Rice News Headlines...
·
Rice sector lands in multiple crises
·
High input cost for paddy
cultivation leaves little for farmers in Odisha
·
Basmati fetches low prices, growers
allege cartelization
·
National rice brand: Vietnam’s
choice of jasmine rice controversial
·
Japonica rice considered for
national brand development
·
Agriculture Minister: Indonesia Has
Backup of Imported Rice
·
U.S. rice group urges Japan to open
retail market
·
Ghana to have a National Rice Development
Strategy
·
Reversal of rice import prohibition
and its consequences
·
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices
Open-November 02
·
Farm Bureau Market Report 11/02/2015
·
Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity
Report
·
USA Rice and Partners in Mexico
Refine Promotions
·
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices
Open-November 03
News Detail...
Mars Food Partners with the Sustainable Rice
Platform
11/02/2015
In much of the world, we take
rice for granted. We’ve got canisters of it in our cupboards, and it’s readily
available in our stores. Indeed, we can take it or leave it as part of our
daily meals.But for billions of people around the globe, rice is the only thing
standing between a full stomach and going to bed hungry. For millions of
farmers, it’s the only difference between a decent wage and destitution – and
the only thing keeping their children alive. But with the world’s population
expanding towards ten billion in the next 40 years, we face a very real threat:
there may not be enough rice to go around.Demand for rice is predicted to double
by 2050, but producers – many of whom are smallholder farmers – can’t keep up.
And simply growing more rice
isn’t an option. Rice production is having a troubling effect on the
environment, in terms of both water use and emissions.This week, the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) – of which Mars, Incorporated is a proud member –
launched the first-ever global standard for sustainable rice. Everyone in the
rice supply chain will be able to use this standard to reduce the environmental
footprint of growing rice and improve the lives of rice farmers.Kristin Hughes,
Mars Food’s Global Director of Nutrition & Wellness and Sustainability,
explained our role and how we will use the new standard: “We helped shape the
SRP standard and we will be using it to sustainably source 100% of our rice by
2020. We’ve already started to pilot the SRP standard in India and Pakistan.
Partnering with Bayer CropScience
and the International Rice Research Institute, we invested in a controlled
farming program in Pakistan, and are now rolling it out to parts of India. The
key has been offering incentives to farmers to take part – we can then provide
training and support on how to make their farms more sustainable. It’s a
win-win for all involved.”Kristin spoke at the SRP’s 5th Annual Plenary and
General Assembly in Manila this week. The SRP was created in 2011 to identify
and promote practices that can reduce the impact of rice production on the
environment, making it more sustainable for years to come.
The new standard is made up of 46
requirements organized under eight broad topics, including productivity, food
safety, worker health, labor rights, and biodiversity.Mars Food’s efforts to
improve the sustainability of global rice production are part of our wider
corporate commitment to tackle the greatest environmental and social impacts in
our supply chain. Since 2007, our sustainable sourcing strategy has focused on
eight raw materials: black tea, cocoa, coffee, fish, mint, palm oil, peanuts
and rice. In 2014, we added commitments on beef, paper and pulp, and soy. All
told, Mars, Incorporated’s updated sourcing strategy will cover 23 raw
materials, covering 60% of our sourcing volume. We have a lot of work still to
do, but we’re proud of some of our key achievements to date:
·
We now source 100% of our coffee and black tea from
certified sources;
·
84% of our palm oil is now traceable to known mills;
·
26% of our fish and seafood are from sustainable
sources, putting us on track to fulfill our target of only sourcing 100%
sustainable fish by 2020;
·
We’ve increased our purchase of certified cocoa to
36% of total volumes, moving closer to our target of 100% certified cocoa by
2020;
·
In 2014, 82.5% of our packaging was recyclable or
recoverable, where infrastructure exists.
As the owner of the world’s
largest global rice brand, Uncle Bens®, Mars Food plans to lead the way in
making rice more sustainable. But as Kristin remarked at the SRP launch in
Manila, we can’t do it alone: “Today we ask others to join us. We must work
together and we must bring others along on the journey. The SRP standard helps
carve the path toward a brighter and more sustainable world for all of us. We
are taking an important first step together toward making sustainably sourced
rice a global reality.”
South Indian curry bursts with fresh coconut flavor
(Photo: Faith Durand)
I have a cookbook problem. No, I
don’t have too many (well, maybe that, too). While the bookstores are glutted
with cookbooks, and a new crop inundates us every season, I cannot find the one
definitive cookbook I crave — a South Indian cookbook to guide me through
learning how to cook recipes from Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Goa. I crave South
Indian food like nothing else, and today’s recipe is another effort to
reproduce the lighter, fresher, coconut-driven curries I love.I have tried many
cookbooks, looking for the one to guide me to authentic and delicious South
Indian cuisine. I’ve found recipes here and there, but cookbooks tend to fall
into two categories. The first is cookbooks that are published in the United
States, with recipes and ingredients simplified for an American audience.
Sometimes these are all right, but more
frequently they give results that don’t taste as full or authentic.The second
category is cookbooks straight from India; I have a friend who regularly brings
me new ones to try. These tend to be more authentic, but I struggle to
translate some of the ingredients, and to interpret instructions, which often
assume a lot and take for granted a certain level of familiarity with Indian
cooking.It’s been worth the hunt — because South Indian food, for me, is the
gold standard in taste and bright, astonishing flavors.Speaking very
simplistically, South Indian food tends to be lighter, with drier and less rich
gravies than the creamier curries of the north. The curries often rely quite a
bit on toasted and ground coconut in the “masala” (the spice paste that is
prepped before the curry itself is made). There is more use of tamarind, the
intensely tangy fruit, and of curry leaves.
Curry leaves add a fragrant,
slightly spicy flavor to dishes like this, and for me they are one of the key
notes of authenticity in South Indian cooking.This curry, honestly, should have
curry leaves, but I left them out because they are a rare ingredient for many
people. They can be found fresh at most Indian groceries, and I love to use
them when I get my hands on them. If you pick some up, throw in 20 or so during
the simmering/pressure cooking phase.Using the pressure cooker for this recipe
helps all these flavors meld and permeate the chicken even better than they
would after a long slow simmer. And it’s ready fast — even considering the time
it takes to prepare the masala, with its range of spices.This recipe, like many
others I make these days, comes not from a cookbook, but from a blog. I adapted
it for my taste, and for the pressure cooker, from a Keralan cook’s blog,
Induget’s Cooking.
Kerala Coconut Chicken Curry
Adapted from Induget’s Kerala
Chicken Curry with Roasted Coconut and Spices
For the coconut spice paste
4 small dried red chilies
6 large shallots, peeled and
halved
3/4 cup grated unsweetened coconut
4 whole cloves
1 inch cinnamon stick
3 green cardamom pods
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 teaspoon brown or black mustard
seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
For the chicken curry
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or
coconut oil
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and
minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 large yellow onions, sliced
2 large tomatoes, sliced
2 1/2 to 3 pounds boneless skinless
chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vinegar
To serve
Cooked basmati rice
Yogurt
For the coconut spice paste: If
using an electric pressure cooker, heat it to its brown or saute setting
(whichever is hotter). If using a stovetop pressure cooker, place the uncovered
pot over medium heat. Roast the red chilies and shallots together until all
have developed black spots. Remove and set aside in the bowl of a small food
processor.
Add the coconut and whole spices
to the hot pressure cooker pan and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly
until fragrant and toasted and the coconut has turned light brown. Add the
turmeric and stir for another few seconds, then transfer coconut and spices to
the food processor bowl.
Blend until fairly smooth, adding
a 4 to 6 tablespoons of water to create a creamy paste. Set aside.
