqi authorities
aimed to salvage facilities whenever it was possible."For example a silo
in Tikrit has been destroyed in a way we can't rebuild it again," he
said.Al-Alam is close to Tikrit, which was the home city of executed former
president Saddam Hussein.Hamdinee had no data on the total amount of grain
Islamic State had under its control."We have several provinces that are
beyond the control of the government under the control of a terrorist organization.
We shall take over them," he said.
WHEAT PRODUCTION
He said Iraq expects to produce
3.5 million tonnes of wheat this year as the country attempts to boost
output."This year in particular our expectation of local production of
wheat is 3.5 million tonnes," Hamdinee told the International Grains
Council (IGC) conference.He said this was "in accordance to our plans put
in place over the last two years."Hamdinee said Iraq still expected to
import 1 million tonnes of wheat this year, in line with the previous year,
which will be blended with domestic production.
"We need to import because the bread they use to bake in
Iraq needs high gluten. Our wheat is low gluten," he said.The IGC has
forecast Iraq's wheat imports in the 2015-16 season at 3.4 million tonnes,
versus 2.7 million in 2014-15. The IGC forecast wheat production at 2.0 million
tonnes in 2015/16 versus 3.0 million in 2014-15.The U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) put consumption at 6.3 million tonnes in 2015/16, down
slightly from 6.5 million in 2014/15.Hamdinee said its production numbers did
not "represent all provinces of Iraq" due to the control of areas by
Islamic State. "When we re-control these areas, the figures will be
up," he said.Hamdinee said Iraq's grain board normally imported wheat from
the United States, Australia, Canada, Russia and Romania, while it imported
rice from South America, the United States, India, Pakistan and Thailand.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/09/us-iraq-grains-idUSKBN0OP1XX20150609
Goodyear Reaches Supply Agreements for Rice Husk Ash Silica
Published: June 9, 2015 9:00 a.m. ET
0New Source of Silica Will Debut
in Fuel Max Tire for the Chinese Market
AKRON, Ohio, June 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Goodyear Tire
& Rubber CompanyGT, +1.50% has reached a supply agreement with Yihai Food and Oil Industry
in China for silica derived from rice husk ash. Goodyear will begin using the
silica this year in a consumer tire that will be manufactured in its factory in
Pulandian, China, and sold in China.Goodyear has tested silica derived from
rice husk ash over the past two years at its Innovation Center in Akron and
found its impact on tire performance to be equal to traditional
sources."Sustainability is a cornerstone of Goodyear's innovation
efforts," said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard J. Kramer.
"This new silica benefits the environment in many ways: It
reduces waste going into landfills; it requires less energy to produce; and it
helps make tires more fuel efficient."Each year, more than 700 million
tons of rice are harvested worldwide, according to the Food and Agricultural
Organization of the United Nations, and disposing of the rice husks is an
environmental challenge. As a result, husks often are burned to generate
electricity and reduce the amount of waste shipped to landfills. While this ash
has been converted to silica for several years, only these most recent
processes created a silica of a high enough grade to use in tires.Silica is used
as a reinforcing agent in tire tread compounds. Compared to carbon black, a
traditional reinforcing agent for tires, silica reduces rolling resistance.
Lower rolling resistance, in turn, improves a car's fuel
economy. It also can have a positive impact on a tire's traction on wet
surfaces.In addition to the agreement with Yihai, Goodyear is negotiating
agreements with additional suppliers. Financial details of the agreements are
not being released.To learn more about Goodyear's commitment to the environment,
visit its corporate responsibility website at http://www.goodyear.com/responsibility.Goodyear is
one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs approximately 67,000
people and manufactures its products in 50 facilities in 22 countries around
the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio and Colmar-Berg,
Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set
the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information
about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/goodyear-reaches-supply-agreements-for-rice-husk-ash-silica-2015-06-09
Community nurseries likely
solution for paddy farmers if rains are delayed
By Sutanuka Ghosal, ET Bureau | 9 Jun, 2015, 05.23AM IST
Monsoon rains, which started a little late in Kerala on June 5, are
yet to arrive in eastern India, the main area for rice cultivation.
KOLKATA: Paddy farmers in the country may have to opt for community
nurseries and direct seeding in case of insufficient rains by June 15, said Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI). Monsoon rains,
which started a little late in Kerala on June 5, are yet to arrive in eastern
India, the main area for rice cultivation. To review the crop situation, a team
from the agriculture ministry will meet agricultural department officials of
the seven eastern states that come under the Bringing Green Revolution to
Eastern India (BGREI) scheme on June 11 to prepare a contingency plan if rains
are delayed or insufficient for preparing paddy nurseries and transplantation
of saplings.
