Thursday, January 14, 2016

11 th January,2016 Daily Global Regional,Local Rice E_Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

· Today Rice News Headlines...

· PH rice inventory adequate – PSA

· Compensatory payment scheme for rice farmers after tariffication

· A SCHEME OF DECOUPLED PAYMENTS FOR THE PHILIPPINES

· Pakistan’s basmati export hopes fade; Indian prices fall

· PERSON OF THE YEAR

· China starts rice imports from Laos

· Govt's rice procurement may exceed 32 mn tons this year

· USA Rice Teaches Mexican Consumers About U.S. Rice's Versatility

· Rice Exporters Cutting Prices as Yuan Falls

· Compensatory payment scheme for rice farmers after tariffication

· New Research Reveals Climate-Food-Conflict Connection Via Nighttime Temperatures

· Rice stocks good for 90 days – PSA

· Thailand to cut rice output

· Paddy procurement gets to a close in Gobi taluk

· Milled Rice Exports Up But Fall Short of Goal

· Paddy procurement gets to a close in Gobi taluk

· Government's rice procurement may exceed 32mn tons this year

· Haryana, Punjab provide 20 per cent more rice for central pool

· APEDA Rice Commodity News

· Rice Prices

· Drought hits half of country, but rice bowl seen surviving"

News Detail...

PH rice inventory adequate – PSA

January 11, 2016 9:59 pm

by James Konstantin Galvez Reporter

The Philippines has enough rice stocks to last for the next three months despite major typhoons that made landfall at the end of last year and concerns of poor harvests due to the adverse effects of El Nino, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported.In its latest inventory report, the Philippine Statistics Authority-Bureau of Agricultural Statistics said that as of December 1, 2015, the country’s total rice inventory was at 3.44 million metric tons, 13.5 percent higher compared to the 3.03 million MT recorded during the same period a year ago.

The inventory was also up by 10.8 percent from the 3.11 million MT recorded in November 2015 as imported shipments, particularly from Vietnam, continued to arrive.“The total rice inventory for this month would be adequate for 100 days. Stocks in thehouseholds would be sufficient for 47 days, those in commercial warehouses for 29 days, and those in NFA depositories for 24 days,” the PSA-BAS said.Of this month’s total rice inventory, 47.8 percent were with households, 28.4 percent were in commercial warehouses and 23.8 percent in NFA depositories.To ensure stable supply and price of the staple amid droughts, Manila is looking to import at least 1 million metric tons of rice early this year.

Over the past two years, the NFA has relied massively on cheaper imported rice to replenish its buffer stocks in lieu of buying locally grown palay, saying that it cannot compete with private millers and traders.Buying rice from abroad cuts the agency’s spending on buying and milling locally grown palay and it can earn more and slash losses by selling to consumers at higher prices.The Department of Agriculture, meanwhile, expects no shortage in the supply of the grain ahead of the lean months as more farmers continued to plant rice after continuous rains late last year.Due to the movement of the cropping calendar, a shorter lean season may be experienced this year, the DA said.

Traditionally, the lean season in the Philippines starts in July and ends in September. It is also the time when the government, through the National Food Authority, imports rice that would help stabilize price in retail markets.To recall, the palay sector suffered massively from unrealized plantings as a result of delayed release and inadequate irrigation water, late occurrence of rains, and some areas left fallow.The wet season should have started mid April but was delayed to June or July due to the lack of water supplies.

http://www.manilatimes.net/ph-rice-inventory-adequate-psa/238921/

Compensatory payment scheme for rice farmers after tariffication

In 1995, the Philippines was granted special treatment in rice by the WTO, thereby allowing it to maintain its import monopoly and quantitative restrictions (QRs). This privilege will expire by 2017, hence compelling the rice sector to undergo tariffication. Removal of special treatment will lead to intensified competition from imports and lower domestic prices, reducing farmers’ income. In the following we will assess options for agricultural production support options for rice farmers after tariffication.

TYPES OF AGRICULTURAL SUPPORT SCHEMES

Domestic subsidies are typically provided through productivity-oriented programs, direct payments, or a combination of both. Productivity-oriented programs include research and development (R&D) and irrigation investments. While such programs are important productivity-oriented programs, our assessment focuses on direct payments. The Philippines is already spending considerable amounts for support of rice farmers under its self-sufficiency program, which should be kept in place. However, productivity-oriented programs tend to impact the medium to long-term, whereas the removal of QRs have immediate impacts. Direct payments appear to be the more appropriate safety net for rice farmers.

Direct payments are classified into three types namely, traditional support, deficiency payments and decoupled payments.• Traditional support: examples are price support and procurement schemes. NFA procurement is an example of traditional support.• Deficiency payments are payments that compensate farmers for when farmgate prices fall. Payments under this type are equal to the difference between a target price and the market price. The US, South Korea, and Thailand have implemented deficiency payment schemes for farmers.• Decoupled payments refer to lump-sum payments unrelated to price or quantity. Since these payments are a form of assistance to farmers in their transition to a free-market, decoupled payments are capped, and time-bound. The US, Mexico, EU, Turkey, and South Korea, are examples of countries that have implemented decoupled payment schemes.

Due to minimal distortion, decoupled payments are permitted without restriction by WTO.Based on past research, traditional schemes such as the market price support and consumer subsidy are disadvantageous, due to high fiscal burden, leakage, and market distortion. For example, in the Philippines, traditional support has imposed high cost, driving the net debt position of the National Food Authority up to 143 billion pesos. In Thailand, a paddy pledging program cost the government the equivalent of over a trillion pesos, and led to huge stockpiles of rice.

Deficiency payments appear to be a better alternative; when Thailand switched to a Price Insurance Scheme (PIS), it was able to reduce budgetary outlays for farmer support, while still increasing the number of beneficiaries, from 1 to 3.2 million farmers. However, deficiency payments are still vulnerable to high fiscal cost when farmgate prices happen to fall to unexpectedly low levels. On the other hand, decoupled payments address the problem of wastage and high fiscal burden affecting traditional and deficiency payments.

A SCHEME OF DECOUPLED PAYMENTS FOR THE PHILIPPINES

In the following, we evaluate a possible compensatory payment scheme (2017-2022) that would serve as a safety net for rice farmers after tariffication. Rice farmers registered under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), or their heirs, are eligible to receive payments. The annual compensation formula is posited as follows:

Total Payments = P5/kg. x (actual imports -- normal imports) / 0.654

To compute payments for each farmer, total payments from the payment compensation formula shall be divided by the area harvested. This will be distributed per cropping season (twice a year). To avoid fiscal problems, eligible farm area is capped at 2 hectares per farmer.

In practice, actual imports and area harvested will be approximated by the previous year’s figures.
To compute expected and normal imports, as well as assess the financial viability of the program, we apply an economic model called the Total Welfare Impact Simulator (TWIST). TWIST will be used to assess two scenarios: baseline scenario and an tariffication scenario. The former assumes QRs are maintained, with a fixed farmgate price of P17 per kg. (NFA support price); the baseline is the basis for the normal rate of imports in the compensation formula. The alternative scenario adopts the same assumptions, except that it posits the repeal of QRs, and imposition of a 35% tariff equivalent (2017 onwards).

Simulation analysis shows that tariffication leads to the following changes relative to the baseline (average of 2017-2022):

• Palay output will be lower by 2.5 million tons per year.

• Farmgate price will be lower by an average of P4.60 pesos per kg.

• Retail price will be lower by an average of P7.00 pesos per kg.

• Imports will be larger by 2.25 million tons per year.

• Tariff revenues will average 27.7 billion per year.

• Based on the assumed compensation formula, payments will equal 17 to 18 billion pesos per year.

Earmarking the rice tariff revenue to pay for the compensation scheme is feasible. Assuming eligible area is at 4 million hectares, payments per hectare is equal to P4,750. In this case, for 2 hectares of irrigated farmland, farmers could receive P19,000 per year. This is greater than transfer per household from the conditional cash transfer program (CCT) which is P15,000 for 3 children. Note that compensatory payments can be received simultaneously with the CCT.

TARIFFICATION INEVITABLE

Tariffication of the Philippine rice sector by 2017 is inevitable. The inevitable transition to a more open rice trade regime should be accompanied by safety nets for smallholders suffering from intensified competition from imports. We have evaluated a compensatory transfer scheme combined with a 35% tariff equivalent as a feasible support scheme once special treatment is removed. Such a compensatory scheme should be implemented alongside existing productivity-enhancing programs for the rice sector.

Roehlano M. Briones and Lovely Ann Tolin are Research Fellow and Research Analyst, respectively, at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies. The study is conducted under the multi-country CREW Project, supported by CUTS International Jaipur.

http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Opinion&title=compensatory-payment-scheme-for-rice-farmers-after-tariffication&id=121206

Pakistan’s basmati export hopes fade; Indian prices fall

By Erum Zaidi

January 12, 2016

KARACHI: Pakistan’s aromatic basmati rice exports fell almost 30 percent in the year to October due to cheaper rival supplies from India, a trend that is expected to continue and would make it difficult for the country to stay competitive, traders said.“India’s competitive rice prices have helped the country in grabbing a bigger share of the global market and increasing exports,” Muhammad Shafique, Chairman Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap), told The News in an interview. “Our exports are already on the decline.”Pakistan’s various varieties of rice were quoted at $950 to 1,100/ton in the international market, while Indian varieties of basmati rice, which competes with Pakistan, were priced at around at $720 to $850/ton.

Basmati – a premium long grain variety of rice – saw a sharp drop of 30.35 percent to $185 million in July to November FY16 as compared to $264 million a year ago. Exports of non-basmati rice increased 6.30 percent to $503 million compared with $474 million earlier. Shafique said India’s lower export prices are taking toll on the Pakistan’s Basmati exports. "Still we are not mulling to reduce prices to compete India," he added. "The exporters will continue to sell at even higher prices despite decline in earnings."Analysts said world rice prices have taken a hit because of bumper crops in Thailand and Vietnam, which will make it difficult for a number of counties, including Pakistan to export some of its burdensome stocks.

Pakistan’s traditional customers of rice are African and Middle Eastern countries. The country produced seven million tons in 2014/15 as against 6.098 million tons in the preceding fiscal year. Given an ample supplies, it was easy for India and other Southeast Asian countries to sell at a price that was lower than shipments from Pakistan.Figures from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) revealed that the cost of basmati rice fell to $1,130.92/ton during January to November 2015 from $1,200.87/ton in the same period of the preceding year. Non-basmati (broken rice) prices declined to $404.30/ton compared with $456.39/ton a year ago. A rice analyst said the country’s exporters are selling rice on high prices in comparison of Indian counterparts because of their rising input cost.

“However, by and large, Pakistan’s rice export prices remained subdued in line with the global trend of softening staple commodity prices since 2012,” the analyst added. “Otherwise, the levels of crop production, inventories and supply in Pakistan are quite encouraging.” The country hopes to regain its share in the Iranian market after the world’s sanctions on neighbouring Iran eased in July last. Iranian government said that it would restart rice imports from Pakistan from October. For Pakistani exporters, Iran can become the good destination for their basmati exports.“We are trying to capture around 1.2 million tons of Iranian rice market, but lack of payment mechanism between the two countries is the major hurdle in meeting this objective,” Shafique said.

He said the Reap representatives’ scheduled visit to Iran on January 15 to discuss the issues related to the resumption of rice exports from Pakistan, implementation of currency swap agreement and the condition of good manufacturing practices (GMP) certification with Iranian authorities has been postponed owing to the recent diplomatic crisis between Saudi Arabia and Iran.“Iran is one of the largest rice importers and purchases world rice output worth $2 billion every year. However, Pakistan’s rice accounts for nearly an eight percent of Iran’s market.”Data on Reap’s website showed that around 2,234 tons of rice was exported to Iran in 2014/15, while the export receipts stood at $1.32 million.

Presently, trade with Iran is done on barter basis. “If a currency swap agreement is implemented between the two countries, traders of the both sides can look forward to conventional deals,” Shafique said.The Iranian health ministry has set health standards for the rice import and only those who are registered under its GMP certification program can export to the country.“The Iranian authorities have so far registered only 15 Pakistani companies, giving them a clean chit that their consignments are fit for human consumption and meet specific health standards,” Shafique said.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/print/89561-Pakistans-basmati-export-hopes-fade-Indian-prices-fall#sthash.kMLoV73t.dpuf

http://www.thenews.com.pk/print/89561-Pakistans-basmati-export-hopes-fade-Indian-prices-fall

PERSON OF THE YEAR

Mon, 01/11/2016 - 21:02 admin

Who Says Liberia Can’t Grow Its Own Rice? 1M tons produced in Lofa This Year, Farmers Say

By: Gloria T.Tamba and Alvin Worzi

Mr. Selma

To say that Liberia’s farmers are unable to produce enough food to supply the country would be an untrue statement. Sadly, the prevailing belief that the country imports more than it produces, certainly appears true to see the volume of imported rice entering the country every year.However, a Daily Observer team on a recent trip to Lofa County uncovered evidence that Liberia can feed itself, and the farmers at work have the produce to prove it.The evidence uncovered also pointed to the fact, however, that lack of government support to local farmers in one of the country’s major breadbaskets is what is preventing farmers in this part of the country from putting all their efforts and energy into farming, actions that would see Liberia being food sufficient.It all started when, earlier this month, The Daily Observer was throwing around a few names as possible person of the year. We had been through the usual suspects – President Sirleaf, Mary Broh, Mills Jones and others – people who have made significant, positive and radical moves that have influenced the economy, society in general and the body politic. For 2015, we felt the need for significant focus on Agriculture. But who were the major players? Who was that entrepreneurial farmer, someone who was solutions oriented – a leader among his peers producing a volume of crop that inspired other famers to compete?