Shortcut Option: If you do not have the whole spices, or don’t want to take the
time to pull them together, you may substitute 3 tablespoons garam masala spice
powder. Add to the coconut after the coconut is toasted, stir for another 15
seconds, then proceed with the recipe.
For the chicken curry: Add oil to the hot pressure cooker pot. When hot, add chopped
ginger, garlic and sliced onions. Saute for 10 to 15 minutes, or until onions
are softened and browned around the edges. Add the coconut spice paste and fry
for 1 minute. Add the sliced tomatoes and fry for 5 more minutes or until
tomatoes have broken down. Stir in the chicken, salt, and vinegar. Mix well.
Cover the pressure cooker and
lock the lid. Bring up to pressure. Cook on HIGH pressure for 10 minutes, then
let the pressure release naturally (this will take another 8 to 15 minutes).
The chicken should be thoroughly
cooked, but if it is not, or if it is not as tender as you would like it to be,
pressure cook for another 4 minutes, using the quick pressure release to
immediately let out the steam after the cook time.
Serve with basmati rice and
yogurt. Makes 6 servings.
Tool tip: I am using an electric pressure
cooker so all of this is automatic; I tell the pressure cooker to cook it on
HIGH pressure (15 psi) for 10 minutes, with a natural pressure release, so I
set it and walk away. The pressure cooker brings itself up to full heat and
pressure, cooks for 10 minutes after that, then slowly releases the pressure. I
can tell that the pressure is fully released when the safety lock on the lid
turns off, and the valve float drops down.
If you are using a stovetop
pressure cooker, then follow the instructions and method for bringing the
pressure up in the pressure cooker and cook as directed above.
Stovetop directions (no pressure cooker): If you want to make this without a pressure cooker, simply
follow the instructions above, toasting the spices and coconut in a skillet or
Dutch oven instead of in a pressure cooker. Cook the onions and garlic in a
Dutch oven or deep pot with a lid. After adding the chicken, cover and cook on
low heat for 30 to 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and
tender.
Per serving (without yogurt or rice): 414 calories; 21 g fat (7 g
saturated fat; 46 percent calories from fat); 18 g carbohydrates; 128 mg
cholesterol; 1,298 mg sodium; 38 g protein; 4 g fiber.
DELROIT NEWS
District-level approach to agricultural
uplift
WHEN a farmer himself throws away
milk or burns corn, it is an indication that things are going from bad to worse
for him.Seen in this context, the prime minister’s kissan package is a good
start towards solving the problems of the rural community. But this initiative
needs to be made more purposeful and result-oriented.Since agriculture is the
initiator of the country’s economic activity, a large number of business groups
— like arthis; sellers of seeds, fertilisers and insecticides; and commission
agents of fruit and vegetable markets — are associated with the farmers.
The role of all these affiliates
is exploitative because a sizable part of the proceeds from crops and produce
is taken by these market brokers in the shape of various commissions and
discounts. The situation is more pronounced in case of small farmers as
compared to the big landlords.There is no institutional platform to solve such
problems faced by small farmers as the representatives of agricultural chambers
and growers associations largely comprise rural elites having political
clout.The government allows the establishment of a chamber for small and medium
enterprises (SMEs) at the district level. A similar initiative is required for
agriculture to enable small farmers to focus on the problems that they
themselves are facing.At the district level, agricultural departments are in
place to provide advisory and extension services to the farmers under the
control of district coordination officers (DCO) but there is little interaction
with small farmers.
At the time of sowing, the
farmers do not have easy access to certified quality seeds. After sowing, the
availability of genuine fertiliser and pesticide is not assured.And in case of
any attack by a disease or a pest, the poor farmer is entirely on his own owing
to his lack of access to sound advice from an agricultural scientist.After the
harvesting of the crop, the input providers happily count their fat profits
whereas the farmers worry about getting a better return for their produce. The
plight of sugarcane growers is now well known.In the case of milk, the
situation is not much different. After paying around Rs50 per litre to farmers,
the milk processing companies are charging well over Rs100 per litre from the
general consumers.
Rice growers have also been
crying due to heavy losses for the last two years, but the retail price of
basmati rice is more than Rs100 per kg.There is a need to make agricultural
departments functional under the proactive leadership of DCOs. A DCO should be
given targets for the promotion of agriculture and livestock in his area. The
performance of DCOs must be linked with the fostering of a favourable
environment in their districts for the farming community and their achievements
may be acknowledged.Another dark area for farmers relates to the behaviour of
banks as agricultural finance is considered cumbersome and small farmers
treated as sub-prime borrowers. The highest lending rates are charged from the
farmers.
It is sheer injustice that the
exporters get export finance below 5pc, while the farmers — the backbone of the
economy — pay more than 15pc for bank credit.Since the banks mobilise low-cost
deposits at 3-5pc from rural depositors, the lending rate on rural credit
should not exceed 9-10pc. At a time when farmers are getting desperate, the SBP
needs to rationalise the cost of agricultural credit.The kissan package is
largely quantitative in nature, aiming at certain subsidies and cuts in the
prices of inputs.We are now living in a different environment. A great deal of
awareness has taken root among the farmers.
The local body system is soon
coming where each district will be a unit of governance.It is the appropriate
time to make agricultural upliftment a high priority for the coming district governments
under the leadership of district nazims and DCOs. For this, very little
administrative and legislative initiatives — but a strong political will — will
be required.If the kissan package is implemented in a half-hearted way,
agriculture in particular and the economy in general will be badly hurt.The
writer is President, Institute of Banking and Business Learning.
Basmati
growers blame cartels for low prices
“They are feeling cheated by the State
government”
After cotton farmers, basmati
growers in Punjab and Haryana are in for a shock as popular aromatic rice
varieties like PUSA 1121 are fetching “far lower” prices than what they got
last season.While growers accuse rice exporters of indulging in cartelisation
for distress sales, exporters blame weak global demand and oversupply for the
“basmati crisis”.Disappointed with “low” prices for their crop, farmers’ unions
have now decided to launch an agitation against the government which encouraged
growers to switch over to premium varieties but failed to ensure profitable
prices.
Popular basmati variety PUSA
1121, which has started arriving in mandis of Punjab and Haryana, is priced in
the range of Rs 1,300 to 1,800 per quintal against Rs 3,000 per quintal last
season, traders said.Similarly, another variety PUSA 1509 is hovering around Rs
1,200-1,300 per quintal.However, after the intervention of Punjab and Haryana
governments, this variety is now being purchased at MSP rate.“First cotton
farmers faced heavy losses because of crop damage. Now rice farmers are in
problem as they are unable in getting good price for their crop which they had
sown under the crop diversification programme. They are feeling cheated by the
state government,” Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev
Singh Kokri said on Sunday.
Stir planned
Mr Kokri said as many as 12
outfits, including four farm labour organisations, will launch a three-day
sit-in starting November 4 at Moga and Amritsar, which are in the basmati
growing belts of Punjab.“We demand Rs 5,000 per quintal for PUSA 1121 and Rs
4,500 per quintal for PUSA 1509 variety,” Mr Kokri said.Rice growers accused
exporters of making “high profits” by way of forming a “cartel”, thereby forcing
them to sell crop at lower rates.“If prices of basmati paddy have come down
from Rs 40 per kg to Rs 18 per kg then why retail price of basmati rice could
not drop in the same way?
Consumers are still purchasing basmati rice at
same rate of Rs 80-100 per kg,” said Puneet Singh Thind, convener of Rashtriya
Kisan Sangathan.With basmati not turning out to be profitable, farmers will
again switch to water-consuming normal varieties of paddy which at least
ensures minimum support price.“With the kind of rates farmers are getting for
their basmati crop, they will stop growing it and shift to ordinary varieties,”
said an official of Punjab agriculture department in Amritsar.Amritsar district
is one of the leading producers of basmati in Punjab. Out of the total area of
1.80 lakh hectares under paddy in Amritsar, basmati is sown under 1.36 lakh
hectares this year.