West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh come under the BGREI scheme, under which they produce an average 55 million tonne, or over half the rice produced in the country. The average was 42.6 million tonne before the scheme was introduced. "It is true that monsoon has been delayed this time, raising concerns among the farming community.But the situation can improve any moment if rains lash the paddy-growing regions of the country that are particularly rain-fed," said Trilochan Mohapatra, director, CRRI. "For instance, in places like Punjab and Haryana, farmers have started preparing nurseries as they generally depend on irrigation for farming purpose.
" According to Mohapatra, farmers start preparing paddy
nurseries from the end of May and the exercise continues till middle of June.
Transplantation of saplings starts from the first week of July. But this may
not be so this year, as most parts of the paddy-growing areas have not received
good rains. "That is why we are asking farmers to prepare community
nurseries rather than going in for individual nurseries that will require more
water. If there are some irrigation facilities available, they should join
their hands and raise nurseries there," he said. Mohapatra suggested
"direct seeding", which requires less water. Directly seeded paddy tends
to mature faster than transplanted crop. In this method, plants are not
subjected to stress.
With FTA
talks set to start, EU seeks to tap Indian middle class
EU director general for trade
Jean-Luc Demarty wants more access for the bloc’s automobiles and wines
Commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Photo: Pradeep
Gaur/Mint
The European Union (EU) is targeting the rich Indian
middle class for enhanced market access in automobiles, wines and spirits, and
cheese as Brussels and New Delhi kickstart stalled negotiations for a free
trade agreement in goods, services, investment and public procurement.“We want
market access for our automobiles and wines and spirits,” said Jean-Luc
Demarty, the EU’s director general for trade.After attending a bilateral
meeting between EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom and
Indian commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman in
Paris on 4 June on the margins of the annual Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) meeting, Demarty said the stage is now set
for a senior-level officials meeting between the two sides.
Malmstrom and Sitharaman have directed their senior
officials present at the meeting to start talks on all outstanding issues in
the free trade agreement.The talks will begin after the new Indian commerce
secretary-designate,Rita A. Teaotia, takes
over from her predecessor Rajiv Kher, who retired at
the end of this month, Demarty said.Negotiations for the trade agreement talks
began in 2007 when the then commerce minister Kamal Nath and
his EU counterpart Peter Mandelsondecided to
embark on a comprehensive deal covering all areas in goods, services and public
procurement in both the markets.But the negotiations stuck many dead ends on
both sides due to differences on issues of market access in goods and services
as well as the demands made by Brussels in areas such as intellectual property
rights, trade and environment, and trade and labour.
Close on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit
to France and Germany, there is a renewed push from New Delhi to close the gaps
to ensure that the agreement could act as a launching pad for investment in
various ‘Make in India’ initiatives, analysts said.The EU reckons India as an
important trade partner and is now eyeing a “sizeable and growing market of
more than 1 billion people,” said a former Indian government official, who
asked not to be quoted.The two-way trade between the EU and India was estimated
at around €72.5 billion in 2014 while the EU’s investment stock in India was
€34.7 billion in 2013. Trade in commercial services quadrupled during the last
10 years, increasing from €5.2 billion in 2002 to €23.7 billion in 2013, according
to an EU official release.
The EU wants auto and auto-parts import tariffs, which
are placed in a select sensitive list in India, to be brought into an open list
with very low or nil import duty. Brussels had also proposed “zero-for-zero”
duties for auto parts.The Indian domestic industry in auto parts is concerned
about reducing the tariffs to zero. India had rejected the EU’s zero-for-zero
demand because of the harmful impact it would have on the Indian domestic
auto-parts producers.India had maintained that it will not reduce the import
tariffs below the current applied level of close to 10%, the official said.The
EU also wants substantial access for wines to serve the rising middle-class
consumers in India. New Delhi had agreed to give a tariff rate quota for
guaranteed access at a minimum rate. But Brussels is not satisfied with the
minimum price as it wants access at the actual price at which wines are sold in
European markets.On brown spirits, too, the EU wants the same treatment,
namely, market access in the Indian market at actual European
prices.Effectively, the EU’s demands on wines and spirits amount to foregoing
huge customs revenue, said another former Indian official.In services, the EU
wants liberal access in insurance, banking, and retail trade.