And with 2017 on the horizon, the two biggest farmers who have announced their candidacy for the Liberian presidency – Vice President Joseph N. Boakai and businessman Benoni Urey – also came to mind. However, we shied away from any political personalities, because agriculture need not be a political endeavor.Probing further still, we became aware of a group of farmers in Lofa County led by a man named John Selma, who are said to have collectively produced roughly one million tons of upland and lowland rice in 2015 alone.

This had to be our guy – in fact, our group – for what we saw on the ground in Lofa was a classic example that one need not be a wealthy businessman or politician to produce the kind of volume we are reporting about. It was a classic example of the possibilities that derive from good leadership, trust, unity – and for goodness sake – hard work.Wanting to reverse the trend of Liberia importing huge amounts of rice instead of growing its own, local farmer John Selma decided to get involved in farming.Witnessing the daily struggles of Liberians in the country in search of food, despite the huge amounts of imports of foodstuff on a daily basis, Selma got tired of that and embarked on an effort to produce rice on a large scale in Liberia, thereby boosting local production.In an interview with Mr. Selma and others at his farm in Kpadeh Village, Lofa County, he said he was also moved to get involved in farming to make Liberia food sufficient so as to prevent his people from struggling for food on a daily basis.

Like father, like son

Born on March 20, 1972, Selma grew up in David Selma Town, Lofa County. As a boy Selma always wanted to be like his father, after whom the town is named.A surveyor by profession, David Selma earned the respect and admiration of many people in the county. He earned extra money helping local people in Lofa cash their government checks and gained a reputation for being trustworthy and for his goodwill.This initial contact with “business” led young John Selma to see himself pursuing business as a career.

However, the Liberian civil war put an end to that vision, which caused Selma to stop formal schooling in the 5th grade.Yet, with business in his blood, the enterprising Selma and his friends sold everything from cocoa to cane juice during the war, instead of getting involved in the blood letting that was characteristic of the war.“During the war some of us went through difficulties – I lost my father and other relatives. After the war, I got involved into petty business like buying and selling tobacco, cane juice, salt, and other important items that our people needed.

Back to the soil

“The issue of getting a better job was something very difficult so I decided to get back to my father’s old business by giving out loans to farmers to improve their farming activities in 2009.“Late 2012, I realized that I needed to get back to the soil to grow more food after noticing that the issue of food is the country’s major problem, with not much efforts being placed on putting an end to the huge importation of food.“With this I decided to start my farming activities with a village savings loan for only farmers in the county, while at the same time encouraging them to go back to the soil with high expectations of earning a better living for them and their families through the maximum production of food that would feed the country,” said Selma.

From acres to hectares

He said that he got involved in commercial farming because it was then a new phenomenon in Liberia’s agriculture sector. Historically, he said, smallholder farmers in Liberia had been content with subsistence farming.“This has partially been due to the difficulties in accessing money from commercial banks. Banks do not trust the farmers’ ability to repay, and in turn, farmers are not willing to take loans at the high interest rates required by the banks,” he added.

Although access to farming loans from local banks is still a big issue that is hindering the agriculture sector from maximizing its potential, Selma said that farmers across Liberia are grateful for the assistance they receive from local and international NGOs.He said that to promote access to finance for smallholder farmers in Liberia, the Liberia Entrepreneurial Asset Development (LEAD) and the United States Agency for International Development Food and Enterprise Development (USAID FED) Program for Liberia have partnered to provide financial assistance to farming organizations.

USAID FED provides the project’s beneficiaries with training on basic financial management principals and then links them to LEAD for loans.“We are glad to be among the nine farming organizations benefiting from the LEAD loan program in coordination with USAID FED since December 2014. We received US$10,000 which was invested in buying paddy rice from farmers and sold to the government and a local partner (Fabrar),” John Selma, lead farmer of the Zileh Farmers Association, disclosed.Selma said that the Zileh farmers, from December 2014 to February 2015, have sold rice to both the government and to Fabrar for a total of US$98,893 from 5.25 metric tons of 50kg paddy rice.

USAID FED has assisted the Zileh farmers with the construction of irrigation structures and provided power tillers to plow the lowland rice field. The farmers were also trained on how to grow lowland rice according to improved methods.Prior to USAID/FED’s intervention, the group continuously experienced low yield harvests due to the application of traditional farming methods, harvesting only twenty 50-kg bags of rice from their seven-hectare plot annually.However, as a result of USAID’s intervention, the Zileh farmers experienced a dramatic increase in yield, harvesting nearly two hundred 50-kg bags from the same area under cultivation.Selma said that USAID/FED has been supporting farmers to improve production in food value chains such as cassava, rice, goats and vegetables.Following this intervention in the process several farmers have let go of the past and turned to this new way of life by increasing their farms from cultivating an acre or so to hectares of rice and other food value chains.

“I have been in the farming [business] for the past three years. I started with 50 farmers at the initial stage but through our tireless efforts providing farming equipment, cash and other support to them, they increased in Lofa because the farmers have now increased from 50 to over 350 farmers currently,” he said.Selma manages more than 175 hectares of lowland and upland rice farms in Lofa County. He said that he increases his production through a barter system with subsistence farmers, where he would trade certain amenities the farmers need for their farms’ output.Selma’s vision of going back to the soil with the hopes of improving the agriculture sector has been encouraging to farmers in Lofa. Farmers in Lofa County have in 2015 harvested more than 15,000 bags of rice, which is a true success story considering the fact that prior to his efforts, they were mostly subsistence farmers.

Big harvest, no market

Despite this level of success, however, the farmers are deeply frustrated because there is no one to purchase their rice.With about a million tons produced this year in Lofa County alone, according to Selma, believes that Liberia can feed itself if farmers nationwide are given the fullest support in terms of finance, materials and moral support.

He explained that several farmers in the country are capable of producing more food, especially rice, the country’s staple food, as well as cassava, potatoes, vegetables and many of the other crops that grow in the country.“We the farmers are willing to grow more food but we are not receiving the necessary support we need. Instead, the money that is supposed to be used to improve agriculture is being used [to import huge volumes] of food into the country.The Ministry is aware of the large quantities of rice being produced around the country, Agriculture Minister Moses Zinnah told the Observer, but “it is not the role of the government to buy rice.

”Asked whether rice importers could be encouraged to purchase more local rice, Zinnah said “we want importers to buy rice from farmers,” but did not speak to any efforts being made to encourage or mandate rice importers to do so, arguing that that is a question for the Ministry of Commerce.Commerce Minister Axel Addy told the Observer that the government has engaged rice importers, who have welcomed the idea. However, Addy said, the Ministry of Agriculture has to take the lead in either encouraging or mandating them to buy rice locally. The question then becomes, whose job is it to ensure that local farmers are able to sell their rice?

Another issue is that the few rice importers who are in fact buying from Liberian farmers are only buying at US$17 per bag, while the MOA normally buys at US$20 per bag. For this year, however, the MOA says it does not have a budget for buying rice from local farmers. So the surplus rice produced by farmers this year is wasting on their farms because they have no buyers.

Give Liberia ten more John Selmas and Liberia’s food insecurity days will be over! But after they have done the work, who will buy?

http://www.liberianobserver.com/news/person-year

China starts rice imports from Laos

English.news.cn 2016-01-10 22:14:58

SHENZHEN, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- The first shipment of rice imports from Laos have passed through inspection and quarantine procedures at south China's Shenzhen port, according to local authorities.The shipment weighed 87.8 tonnes and was valued at 746 million U.S. dollars, said the Shenzhen Entry-Exit Inspection And Quarantine Bureau.China mainly imports rice from Vietnam, Thailand and Pakistan. It recently added Laos to the list.Chinese appetite for grain imports has been growing fast, as the increasingly wealthy population seek more choices of staple food.

As China's biggest port for rice imports, Shenzhen handled over 1 million tonnes of rice imports in 2015, accounting for nearly half of the country's total.The Shenzhen bureau said it has carried out both on-the-spot inspections and lab tests for pesticide residue and heavy metal pollutants on each batch of goods to ensure the quarantine quality of the imports.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-01/10/c_134995687.htm

Govt's rice procurement may exceed 32 mn tons this year

According to a Food Ministry official, overall rice procurement in 2015-16 will surpass last year's level

Press Trust of India | New Delhi January 11, 2016 Last Updated at 17:56 IST

FCI fixes higher rice procurement target despite fears of crop lossGovt to rope in pvt players for kharif rice procurementAgriculture Ministry to be renamed as Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' WelfareAgriculture Ministry proposes further 5% hike in import duty of edible oilFCI's wheat procurement falls to 27.6 MT this year

Government's rice procurement may surpass last year's level of 32 million tonnes in the 2015-16 marketing year despite prospect of lower production due to deficient monsoon.As per the latest data, rice procurement has risen by 31% to 20 MT so far in the 2015-16 marketing year that started from October, from 15.29 MT in the year-ago period.The Centre's nodal procurement agency Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state government-owned agencies undertake procurement operations. The Centre has kept a rice procurement target of 30 MT for the this year.

"Despite the Agriculture Ministry's first estimate of lower production, somehow rice procurement has been higher so far in most states. If the current trend continues, the overall rice procurement in 2015-16 would surpass last year's level," a senior Food Ministry official told PTI.Higher rice procurement was mainly due to fall in prices of common variety in most mandis after basmati rice rates declined sharply, the official said.At present, procurement has been completed in Punjab and Haryana, while the operations are in full swing in Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.Winter rice will be procured from Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Telangana and Odisha.

As per the latest data, rice procurement in Punjab rose to 9.34 MT in 2015-16 from 7.78 MT in the last year. Similarly, rice purchase in Haryana increased to 2.85 MT from 2.01 MT in the review period.Rice procurement in Andhra Pradesh has more doubled to 1.2 MT so far this year as against 5,58,573 tonnes in the year-ago period, while neighbouring Telangana state procured only 9,07,180 tonnes as against 1.28 MT in the said period.

In Chattishgarh, the procurement was up at 2.53 MT from 1.56 MT, while in Uttar Pradesh the purchases rose to 1 MT from 6,05,000 tonnes in the said period, the data showed.Rice procurement in Odisha increased to 7,36,945 tonnes so far this year from 1,59,793 tonnes in the year-ago period.In its first estimate, the Agriculture Ministry has projected a fall in kharif rice production to 90.61 MT in the 2015-16 crop year (July-June) from 90.86 MT in the year-ago period due to 14% fall in monsoon rains.

The agencies buy paddy from the farmers and give to millers for conversion into rice. The government has fixed the minimum support price of common variety of paddy at Rs 1,410 per quintal for 2015-16 kharif season

http://agriculture.einnews.com/article/305765375/594RB-Ia4mEzPE6M

USA Rice Teaches Mexican Consumers About U.S. Rice's Versatility

By Michael Klein

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - USA Rice chefs and representatives took advantage of Sunday being a major family shopping day in Mexico to set up a cooking demonstration event at a Sam's Club here yesterday. About 75 shoppers crowded around as two USA Rice chefs and two assistant chefs pulled from the audience cooked three very different dishes featuring U.S.-grown rice.A rice dessert featuring long grain rice with pineapple, raisins, and eggnog was presented alongside a rice salad with ham, cheese, peanuts, and vegetables made with parboiled rice. The main event, and biggest crowd pleaser was the "People's Paella" that featured yellow rice, chicken, shrimp, sausage, onions, and other vegetables.

"One very important aspect of these events is that they enable us to actually teach Mexican consumers about U.S. rice and break some old habits that may discourage rice use," explained Chef Gabriel Saucedo who led the seminar. "Mexicans are used to having to wash their rice and then fry it in some oil before cooking it. Neither are necessary and they make rice more complicated than it needs to be."USA Rice's Marvin Lehrer drove the point home when he showed off the clean rice in the packages on display. "It's ready to cook right now - don't waste your time washing the rice - the mill has done it for you," he told the crowd, handing out coupons for U.S.-grown rice.

The chefs shared other cooking tips with the crowd, such as cooking rice in bulk and storing it in the refrigerator for use over several days. USA Rice's Gaby Carbajal helped dish out the prepared food to the hungry crowd and then led a Quiz Show to see how much the spectators learned with USA Rice cookbooks as prizes."I was happily surprised to learn of new ways to use rice today such as the main course paella, salad, and dessert," said Malena Martinez, a shopper and mother of two who participated in the event.

"Here in Mexico we know of only three traditional ways of cooking rice that we learned from our mothers, so I'll definitely use more rice now that I know how versatile it is."Mexico, with a population of more than 122 million, is the top destination for U.S.-grown rice that has a huge logistical advantage over other origins. Mexico City is a sprawling metropolis of some 21 million people and Sam's Club and Walmart are major shopping centers here.

USA Rice goes live at Sam's Club cooking demo

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/governments-rice-procurement-may-exceed-32mn-tons-this-year/articleshow/50534238.cms

Rice Exporters Cutting Prices as Yuan Falls

Khmer Times/Sum Manet

Sunday, 10 January 2016

As China’s currency, the yuan, falls against the US dollar and other major global currencies, Cambodian rice exporters say they will need to adjust their prices to compete in the market they have targeted for expansion.Hun Lak, vice president of the Cambodia Rice Federation, said prices of rice exports to China will need to fall due to yuan’s depreciation, which began at the end of last year. “Thailand and Myanmar lowered their rice prices and if we don’t follow suit we cannot sell our product [in China],” Mr. Lak said.

“Fragrant rice was priced at $740 per ton on average [in China] at the end of 2015, compared to around $800 early in the year and white rice is going for $430 per ton, about $20 to $30 lower,” Mr. Lak said, noting that pricing is in US dollars. “This is a problem for rice producers because it is challenging to make a profit from exports, not only for Cambodia but also for other countries,” Mr. Lak said, adding that members of his federation will hold talks and eventually a roundtable discussion to find solutions to the problem.