‘Weak demand’
Rice exporters ascribed low rate
of basmati to weak global demand and heavy inventory of crop.“There is weak
demand for basmati in overseas markets at present. For example, Iran has not
yet started placing orders.Basmati market in countries like Iraq and Yemen has
shrunk which also led to dip in demand for Indian basmati,” said Kohinoor Foods
Joint MD Gurnam Arora.“Heavy inventory is lying with exporters,” Mr Arora said,
adding that prices of all commodities in international markets were down.Total
basmati area in Punjab and Haryana is about 8 lakh hectares and 6 lakh hectares
respectively. -- PTI
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/basmati-growers-blame-cartels-for-low-prices/article7831116.ece?ref=tpnews
Final
hearing on Basmati GI this week
IPAB to hear
the claims of all the parties for three consecutive days during Nov 3-5
India’s famous Basmati rice is
likely to get intellectual property rights (IPR) protection in the home country
as the final hearing pertaining to the case is slated to be held next week at
Chennai based Geographical Indications (GI) registry.Official sources told FE
that the Chennai-based Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) is slated
to hear the claims of all the parties—commerce ministry, exporters, farmers
organisation for three consecutive days during November 3-5 prior to giving a
judgment on GI certification to Basmati rice.
“The GI for Basmati rice would
boost our export potential,” a commerce ministry official said.The GI tag for
aromatic long grained Basmati rice got delayed as the GI Registry, in a
directive issued on December 31, 2013, had asked the Centre if Madhya Pradesh
could be included in the definition of traditionally Basmati-growing geography,
inviting strong reactions from the commerce and agriculture ministries, which
thinks the state’s claim is unjustified.
Even
as the issue was pending with the GI Registry, the Madhya Pradesh government
had moved the IPAB. The Agricultural and Processed Foods Export Development
Authority (Apeda) subsequently told the IPAB that MP’s claim is invalid. Under
the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999,
Apeda is designated to be the custodian of GI rights for farm produce.
“Considering the Madhya Pradesh
case for inclusion in Basmati growing region would amount to playing with
rights of those farmers who have been traditionally growing Basmati in
Indo-Gangetic plain,” a commerce ministry official said.Leading agricultural
scientists have also opposed Madhya Pradesh’s attempt to be included in
Basmati-growing regions, by stating that it would adversely impact the quality
of Basmati rice and sully its global repute. “Claiming rice grown in Madhya
Pradesh as Basmati is not correct as we have developed seed varieties keeping
in mind agro-climatic zones of the Indo-Gangetic plain,” KV Prabhu, deputy
director, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), and a well-known rice
breeder, said.
In 2009, Apeda under the commerce
ministry had applied to the GI Registry asking for exclusive (commercial) use
of the Basmati tag for the grain varieties grown within the boundaries of the
Indo-Gagentic plain in Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and 26
districts of western Uttar Pradesh and two districts of Jammu and Kashmir.GI
ascribes exclusivity to the community in a defined geography rather than to an
individual as in the case of trademarks and patents.
First Published on November 02,
2015 12:28 am
FINANCIAL EXPRESS
Replace costlier dals with soya
products for protein: Agri-economist Ashok Gulati
By PTI | 2 Nov, 2015, 03.20PM IST
Amid skyrocketing pulses prices hurting common man's budget,
agri-economist Ashok Gulati today suggested that consumers should replace
costlier dals with soya products for high protein.NEW DELHI: Amid skyrocketing pulses prices hurting common
man's budget, agri-economist Ashok Gulati today suggested that consumers should
replace costlier dals with soya products for
high protein. "There is a lot of pulses problem these days. We cannot
produce much of tur dal, but we have a
huge soya crop. We take pulses for protein.
Why don't we go for soya products like soya milk, tofu and
reconstituted soya dals," Gulati said at an event organised by National
Skills Foundation of India. Soya has 40 per cent protein, while pulses have
only 20 per cent protein, he said while emphasising the need to treat soya as protein crop and innovation in food-processing. At present, soya crop in
the country is grown as an oilseed crop, he added. Gulati, former Chairman of
Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and a Padma Shri awardee,
was speaking on Technologies and innovation in agriculture: pushing the
frontiers. Pulses prices have risen unabated due to fall in domestic production
by two million tonnes in 2014-15 crop year (July-June) due to poor rains.
Retail prices of tur and urad are ruling up to Rs 190-200 per kg. CACP Chairman
Ashok Vishandaas said retail prices of pulses have gone up to Rs 220 per kg,
but farmers are still suffering as they are not getting the right price. The
pulses problem has aggravated because of increased focus on rice and wheat
production, he added.
Emphasising the need to raise productivity of farm labourers,
Vishandaas said that around 50 per cent of the population depends on
agriculture, contributing only 13.8 per cent to the country's GDP. "This
means, we are under-utilising our labourers. Can we move them out of
agriculture and equip them with other skills?" he said. Echoing similar
views, UN body FAO India representative Shyam Khadka said only 2.3 per cent of
the country's farmers are professionally trained, as against 96 per cent in
Korea, 75 per cent in Germany and 53 per cent in the US.
More skills are required to
be taught to farmers, especially in the area of post-harvesting, food
processing and animal husbandry, among others, he said. Gulati also talked
about innovation in agriculture sector that is competitive, inclusive,
sustainable and scalable, while citing examples of the success of Bt cotton,
maize and Pusa basmati rice. Stating that new farm technologies in future are
going to come more from private sector, Gulati said the sector will not bring
in technology for free and diffusion of these technologies in India would be
difficult if intellectual property right is not protected. PTI
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/replace-costlier-dals-with-soya-products-for-protein-agri-economist-ashok-gulati/articleshow/49629176.cms
APEDA COMMODITY NEWS
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Rice sector lands in multiple crises
AS the new rice crop starts arriving, local prices are dropping
and are already down 30pc from this time last year. And the farmers are hardly
enthused as they know they will be paid peanuts for the crop they produced with
strenuous labour and at a higher cost.
This scenario at the rice market
emerged over the last few years. The country’s rice sector is currently passing
through multiple crises and one is at loss to foresee an early recovery.The
reasons include the soaring cost of production because of expensive inputs,
lower yielding seeds, unsold stock of 500,000 tonnes from the last two years
(valued at more than $1bn), an acute shortage of funds, and the inability of
growers, millers and exporters to repay their loans. And the government seems
to be indifferent to the situation.
Pakistan’s rice exports have
declined 8pc during the first two months of this fiscal year
Besides, after the devolution of
agriculture to the provinces, there is much confusion over policy issues. The
provinces are reluctant to take initiatives to resolve the rice growers’
problems and expect the centre to step in if the nature of the problems is
similar in all the federating units.Even the much-vaunted Rs341bn agriculture
relief package has failed to earn applause from rice growers, who argue that
the cash support of Rs5,000 per acre offered to them is insufficient to make up
for the losses they have incurred.
The losses are estimated to be
around Rs30,000 per acre — six times more than the incentive being given to
them.As a result, Pakistan is losing its coveted place in the global rice
market. It has become uncompetitive, especially in the case of various basmati
varieties, and rice-importing countries have begun turning to India, Thailand
and Vietnam. The demand for Pakistani rice is drying up because of its
comparatively higher prices.