With the Modi government’s latest insurance sector
reforms, Brussels’ concerns are almost adequately addressed, the former Indian
official said. But in banking there will be a demand for a higher level of
participation in the Indian banking sector, according to the official.The EU
also wants easy access for legal services professionals, a no-go area for
India.On the other hand, despite its ambitious market-opening demands for
access in capital-intensive services in India, the EU is not so forthcoming to
provide liberal access to Indian short-terms services providers in Mode 4 or
even in Mode 1 involving supply of services from one country to the other.
The EU also wants India to agree to a higher level of
protection for intellectual property rights over and above the minimum
standards in the World Trade Organization’s trade-related intellectual property
rights agreement (TRIPS).The EU, for example, wants data exclusivity for its
pharmaceutical producers to ensure that when the patent protection expires
after the requisite protection period of 20 years, the generic companies
generate their own data before they market those off-patented drugs.Brussels is
also demanding a higher level of compliance in line with its Geographical
Indication notifications and registration of wines and other products. The EU
has also demanded substantial access for its cheese products but is unwilling
to provide the same treatment to Indian sugar, basmati rice and mangoes, the
official said.
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Jun 09
Nagpur,
June 9 Gram and tuar prices recovered in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and
Marketing
Committee (APMC) here on good demand from local millers amid weak supply from
producing
regions. Notable hike on NCDEX, weak overseas arrival and repeated enquiries
from
South-based
millers also jacked up prices, according to sources.
* * * *
FOODGRAINS & PULSES
GRAM
* Gram varieties ruled stead in open market
here but demand was poor.
TUAR
* Tuar gavarani firmed up in open market
here on increased demand from local traders
amid thin supply from producing
regions.
* Batri dal reported strong in open market
here on increased seasonal demand from
local traders amid weak supply from
producing belts.
* In Akola, Tuar - 7,300-7,700, Tuar dal -
10,100-10,500, Udid at 9,100-9,600,
Udid Mogar (clean) - 10,700-11,100, Moong
- 9,000-9,200, Moong Mogar
(clean) 10,700-11,100, Gram - 4,200-4,500,
Gram Super best bold - 6,100-6,300
for 100 kg.
* Wheat, rice and other commodities remained
steady in open market in poor trading
activity, according to sources.
Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market
prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close
Gram Auction 3,600-4,525 3,500-4,500
Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction 6,000-7,380 6,000-7,300
Moong Auction n.a. 6,000-6,300
Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800
Gram Super Best Bold 6,200-6,500 6,200-6,500
Gram Super Best n.a.
Gram Medium Best 5,800-6,000 5,800-6,000
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a.
Gram Mill Quality 5,500-5,650 5,500-5,650
Desi gram Raw 4,500-4,600 4,500-4,600
Gram Filter new 6,000-6,100 6,000-6,100
Gram Kabuli 5,400-6,900 5,400-6,900
Gram Pink 6,400-6,600 6,400-6,600
Tuar Fataka Best 10,500-10,800 10,500-10,800
Tuar Fataka Medium 9,900-10,300 9,900-10,300
Tuar Dal Best Phod 9,500-9,700 9,500-9,700
Tuar Dal Medium phod 8,800-9,300 8,800-9,300
Tuar Gavarani New 7,400-7,500 7,350-7,450
Tuar Karnataka 8,000-8,100 8,000-8,100
Tuar Black 10,900-11,200 10,900-11,200
Masoor dal best 8,000-8,200 8,000-8,200
Masoor dal medium 7,500-7,900 7,500-7,900
Masoor n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold 10,800-11,000 10,800-11,000
Moong Mogar Medium best 10,000-10,500 10,000-10,500
Moong dal Chilka 9,500-9,800 9,500-9,800
Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 9,600-9,900 9,600-9,900
Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 11,400-11,700 11,400-11,700
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 10,500-10,800 10,500-10,800
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 8,800-9,100 8,800-9,100
Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 4,200-4,400 4,100-4,300
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 3,300-3,350 3,300-3,350
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,500 3,400-3,500
Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,150 3,100-3,150
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 3,600-4,500 3,600-4,500
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,400-1,600 1,400-1,600
Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG) 1,550-1,750 1,550-1,750
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,400-1,600 1,400-1,600
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,450 2,200-2,450
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,800-1,950 1,800-1,950
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,700 3,100-3,700
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,000 2,800-3,000
Wheat 147 (100 INR/KG) 1,400-1,500 1,400-1,500
Wheat Best (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,200 2,000-2,200
Rice BPT New(100 INR/KG) 2,700-2,850 2,700-2,850
Rice BPT (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,200 3,000-3,200
Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,850 1,600-1,850
Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,450 2,100-2,450
Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,800 2,500-2,800
Rice HMT new(100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,600 3,100-3,600
Rice HMT (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,200 3,800-4,200
Rice HMT Shriram New(100 INR/KG) 4,100-4,500 4,100-4,500
Rice HMT Shriram old (100 INR/KG) 4,500-5,000 4,500-5,000
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,200-10,200 8,200-10,200
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,000-7,200 6,000-7,200
Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 4,700-4,900 4,700-4,900
Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG) 5,500-6,000 5,500-6,000
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,450 2,200-2,450
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,600 2,500-2,600
WEATHER
(NAGPUR)
Maximum
temp. 402.6 degree Celsius (108.7 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.