Economist Srey Chanthy said the dollarization of Cambodia’s economy adds to the pressure on exporters to China.Cambodia exported 538,396 tons of rice last year, up almost 40 percent from the 387,061 tons exported in 2014, according to a report from the Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export Formality. Cambodia exports both white and fragrant rice. China imported about 100,000 tons of rice from Cambodia last year, according to official figures. Hean Vanhan, deputy director of the General Department of Agriculture, said exports to China were a major factor in the rise in ric export last thanks.

He said this was due to lobbying from the government to identify new markets and the close relationship between the Cambodian and Chinese governments. Cambodia’s rice farmers are also becoming more productive, Mr. Vanhan added.He added that because China is tightening quality and hygiene standards on imported rice millers and exporters will need to ensure they comply with these.

“We need to transform some policies in order to increase exports,” Mr. Vanhan said.Khan Kunthy, CEO of rice exporter Brico, remains optimistic about China’s market due to its size and the amount of rice consumption in the country.“My company exported rice to many countries, but not China and Malaysia,” he said, adding that it plans to export rice to both of the countries this year. It only exported eight tons last year, but expects to double that amount this year, he said, adding that it will focus on fragrant and romdul rice.
Mr. Kunthy said that Europe has been the major export destination for Cambodian exporters but China is a growing market for them.

http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/19666/rice-exporters-cutting-prices-as-yuan-falls/

Compensatory payment scheme for rice farmers after tariffication

TYPES OF AGRICULTURAL SUPPORT SCHEMES

However, productivity-oriented programs tend to impact the medium to long-term, whereas the removal of QRs have immediate impacts. Direct payments appear to be the more appropriate safety net for rice farmers. Direct payments are classified into three types namely, traditional support, deficiency payments and decoupled payments.• Traditional support: examples are price support and procurement schemes. NFA procurement is an example of traditional support.• Deficiency payments are payments that compensate farmers for when farmgate prices fall. Payments under this type are equal to the difference between a target price and the market price. The US, South Korea, and Thailand have implemented deficiency payment schemes for farmers.
• Decoupled payments refer to lump-sum payments unrelated to price or quantity.

Since these payments are a form of assistance to farmers in their transition to a free-market, decoupled payments are capped, and time-bound. The US, Mexico, EU, Turkey, and South Korea, are examples of countries that have implemented decoupled payment schemes. Due to minimal distortion, decoupled payments are permitted without restriction by WTO.

Based on past research, traditional schemes such as the market price support and consumer subsidy are disadvantageous, due to high fiscal burden, leakage, and market distortion. For example, in the Philippines, traditional support has imposed high cost, driving the net debt position of the National Food Authority up to 143 billion pesos. In Thailand, a paddy pledging program cost the government the equivalent of over a trillion pesos, and led to huge stockpiles of rice.

Deficiency payments appear to be a better alternative; when Thailand switched to a Price Insurance Scheme (PIS), it was able to reduce budgetary outlays for farmer support, while still increasing the number of beneficiaries, from 1 to 3.2 million farmers. However, deficiency payments are still vulnerable to high fiscal cost when farmgate prices happen to fall to unexpectedly low levels. On the other hand, decoupled payments address the problem of wastage and high fiscal burden affecting traditional and deficiency payments.

A SCHEME OF DECOUPLED PAYMENTS FOR THE PHILIPPINES

To compute expected and normal imports, as well as assess the financial viability of the program, we apply an economic model called the Total Welfare Impact Simulator (TWIST). TWIST will be used to assess two scenarios: baseline scenario and an tariffication scenario. The former assumes QRs are maintained, with a fixed farmgate price of P17 per kg. (NFA support price); the baseline is the basis for the normal rate of imports in the compensation formula. The alternative scenario adopts the same assumptions, except that it posits the repeal of QRs, and imposition of a 35% tariff equivalent (2017 onwards).

Simulation analysis shows that tariffication leads to the following changes relative to the baseline (average of 2017-2022):

• Palay output will be lower by 2.5 million tons per year.

• Farmgate price will be lower by an average of P4.60 pesos per kg.

• Retail price will be lower by an average of P7.00 pesos per kg.

• Imports will be larger by 2.25 million tons per year.

• Tariff revenues will average 27.7 billion per year.

• Based on the assumed compensation formula, payments will equal 17 to 18 billion pesos per year.

Earmarking the rice tariff revenue to pay for the compensation scheme is feasible. Assuming eligible area is at 4 million hectares, payments per hectare is equal to P4,750. In this case, for 2 hectares of irrigated farmland, farmers could receive P19,000 per year. This is greater than transfer per household from the conditional cash transfer program (CCT) which is P15,000 for 3 children. Note that compensatory payments can be received simultaneously with the CCT.

TARIFFICATION INEVITABLE

http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/19666/rice-exporters-cutting-prices-as-yuan-falls/

New Research Reveals Climate-Food-Conflict Connection Via Nighttime Temperatures

January 11, 2016 By Raul Caruso & Roberto Ricciuti

The effect of climate change on the emergence of violent conflict has become one of the more lively academic debates and is even bleeding over into the mainstream. Despite a substantial number of studies, results are contradictory and somewhat inconclusive.In a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Peace Research, we present the results of a novel case study: Indonesia from 1993 to 2003, a period of major economic, political, and social transition.

We found a close relationship between an increase in the minimum temperature during the rice growing season and an increase in violence.Perhaps more importantly, however, we suggest that some of the contradictory results from previous climate change and conflict research may be a result of methodological differences – namely, not looking at the relationship between the principle crop in a given place and temperature.

What You Measure Matters

Among social scientists studying conflict, climate change has been represented by measures of rainfall and mean temperature. However, when studying different crops we may find that different climate factors actually affect harvests and yields.In our study, we focus on rice, the staple crop in Indonesia. We rely on the natural science literature that claims rising minimum temperatures have a strong negative impact on rice production. Higher minimum temperatures increase the amount of energy plants needs to spend to maintain a healthy state, shorten the time to maturity, and reduce net growth and productivity. Since minimum temperature is reached during the night, it is a variable often lost when scholars consider a daily average temperature.

With these different insights in mind, we investigate the impact of climate change on violence via agricultural production. The hypothesis underlying our work is that climate change may negatively affect rice production, rice prices, and eventually food availability and food prices, thus making the emergence of violence more likely.

Higher minimum temperatures reduce net growth and productivity

This framework of how climate change contributes to conflict holds when considering a single country whose economy is strongly dependent on rice. Rice in Indonesia is a staple food, and food constitutes 50 percent of household expenditures in urban areas and 67 percent in rural areas.

Rice production is a source of income for a substantial number of Indonesian households. According to data drawn from World Development Indicators, the employment in agriculture as percentage of total employment was around 46 percent between 1994 and 2003.In addition, Indonesia experienced substantial violence during a period of three major transitions in the 1990s. The first transition was political, from autocracy to democracy; the second was economic, from crony capitalism to a rules-based market system; and the third was social, from state centralization to decentralization.The overall severity of violence in terms of deaths peaked after the fall of Suharto’s regime in 1998 and decreased after 2001. However, the sheer number of violent incidents has risen since then.

With this context in mind – environmental factors alone are never enough to provoke conflict – we analyzed the link between climate change and violence in 14 Indonesian provinces.We matched climate data from NOAA’s Global Historical Climatology Network with provincial-level conflict data from the United Nations. We studied the emergence of violence as measured by the number of monthly events (say for example riots and lynchings). Using an econometric approach that allows us to claim that our results are causal and not just correlations, we show that an increase of the minimum temperature during the core month of the wet planting season (e.g., December), determines an increase in violence fueled by the reduction in future rice production.

A Flexible Framework?

This analysis supports the hypothesis that minimum temperature negatively affects rice availability (per capita), which in turn inflames violence. The evidence is robust. Somehave suggested that what is missing in the climate change and conflict literature is a strong articulation of how climate change leads to conflict. This framework may be an answer to that question.Stated broadly, our work suggests that some inconclusive results in the climate change and conflict literature may suffer from not considering specificities of different crops.

The dominant agricultural output and economic relevance of that crop changes across countries, from rice to wheat and others. Crops also differ in terms of growing season, cultivation technology, and reaction to climate variability. Further research seems necessary to explore other combinations of climate change variables, crops, and violence in different countries to see if this framework holds up.

Raul Caruso is an assistant professor of economic policy at Catholic University of the Sacred Heart. Roberto Ricciuti is an associate professor of economic policy at the University of Verona.

Sources: Climactic Change, Journal of Peace Research, National Journal, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, PNAS, Science, United Nations Support Facility for Indonesian Recovery, World Bank, World Development.

Photo Credit: A rice harvest in Indonesia, courtesy of Curt Carnemark/World Bank.

Topics: agriculture, Asia, climate change, conflict, democracy, development, economics, environment, environmental security, featured, food security, Guest Contributor, Indonesia, security

http://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2016/01/research-reveals-climate-food-conflict-connection-higher-nighttime-temperatures/

Rice stocks good for 90 days – PSA

By Louise Maureen Simeon (The Philippine Star) | Updated January 10, 2016 - 12:00am

The current inventory is good for 100 days, the PSA said. As a matter of government policy, a 90-day national rice buffer is considered enough to meet everyday consumption needs.Broken down, stocks held by households are sufficient for 47 days, while those in commercial warehouses are good for 29 days.The National Food Authority (NFA), the state rice importer, meanwhile has depositories enough for 24 days, figures showed.By percentage, Filipino households held the bulk of inventories at 47.8 percent, followed by commercial warehouses at 28.4 percent. NFA supplies cornered 23.8 percent of the total.Stock levels increased in both commercial warehouses and NFA, data showed. The latter posted the highest year-on-year growth of 68.9 percent, while the former increased 4.9 percent.Household supplies, on the other hand, dipped 0.2 percent.Meanwhile, corn stock inventory stood at 265,200 MT by the end of last year, up by 22.8 percent year-on-year, but fell11.1 percent from the previous month.

Of the total, 63 percent were in commercial warehouses, 36.5 percent with households, and 0.5 percent were in NFA depositories.Year-on-year, corn stocks in commercial warehouses and households went up by 36.5 percent and 5.2 percent, respectively while in NFA depositories fell by 18.4 percent.Rice and corn are considered main Filipino family staples.

http://www.philstar.com/business/2016/01/10/1540930/rice-stocks-good-90-days-psa

Thailand to cut rice output

BANGKOK, Jan 11, 2016:

Thailand plans to produce about 25 million tonnes of rice in the 2016-2017 crop instead of the normal production output of between 31-32 million tonnes in the last periods, according to the latest report released by the country’s Ministry of Commerce.The decision to cut output is prompted by a huge rice inventory and severe droughts in the country, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.Commerce permanent secretary Chutima Boonyaprapat said that the private and farming sectors had been invited to join the government in working out an integrated rice production and market plan for the 2016-17 crop.

Chutima said the plan was agreed by the three parties that the yield for the 2016-17 crop years would be capped at 25 million tonnes.Thailand, one of the world’s leading rice exporters, is striving to unleash its huge rice inventory of 13 million tonnes. In 2014, Thai rice production exceeded local demand by 50%.Restoring the balance on the rice market and raising farmers’ income are now key items on the Thai government’s agenda.

The Rakyat Post‎ -

Padyprocurement gets to a close in Gobi taluk

R. KRISHNAMOORTHY

Insufficient manpower in TNCSC's direct procurement centres was a major deterrent

Paddy procurement by Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation (TNCSC) has almost been completed in the ayacut areas of Thadapalli-Arakankottai canals.This time around, paddy was procured through nine direct procurement centres (DPC), and farmers had a reason to feel relieved on two counts: increase in procurement price and direct remittance of amount in the bank accounts of the farmers by the Primary Agricultural Cooperative Banks.The Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation was not able to deploy sufficient manpower at the DPCs, due to which there was a backlog, and farmers found themselves forced to sell their produce in the open market, Subi Thalapathi, president of Thadapallai-Arakankottai Ayacut Farmers’ Association said.

Rates

As per the revised rates, the farmers were given Rs. 1,460 per quintal, inclusive of incentive of Rs. 50, for coarse variety. For the fine variety, the rate was Rs. 1,520 per quintal along with incentive of Rs. 70. This time, however, there was not much of a difference in the procurement rate by the DPCs and open market. But, it was necessary for the TNCSC to strengthen manpower since farmers in inaccessible locations prefer to sell their produce at the DPCs, Mr. Thalapathy said.The procurement was carried out at nine centres: N.G. Palayam, T.N. Palayam, Kookalur, Elur (Arakankottai), Pudukkaraipudur, Puduvalliampalayam, Kasipalayam, Kallipatti and Athani.

‘A few farmers found themselves forced to sell their produce in the

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/paddy-procurement-gets-to-a-close-in-gobi-taluk/article8087513.ece

Milled Rice Exports Up But Fall Short of Goal

BY KANG SOTHEAR | JANUARY 11, 2016

Cambodia’s year-on-year milled rice exports increased by 39 percent to 538,396 tons in 2015, with most of the rice going to China and European Union countries, according to a report released by the Agriculture Ministry’s General Directorate of Agriculture on Friday.Exports to China accounted for 21.7 percent, or nearly 120,000 tons, of total exports, according to the report.However, despite the substantial increase, the figure was still more than 460,000 tons short of the government’s much-touted target of 1 million tons of milled rice per year, which Prime Minister Hun Sen said in 2010 that he hoped to achieve by 2015.Although the country has a surplus of 4 million tons of rice paddy, it still lacks the private sector financing and storage capacity that would allow that paddy to be milled and exported, according to Hean Vanhan, deputy director of the general directorate.

“We could not export our rice to the targeted amount because we did not have sufficient [milled] rice to export, although we had surplus rice paddy,” Mr. Vanhan said.“One of the main reasons was that the private sector’s ability to process and buy rice paddy was limited.” Mr. Vanhan added that the 1 million ton goal had not disappeared.