The Export price of Pakistani
basmati, which is much sought-after in Arab countries, is higher by at least
$100-150 per tonne when compared to its Indian counterpart. Pakistan’s rice
exports have declined 8pc during the first two months of this fiscal year.About
two years ago, when rice exports were worth $2.2bn, the basmati and Irri
varieties earned virtually the same amount of foreign exchange. But last year,
out of $1.8bn total rice exports, Irri’s share went up to $1.2bn and basmati’s
dropped to $600m, indicating its shrinking role.In terms of quantity, the
country has been producing about 2m tonnes of basmati rice, half of which is
consumed domestically and the rest exported. But from 2011 onwards, the exports
started declining for various reasons.One reason for basmati’s drop is that
since 1997 no new basmati seed has been introduced in the market. Meanwhile,
the Indians came up with five new varieties in the last 10 years.
Pakistan launched a long grain
Basmati 385 variety in the 1980s which was a major success in terms of yield.
In the 1990s, another high-yield and longer grain variety, called Super
Basmati, was introduced.But after being in use for around two decades, these
varieties have lost much of their potency and their yields have declined
drastically. Later, the Indians also introduced Basmati 385 and Super Basmati
based on smuggled seeds from Pakistan and started marketing them abroad under
the same brands.However, a more immediate problem faced by the rice industry is
the shortage of cash flow. The exporters are not in a position to even paddy
from growers, although the crop has already arrived in some areas and is
available at extremely low prices.But the rice millers are the main buyers. As
many as 3,000 individuals, including millers, farmers and exporters, have taken
Rs100bn worth of loans from banks, according to the Pakistan Rice Mills
Association.
But they are unable to repay
their dues.To pacify the concerns of the rice industry, Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif announced in a meeting with a delegation of the Rice Exporters
Association of Pakistan (Reap) that loans of the industry will be rolled-over
until June 2016 to prevent defaults. But the decision has not been implemented
yet.Reap’s other major demands include the withdrawal of the 3.5pc withholding
tax on local purchase of rice, repayment of export refinance loans in 360 days
instead of the current 180 days, an industry status for rice milling and the
reduction of the withholding tax on rice to 0.25pc from the current 1pc.The
group also wants no intervention by the Trading Corporation of Pakistan and
Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation in the rice trade, in
addition to the privatisation of rice research institutes at Kala Shah Kaku and
Dokri and the adoption of a sui generis geographical indications law.At another
meeting convened by the State Bank of Pakistan on September 4, the banks agreed
to facilitate borrowers by allowing them roll-over facility and releasing their
pledged stocks as their quality may deteriorate if kept for long.
However, the banks have yet to convey their
policy decision to their branches.During the meeting, it was pointed out that
only those borrowers who had genuine difficulties would be accommodated and
that it was not a blanket relief.
Published in Dawn, Business &
Finance weekly, November 2nd, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1216840
High input cost for paddy
cultivation leaves little for farmers in Odisha
Agriculture seems to have been reduced to a traditional compulsion
rather than an economic option in Odisha.An analysis says that a farmer in
Odisha would earn a profit of Rs.3,000 per acre of paddy cultivation after
toiling months in the field as input cost has gone up sharply in past decade.
While present cost of cultivation per acre is estimated at Rs.17,000, the
farmer gets yield around 15 quintal of paddy per acre of land which fetch him
around Rs.20,000.According to Orissa University of Agriculture Technology
(OUAT), till 2011-12, the cost of cultivation for one acre of land in Odisha
was Rs.1,4439.26 and given then minimum support price for paddy at Rs.1,110,
farmers were getting Rs.16,650 per acre. Thus the net profit was around
Rs.2,000.
OUAT had then arrived at a calculation that a farmer was spending
Rs.1,225 per quintal of paddy while the MSP for paddy was fixed at Rs.1,280
leaving slender profit.“The paddy cultivation during Kharif season has become
non-remunerative. The earning margin per acre of paddy cultivation ranges from
Rs.2,000 to Rs.5,000 depending on the weather condition, land fertility and
wage components,” said S. K. Tripathy, head of department of agricultural
economics of OUAT’s College of Agriculture.Prof Tripathy said the cost of paddy
cultivation in 2004-05 was Rs.7,295 per acre which sharply rose to Rs.14,439
per acre in the year 2011-12. If monsoon become erratic or any disaster
strikes, the slender profit margin in paddy cultivation get wiped out.According
to OUAT analysis, farmers make profit in Rabi crops.
But irrigation facilities are not available in all
pockets.Although MSP was determined according to the rise in input cost, but
cost of inflation with regards to other necessary commodities a farmer
purchases from market other than rice was never taken into consideration.The
outcome is visible. Majority of farmers and agricultural labourers are leaving
their villages to participate in more remunerative off-farm works. Emphasis on
agro-processing, diversification of cultivation and value addition measures are
some measures by which the government could reverse the exodus of farmers, said
Prof Tripathy.http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/high-input-cost-for-paddy-cultivation-leaves-little-for-farmers-in-odisha/article7831011.ece?css=print
Basmati fetches low prices, growers allege cartelization
Chandigarh, November 1After cotton farmers, basmati growers in Punjab
and Haryana are in for a shock as popular aromatic rice varieties like PUSA
1121 are fetching “far lower” prices than what they got last season.While
growers accuse rice exporters of indulging in cartelisation for distress sales,
exporters blame weak global demand and oversupply for the “basmati
crisis”.Disappointed with “low” prices for their crop, farmer unions have now
decided to launch an agitation against the government which encouraged growers
to switch over to premium varieties but failed to ensure profitable prices.
Popular basmati variety PUSA 1121, which has
started arriving in mandis of Punjab and Haryana, is priced in the range of Rs
1,300 to 1,800 per quintal against Rs 3,000 per quintal last season, traders
said.Similarly, another variety PUSA 1509 is hovering around Rs 1,200-1,300 per
quintal. However, after the intervention of Punjab and Haryana governments,
this variety is now being purchased at MSP rate.“First cotton farmers faced
heavy losses because of crop damage. Now rice farmers are in problem as they
are unable to get good price for their crop which they had sown under the crop
diversification programme.
They are
feeling cheated by the state government,” Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan)
general secretary Sukhdev Kokri said today.Kokri said 12 outfits, including
four farm labour organsiations, would launch a three-day sit-in starting November
4 at Moga and Amritsar, which are in the basmati growing belts of Punjab. “We
demand Rs 5,000 per quintal for PUSA 1121 and Rs 4,500 per quintal for PUSA
1509 variety,” Kokri said.Rice growers accused exporters of making “high
profits” by way of forming a “cartel”, thereby forcing them to sell crop at
lower rates.“If prices of basmati paddy have come down from 40 per kg to Rs 18
per kg then why retail price of basmati rice could not drop in the same way?
Consumers are still purchasing basmati rice at same rate of Rs 80-100 per kg,”
said Puneet Singh Thind, convener of Rashtriya Kisan Sangathan.
With basmati not turning out to be profitable, farmers will
again switch to water-consuming normal varieties of paddy which at least
ensures minimum support price.“With the kind of rates farmers are getting for
their basmati crop, they will stop growing it and shift to ordinary varieties,”
said an official of Punjab Agriculture Department in Amritsar.Amritsar district
is one of the leading producers of basmati. Out of the total area of 1.80 lakh
hectares under paddy in Amritsar, basmati was sown on 1.36 lakh hectares this
year. Rice exporters ascribed low rate of basmati to weak global demand and
heavy inventory of crop.
“There is weak demand for basmati in overseas markets at
present. For example, Iran has not yet started placing orders. Basmati market
in countries like Iraq and Yemen has shrunk which also led to dip in demand for
Indian basmati,” said Kohinoor Foods Joint MD Gurnam Arora.“Heavy inventory is
lying with exporters,” Arora said, adding that prices of all commodities in
international markets were down. Total basmati area in Punjab and Haryana is
about 8 lakh hectares and 6 lakh hectares, respectively. — PTI
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/basmati-fetches-low-prices-growers-allege-cartelisation/153427.html
National rice brand: Vietnam’s choice of
jasmine rice controversial
VietNamNet Bridge - While many
countries in the world have reduced the cultivation of Jasmine rice, because it
is difficult to grow and sell, the Vietnam Food Association (VFA) has decided
that Jasmine will be the national rice brand for Vietnam.