28.9
degree Celsius (84.0 degree Fahrenheit)
Humidity:
Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.
Rainfall
: nil
FORECAST:
Partly cloudy sky. Rains or thunder-showers likely towards evening or night.
Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 41 and 29 degree Celsius
respectively.
Note:
n.a.--not available
(For
oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market
prices.)
Bankruptcy feared: Rice millers
seek TCP's, Passco's intervention
June 09, 2015
Mills Association (PRMA) on Monday urged the government to direct
Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and Pakistan Agriculture Storage Service
Corporation (Passco) to intervene in the market by purchasing rice from
rice-shellers to enable them to repay their bank loans. Mukhtar Ahmed Khan Baloch, Chairman PRMA, while speaking at a
press conference said that 75 percent of mill owners had purchased rice by
using loans from banks at high mark-up rates. "In case the government does
not intervene in the market till June 30, 75 percent of rice mills would become
bankrupt," he says.
He said the government needed to bailout sinking rice sector,
otherwise rice-shellers would be unable to purchase paddy from farmers in the
next season. Due to current situation the future of thousands of rice mill
workers and their families was at stake as owners had no money to pay their
wages, he said. Baloch said 75 percent of rice mills had failed to sell rice in
last two years as a result they were unable to clear their bank liabilities and
were unable to pay high mark-up to the banks. "The government needs to declare rice-shellers a sick
industry and direct all banks through State Banks of Pakistan (SBP) to waive
off the bank interest and direct TCP and Passco to purchase rice from them.
The government should
direct the TCP to co-operate with the millers by making all the necessary
arrangements to export rice, thus enabling the millers to repay their bank
loans and other liabilities," he said. Baloch said that due to the government's poor policies, over 0.4
million tons of super kernel baamati rice was still lying in different
warehouses across the country. He said they had purchased rice at Rs 2,600 per
maund in 2013-14. "After polishing and processing, the cost came to Rs
5,500 per maund. However, nobody is
willing to purchase the rice at that price," he said. He said the
situation was turning against Pakistan and in favour of India which had
introduced its own brand. Indian rice was cheaper due to hidden subsidies, as a
result Pakistan had lost Iranian and Middle Eastern markets, he said. He also
urged the government to increase rice exports to Iran.
http://www.brecorder.com/agriculture-a-allied/183/1194300/
USA Rice's Whole Grain Wins Excellence in Publishing Award ARLINGTON, VA
The 27th Annual
APEX Awards for Publication Excellence have been announced, and the USA Rice
Federation's quarterly tabloid Whole Grain has been named a winner. The APEX
awards are a highly competitive business communications contest sponsored by
the editors of Writer's Web Watch and the Writing that Works
Archives."APEX 2015 awards were based on excellence in graphic design,
editorial content and the success of the entry-in the opinion of the judges-in
achieving overall communications effectiveness and excellence," the contest
sponsors said in a release. "Each year, the quality of entries increases.
Overall, this year's entries displayed an extraordinary level of quality.
The APEX judges saw only the most promising publications that
professional communicators could enter. From them, they had the truly difficult
task of selecting the award-winning entries." This year's contest saw more
than 1,850 entries across 11 major categories and 100 subcategories. There were
390 entries in the magazines, journals, and tabloids category and nonprofit
grand award winners included the Civil War Trust's fall edition of Hallowed
Ground and Ruffed Grouse Society Magazine."Being recognized by writing and
design professionals from amongst so many high level entrants is very
gratifying," said Michael Klein, USA Rice's vice president of marketing
and communication.