“The government still has the ambition to export 1 million tons of rice a year, but the timeframe and what needs to be reviewed are not set yet.”

sothear@cambodiadaily.com

https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/milled-rice-exports-up-but-fall-short-of-goal-105012/

Paddy procurement gets to a close in Gobi taluk

R. KRISHNAMOORTHY

Insufficient manpower in TNCSC's direct procurement centres was a major deterrent

Rates

‘A few farmers found themselves forced to sell their produce in the

open market’

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/paddy-procurement-gets-to-a-close-in-gobi-taluk/article8087513.ece

Government's rice procurement may exceed 32mn tons this year

By PTI | 11 Jan, 2016, 06.40PM IST

Government's rice procurement may surpass last year's level of 32 million tonnes in the 2015-16 marketing year despite prospect of lower production due to deficient monsoon.NEW DELHI: Government's rice procurement may surpass last year's level of 32 million tonnes in the 2015-16 marketing year despite prospect of lower production due to deficient monsoon. As per the latest data, rice procurement has risen by 31 per cent to 20 MT so far in the 2015-16 marketing year that started from October, from 15.29 MT in the year-ago period. The Centre's nodal procurement agency Food Corporation of India ( FCI) and state government-owned agencies undertake procurement operations. The Centre has kept a rice procurement target of 30 MT for the this year.

"Despite the Agriculture Ministry's first estimate of lower production, somehow rice procurement has been higher so far in most states. If the current trend continues, the overall rice procurement in 2015-16 would surpass last year's level," a senior Food Ministry official told PTI. Higher rice procurement was mainly due to fall in prices of common variety in most mandis after basmati rice rates declined sharply, the official said.

At present, procurement has been completed in Punjab and Haryana, while the operations are in full swing in Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Winter rice will be procured from Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Telangana and Odisha. As per the latest data, rice procurement in Punjab rose to 9.34 MT in 2015-16 from 7.78 MT in the last year. Similarly, rice purchase in Haryana increased to 2.85 MT from 2.01 MT in the review period. Rice procurement in Andhra Pradesh has more doubled to 1.2 MT so far this year as against 5,58,573 tonnes in the year-ago period, while neighbouring Telangana state procured only 9,07,180 tonnes as against 1.28 MT in the said period. In Chattishgarh, the procurement was up at 2.53 MT from 1.56 MT, while in Uttar Pradesh the purchases rose to 1 MT from 6,05,000 tonnes in the said period, the data showed.

Rice procurement in Odisha increased to 7,36,945 tonnes so far this year from 1,59,793 tonnes in the year-ago period. In its first estimate, the Agriculture Ministry has projected a fall in kharif rice production to 90.61 MT in the 2015-16 crop year (July-June) from 90.86 MT in the year-ago period due to 14 per cent fall in monsoon rains. The agencies buy paddy from the farmers and give to millers for conversion into rice. The government has fixed the minimum support price of common variety of paddy at Rs 1,410 per quintal for 2015-16 kharif season.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/governments-rice-procurement-may-exceed-32mn-tons-this-year/articleshow/50534238.cms

Haryana, Punjab provide 20 per cent more rice for central pool

By ET Bureau | 9 Jan, 2016, 03.20PM IST

The two states are the largest contributor of both paddy and wheat to the central kitty.CHANDIGARH: Punjab and Haryana have contributed 20% more paddy to the central pool in the current marketing season that was marked by scanty rains, providing a major boost to the National Food Security Mission. The two states are the largest contributor of both paddy and wheat to the central kitty. As per the Food Corporation of India's latest figures, Punjab contributed 139.54 lakh tonnes of paddy compared to 120 lakh a year ago in the current market season that began in October, while Haryana's share was 42.6 lakh tonnes compared to 30.5 lakh tonnes.

Together, the two rice bowl states contributed 64% to the central kitty of 283 lakh tonnes of paddy. The other contributors included Chhattisgarh (37.89 lakh tonnes), Andhra Pradesh (18.46 lakh tonnes) and Uttar Pradesh (16.37 lakh tonnes). Rice, a water intensive crop, was suspected to be affected due to untimely and scanty rains in the current Rabi season. Diversification from water guzzling rice has been on agenda of the two states due to rapid depletion of water levels. The Food Corporation of India's rice stock dwindled to 99.47 lakh tonnes in December 2015, the lowest in the last five years. The rice stock was 106 lakh tonnes in December 2014, 142 lakh tonnes in 2013, 306 lakh tonnes in 2012 and 270 lakh tonnes in 2011.

The increase in procurement from the two states is attributed to the yield increase and buying of PUSA 1509 basmati variety by government agencies. The government agencies in the two states, especially Haryana, had to resort to bulk buying of PUSA 1509 basmati variety after prices in open market dwindled below minimum support price for premium variety non-basmati rice. The rice market was affected by downward price trend in basmati due to carryover stock and limited demand from overseas markets. While the record procurement has strengthened Food Security Scheme, farmers' remuneration has been affected by the slump in prices in open market.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/haryana-punjab-provide-20-per-cent-more-rice-for-central-pool/articleshow/50509940.cms

APEDA Rice Commodity News

International Benchmark Price

Price on: 11-01-2016

Product	Benchmark Indicators Name	Price
Garlic
1	Chinese first grade granules, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)	2100
2	Chinese Grade A dehydrated flakes, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)	2000
3	Chinese powdered, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)	1800
Ginger
1	Chinese sliced, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)	2150
2	Chinese whole, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)	2300
3	Indian Cochin, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)	2850
Guar Gum Powder
1	Indian 100 mesh 3500 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t)	3850
2	Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps basis, FOB Kandla (USD/t)	1250
3	Indian 200 mesh 5000 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t)	2370
Source:agra-net		For more info

Market Watch
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 09-01-2016
Domestic Prices			Unit Price : Rs per Qty
Product	Market Center	Variety	Min Price	Max Price
Jowar(Sorgham)
1	Gulbarga (Karnataka)	Hybrid	1455	1822
2	Amreli (Karnataka)	Other	1355	1905
3	Vaduj (Maharashtra)	Other	2200	2300
Maize
1	Bagalakot (Karnataka)	Local	1300	1461
2	Dahod (Gujarat)	Yellow	1500	1530
3	Sangli (Maharashtra)	Other	1520	1565
Papaya
1	Reasi (Jammu and Kashmir)	Other	2700	3000
2	Barnala (Punjab)	Other	800	1200
3	Ahmedabad (Gujarat)	Other	600	800
Brinjal
1	Surat (Gujarat)	Other	700	1300
2	Jalgaon(Maharashtra)	Other	1500	2500
3	Bonai (Orissa)	Other	2000	2000
Source:agmarknet.nic.in		For more info

Egg	Rs per 100 No
Price on 11-01-2016
Product	Market Center	Price
1	Pune	430
2	Chittoor	413
3	Nagapur	390
Source: e2necc.com

Other International Prices					Unit Price : US$ per package
Price on 11-01-2016
Product	Market Center	Origin	Variety	Low	High
Onions Dry					Package: 40 lb cartons
1	Atlanta	Peru	Yellow	24	26
2	Chicago	Nevada	Yellow	34.50	34.50
3	Detroit	Peru	Yellow	23	25.50
Cabbage				Package: 50 lb cartons
1	Atlanta	Georgia	Round Green Type	11	11.50
2	Detroit	Texas	Round Green Type	18	22.50
3	Miami	Canada	Round Green Type	12	12
Apples				Package: cartons tray pack
1	Atlanta	Virginia	Red Delicious	27	28
2	Chicago	Washington	Red Delicious	22	22.50
3	Miami	Washington	Red Delicious	24	25
Source:USDA

Rice Prices

as on : 11-01-2016 08:10:39 PM

Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.

	Arrivals			Price
	Current	% change	Season cumulative	Modal	Prev. Modal	Prev.Yr %change
Rice
Bangalore(Kar)	5046.00	163.5	68508.00	4100	4100	-
Gadarpur(Utr)	1400.00	400	46703.00	1993	1840	-5.10
Jasvantnagar(UP)	850.00	-	850.00	2260	-	-
Varanasi(Grain)(UP)	600.00	15.38	4135.00	1940	1945	-2.27
Bharthna(UP)	600.00	NC	3200.00	2250	2240	-
Mathura(UP)	550.00	-8.33	3885.00	2090	1970	-
Samsi(WB)	500.00	NC	13810.00	2800	2800	-
Bangarpet(Kar)	451.00	-29.64	4967.00	1680	1680	-9.68
Kanpur(Grain)(UP)	300.00	15.38	3520.00	2125	2100	-0.70
Pilibhit(UP)	300.00	15.38	13420.00	2195	2195	-
Allahabad(UP)	270.00	-10	2860.00	1965	1980	-
Azamgarh(UP)	248.00	8.77	2236.00	2090	2090	-
Bareilly(UP)	245.00	8.89	4559.00	2200	2180	-
Bazpur(Utr)	240.00	-76	12022.90	1416	1900	-
Ballia(UP)	210.00	-	3560.00	1945	-	-
Shahjahanpur(UP)	204.20	-	35660.50	2200	-	-
Faizabad(UP)	180.00	NC	1721.50	2080	2120	-
Sainthia(WB)	176.00	-	770.45	1855	-	-16.44
Bahraich(UP)	165.00	13.01	1245.50	2075	2085	0.48
Birbhum(WB)	150.00	-	884.00	1790	-	-
Saharanpur(UP)	118.00	40.48	2349.00	2060	2030	-
Sitapur(UP)	100.00	-23.08	2463.00	2220	2240	-
Lucknow(UP)	100.00	-16.67	1591.00	2080	2080	-
Agra(UP)	100.00	-	1983.00	2155	-	5.12
Dhing(ASM)	82.00	9.33	1515.20	1800	1800	-
Aligarh(UP)	75.00	7.14	655.00	2150	2160	14.97
Kalipur(WB)	72.00	20	1797.00	2100	2100	-
Lanka(ASM)	70.00	40	1000.00	1775	1725	-
P.O. Uparhali Guwahati(ASM)	67.50	-	1213.50	2100	-	-
Gajol(WB)	65.00	-	601.50	2800	-	-
Jorhat(ASM)	62.00	-	334.00	2600	-	-
Karimganj(ASM)	60.00	NC	800.00	2200	2100	-
Ghaziabad(UP)	60.00	NC	960.00	2070	2050	-
Muzzafarnagar(UP)	60.00	71.43	400.00	2040	2080	-
Bindki(UP)	60.00	33.33	1090.00	2230	2220	-
Egra/contai(WB)	55.60	-	298.60	1800	-	-14.29
Howly(ASM)	54.50	32.93	1576.70	1300	1300	-13.33
Kalahandi(Dharamagarh)(Ori)	51.71	-	290.24	2100	-	-4.55
Dharampur(veg)(Guj)	50.00	NC	100.00	3250	3250	-
Goalpara(ASM)	48.50	7.3	749.90	3600	3200	-
Balrampur(UP)	46.50	22.37	566.50	2140	2150	-
Kasimbazar(WB)	45.50	-1.09	475.50	2360	2340	-9.23
Beldanga(WB)	44.00	10	523.00	2300	2300	-11.54
Koderma(Jha)	43.00	-	207.00	3400	-	-
Cachar(ASM)	40.00	NC	870.00	2700	2700	NC
Barasat(WB)	40.00	-42.86	785.00	2200	2200	-
Siliguri(WB)	38.00	-	153.00	2600	-	-
Gazipur(UP)	37.00	-48.61	546.50	1910	1900	-
Tilhar(UP)	34.00	2166.67	741.50	2215	2200	-
Meerut(UP)	33.00	-5.71	222.50	2140	2100	-
Yusufpur(UP)	30.00	100	215.00	1865	1870	-1.84
Balurghat(WB)	30.00	-	30.00	2900	-	-
Junagarh(Ori)	27.75	-	501.43	2100	-	-4.55
Kolhapur(Laxmipuri)(Mah)	25.00	-16.67	346.00	3000	3000	-
Jalpaiguri Sadar(WB)	25.00	8.7	363.00	2750	2750	-
Purulia(WB)	24.00	-33.33	936.00	2200	2200	-
Ramkrishanpur(Howrah)(WB)	23.00	-2.54	398.60	2300	2500	-11.54
Mirzapur(UP)	22.50	-10	412.00	1920	1925	6.67
Balugaon(Ori)	20.00	-33.33	120.00	3200	3100	10.34
Haldibari(WB)	20.00	NC	316.50	2350	2400	-
Ajuha(UP)	19.00	35.71	143.50	2120	2120	-
Mekhliganj(WB)	19.00	-5	181.50	2000	2000	-
Alipurduar(WB)	17.00	-	71.00	2200	-	-
Tinsukia(ASM)	15.00	-	45.00	2200	-	-
Firozabad(UP)	15.00	7.14	212.00	2120	2180	-
Champadanga(WB)	15.00	7.14	267.00	2450	2400	-
Medinipur(West)(WB)	15.00	-	231.00	2400	-	-
North Lakhimpur(ASM)	14.00	-23.08	568.70	1900	1900	-
Bijnaur(UP)	14.00	250	219.00	2200	1620	-
Divai(UP)	14.00	NC	111.00	2060	2060	-
Holenarsipura(Kar)	13.00	-51.85	79.00	1770	1776	7.01
Naugarh(UP)	13.00	-7.14	257.50	2045	2035	8.78
Muradabad(UP)	12.00	20	231.50	2240	2240	-
Sheoraphuly(WB)	12.00	14.29	286.50	2550	2500	-
Kannauj(UP)	11.50	21.05	82.10	2210	2200	-
Kottayam(Ker)	10.00	NC	40.00	3500	3500	-
Mannargudi(Ker)	10.00	NC	215.00	2600	2900	-
Kolaghat(WB)	10.00	NC	210.00	2300	2300	-
Tamluk (Medinipur E)(WB)	10.00	NC	231.00	2300	2300	-
Bhivandi(Mah)	8.00	NC	63.00	2670	3080	-
Chengannur(Ker)	7.00	-12.5	226.00	2500	2500	-13.79
Khairagarh(UP)	7.00	16.67	175.00	2060	2060	-
Bolangir(Ori)	5.50	-8.33	65.50	2300	2200	-
Tusura(Ori)	5.00	-28.57	64.00	2200	2200	-
Buland Shahr(UP)	5.00	-44.44	171.00	2040	2040	-
Rura(UP)	5.00	-	29.50	2150	-	-
Imphal(Man)	4.90	-	95.80	2700	-	-
Hailakandi(ASM)	4.00	NC	51.00	2700	2700	-
Farukhabad(UP)	4.00	NC	140.50	2250	2200	-
Islampur(WB)	4.00	33.33	127.00	2150	2150	-
Thoubal(Man)	4.00	-	50.50	2600	-	-
Bishenpur(Man)	3.40	-	44.40	2400	-	-
Aroor(Ker)	3.00	-25	69.00	6900	6900	-
Alibagh(Mah)	3.00	NC	42.00	3750	3750	134.38
Murud(Mah)	3.00	NC	28.00	2750	2750	71.88
Balarampur(WB)	2.30	NC	21.40	2200	2230	-
Darjeeling(WB)	2.20	-	31.90	2800	-	-
Lamlong Bazaar(Man)	1.80	-10	28.90	2500	2500	-
Gulavati(UP)	1.50	-25	18.50	2060	2045	-
Moreh(Man)	1.40	-	1.40	2900	-	-
Shillong(Meh)	1.00	-16.67	21.40	3500	3500	-
Bonai(Bonai)(Ori)	1.00	66.67	7.10	2000	2000	-23.08
Sardhana(UP)	1.00	-16.67	34.10	2080	2070	-
Kalimpong(WB)	0.90	-25	10.90	2400	2400	-