The VFA’s choice to develop Jasmine
as the nation’s rice brand has faced strong opposition from experts, businesses
and state management agencies as well.Some rice export companies in Mekong
River Delta have joined forces with farmers to grow and export Jasmine rice,
exports are below expectations.In the 2014-2015 winter-spring crop, Tan Cuong
Cooperative grew 1,000 hectares of Jasmine 85 rice under a contract signed with
the Northern Food Corporation (Vinafood 1). Under the contract, the enterprise
is in charge of providing seeds and commits to buy rice at the market
prices.However, the cooperation failed.
Tan Cuong could not sell rice to
Vinafood 1 and had to terminate the cooperation contract. The problem was that
the rice could not satisfy the standards set before in the contract.Experts
warned that the demand for Jasmine rice in the world has shrunk. If Vietnam
grows this variety of rice, it will find it difficult to sell the
products.Professor Vo Tong Xuan, the best known rice expert, said this variety
of rice has been eliminated in many countries in the world.In the US, Jasmine
85 appeared in 1989, but now imports 700,000 tons of Thai fragrant rice because
consumers do not like Jasmine’s taste and fragrance.In 1989, the US Agriculture
Department decided to improve Jasmine and turn it into Jazzman which has the
scent more similar to Thailand’s Hom mali. Jazzman 2 is now sold in the US
at $3.77 per kilo, while imports from Thailand $2.64-3.08 per kilo.Xuan noted
that foreign consumers only care about the quality of rice, while they do not
care about the history and culture – the highlights in the national rice brand
development project drawn up by VFA.
If Vietnam still decides to choose
Jasmine as the nation’s rice brand, it will go against the world’s consumption
tendency.According to MARD, a national brand needs to be the representative of
the nation, and it must be outstanding and sustainable. Jasmine is a rice
variety created by the Filipino IRRI, which is the result of the mix between
IR262 high-yielding variety and Thai aromatic Khao Dawk Mali.Jasmine 85 has a
scent similar to Thai’s rice, but it gives low yield. Therefore, small
merchants tend to mix Jasmine with high-yield varieties to have easier-to-grow
and scented rice.
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/business/144885/national-rice-brand--vietnam-s-choice-of-jasmine-rice-controversial.html
Japonica rice considered for national
brand development
VietNamNet
Bridge - The Vietnam Food Association (VFA) has suggested adding Japonica, a
Japanese rice variety, on the list of rice varieties for consideration to
develop a national rice brand.
Under
the plan to develop the brand by 2020, three varieties have been chosen for
consideration, including Jasmine rice, scented rice and a sticky rice
specialty. However, VFA has suggested that Japonica should also be
considered.VFA’s secretary general Huynh Minh Hue said there were two reasons
behind the association’s decision. First, the market demand for Japonica rice
is relatively high. And second, Vietnam has favorable conditions to organize
the production of the rice.“We have heard that 10,000 hectares of Japonica rice
were grown in the provinces of Kien Giang and An Giang last crop and the sales
were very satisfactory. This shows that we are capable of growing Japonica in
our conditions,” he said.
Hue,
who went on a business trip to Yunnan province indit China some days ago with
officials from the Ministries of Industry & Trade (MOIT) and Agriculture
& Rural Development (MARD), has found that the demand for Japonica rice in
the Chinese province is relatively high. The provincial rice center needs up to
1.4 million tons of Japonica rice a year.“We were told that 70 percent of the
demand in the locality is for Japonica and the other 30 percent is for
long-grain rice,” he said, adding that he and other officials had the
opportunity to visit a rice market.Hue said that it was still necessary to learn
more about the market to clarify the information, but the demand for Japonica
appears to be high in China. Besides, Vietnam also hopes he can sell Japonica
rice to other markets.
A
rice exporter said he agrees with Hue that the market for Japonica is large
enough for Vietnam to organize Japonica rice production. “With the Trans
Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) signed, Japan has agreed to open its
market,” he noted.“In fact, Japanese companies have visited Vietnam to organize
Japonica rice production in Vietnam,” he said.Under the plan on developing
Vietnam national rice brand, 20 percent of Vietnam’s rice exports would bear
the Vietnamese brand by 2020, while the proportion will be 50 percent by 2030.
Thirty percent of total rice exports will be scented and specialty
products.Vietnam is one of the world’s largest rice export countries, but it is
considered a low-cost rice exporter, though its high-end products are also
available in the world. MARD’s Deputy Minister Tran Thanh nam said that
Vietnam’s high-end rice products have been available at supermarkets overseas,
but they bear foreign brands. This shows that Vietnam is capable of penetrating
the high-end market segment.
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/business/145229/japonica-rice-considered-for-national-brand-development.html
Agriculture Minister:
Indonesia Has Backup of Imported Rice
SUNDAY, 01 NOVEMBER, 2015 | 16:30 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman announced that the
government had already had a backup of imported rice. However, he asserted that
the rice would not enter Indonesia if it were not needed."It’s only a
backup. If we still have the supply, it won’t be sent here," Amran said in
Jakarta on Sunday (1/10).According to Amran, until today, rice supply stands at
1.5 million tons, while last week, rice supply that entered Cipinang wholesale
rice market reached 5,000 tons. Usually, he added, the amount of rice
that entered the market was only 3,000 tons of rice. 
"It shows that our
production has increased,” he added.The government, Amran said, would optimize
local rice supply until the end of the year.Amran, however, declined to reveal
from which countries the backup of imported rice would come from. He also
declined to reveal the amount that would be sent.Previously, President Joko
‘Jokowi’ Widodo said that the government would import rice to strengthen
national rice supply if rainy season has not arrived."We’re going to
import rice to strengthen national rice supply, but we can store it in Vietnam
or Thailand, or here," Jokowi said.Jokowi decided to import rice if the
government considered necessary. According to him, if rainy season has not
arrived in the third or fourth week of October or if needed, the government
will import rice.
http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2015/11/01/056714936/Agriculture-Minister-Indonesia-Has-Backup-of-Imported-Rice
U.S. rice group urges Japan to open
retail market
JIJI
NOV 1, 2015
CHICAGO
– The USA Rice Federation, in a
report submitted to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, effectively
called on Japan to open its retail rice market to U.S. imports.While noting
that market access for rice identified as U.S. origin in Japan is “limited by
the import policies,” the federation said, “U.S. rice is most often destined
for government stocks, designated for food processing use or livestock feed, or
re-exported as food aid.
”“Thus, virtually all imports of
U.S. rice are prevented from entering the high-value retail market, and U.S.
exporters are, as a result, unable to develop year-round marketing plans and
consumer relationships,” it said in the report, submitted Friday.Regarding the
broad agreement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership for free trade reached by
Japan, the United States and 10 other Pacific Rim countries in early October, the
report said that “the official text has not yet been released so a full
assessment of the impact on rice market access is not possible.”The federation,
made up of rice growers, drew up the report in a bid to reflect its thoughts in
the National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers, compiled by the
Office of the USTR every year.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/11/01/business/u-s-rice-group-urges-japan-to-open-retail-market/#.VjlBi7erQdV
Ghana to have a National Rice Development Strategy
In a short ceremony to open the
workshop, the Deputy Minister (Crops), Dr. Ahmed Yakubu Alhassan who read the
key note address declared Government’s commitment to address the rice
supply-demand gap issues by supporting all productivity enhancement, quality improvement
and efficient domestic marketing systems.