Klein said Whole Grain was conceived last year as a replacement for
USA Rice's annual report, but has quickly grown in scope and reach."In
addition to covering USA Rice programs and activities, we're pursuing original
reporting and developing feature content," he said. "We also grow our
subscriber base with each issue. We sent out more than 22,000 copies of the May
Whole Grain to rice farmers, landowners, mills, and others in all six rice-producing
states."If you would like to receive hard copies of Whole Grain, or to
learn about advertising opportunities, email USA Rice's communications team.
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CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
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CME Group
(Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for June 9
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The
Difference between Brown Rice and White Rice
When it comes to rice, looks are deceiving. Chefs and
food stylists like the attractive, photogenic qualities of fluffy white rice.
Brown rice, however, when compared to white rice, wins as the superior choice
for a number of other reasons. Much research concludes that color is not the
only factor that separates these two types of rice. Brown rice and white rice
are different in some very important ways that can affect your health.
White Rice: Diabetic Risks
Diabetics are often warned about the link between eating white rice and bringing on a rapid rise in blood sugar levels. The message is that if you are a diabetic or are at risk, stay away from white rice. Medical experts advocate replacing white rice with brown rice if you have diabetes.
Brown Rice: Fiber Advantages
Brown rice has more fiber than white rice, and the difference is due to the way both types are processed. White rice is brown rice that has gone through some changes in the milling process. With brown rice, only the husk is removed. White rice is polished and pre-cooked or parboiled. The bran is also removed. The bran is kept intact in brown rice, and that bran gives you a healthy dose of fiber.Brown rice contains nutrients like magnesium, manganese and zinc. White rice has less amounts of these nutrients, but is fortified with iron and some B vitamins. Brown rice is the only form of the grain that contains vitamin E.
Global Call for Brown Rice
The difference between brown rice and white rice is taking on global importance, because aid agencies have become more aware of nutrition deficiencies in poorer nations where rice is often a diet staple. Research groups and aid agencies are saying that, in these countries, the consumption of brown, or as they call it, whole-grain rice instead of white rice should be encouraged.
Casting Your Vote
No matter what more is said about the wholesome goodness of brown rice, you may still find times when white rice is your preference over brown rice. White rice is, after all, versatile in that it easily accommodates the flavors of other ingredients in a recipe, whereas brown rice has a distinctive nut-like flavor that may overpower rather than blend in with other ingredients. If you are otherwise healthy, feel free to eat modest portions of white rice occasionally. If you have days where you suffer bloating or indigestion, you may find that you can digest white rice more easily than brown rice, because of the latter's fiber-rich density.Cooking times vary between brown and white rice, so convenience may be another advantage for white rice. Preparation of the white variety takes about 15 to 20 minutes to cook. Whole-grain brown rice takes a bit longer and requires more water in the pot.
Source: fitday.com
http://www.gbcghana.com/1.4332781
Hunted in China, once abundant bird species could be wiped out
like passenger pigeons
June 9, 2015 09:55 BST
The Yellow-breasted Bunting Emberiza aureola was once
distributed over vast areas of Europe and Asia, its range stretching from
Finland to Japan. But unsustainable rates of hunting, principally in China,
have contributed to not only a catastrophic loss of numbers, but also in the
areas in which it can now be found.Massive hunting, mostly in China, has driven
populations of a bird species down by 90% and has shrunk their range
drastically.The yellow-breasted bunting, called the rice bird in China, was
once Eurasia's most abundant bird species with a range stretching from Finland
to Japan.
The
unsustainable rate of hunting has retracted its range by 5000kms since 1980 a
new study shows. It could well end up wiped out like the passenger pigeons,
which were hunted out early last century."The magnitude and speed of the
decline is unprecedented among birds distributed over such a large area, with
the exception of the Passenger Pigeon, which went extinct in 1914 due to
industrial-scale hunting", said Dr Johannes Kamp from the University of
Münster, the lead author of the paper. "High levels of hunting also appear
to be responsible for the declines we are seeing in Yellow-breasted Bunting.
"The
birds breed north of the Himalayas and spend their winters in warmer southeast
Asia, passing through eastern China where they have been hunted for more than
2,000 years, according to BirdLife International.The songbird, which nests on
the ground in open scrubs, is distinctive in its yellow underparts.During
migration and on the wintering grounds, they gather in huge flocks at night
making it easy for hunters to trap them in large numbers.The bird, which was of
"least concern" until 2004, was classified in 2013 by the
International Union for the Conservation of Nature as an "endangered"
species.