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/article8092565.ece

Drought hits half of country, but rice bowl seen surviving

11 Jan 2016 at 18:13 WRITER: ONLINE REPORTERS

A farmer in Song Phi Nong district in Suphan Buri tries to get her rowboat through Rang Thong canal that is drying up. (Photo by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)

Slightly more than half of the country is facing water shortages, but the Royal Irrigation Department remains confident the Central Plain will survive the dry season.Water Resources Department director-general Suphot Tovichakchaikul said 548 out of 928 districts in the country are fighting drought, an issue addressed in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at Government House on Monday.Short-term measures to help the country survive drought until the next rainy season arrives are focused on finding more underground water reserves and discharging water to arid regions, he added.

But irrigation chief Suthep Noipairote predicted drought would not ravage the Chao Phraya plain as the rice bowl of the country will have enough water until the end of May.

While Mr Suthep expressed confidence in handling the problem in rice-growing central provinces, the water level at the Chao Phraya Dam in Chai Nat continues to hover under the 14-metre "critical" level. It stood at 13.95 metres above sea level on Monday and has been under 14m since the start of the year.

Dam director Ekkasit Sukdithanaporn warned farmers on Jan 4, when the level was measured at 13.89 metres, that water would not be discharged to feed second rice crops in downstream fields.

Six major dams, including Bhumipol in Tak and Sirikit in Uttaradit currently are running at less than half their capacity, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department reported on Monday.Mr Supote and Mr Suthep did not name the districts battling severe water shortages. But some districts along the Yom River in Phrae, Sukhothai and Phitsanulok already have been hit hard. Some in Suphan Buri and Pathum Thani also reported water shortages.

In Phrae's Muang district, soldiers joined local authorities and villagers in tambon Pamat to dump 6,000 sandbags into the Yom with hopes of saving water for the coming months.Sitthiphan Thonglai, the tambon administration organisation chief, said the river blockade was necessary as the shortage situation could get worse.

Phitsanulok governor Chuchart Keelapaeng said Wang Thong, Nuen Maprang and Phrom Phiram districts have been declared disaster zones, as shortages were severe and Bang Rakam district could be added to the list.

BangkPost

Thank you for your interest in Daily Rice News! Our Researchers & Editorial Team work hard to share their best News for analysis, please give them credit. Any reproduction of www.Ricepluss.com/ www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com content requires written permission from us and clear reference to ww.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com. Copyright © 2016

For Advertisement in daily two newsletters & On blog & Website contact for detail... mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com

12th january,2016 Daily Exclusive ORYZA Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

EU Rice Imports Increase Sharply in September 1, 2015 - January 5, 2016

Jan 11, 2016

According to the latest data issued by the European Union (EU), rice imports by the EU increased sharply since the beginning of the crop year 2015-16 (September 1, 2015 - August 31, 2016).

The EU imported about 392,569 tons of rice during the period September 1, 2015 - January 5, 2016, up about 31% from around 299,310 tons imported during the same period last year.

Japonica rice imports increased about 14% to around 27,748 tons in September 1, 2015 - January 5, 2016 period from around 24,358 tons during the same period last year. Indica rice imports increased about 33% to around 364,821 tons during the said period from around 274,952 tons last year.

The UK remained the largest importer in September 1, 2015 - January 5, 2016 period with around 97,775 tons followed by France (68,683 tons), Netherlands (43,151 tons), Poland (28,153 tons), Italy (27,421 tons), Germany (27,019 tons), and Portugal (18,675 tons). Other EU countries imported 65,228 tons.

During the week ended January 5, 2015, the EU imported around 13,028 tons of rice, down about 55% from around 29,140 tons imported during the week ended December 15, 2015.

The EU imported around 1.143 million tons of rice in the crop year 2014-15, up about 12.7% from around 1.013 million tons imported in the crop year 2013-14.

Cambodia Exporters Lower Their Rice Quotes for China to Cope With Yuan Depreciation

Jan 11, 2016

Cambodia exporters are lowering their rice quotes to China to accommodate for yuan depreciation against the U.S. dollar, according to Khmer Times.

The Vice-President of the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) told reporters that Cambodian rice exporters will need to adjust their prices to compete in the China market. “Thailand and Myanmar lowered their rice prices and if we don’t follow suit we cannot sell our product [in China],” he said.

“Fragrant rice was priced at $740 per ton on average [in China] at the end of 2015, compared to around $800 per ton early in the year and white rice is going for $430 per ton, about $20 to $30 lower per ton,” he added.

Yuan depreciated by about 2.3% to around 6.58 per dollar on January 10, 2016 from around 6.43 per dollar on December 13, 2015.

Cambodia's rice exports to China have been increasing over the past few years. Cambodia exported around 116,639 tons of rice to China in 2015 accounting for about 22% of the total rice exports during the year. The Deputy director of the General Department of Agriculture noted that exports to China were a major factor in the increase in the country's rice export last year. "This was due to lobbying from the government to identify new markets and the close relationship between the Cambodian and Chinese governments," he said.

Cambodia reportedly exported around 538,396 tons of milled rice in 2015 (January - December), up about 39% from around 387,061 tons exported during the same period last year.

Brazil Rice Stocks Decline About 3% m/m to 115,126 Tons in December 2015

Jan 11, 2016

Brazil rice stocks stood at around 115,126 tons in December 2015, down about 3% from around 118,250 tons in November 2015 and down about 67% from around 351,860 tons in December 2014, according to the country's national grain supplying agency Conab.

According to Conab, rice stocks with the Selling Option Contract of Agricultural Products (OPCAO) stood at around 65,540 tons, down about 4.5% from around 68,658 tons in November 2015 and down about 68% from around 202,861 tons in December 2014.

Rice stocks with the Federal Government Acquisition (AGF) stood at around 49,586 tons, unchanged from November 2015 and down about 67% from around 148,057 tons in December 2014.

Rice stocks with farmers (Agricultural Familiar) were nil, compared to around 6 tons in November 2015 and down around 942 tons in December 2014.

Analysts Forecast Government of India to Procure Over 32 Million Tons of Rice in KMS 2015-16

Jan 11, 2016

Based on the current pace of rice procurement by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and the government agencies, analysts are forecasting that government's rice procurement in KMS 2015-16 (October 2015 - September 2016) may exceed last year's level of 32 million tons, according to the Press Trust of India.

The rice procurement is expected to be high despite prospects of lower production due to deficient monsoons. The FCI and the government agencies procured 20 million tons of rice so far in the 2015-16 KMS, up about 31% from around 15.29 million tons last year. The government targets to procure 30 million tons of rice this year.

Punjab (9.349 million tons), Haryana (2.854 million tons) and Chhattisgarh (2.311 million tons) are the top contributors to the central pool so far in KMS 2015-16.

The government of India fixed the minimum support price (MSP) of common variety of paddy at around $1,410 per quintal (around $213 per ton) and that of Grade A paddy at $1,450 per quintal (around $219 per ton) for the 2015-16 kharif season.

In its first estimate, the Agriculture Ministry has projected a fall in kharif rice production to 90.61 million tons in the 2015-16 crop year (July-June) from 90.86 million tons in the previous year due to 14% fall in monsoon rains.

Pakistan Basmati Rice Export Prices Increase in December 2105 After Declining for Three Months

Jan 11, 2016

Pakistan basmati rice export prices have increased in December 2015, after declining continuously for three months from September 2015, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

In December 2015, Pakistan's basmati rice export prices have increased by about 15% to around $716 per ton from around $621 per ton in November 2015, and down about 19% from their year-ago levels of around $885 per ton. In terms of local currency, average Pakistan basmati rice prices in December 2015 increased about 18% to around PKR 74,464 per ton from around PKR 64,949 per ton in November 2015, and down about 16% from around PKR 88,350 per ton in December 2014.

Average Pakistan basmati rice prices stood at around $849 per ton in 2015 (January - December), down about 36% from around $1,324 per ton recorded during the same period last year.

The increase can be attributed to a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Pakistan and Indonesia under which Pakistan will export one million tons of rice to Indonesia over the next four year. The first tender to export 15,000 tons of rice, including 5,000 tons of basmati rice, has been reportedly finalized. Pakistan basmati rice exporters have been facing a low demand and high stocks for the last few months.

Pakistan exported 149,495 tons of basmati rice in the first five months of FY 2015-16 (July-June), down about 31% from around 216,045 tons exported during the same period last year, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics

Laos’ First Rice Shipment for China Clears Quarantine Check

Jan 11, 2016

China has started importing from Laos and the first shipment of rice imports from the south-east Asian nation have passed through inspection and quarantine procedures at South China's Shenzhen port, according to Xinhua Net.

According to the Shenzhen Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, the first shipment included 87.8 tons of rice worth $746 million.

Bureau officials noted that they have carried out both on-the-spot inspections and lab tests for pesticide residue and heavy metal pollutants on each batch of goods to ensure the quarantine quality of the imports.

Laos is aiming to increase rice exports to China to over 10,000 tons a year

Philippines Rice Stocks Increase Sharply in December 2015

Jan 11, 2016

The Philippines rice stocks continued to increase for the third consecutive month in December 2015 after declining for four months continuously, according to the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS). The increase can be attributed to increasing imports.

Total rice stocks in the Philippines as of December 1, 2015 stood at around 3.44 million tons, up about 11% from around 3.11 million tons recorded on November 1, 2015, and up about 13.5% from around 3.03 million tons recorded during the same period last year.

According to the BAS, household stocks (which account for about 47.8% of total rice stocks in the country) stood at around 1.64 million tons as of December 1, 2015, up about 5% from year-ago levels of around 1.56 million tons. Commercial warehouse rice stocks (which account for about 28.4% of total stocks) have reached around 980,000 tons as of December 1, 2015, unchanged from their year-ago levels. The rice stocks with the National Food Authority (NFA) (which account for 23.8% of total stocks) stood at around 820,000 tons, up about 67% from around 490,000 tons recorded in October 2014.

Month-on-month, household rice stocks are up about 8%, commercial warehouse rice stocks are up about 11% and NFA rice stocks - in which about 84.6% are imported rice - are up about 15%, according to the BAS.

The BAS says that the Philippines' rice stocks as of December 1, 2015 are enough to last for 100 days (household and household stocks are enough for 47 days, commercial warehouses stocks are enough for 29 days and stocks with NFA are enough for 24 days).

Vietnam Exports About 6.6 Million Tons Rice in 2015, Up 4% from Previous Year

Jan 11, 2016

Vietnam exported about 6.568 million tons of rice in calendar year 2015, up about 4% from about 6.33 million tons of rice exported in 2014, according to data from the Vietnam Food Association (VFA). The average rice export price in this year stands at about $408 per ton (FOB), down about 7.5% per ton from about $441 per ton recorded in last year.

In December, 2015, Vietnam exported about 760,993 tons of rice, up about 61% from about 472,575 tons rice exported in December 2014, and down about 1% from about 771,312 tons rice exported in November 2015. The average export price in December stands at about $407 per ton, down about 14% per ton from a year ago and up about 8% per ton from a month ago.

Thailand to Encourage Rice Farmers to Cut Paddy Rice Output to 25 Million Tons

Jan 11, 2016

The government of Thailand is taking requisite steps to encourage rice farmers to cut down the country's paddy rice production from the current 31-32 million tons to around 25 million tons, according to Reuters.

According to the Commerce Ministry Permanent Secretary, the government is to prepare a comprehensive plan regarding the new production targets in one month and submit it to the National Rice Policy Committee.

"From now on, Thailand's rice production should comply with domestic and global demand each year," she said. "Once we have agreed to produce 25 million tonnes of paddy this year, related agencies including the Agriculture Ministry and Interior Ministry would have to work with rice exporters and farmers' associations on how to encourage farmers to manage their production as agreed," she added.

Vietnam Rice Sellers Lower Some of Their Quotes Today; Other Asia Rice Quotes Unchanged

Jan 11, 2016

Vietnam rice sellers lowered their quotes for Jasmine rice by about $20 per ton to about $425-$435 per ton today. Other Asia rice sellers kept their quotes unchanged today.