Published: 02.11.2015
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Ghana is on the verge of having a
final National Rice Development Strategy (NRDS) in place to serve as a
directional policy for the production, processing and marketing of rice as one
of the major food commodities that Government has directed her attention to
boost its production in the country.The need for a NRDS had come about after
several initiatives and interventions by Government to address the many
challenges confronting rice production in the country but have not been able to
solve the deficit in the domestic supply, a situation that brought about the need
for imports to fill the gap.
From this back drop, the Government
of Ghana subscribed to participate in the vision of the Coalition for Africa
Rice Development (CARD) initiative that was launched in May 2008 during Tokyo
International Conference on African Development (TICAD) IV in Japan. This
sought to support African Countries to double rice production within a period
of ten years (2008-2018).The initiative’s starting point was to assist the
subscribing countries to develop a National Rice Development Strategy (NRDS)
and Ghana’s version of the NRDS was launched in August 2009, which has been one
of the major reference documents guiding public, private, civil society
organisations, NGO’s and development partners in formulating plans and
programmes in rice development in the country.After six years of its existence
and had generated interest among stakeholders and industry players, there was
the need to review the document to bring on board emerging issues to further
improve its relevance.
The Crop Services Directorate under
the Ministry Of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) in collaboration with the John
Agyekum Kuffour Foundation (JAK) therefore, organized a stakeholder Validation
workshop in Accra which converged major stakeholders and industry players to
review, update and validate the revised document put forth by CARD in February
2015.The workshop among other expectations tasked participants to: review and
make recommendations to improve the document, suggest the context and
conditions under which proposed actions can effectively be implemented by value
chain actors and make input into the proposed interventions and established
their consistency with proven value chain practices of the sector.In a short
ceremony to open the workshop, the Deputy Minister (Crops), Dr. Ahmed Yakubu
Alhassan who read the key note address declared Government’s commitment to
address the rice supply-demand gap issues by supporting all productivity
enhancement, quality improvement and efficient domestic marketing systems.
He said that current statistics
indicate the country is about 56 percent self-sufficient in rice production
which means that the effort to improve local rice industry is gradually being
realized, adding that efforts needed to be intensified to get to a 100 percent
mark as the country had been there before in the 1970’s and can get there
again.Dr. Yakubu Alhassan mentioned the strategic areas highlighted in the NRDS
as: rice seed system, fertilizer marketing and distribution, post-harvest and
market, irrigation and water control investments. The rest he said are:
equipment access and maintenance, research and technology dissemination and
community mobilization, farmer based organisation and credit
management.According the him, after the launch of the document, the NRDS had been
one of the documents which had guided rice development in Ghana as many areas
identified in the strategy document are being applied by some stakeholders in
their operations including public sector institutions and NGO’s like the JAK
Foundation that have formulated their projects and programmes from the
document. A situation he described had given the Ministry some level of
confidence that the document was useful and had already received some level of
attention.He expressed his appreciation for the support and guidance Ghana has
obtained under the CARD initiative, together with other African countries,
which would help consolidate the National strategic approaches to take
advantage of the sub-regional strengths for improved rice production and
marketing in Africa.
Dr. Yakubu Alhassan also expressed
his gratitude to all participants assembled at the workshop for honouring the
Ministry’s invitation and urged them to focus their attention on the enrichment
of the drafted document and own it.Participants were divided into seven groups
with each group giving a topic touching on one of the thematic areas provided
in the draft document. Out of the group’s discussions some challenges were
identified out of which recommendations were made.
All these recommendations are to be
put together to inform changes in the drafted document and after which if taken
through all the necessary tests would be adopted and approved as a national
strategy for rice development in the country.Also present at the opening was
the Chief Executive Officer of JAK Foundation, Mr. Baffour Agyemang-Duah.The
JAK Foundation which sponsored this workshop in furtherance of its objectives,
seeks collaboration with state institutions, the private sector and civil
society organisations, as well as international development partners in
programme initiation and implementation.
Reversal of rice import prohibition and
its consequences
By Dele Sobowale
If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you
there.” Yogi Bera, American Comedian.The report in the NATION, October
13, 2015, page 7, titled “Fed Govt suspends quota issuance to rice millers”,
brought tears to my eyes. It would be the third time in my life that the
Federal Government of Nigeria would drive me to tears of frustration over the
national policy on rice importation. Althogu, I no longer have any investment
or involvement with the sector, it is the only sector in which personal
monetary investments as well as sacrifice of well-paid job was made because of
government policy announcement.
Last year May, on my 70th birthday, I decided to travel by road
to Sokoto, my last place of employment in the North. Situated on Kalabina Road,
right next door to Sokoto Cement, is the carcass of HASKE RICE MILLS LTD, where
I joined at 43 and worked until February 1990 as the General Manager/Chief
Operating Officer, GM/COO, until policy changes and death in the family forced
me to abandon the dream of becoming Nigeria’s Rice King.At 46, having made a
great deal of success in the pharmaceutical and brewery sectors, as Sales and
Marketing Director, I yearned for some big enterprise which will impact the
lives of millions of Nigerians and which would be sustainable. By 1983, I
already knew the North like the back of my hand and the first decision was to
settle there. The second was to get involved in food production and that
involved evaluating several possibilities – animal husbandry or crops or
combinations of both (integrated farming).
The ultimate decision was made easy when, shortly after
introducing the Structural Adjustment Programme, SAP, the Babangida administration
announced a new rice policy designed to make Nigeria self-sufficient in rice
production and also making the country a rice exporter by 2000. That meant
planning to grow millions of metric tonnes of rice annually of a crop which
most Nigerians consumed at least once every two days.That was the sort of
project for an ambitious young man wanting to feed millions. But, I was stuck
at first, I didn’t know where to start and how to enter into the sector.
Then fortune took a hand a the matter, I received a call in my
office at the brewery in Kano to come and see the younger brother of a retired
Major-General.As it turned out, the General and his brother had just bought a
rice mill which was established by the President Shagari administration and
which had been run aground in a very short time. The brothers needed a manager
who could turn the mill around and one of them had been told at the Kano Club
to get in touch with me. That was how I landed in Sokoto; but not before
securing a five per cent stake in the business with option to increase to ten
per cent.On the day of my arrival in Sokoto, there was not a grain of paddy
rice to be milled.
But, the government’s ban
on rice importation had created a rice scarcity. The nearest places to get rice
to Sokoto were the Bakolori Dam project near Talata Mafara, one hundred and
fifty kilometers away and Yelwa Yauri wetlands; over 280 kilometers down south.
But, within two months the mill was running.Later, working with thr Rice
Institute at Badeggi, we developed various varieties of rice suitable for each
ecological zone of Nigeria as well as wetland and upland varieties. Our biggest
“coup” was to have dam situated in Goronyo under the Fadama project. Those of
us involved were determined to remove all the obstacles in the way of making
Nigeria self-sufficient in rice.At first our greatest enemies, it turned out,
were a small band of Nigerians, smugglers, aided by the rest of our Fellow
Countrymen, especially those in uniform called CUSTOMS SERVICE.
For private gain, they
virtually rendered government policy impossible to implement.But, just as the
investors in the sector were making headway and expanding paddy production, the
Federal government changed policy by, first approving rice import quotas to
selected firms. The problem with this was soon clear to the investors. We were
suddenly faced with competition from two sources – smugglers and those with
import licences. Unfortunately for Nigeria, and us, the limits on the quota
licences were not strictly enforced.By 1990, the country was once again flooded
with cheaper imported rice with which local millers could not compete. HASKE
was in the midst of finding solutions to these problems when our Daddy died
and, as new head of family, I had to resign and move to Lagos.
But, I still followed the
trend of events as they unfolded. HASKE closed its gates about four months
after my departure.Similat mills at Makurdi and Badeggi soon followed. Since
the three were the biggest millers, it was only a matter of time before others
stopped. When the Jonathan administration embarked on the implementation
of its rice policy, prodded by De Adesina, the former Minster of Agriculture,
now President of African Development Bank, they traveled down the familiar road
– which had left us starting afresh every time another government announces its
own “Rice Policy”.