Hunting
of the species was banned in China since 1997 but millions of yellow-breasted buntingsand
other songbirds continue to be killed for meat and sold in the black market as
seen a couple of years ago.Once restricted to a small area of southern China,
hunting of the bird has now become more widespread and popular owing to
increasing affluence, and hunters now travel widely to find sufficient birds,
according to IUCN.Rather than the poor it is the wealthy who are feasting on
the rice bird. "They have become a fancy dish among comparatively wealthy
people," the researchers said.
The
Convention on Migratory Species has agreed to develop an international action
plan for the recovery of the yellow-breasted bunting throughout its range by
2017."To reverse these declines we need to better educate people of the
consequences of eating wildlife. We also need a better and more efficient reporting
system for law enforcement", said Simba Chan, senior conservation officer
at BirdLife International. Chan believes that growing numbers of birdwatchers
in China can be enlisted to curb the hunting.
Published
in the journal Conservation Biology the study suggests that the story of the
yellow-breasted bunting is evidence of wider problems for common Asian birds,
calling for more studies.However, a new agreement between China, Japan,
Republic of Korea and Russia is a first step in developing a coordinated monitoring
of migratory birds across the region.The yellow-breasted bunting Emberiza
aureola species has all but disappeared from Eastern Europe, European Russia,
large parts of Western and Central Siberia, and Japan.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/hunted-china-abundant-bird-species-could-be-wiped-out-like-passenger-pigeons-1505147
Cornell Researchers Awarded $1.3M NSF Grant to Study Genetics of
Rice Traits
Jun 09, 2015
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NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Researchers from Cornell University have
received a $1.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to identify
and study DNA sequences responsible for key traits in rice in order to
facilitate their use in crop improvement.Despite the growing availability of
new DNA analysis technologies, identifying quantitative trait loci — key
determinants of crop productivity — remains a key challenge facing the
agrigenomics space, according to the grant's abstract.To address this, Cornell
researcher Adam Bogdanove and colleagues aim to isolate rice DNA sequences
associated with three key crop characteristics — disease resistance, disease
susceptibility, and tolerance to acid soils — and examine their effects when
transferred into rice varieties that show low levels of these traits.
The effort will combine existing genotypic and phenotypic data,
computational methods, and recently released genome sequences for 3,000 rice accessions, with genome editing
to functionally evaluate isolated genetic polymorphism in new genetic
backgrounds, the abstract states. "Co-variation will also be examined for
each trait to test for genetic background effects on allele viability, and in
the case of disease susceptibility and resistance, allelic variation in
pathogen-targeted genes will be queried for evidence of purifying or positive
selection."Findings from the four-year grant, which began on May 1, are
expected to improve the overall understanding of plant resistance to biotic and
abiotic stresses, assist in developing new methods to enhance such resistance,
and add to the growing body of data stemming from the NSF's Plant Genome
Research Program.
https://www.genomeweb.com/research-funding/cornell-researchers-awarded-13m-nsf-grant-study-genetics-rice-traits
India is one among the 15 leading exporters of
agricultural products in the world with significant exports of cotton, rice,
meat, oil meals and sugar. But crop yield woes pose major threat to the farm
sector.
09 Jun 2015
Commodity Online
Sustaining an overall agricultural growth rate of about 4 percent over long years is a major challenge India has to confront in the face of stagnating productivity levels. The problem is aggravated by increasing abiotic and biotic stresses which constrain crop yields. Radha Mohan Singh, Union Agriculture Minister, said India need to focus on research products that can provide the country with break through in yields which can be made accessible and affordable for different categories of farmers and for this purpose there is an urgent need to further strengthen the CGIAR institutions to generate technology innovations that can be further up-scaled by national agricultural research systems.
Agriculture continues to be a vital
component of India’s economy contributing over 16 per cent of India’s GDP in
2014-15 and providing employment to the majority (55%) of its population.
Indian agriculture has achieved self sufficiency and today takes pride in not
only meeting the needs of our population but also playing a major role in
agricultural trade. India is one among the 15 leading
exporters of agricultural products in the world with significant exports of
cotton, rice, meat, oil meals and sugar. Export competitiveness has also been
developed in specialized agricultural products like basmati rice, guar gum and
castor. “India has to support 17% of the world’s
population on just 2.4% of its geographical area and we are conscious of our
need for sustainable agricultural development keeping the interest of future
generations in mind,” the minister said.
APEDA News (India)
Price
on: 09-06-2015
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