5% Broken Rice

Thailand 5% rice is indicated at around $350 - $360 per ton, on par with Vietnam 5% rice shown at around $350 - $360 per ton. India 5% rice is indicated at around $355 - $365 per ton, about $25 per ton premium on Pakistan 5% rice shown at around $330 - $340 per ton.

25% Broken Rice

Thailand 25% rice is indicated at around $340 - $350 per ton, on par with Vietnam 25% rice shown at around $340- $350 per ton. India 25% rice is indicated at around $325 - $335 per ton, about $20 per ton premium on Pakistan 25% rice shown at around $305 - $315 per ton.

Parboiled Rice

Thailand parboiled rice is indicated at around $355 - $365 per ton. India parboiled rice is indicated at around $345 - $355 per ton, about $60 per ton discount to Pakistan parboiled rice last shown at around $405 - $415 per ton.

100% Broken Rice

Thailand broken rice, A1 Super is indicated at around $315 - $325 per ton, about $20 per ton discount to Vietnam 100% broken rice shown at around $335 - $345 per ton. India's 100% broken rice is shown at around $265 - $275 per ton, about $20 per ton discount to Pakistan broken sortexed rice shown at around $285 - $295 per ton.

Monday, January 11, 2016

11 January ,2016 Daily Exclusive ORYZA Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Promote Exports of Hybrid Rice Seeds

Jan 08, 2016

China's National Rice Research Institute (NRRI) is planning to promote exports of hybrid rice seeds in Southeast Asia, Africa and South America over the next five years as part of the 13th five year plan (2016-2020), according to Asia One Business.

The Director General of the Institute noted that the NRRI will partner with Chinese seed companies to promote the hybrid seed exports.

"We need to ensure that the rice companies make a profit and that local farmers improve their yields," he said.

He noted that the Chinese hybrid seeds provide 30% higher yields than the hybrid seeds used in many other countries. Therefore the Institute is also keen on setting up demonstration centers for Chinese technologies abroad. The official noted that since the cost of exporting Chinese rice seeds to foreign markets is very costly, the Institute is keen on developing local rice varieties overseas with a local labour force.

"We need to establish ourselves in the local seed markets, and this will offer us a starting point to establish ourselves further in the agricultural sector," he said.

He also stated that the concept needs administrative approval from the Ministry of Agriculture. "We are hoping that the approval procedure will be simplified in the near future," he said.

Oryza Weekly: Rice Prices May Increase on Indonesia Demand

Jan 09, 2016

The Oryza White Rice Index (WRI), a weighted average of global white rice export quotes, ended the week at about $384 per ton, down about $3 per ton from a week ago, down about $8 per ton from a month ago and down about $45 per ton from a year ago. Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology predicts that the current conditions of El Nino will return to neutral during the second quarter of 2016 with chances of La Nina occurring in the second half of 2016.

Thailand

Thailand 5% broken rice is today shown at about $355 per ton, up about $5 per ton from a week ago, unchanged from a month ago and down about $55 per ton from a year ago.

The government hopes to export about 9 million tons of rice in 2016, according to the Permanent Secretary of the Commerce Ministry.

Thailand has temporarily suspended a one-million ton rice shipment to Iran due to the ongoing diplomatic crisis between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Vietnam

Vietnam 5% broken rice is today shown at about $335 per ton, down about $10 per ton from a week ago, down about $20 per ton from a month ago and down about $20 per ton from a year ago.

Cambodia

Cambodia 5% broken rice is today shown at about $430 per ton, unchanged from a week ago, up about $10 per ton from a month ago, and down about $25 per ton from a year ago.

Three Chinese firms have reportedly proposed to invest about $400 million in a project to develop rice warehousing facilities in Cambodia.

India

India 5% broken rice is today shown at about $360 per ton, unchanged from a week ago, up about $10 per ton from a month ago, and down about $30 per ton from a year ago.

Wholesale basmati rice prices declined last week due to sluggish demand from traders and sufficient stocks.

India’s total rice exports in the first eight months of FY 2015-16 (April-November) have declined by about 7% from last year, reaching about 6.98 million tons. India’s total rice export earnings have declined about 23% y/y to around $3.97 billion.

As of January 1, India’s 2015-16 winter/rabi rice (November-May) planting area has reached about 1.477 million hectares, down about 8% from last year.

As of January 1, the Food Corporation of India has procured around 18.966 million tons of rice in KMS 2015-16 (October-September).

Experts anticipate India’s rice exports in FY 2015-16 (April-March) to decline significantly due to reduced demand from major importers such as Iran and Nigeria.

Pakistan

Pakistan 5% broken rice is today shown at about $335 per ton, unchanged from a week ago, up about $10 per ton from a month ago and down about $45 per ton from a year ago.

The USDA Post forecasts Pakistan's MY 2015-16 milled rice production at around 6.9 million tons, unchanged from USDA's official estimates.

Sri Lanka has granted duty free access to 102 products from Pakistan, including basmati rice, as part of a free trade agreement between the two countries.

Central & South America

Five percent broken rice from Uruguay and Argentina is today shown at about $500 per ton, down about $10 per ton from a week ago, down about $20 per ton from a month ago and down about $100 per ton from a year ago.

Brazil 5% broken rice is today shown at about $450 per ton, unchanged from a week ago, down about $50 per ton from a month ago and down about $90 per ton from a year ago. The UN’s FAO forecasts Brazil’s 2015 paddy rice production to be around 12.44 million tons, an increase of about 3% from 2014, due to an increase in acreage and yields.The Brazilian paddy rice index maintained by the Center for Advanced Studies on Applied Economics (CEPEA) reached around 40.98 real per 50 kilograms as of January 4, 2016, slightly up from around 40.96 real per 50 kilograms recorded on December 27, 2015. In terms of USD per ton, the index reached around $204.50 per ton on January 4, 2015, down about 3.6% from around $212.10 per ton recorded on December 27, 2015. Month-on-month, the index has declined about 0.3% from around 41.11 real per 50 kilograms. In terms of USD, the index declined about 7% during the month.

Guyana exported around 537,334 tons of rice in 2015, up about 7.21% from around 501,208 tons in 2014. However, in terms of earnings, Guyana's exports declined about 11% to around $220.85 million in 2015 from around $249.5 million in 2014.

The UN’s FAO forecasts 2015 paddy rice production in Dominican Republic to be around 900,000 tons, virtually unchanged from last year’s levels.

U.S.

U.S. 4% broken rice is today shown at about $470 per ton, down about $10 per ton from a week ago, down about $20 per ton from a month ago and down about $45 per ton from a year ago.

Chicago rough rice futures for March delivery started the first week of the new year stronger amidst buying interest and firmer grains, reaching the weekly high of $11.880 per cwt (about $262 per ton) on Tuesday before tumbling the rest of the week. After reaching the weekly low of $11.565 per cwt (about $255 per ton) on both Thursday and Friday, futures for March delivery regained some ground to close at $11.845 per cwt (about $261 per ton) on Friday.

Although it firmed up slightly midweek, the U.S. cash market was mostly weaker this week as long grain exports for the last week of 2015 disappointed market participants.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement may not be signed in 2016 after all, as the U.S. Presidential elections, Congressional objections, and uncertainties surrounding the signing date are all shaping up to be major roadblocks for its signing.

Colombia Rice Export Quota, Inc. (COL-RICE) has announced a tender schedule for shipping 94,209 tons of U.S. rice under the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement as per the 2016 tariff rate quota for the U.S.

Other Markets

The UN’s FAO forecasts Maldives 2015-16 (January-December) rice imports to be around 26,000 tons, up about 3% from 2014-15.

The UN’s FAO forecasts Malaysia’s 2015-16 (July-June) rice imports to increase to about 2.694 million tons, up about 2% from last year, despite record rates of production due to an expected increase in domestic demand.

The Agriculture Minister of the Philippines says that further extension of quantitative restrictions on rice imports will prove costly for the government, but are needed to protect local farmers from cheap imports. Separately, the National Food Authority of the Philippines plans to import more rice from Vietnam and Thailand in 2016 in order to ensure rice sufficiency throughout the country. The USDA Post forecasts the Philippines MY 2015-16 (May 2015 - April 2016) rice imports at around 2.1 million tons, up about 17% from around 1.8 million tons in MY 2014-15 and USDA's official estimates of around 1.8 million tons. Meanwhile, scientists in the Philippines have found that extracts from seaweed can boost rice production and protect the plants from major pests when they are treated with slight gamma radiation.

The government of Indonesia has been urged by the state logistics agency Bulog to fix its rice purchase price in accordance with prevailing market prices. The Indonesian government plans to import 350,000 tons of rice in the first quarter of 2016 to enhance stocks and curb price hikes. The government is considering importing rice from India and Pakistan amid concerns of low stocks and prolonged drought conditions. The USDA Post forecasts Indonesia to import around 1.15 million tons in MY 2015-16 (January - December 2016), down 15% from around 1.35 million tons in MY 2014-15 and down from USDA's official estimates of around 1.6 million tons.

Experts say that Saudi Arabia curtailing rice waste of about 700,000 tons per year (worth about SR 2 billion or $533 million) would help the economy significantly and keep rice prices in check.

The government of Laos aims to produce 4.2 million tons of paddy rice in 2016 in order to ensure adequate supply for domestic consumption and exports.

Officials from Nepal’s Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Agricultural Development are concerned that India’s new policy of shifting exports of seed quality paddy rice and husked rice to “restricted” category from “free” category has significantly impacted the country’s rice mills.

Leaders from various European countries and related executives will meet in Belgium capital Brussels on January 12, 2016 to discuss the challenges faced by the current food production systems as well the solutions needed to produce food more efficiently and safely.

The Italian Parliament approved an amendment to the Domestic Stability law, which allows for the allocation of 2 million euros (about $ 2.186 millions) for 2016 and 5 million euros (about $ 5.465 millions) by 2017 in favour of the National Fund for the Most Deprived. The administration of Italy’s Piedmont region has decided to tighten controls on organic rice growing in order to prevent speculation against the consumers’ confidence. As of December 29, about 38.9% (or 587,976 tons) of the total Italian 2015-16 (September-August) paddy crop has been sold, a decrease of about 6% from the same time last year. The USDA Post forecasts Italy's MY 2015-16 rice production at around 1.5 million tons, up about 7.5% from around 1.4 million tons in MY 2014-15 based on the latest figures from the Italian Rice Association (Enterisi).

Guyana 2015 Rice Exports Increase 7% y/y But Earnings Down 11% y/y Due to Low Prices, Says GRDB Official

Jan 08, 2016

Guyana exported around 537,334 tons of rice in 2015, up about 7.21% from around 501,208 tons in 2014, local sources quoted the Head of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB).

However, in terms of earnings, Guyana's exports declined about 11% to around $220.85 million in 2015 from around $249.5 million in 2014. He attributed the decline in the value of exports to low prices. He noted that when Guyana was exporting to Venezuela, the country was receiving about $760 per ton. However, after the neighboring country withdrew purchases from Guyana, they are receiving prices in the range of $340 - $400 per ton.

In 2015, Guyana mostly exported rice to countries in North America, Latin America, West Africa, European Union and CARICOM countries, according to the GRDB Head. He noted that the GRDB and other stakeholders are keen on finding new markets for Guyanese rice.

The official noted that Guyana's 2015 paddy rice production increased about 8% to around 1.06 million tons (around 687,784 tons, basis milled) from around 977,289 tons (around 635,238 tons, basis milled) in 2014.

The agency is striving to help farmers boost production through developing stronger and resilient varieties of rice, according to the official.

USDA Post Forecasts Indonesia to Import 1.15 Million Tons of Rice in MY 2015-16, Down 15% from Previous Year

Jan 08, 2016

The USDA Post forecasts Indonesia to import around 1.15 million tons in MY 2015-16 (January - December 2016), down 15% from around 1.35 million tons in MY 2014-15 and down from USDA's official estimates of around 1.6 million tons.

Bulog needs to maintain year-end stocks of around 2.5 million tons in 2015, but the stocks stood at around 1.7 million tons at the end of September. Bulog stocks are expected to fall by about 950,000 tons based on the government's decision to double the distribution of Raskin rice between September and November.

So as to meet the MY 2014-15 ending stock target, the government authorized BULOG to

import 1.5 million tons of rice in October 2015. Around 750,000 tons of the 1.5 tons have been delivered in 2015. The Post expects the balance 750,000 tons to arrive before

March 2016 as Indonesian regulations restrict rice imports one month prior to, during, and two months after the main harvest period (expected to last from March to May 2016).

The Post estimates Indonesia's rice production at around 36.35 million tons (basis, milled) in MY 2015-16, down from around 35.56 million tons last year and up from USDA's official estimates of 36.3 million tons. The Post expects the country’s MY 2015-16 first main harvest, which should normally take place between February and April, is not expected until March-May due to delayed plantings.

USDA Post Forecasts Pakistan MY 2015-16 Milled Rice Production at 6.9 Million Tons

Jan 08, 2016

The USDA Post forecasts Pakistan's MY 2015-16 milled rice production at around 6.9 million tons, unchanged from USDA's official estimates.

The Post reports that harvesting of the 2015-16 rice crop is complete. Based on data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the Post reports that Pakistan exported around 4.1 million tons in MY 2014-15 (November 2014-October 2015), up from USDA's official estimates of around 4 million tons.

Indonesia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Pakistan on December 8, 2015 to import 1 million tons of milled rice from 2016 to 2019. If successful, the deal could help to support Pakistan’s exports of non-Basmati rice, says the Post.

India Winter Crop Rice Acreage Continues to Lag Behind Last Year as of January 8, 2016

Jan 08, 2016

India 2015-16 winter/rabi rice (November - May) planting area has reached around 1.707 million hectares as of January 8, 2016, down about 9% from around 1.863 million hectares planted during the same period in 2014-15, according to a press release by the Ministry of Agriculture.