Invariably, the government receives applause from those who are
actually waiting to subvert it knowing it would create an initial scarcity; and
also knowing that Nigerians are impatient for results. Just as certain, when
the predictable scarcity emerges, smugglers, CUSTOMS, and those close to the
seat of power request for import quota. That inevitably kills the rice policy. We are now repeating the same mistakes made in the past
and because of this Nigeria will never become self-sufficient in rice. One of
the greatest fortunes in Nigeria and the world, today, was built on quota
licences granted to an individual for rice and sugar….
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/11/reversal-of-rice-import-prohibition-and-its-consequences/
Nagpur
Foodgrain Prices Open-November 02
Nagpur, Nov 2 Gram prices today firmed up again in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and
Marketing Committee (APMC) here on increased buying support from local millers amid weak supplyfrom producing regions. Fresh rise on NCDEX, upward trend in Madhya Pradesh soyabean prices and reported demand from South-based millers also jacked up prices, according to sources.
FOODGRAINS & PULSES
GRAM
* Gram varieties ruled steady here on subdued demand from local traders because of
higher prices.
TUAR
* Tuar gavarani recovered in open market on increased festival season demand from
local trader amid weak supply from producing regions.
* Wheat mill quality jacked up in open market on good seassonal demand from
local traders amid weak arrival from producing belts.
* In Akola, Tuar - 11,500-11,800, Tuar dal - 18,200-18,400, Udid -
12,900-13,300, Udid Mogar (clean) - 15,900-16,500, Moong -
11,000-11,200, Moong Mogar (clean) 12,100-12,400, Gram - 4,700-4,900,
Gram Super best bold - 6,400-6,700 for 100 kg.
* Other varieties of wheat, rice and other commodities remained steady in open market
in weak trading activity.
Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close
Gram Auction 3,950-4,700 3,920-4,600
Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction n.a. 7,800-9,200
Moong Auction n.a. 6,000-6,400
Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800
Gram Super Best Bold 6,400-6,800 6,400-6,800
Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.
Gram Medium Best 6,100-6,300 6,100-6,300
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a
Gram Mill Quality 5,000-5,300 5,000-5,300
Desi gram Raw 4,950-5,050 4,900-5,000
Gram Filter new 5,700-6,000 5,700-6,000
Gram Kabuli 5,800-7,100 5,800-7,100
Gram Pink 6,200-7,000 6,200-7,000
Tuar Fataka Best 18,000-18,500 18,000-18,500
Tuar Fataka Medium 17,000-17,300 17,000-17,300
Tuar Dal Best Phod 16,500-17,000 16,500-17,000
Tuar Dal Medium phod 15,500-15,900 15,500-15,900
Tuar Gavarani New 11,900-12,500 11,800-12,400
Tuar Karnataka 12,900-13,100 12,900-13,100
Tuar Black 18,800-19,300 18,800-19,300
Masoor dal best 8,600-8,800 8,600-8,800
Masoor dal medium 8,300-8,500 8,300-8,500
Masoor n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold 12,200-12,500 12,200-12,500
Moong Mogar Med 11,500-11,700 11,500-11,700
Moong dal Chilka 9,500-10,100 9,500-10,100
Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 9,000-10,000 9,000-10,000
Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 17,500-18,000 17,500-18,000
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 15,000-16,000 15,000-16,000
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 10,900-11,600 10,900-11,600
Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 5,600-5,900 5,600-5,900
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 4,300-4,500 4,300-4,500
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,400 3,200-3,400
Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,200 3,000-3,200
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,600 3,300-3,600
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,700 1,600-1,700
Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 1,500-1,700 1,450-1,650
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,550-1,750 1,550-1,750
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,650 2,500-2,650
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,800 3,400-3,800
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,700-3,100 2,700-3,100
Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,400 3,000-3,400
Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,800 2,600-2,800
Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,800 1,600-1,800
Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,200 2,100-2,200
Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 1,800-1,900 1,800-1,900
Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,800 3,400-3,800
Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,300 3,100-3,300
Rice HMT Shriram best(100 INR/KG) 4,200-4,600 4,200-4,600
Rice HMT Shriram med.(100 INR/KG) 3,600-4,100 3,600-4,100
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,000-10,000 8,000-10,000
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 7,000-7,500 7,000-7,500
Rice Chinnor best(100 INR/KG) 5,200-5,400 5,200-5,500
Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) 4,600-5,000 4,700-5,000
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,200 1,900-2,200
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,900 1,700-1,900
WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 30.7 degree Celsius (87.3 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.
20.3 degree Celsius (68.5 degree Fahrenheit)
Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.
Rainfall : n.a.
FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky. Rains or thunder-showers likely towards evening or night. Maximumand minimum temperature would be around and 32 and 21 degree Celsius respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but
included in market prices.)
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/11/02/nagpur-foodgrain-idINL3N12X3B320151102
Farm Bureau Market Report 11/02/2015
Rice
High
|
Low
|
|
Long Grain Cash Bids
|
- - -
|
- - -
|
Long Grain New Crop
|
- - -
|
- - -
|
Futures:
|
   |
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Rice Comment
Rice futures gapped higher today.
Global production problems have helped support the market since the summer.
Traders will begin rolling out of November contracts soon to avoid delivery as
the contract expires. January completed a 62% retracement on Thursday to $11.55
and has bounced off support at that level.
Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report
Rice
High
|
Low
|
|
Long Grain Cash Bids
|
- - -
|
- - -
|
Long Grain New Crop
|
- - -
|
- - -
|
Futures:
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rice Comment
Rice futures gapped higher today. Global production
problems have helped support the market since the summer. Traders will begin
rolling out of November contracts soon to avoid delivery as the contract expires.
January completed a 62% retracement on Thursday to $11.55 and has bounced off
support at that level.
http://www.arfb.com/ag-markets-statistics/report/
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
|
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|
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USA Rice and
Partners in Mexico Refine Promotions
|
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MEXICO CITY, MEXICO -- Last week, USA Rice conducted
its second annual Advisory Board meeting with 30 participants and partners to
discuss USA Rice activities in Mexico and ideas for successful future
implementation. Participants included representatives of the rice
trade, supermarket chains, press, publishing companies, restaurants, culinary
schools, private organizations, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
Agricultural Trade Office in Mexico City.
"USA Rice does a lot for our institutions,"
said Marco Mendez, chef at the Dijon Culinary School. "We stand
ready to help promote U.S.-grown rice in the foodservice sector, so these
planning sessions are quite helpful."USA Rice has worked with more than
70 culinary schools over the past several years as a means of strategically
building a network of U.S. rice ambassadors. Many of the students who
had previously participated in USA Rice activities are now in decision-making
positions in other culinary schools, restaurants, and hotels throughout
Mexico and are continuing to promote rice in their sector.During the meeting,
USA Rice also shared two recently produced promotional videos that are online
and available for partners to use.
The first,
"Arroz Saludable" ("Healthy Rice"), discusses the
nutritional benefits of rice and clarifies negative myths about rice, including
that rice is fattening and not nutritious. The second video is
venturing into a new area here - gluten free. "Arroz Libre Gluten" ("Rice is Gluten Free") explains the
little understood conditions of gluten allergies and celiac
disease."Everyone appreciated the concise, informative nature of the
videos and requested copies to have at their institutions," said Gaby
Carbajal, the USA Rice contractor in Mexico, who attended the meeting.
"There was also interest in creating new materials and posters about
gluten free living to be displayed in the rice aisle at supermarkets, and USA
Rice has committed to developing these materials.