The decline is due to scanty rains and low moisture in some of the rice growing regions. Last week, the Director of the Indian Meteorological Department reportedly stated that warmer easterly winds in December and January due to the El Nino phenomenon also impacted rabi rice sowing to some extent. Based on the pace of sowing so far, analysts are expecting a decline in the rabi rice crop yield.

The total rabi rice planting of all crops stood at around 56.5 million hectares as on January 8, 2015, down about 3% from last year's 58.25 million hectares.

In 2014-15, the rabi rice acreage reached around 4 million hectares, down about 9% from around 4.488 million hectares in 2013-14.

Thailand Rice Sellers Increase Some of Their Quotes Today; Other Asia Rice Quotes Unchanged

Jan 08, 2016

Thailand rice sellers increased their quotes for 25% broken rice by about $5 per ton to about $340-$350 per ton today. Other Asia rice sellers kept their quotes unchanged today .

5% Broken Rice

25% Broken Rice

Parboiled Rice

100% Broken Rice

USDA Post Forecasts Philippines MY 2015-16 Rice Imports at 2.1 Million Tons, Up 17% from Previous Year

Jan 08, 2016

The USDA Post forecasts the Philippines MY 2015-16 (May 2015 - April 2016) rice imports at around 2.1 million tons, up about 17% from around 1.8 million tons in MY 2014-15 and USDA's official estimates of around 1.8 million tons.

The increase in imports forecast is based on the government's earlier estimations that 1.3 million tons of milled rice needs to be imported in 2016 to cover losses from Typhoon Koppu and to strengthen stocks as the El Nino dry spell is expected to intensify through mid-2016.

The Post forecasts MY 2015-16 paddy rice production at around 18.298 million tons, down from around 18.913 million tons last year and up from USDA's official estimates of around 17.857 million tons. It forecasts paddy rice area at around 4.665 million hectares, down from around 4.7 million hectares last year and up from USDA's official estimates of 4.35 million hectares.

USDA Post Forecasts Italy MY 2015-16 Rice Production to Increase 7.5% y/y on Higher Acreage, Yields

Jan 08, 2016

The USDA Post forecasts Italy's MY 2015-16 rice production at around 1.5 million tons, up about 7.5% from around 1.4 million tons in MY 2014-15 based on the latest figures from the Italian Rice Association (Enterisi).

The increase in output is attributed to an increase in rice planted area to around 227,329 hectares in MY 2015-16 from around 219,532 hectares in MY 2014-15. The Post also estimates Italy's yield to increase to around 6.68 tons per hectare in MY 2015-16 from around 6.45 tons per hectare in MY 2014-15.

The Post estimates Long-A, Long-B, and Round paddy productions at around 820,765 tons, 247,825 tons, and 404,209 tons, respectively. Long-A, Long-B, and Round paddy areas are forecast at around 135,338 hectares, 35,044 hectares, and 56,946 hectares, respectively. Long-A, Long-B, and Round paddy yields are forecast at around 6.26 tons per hectare, 7.3 tons per hectare, and 7.3 tons per hectare, respectively.

11 th January,2016 Daily Global Regional,Local Rice E_Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Today Rice News Headlines...

1. Rice exports miss the mark again

2. Pakistan, Indonesia lock $40 crore rice deal

3. Indonesia Eyes New Rice Deal with India Amid Shortage

4. Pak-Kenya JMC to be held after 12 years; PTA to be discussed

5. Business Honors for Jan. 10, 2016

6. DITORIAL - Science and the environment

7. CARICOM Secretary-General on rice importation dispute

8. Rice stocks good for 90 days – PSA

9. Haryana, Punjab provide 20 per cent more rice for central pool

10. APEDA Rice Commodity News

News Detail...

Rice exports miss the mark again

Mon, 11 January 2016

Cheng Sokhorng

Five years after setting out an ambitious 1 million-tonne milled rice export target, the rice sector fell well short of the mark last year, exporting close to 550,000 tonnes, with industry experts cautiously optimistic over export increases in 2016.The Agriculture Ministry’s report, released on Friday, shows that rice exports in 2015 were up 39 per cent compared to 2014, with exports shipping 538,000 tonnes of milled rice, with the sector managing 387,000 tonnes in 2014.The completion of a 100,000-tonne export quota to China in April made the country the largest destination for Cambodian rice, followed by France and Poland. Jasmine and fragrant rice, led by phka romduol and phka malis, continued to dominate exports, accounting for 51 per cent of shipments, whereas 41 per cent of exports were white rice.“We are always seeking negotiations for new quotas to China, which is the main reason for increasing rice exports and an achievement of the government,” Vanhan said.Vanhan added that in order to fulfill China’s high standard requirement – a result of the Kingdom inking a new rice quota late last year – the ministry was inspecting the capacity of rice millers, as well as keeping an eye on hygiene and phytosanitary requirements.He added that the drought situation affecting parts of the country would have only a slight impact on exports, but that there was 4 million tonnes of paddy in storage that could be used for exports this year.While Cambodian exporters are making progress towards the 1 million-tonne target, Yang Saing Koma, former president of the Cambodia Center for Study and Development in Agriculture, said there would be an increase in exports this year, albeit a small one.

“We are always seeking negotiations for new quotas to China, which is the main reason for increasing rice exports and an achievement of the government,” Vanhan said.Vanhan added that in order to fulfill China’s high standard requirement – a result of the Kingdom inking a new rice quota late last year – the ministry was inspecting the capacity of rice millers, as well as keeping an eye on hygiene and phytosanitary requirements.He added that the drought situation affecting parts of the country would have only a slight impact on exports, but that there was 4 million tonnes of paddy in storage that could be used for exports this year.While Cambodian exporters are making progress towards the 1 million-tonne target, Yang Saing Koma, former president of the Cambodia Center for Study and Development in Agriculture, said there would be an increase in exports this year, albeit a small one.

“The potential of milled rice exports is still limited, because there are no measures to control the cost of production” he said.Long-talked about issues, such as the lack of capital, high transportation and electricity costs, were going to inhibit farmers from making progress on improving their production, according to Koma.“Irrigation and technical expertise for rice farmers is still limited, as a result farmers cannot get high yields of rice,” he said.

The Sokha, member of the executive committee for global market promotion at the Cambodia Rice Federation, said that despite the increase in exports, profits were not mirroring this uptick in shipments.“We have a lot of challenges in the rice market, such as exports from Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar, so rice exporters could not make as much profit as they have in previous years,” she said.Despite not reaching the export target, Sokha said she was optimistic that the Kingdom could increase its shipments this year.“We need to get a brand name for our high-quality jasmine rice, in order to build more confidence and spread to new markets,” she said. “Rice branding will help increase sales in the domestic and international market.

”According to the export figures, Amru Rice was the biggest exporter of rice last year, recording 11.3 per cent of shipments, followed by Khmer Foods Group and Golden Rice Cambodia.A man stacks sacks of rice at a warehouse in Phnom Penh last week. Last year Cambodia exported nearly 550,000 tonnes of rice, falling short of the government’s 1 million-tonne target. Hong Menea

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/rice-exports-miss-mark-again

Pakistan, Indonesia lock $40 crore rice deal

In 2013, a free trade pact was signed between Pakistan and Indonesia

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Pakistan and Indonesia have inked a rice deal under free trade pact that was signed in 2013, Dunya News reported Friday.Ministry of Trade has stated that Indonesia’s State Logistic Company has made a deal with Trade Corporation of Pakistan for import of rice.According to the agreement Pakistan will export 10 lac metric tonne rice worth USD 40 crore from 2016-19. At the time, trade total between the two sides is above USD 2 billion.In 2013, a free trade pact was signed between Pakistan and Indonesia.

Trade ministry will conduct legal proceedings in 2016 to improve rice production and stable its price

http://dunyanews.tv/en/Business/316735-Pakistan-Indonesia-lock-40-crore-rice-deal

Indonesia Eyes New Rice Deal with India Amid Shortage

The country’s trade minister says Jakarta is mulling a new pact with New Delhi.

By Prashanth Parameswaran

January 08, 2016

Indonesia is mulling importing rice from India as the country struggles with a temporary shortage of the staple food product in early 2016, the country’s trade minister said Wednesday. Last year’s prolonged El Niño had resulted in the rice planting season in Indonesia being postponed, leading to depleted rice stocks in the first quarter of 2016. While officials expect domestic production to rise again by April, Jakarta has nonetheless been looking for new import sources to fill the current shortfall and to forestall price hikes.On Wednesday, Trade Minister Thomas Lembong said that Indonesia was considering signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with India. New Delhi, which exports around 10 million tons of rice a year, vied with Thailand for the title of world’s top rice exporter last year according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

“We also encourage the signing of a memorandum of understanding with India,” he said according to The Jakarta Post.In December last year, Lembong had told India’s ambassador to Indonesia Gurjit Singh that Jakarta would move to include India in a list of countries from which rice imports could be authorized. Lembong is reportedly expected to broach the subject of the MoU on rice during his scheduled visit to India, which will take place from January 28 to 29 and will include a meeting with his Indian counterpart. The two Asian giants will also discuss collaboration in pharmaceuticals as well as the state of their overall economic relationship.If reached, the deal would be a boost for Indonesia. Jakarta had struggled to reach rice deals with Thailand and Vietnam last year and has been considering a number of other options. Just this week, a deal was finalized with Pakistan which will see the export of one million tons of rice valuing around $400 million over the next four years.

The rice agreement, executed by the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) of Indonesia, is the first that Jakarta has reached with a non-Southeast Asian country.Other rice import options which the Indonesian government has considered include Myanmar and Cambodia, both fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

http://thediplomat.com/2016/01/indonesia-eyes-new-rice-deal-with-india-amid-shortage/

Pak-Kenya JMC to be held after 12 years; PTA to be discussed

By Shahnawaz Akhter

January 10, 2016

KARACHI: The fourth session of the Pakistan-Kenya Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) has been scheduled for February 10-11 in Islamabad. It will be held after 12 years when the third session was held on July 29-30, 2004 in Nairobi.Sources in the Commerce Ministry said that the agenda of the fourth session is to present fresh proposals; latest implementation status of decision taken during the third session of JMC; and the status of pending agreements / memorandum of understandings (MoUs) for signing with Kenya.The fourth session will consider the implementation of Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between the two countries.At the third session it was decided to implement the agreement as draft PTA was pending with the Kenyan authorities for want of their comments.

The PTA was proposed by Pakistan and the Kenyan government responded that it was consulting with the stakeholders and member states of the East African Community in line with the Customs Union Protocol, which was signed in March 2004.At the third session, the Pakistani delegation recommended that the proposed PTA should cover trade in goods and services. The two sides had agreed to discuss further once the Kenyan side concluded the consultation.The Pakistani authorities also highlighted the prevailing regulations on import of fruits and vegetables, which should be streamlined to facilitate import from Pakistan.The Kenyan authorities expressed their gratitude to Pakistan for reduction of import duty levied on Kenyan tea from 25 percent to 10 percent.The Kenyan delegation requested to consider the removal of attestation fee of 0.5 percent that was levied on the Kenyan tea entering Pakistan.

In 1999-2000, the Kenyan government had imposed restrictions of free movement of business by putting a requirement of referral visa and increased 50 percent import duty on rice from Pakistan.On April 28, 2004, an SRO was issued by the Pakistan's Commerce Ministry on the proposal of Pakistan High Commissioner, suggesting retaliatory measures, ie, one percent attestation fee on export documents of tea from Kenya. Later, the fee was reduced from one percent to 0.5 percent.Consequently, the Kenyan government provisionally withdrew 50 percent increase of duty on rice import from Pakistan for a specific period.According to updated situation issued on February 25, 2008, the Ministry of Commerce had decided to continue with the 0.5 percent attestation fee on Kenyan tea exports to Pakistan.The third session has also discussed the strategic focus on the Free Trade Agreement between the two countries; arrangement for warehousing in Kenya; and a single country exhibition

http://www.thenews.com.pk/print/89119-Pak-Kenya-JMC-to-be-held-after-12-years-PTA-to-be-discussed#sthash.UaHSGq5O.dpuf

http://www.thenews.com.pk/print/89119-Pak-Kenya-JMC-to-be-held-after-12-years-PTA-to-be-discussed

Business Honors for Jan. 10, 2016

ADVOCATE STORY

Jan. 9, 2016; 10:49 p.m.

NEW ORLEANS AREA

Louisiana Appleseed, a nonprofit that recruits professionals to donate pro bono time to advance social justice, is presenting Good Apple Awards to Jeff Richardson, Martin Stern and Ron Sholes of Adams and Reese LLP; retired JusticeHarry Lemmon; Sylvia Roberts, posthumously; Sarah Vandergriff, legal director for the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools; and Jessica Vermilyea, state director for Upbring Disaster Response.Richardson, Stern, Sholes and Lemmon are being recognized for research and advocacy to encourage the state Supreme Court to create a court rule allowing continuing legal education credit for attorneys who perform pro bono work to help indigent clients.

Roberts is being recognized for her passion and dedication to help victims of domestic violence, as well as for her efforts to prevent teen dating violence by educating youth about healthy relationships.Vandergriff is being recognized for strengthening schools through her collaborative work on a legal handbook for charter school board members and educating them about laws governing charter schools.Vermilyea is being recognized for her extensive work in disaster recovery, helping families across Louisiana obtain housing assistance and funds needed to repair their homes, including helping clients facing title and succession issues as barriers to recovery.

The Good Apple Gala will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Jan. 21 at the Stage Door Canteen, National WWII Museum, in New Orleans.

AROUND LOUISIANA

Honors were presented at the recent USA Rice Outlook Conference to retired LSU AgCenter county agent Keith Fontenot, the Rice Industry Award; rice farmer Jimmy Hoppe, of Fenton, the Lifetime Achievement Award; and Kevin Norton, Louisiana state conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the USA Rice Distinguished Conservation Achievement Award.Fontenot was recognized for his work of more than 30 years with rice farmers, having worked at the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station at Crowley. He continues assisting with the LSU AgCenter Rice Verification Program.Hoppe has grown 50 crops of rice in his farming career and in retirement continues a specialty rice business and is active in several agriculture-related organizations.

http://theadvocate.com/news/business/14474479-123/business-honors-for-jan-10-2016

EDITORIAL - Science and the environment

(The Philippine Star) | Updated January 10, 2016 - 12:00am

If certain environmental warriors were active several decades ago, the so-called miracle rice might never have been developed at the International Rice Research Institute in Los Baños, Laguna. Instead in 1969, the IRRI received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding for seven years of interdisciplinary collaboration among Asian and Western scientists to achieve “radical, rapid advances in rice culture” and consequently easing global hunger.

Specifically cited was a super rice variety designed for the tropics, which is non-photosensitive and can be planted at any season. At the time of the conferment of the award, breeders were seeking to make the new rice varieties more resistant to pests and disease.Such improved varieties do not materialize with the wave of a magic wand or by drowning them in chemicals. The plants need tinkering at a molecular level. This was what scientists were working on in developing a more pest-resistant eggplant, until the Supreme Court, responding to a petition, stepped in last month and stopped field-testing of the genetically modified vegetable.As agricultural biotechnologists and other members of the scientific and academic communities have pointed out, the SC ruling on Bacillus thuringienesis or bt talong not only stopped field-testing of the eggplant but also field trials, propagation, commercialization and importation of all genetically modified or GM crops.

The second part of the SC decision last month invalidated a 2002 order of the Department of Agriculture governing GM crops. National Scientist Ricardo Lantican, a member of the Agricultural Sciences Division of the National Academy of Science and Technology, pointed out that this was not even sought by environmental groups in the petition filed with the Court of Appeals and later reviewed by the SC.The DA can issue a new administrative order governing GM crops, but it will have to take into consideration the concerns raised in the SC ruling about the certainty of full safety in the development and field-testing of bt talong. But isn’t crop safety precisely among the factors being established in scientific research and development?

This issue will likely return to the SC. When it does, the parties involved must see to it that the high tribunal gets a broader perspective on the ways of scientific research and its goal of serving humanity. That goal is not incompatible with protecting the environment

http://www.philstar.com/opinion/2016/01/10/1541018/editorial-science-and-environment

CARICOM Secretary-General on rice importation dispute

09 January 2016— by Adele Ramos

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Jan 7, 2016–CARICOM Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, arrived in Belize this Tuesday, January 5, to meet with Belize Prime Minister Dean Barrow, who assumed the rotating chairmanship of CARICOM on January 1, and to discuss with him plans for the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting due to be held in Placencia, Stann Creek, on February 16 and 17.Upon his arrival, LaRocque found that there had been a legal dispute between the Customs Department and Jitendra Chawla, a Belizean importer whose three containers of Guyanese rice valued at roughly BZ$70,000, had been blocked at the port of entry, on the claim that he had not obtained the requisite importer’s permit.

Speaking with journalists today outside the headquarters of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), where LaRocque had paid a courtesy call on the regional organization, the CARICOM Secretary-General was very cautious about passing judgment on the situation.He was adamant, though, that sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) issues, which govern the safety and health standards of food imports “cannot and ought not to be used as a protective mechanism and [permits] ought not to be withheld based on protecting a particular sector…”We asked LaRocque what his vision is for the resolution of the dispute, which has been ongoing for several weeks now and which is currently tied up in litigation in Belize courts.“I hope that the parties can find a solution to this and if they can’t, there is a process—again, I am not seized of all of the details and I am being extremely cautious—there is a general process when there is a trading issue that takes place: how do you go about addressing it?

“In this instance… from what I have gleaned from the public domain, from what I read in the media, it is an SPS issue, and hence it is not necessarily a trade dispute in that realm. Again, I am being very cautious; I do not know the full details…”LaRocque said that the SPS rules and procedures are set by the World Trade Organization. He also said that while lesser developed CARICOM countries such as Belize and OECS countries, can seek protection for certain sectors, that protection is sought by levying tariffs—not by blocking imports.“Once that hurdle is cleared for future imports, that there is no health impediment, be it to human health or plant, one would have to determine on what basis should such a permit be withheld,” LaRocque said.

He declined to comment on whether the matter could be a case for the Caribbean Court of Justice – an organ of CARICOM which has the jurisdiction to hear trade disputes between member states.LaRocque told the press that while in Belize, he also paid a courtesy call on the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center (CCCCC or 5Cs), another regional agency based in Belize.The CARICOM Secretary-General acknowledged the contribution made by CCCCC on behalf of CARICOM in achieving a successful outcome at the milestone COP 21 conference recently held in Paris.“CARICOM is here ever present in Belize every single day, working on behalf of the Community and working on behalf of Belize,” LaRocque told the press

http://amandala.com.bz/news/caricom-secretary-general-rice-importation-dispute/

Rice stocks good for 90 days – PSA

By Louise Maureen Simeon (The Philippine Star) | Updated January 10, 2016 - 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines – Stock of the main Filipino staple remains ended the year more than enough to meet he government-mandated target for rice-sufficiency, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.Local rice stock inventory hit 3.44 million metric tons (MT) as of December, 13.5 percent up from their year-ago levels. The figure was also an increase of 10.8 percent from end-November.The current inventory is good for 100 days, the PSA said. As a matter of government policy, a 90-day national rice buffer is considered enough to meet everyday consumption needs.Broken down, stocks held by households are sufficient for 47 days, while those in commercial warehouses are good for 29 days.The National Food Authority (NFA), the state rice importer, meanwhile has depositories enough for 24 days, figures showed.

By percentage, Filipino households held the bulk of inventories at 47.8 percent, followed by commercial warehouses at 28.4 percent. NFA supplies cornered 23.8 percent of the total. Stock levels increased in both commercial warehouses and NFA, data showed. The latter posted the highest year-on-year growth of 68.9 percent, while the former increased 4.9 percent.Household supplies, on the other hand, dipped 0.2 percent.

Meanwhile, corn stock inventory stood at 265,200 MT by the end of last year, up by 22.8 percent year-on-year, but fell11.1 percent from the previous month.Of the total, 63 percent were in commercial warehouses, 36.5 percent with households, and 0.5 percent were in NFA depositories.Year-on-year, corn stocks in commercial warehouses and households went up by 36.5 percent and 5.2 percent, respectively while in NFA depositories fell by 18.4 percent.Rice and corn are considered main Filipino family staples

http://www.philstar.com/business/2016/01/10/1540930/rice-stocks-good-90-days-psa

Haryana, Punjab provide 20 per cent more rice for central pool

By ET Bureau | 9 Jan, 2016, 03.20PM IST

The other contributors included Chhattisgarh (37.89 lakh tonnes), Andhra Pradesh (18.46 lakh tonnes) and Uttar Pradesh (16.37 lakh tonnes). ice, a water intensive crop, was suspected to be affected due to untimely and scanty rains in the current Rabi season. Diversification from water guzzling rice has been on agenda of the two states due to rapid depletion of water levels. The Food Corporation of India's rice stock dwindled to 99.47 lakh tonnes in December 2015, the lowest in the last five years. The rice stock was 106 lakh tonnes in December 2014, 142 lakh tonnes in 2013, 306 lakh tonnes in 2012 and 270 lakh tonnes in 2011.

The rice market was affected by downward price trend in basmati due to carryover stock and limited demand from overseas markets. While the record procurement has strengthened Food Security Scheme, farmers' remuneration has been affected by the slump in prices in open market.

Economic Times

APEDA Rice Commodity News

International Benchmark Price

Price on: 07-01-2016

Product Benchmark Indicators Name Price

Apricots

1 Turkish No. 2 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD/t) 4875

2 Turkish No. 4 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD/t) 4375

3 Turkish size 8, CIF UK (USD/t) 3625

Sultanas

1 Australian 5 Crown, CIF UK (USD/t) 2812

2 Iranian natural sultanas (Gouchan), CIF UK (USD/t) 1954

3 Turkish No 9 standard, FOB Izmir (USD/t) 1925

White Sugar

1 CZCE White Sugar Futures (USD/t) 820

2 Kenya Mumias white sugar, EXW (USD/t) 691

3 Pakistani refined sugar, EXW Akbari Mandi (USD/t) 535

Source:agra-net For more info

Market Watch

Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 09-01-2016

Domestic Prices Unit Price : Rs per Qty

Product Market Center Variety Min Price Max Price

Jowar(Sorgham)

1 Gulbarga (Karnataka) Hybrid 1455 1822

2 Amreli (Karnataka) Other 1355 1905

3 Vaduj (Maharashtra) Other 2200 2300

Maize

1 Bagalakot (Karnataka) Local 1300 1461

2 Dahod (Gujarat) Yellow 1500 1530

3 Sangli (Maharashtra) Other 1520 1565

Papaya

1 Reasi (Jammu and Kashmir) Other 2700 3000

2 Barnala (Punjab) Other 800 1200

3 Ahmedabad (Gujarat) Other 600 800

Brinjal

1 Surat (Gujarat) Other 700 1300

2 Jalgaon(Maharashtra) Other 1500 2500

3 Bonai (Orissa) Other 2000 2000

Source:agmarknet.nic.in

For more info

Egg Rs per 100 No

Price on 09-01-2016

Product Market Center Price

1 Ahmedabad 430

2 Hyderabad 395

3 Nagapur 388

Source: e2necc.com

Other International Prices Unit Price : US$ per package

Price on 07-01-2016

Product Market Center Origin Variety Low High

Potatoes Package: 50 lb cartons

1 Atlanta Colorado Russet 16 16

2 Chicago Idaho Russet 13 14.50

3 Miami Idaho Russet 16.50 18

Cucumbers Package: cartons film wrapped

1 Atlanta Mexico Long Seedless 14.50 14.50

2 Chicago Canada Long Seedless 11 12

3 Miami Honduras Long Seedless 9.50 10

Grapefruit Package: 4/5 bushel cartons

1 Atlanta Florida Red 21 23.50

2 Chicago Florida Red 20 22

3 Miami Florida Red 17 18

Source:USDA

For Advertisement in daily two newsletters & On blog & Website contact for detail... mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com

Riceplus

Menu-1

Menu-2

Menu-3

Thursday, January 14, 2016

11 th January,2016 Daily Global Regional,Local Rice E_Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

PH rice inventory adequate – PSA

Compensatory payment scheme for rice farmers after tariffication

Pakistan’s basmati export hopes fade; Indian prices fall

PERSON OF THE YEAR

Govt's rice procurement may exceed 32 mn tons this year

According to a Food Ministry official, overall rice procurement in 2015-16 will surpass last year's level

Press Trust of India | New Delhi January 11, 2016 Last Updated at 17:56 IST

The agencies buy paddy from the farmers and give to millers for conversion into rice. The government has fixed the minimum support price of common variety of paddy at Rs 1,410 per quintal for 2015-16 kharif season

http://agriculture.einnews.com/article/305765375/594RB-Ia4mEzPE6M

Rice Exporters Cutting Prices as Yuan Falls

Compensatory payment scheme for rice farmers after tariffication

New Research Reveals Climate-Food-Conflict Connection Via Nighttime Temperatures

What You Measure Matters

A Flexible Framework?

Rice stocks good for 90 days – PSA

Thailand to cut rice output

Padyprocurement gets to a close in Gobi taluk

Insufficient manpower in TNCSC's direct procurement centres was a major deterrent

Milled Rice Exports Up But Fall Short of Goal

Paddy procurement gets to a close in Gobi taluk

Insufficient manpower in TNCSC's direct procurement centres was a major deterrent

Government's rice procurement may exceed 32mn tons this year

Haryana, Punjab provide 20 per cent more rice for central pool

Rice Prices

RELATED

Drought hits half of country, but rice bowl seen surviving

12th january,2016 Daily Exclusive ORYZA Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

EU Rice Imports Increase Sharply in September 1, 2015 - January 5, 2016

Cambodia Exporters Lower Their Rice Quotes for China to Cope With Yuan Depreciation

Brazil Rice Stocks Decline About 3% m/m to 115,126 Tons in December 2015

Analysts Forecast Government of India to Procure Over 32 Million Tons of Rice in KMS 2015-16

Pakistan Basmati Rice Export Prices Increase in December 2105 After Declining for Three Months

Laos’ First Rice Shipment for China Clears Quarantine Check

Philippines Rice Stocks Increase Sharply in December 2015

Vietnam Exports About 6.6 Million Tons Rice in 2015, Up 4% from Previous Year

Thailand to Encourage Rice Farmers to Cut Paddy Rice Output to 25 Million Tons

Vietnam Rice Sellers Lower Some of Their Quotes Today; Other Asia Rice Quotes Unchanged

Monday, January 11, 2016

11 January ,2016 Daily Exclusive ORYZA Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Promote Exports of Hybrid Rice Seeds

Oryza Weekly: Rice Prices May Increase on Indonesia Demand

Guyana 2015 Rice Exports Increase 7% y/y But Earnings Down 11% y/y Due to Low Prices, Says GRDB Official

USDA Post Forecasts Indonesia to Import 1.15 Million Tons of Rice in MY 2015-16, Down 15% from Previous Year

USDA Post Forecasts Pakistan MY 2015-16 Milled Rice Production at 6.9 Million Tons

India Winter Crop Rice Acreage Continues to Lag Behind Last Year as of January 8, 2016

Thailand Rice Sellers Increase Some of Their Quotes Today; Other Asia Rice Quotes Unchanged

USDA Post Forecasts Philippines MY 2015-16 Rice Imports at 2.1 Million Tons, Up 17% from Previous Year

USDA Post Forecasts Italy MY 2015-16 Rice Production to Increase 7.5% y/y on Higher Acreage, Yields

11 th January,2016 Daily Global Regional,Local Rice E_Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Rice exports miss the mark again