"Carbajal added, "We got a lot of good
feedback at this meeting on the effectiveness of our promotions
program. It's a great way to connect with stakeholders and share
up-to-date information, and we plan to continue to hold these meetings on an
annual basis."
|
Arroz con camarones
Laly Paredes and Cristina
Blackman | Oct 30, 2015
A coastal Ecuadorian dish
usually served with sliced avocados or fried plantains and cold drinks
Arroz con camarones, is a coastal
Ecuadorian dish usually served with sliced avocados or fried plantains and cold
drinks. (Photo: Isagani Serrano/IRRI)
This dish has been prepared for
generations on both sides of my family. My maternal grandmother, Angeles
Montesdeoca Cordero, loved seafood and learned to make it during the many
summers she spent at her uncle’s house in ManabÃ, Ecuador. My mother, Laly
Paredes, cooked this dish regularly for my siblings and me growing up in
Cuenca. I am just learning to cook and perfect it myself so that one day my
daughter, Eva Kay, can share it with her own kids. That’s tradition!
Ingredients
- 1
kg raw shrimps, shelled and deveined. (Set aside the heads for
homemade shrimp broth.)
- 2
tsp cumin
- 8
garlic cloves, minced
- 1
tsp mustard
- 2
tbsp canola oil
- 2
cups uncooked long-grain white rice
- 3
cups chicken broth or shrimp stock (or 1.5 cups of each)
- 3
tbsp butter
- 1
red onion, thinly diced
- 1
red or green bell pepper, diced
- 2
large tomatoes, peeled and diced
- 3
tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
- 1
tsp achiote (achuete or annatto)
- ½
cup white wine
- salt
and pepper to taste
Cristina enjoys being a wife and a mom and loves to cook for her
family and friends. She attributes her knowledge of Ecuadorian cuisine to her
mother, Laly Paredes. Cristina spends her free time working out in the gym. She
also finds time to nurture her interest in spirituality, psychology, and
marriage counseling. She aims to contribute to IRRI and the Los Baños community
to which she now belongs. From Louisiana, USA, Cristina has joined her husband,
Bryce Blackman, an agronomy extension and training specialist at IRRI. (Photo:
Isagani Serrano/IRRI)
Directions
- Marinate
the shrimps with salt, pepper, mustard, 1 tsp cumin, and half of
the minced garlic. Let this rest for an hour.
- Bring
water to boil in a large pot, add about 7 shrimp heads, and
boil for 7 minutes.
- Remove
the shrimp heads from the water and reserve 3 cups of the
water they cooked in to prepare the rice.
- If
you lack time, you could skip this step and cook the rice with 3
cups of vegetable or chicken broth.
- Heat
the oil in a large pot and add the remainder of the minced
garlic. Cook for 2–3 minutes on medium heat.
- Add
the rice to the garlic and oil. Mix until the rice is coated with
oil and the color turns off-white (5–10 minutes).
- Add
the 3 cups of chicken broth or shrimp stock to the rice, bring to
a boil, and then reduce heat to low until the rice is cooked.
- Melt
the butter and achiote over medium heat in a large sauté pan.
Add the onions, bell pepper, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and 1 tsp
of cumin. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often.
- Add
the white wine to the vegetable mix and continue cooking for
another 5 minutes, until the onions and the bell pepper are
tender.
- Mix
in marinated shrimps for about 3 minutes or until cooked. Make
sure you don’t overcook the shrimps.
- Add
the sautéed shrimps and vegetables to the cooked rice and mix
well. Keep on low heat.
- Mix
in cilantro.
- Add
salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve
with fried plantains or avocado slices.
Serves 6–8 persons. Enjoy!
http://ricetoday.irri.org/arroz-con-camarones
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open-November 03
Nagpur, Nov 3 Gram prices today recovered strongly in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and
Marketing Committee (APMC) here on good seasonal buying support from local millers amid weaksupply from producing regions. Healthy rise on NCDEX, upward trend in Madhya Pradesh soyabean prices and repeated enquiries from South-based millers also helped to push up prices, according to sources.
FOODGRAINS & PULSES
GRAM
* Gram varieties moved down in open market here on lack of demand from local traders
amid increased supply from millers.
TUAR
* Tuar varieties reported sharp fall in open market on poor buying support from local
traders amid increased supply from millers looking towards government raids.
* Masoor, Moong, udid and other pulses too moved down in open market in absence of
buyers amid profit-taking selling by stockists at higher level.
* In Akola, Tuar - 11,000-11,300, Tuar dal - 17,200-17,400, Udid -
13,900-14,300, Udid Mogar (clean) - 17,300-18,000, Moong -
10,000-10,200, Moong Mogar (clean) 11,600-11,800, Gram - 4,200-4,400,
Gram Super best bold - 6,000-6,400 for 100 kg.
* Wheat, rice and other commodities remained steady in open market
in weak trading activity.
Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close
Gram Auction 4,000-4,805 3,940-4,700
Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction n.a. 7,800-9,200
Moong Auction n.a. 6,000-6,400
Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800
Gram Super Best Bold 6,400-6,600 6,400-6,800
Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.
Gram Medium Best 6,000-6,100 6,100-6,300
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a
Gram Mill Quality 5,000-5,100 5,000-5,200
Desi gram Raw 4,800-4,900 4,900-5,000
Gram Filter new 5,400-5,600 5,700-5,800
Gram Kabuli 5,800-7,100 5,800-7,100
Gram Pink 6,200-7,000 6,200-7,000
Tuar Fataka Best 17,500-17,800 18,000-18,500
Tuar Fataka Medium 17,000-17,300 17,200-17,500
Tuar Dal Best Phod 16,500-16,800 16,500-17,000
Tuar Dal Medium phod 15,500-15,900 15,700-15,900
Tuar Gavarani New 11,700-12,300 11,800-12,400
Tuar Karnataka 12,600-12,800 12,900-13,100
Tuar Black 18,000-18,300 18,300-18,500
Masoor dal best 8,000-8,200 8,600-8,800
Masoor dal medium 7,600-7,800 8,000-8,200
Masoor n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold 11,500-12,000 12,000-12,300
Moong Mogar Med 10,000-11,000 10,500-11,200
Moong dal Chilka 9,500-9,600 9,700-10,000
Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 9,000-10,000 9,300-10,200
Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 16,500-18,500 17,000-18,800
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 14,500-15,500 15,000-16,000
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 10,600-11,200 10,900-11,600
Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 6,000-6,500 6,200-6,700
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 5,200-5,300 5,300-5,500
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,400 3,200-3,400
Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,200 3,000-3,200
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,600 3,300-3,600
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,700 1,600-1,700
Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 1,500-1,700 1,500-1,700
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,550-1,750 1,550-1,750
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,650 2,500-2,650
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,800 3,400-3,800
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,700-3,100 2,700-3,100
Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,400 3,000-3,400
Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,800 2,600-2,800
Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,800 1,600-1,800
Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,200 2,100-2,200
Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 1,800-1,900 1,800-1,900
Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,800 3,400-3,800
Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,300 3,100-3,300
Rice HMT Shriram best(100 INR/KG) 4,200-4,600 4,200-4,600
Rice HMT Shriram med.(100 INR/KG) 3,600-4,100 3,600-4,100
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,000-10,000 8,000-10,000
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 7,000-7,500 7,000-7,500
Rice Chinnor best(100 INR/KG) 5,200-5,400 5,200-5,500
Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) 4,600-5,000 4,700-5,000
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,200 1,900-2,200
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,900 1,700-1,900
WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 28.5 degree Celsius (83.3 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.
20.7 degree Celsius (69.2 degree Fahrenheit)
Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.
Rainfall : n.a.
FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky. Rains or thunder-showers likely towards evening or night. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 32 and 20 degree Celsius respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, butincluded in market prices.)
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/11/03/nagpur-foodgrain-idINL3N12Y2O920151103
