Wednesday, May 04, 2016

4th may 2016 daily global regional local rice news

Global rice shortage expected: Ghori

May 04, 2016
RECORDER REPORT
first time in last six years, global rice production is expected to sharply decline this year. According to Jawed Ali Ghori, former Chairman Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap), the main reason is the drought and heat wave that has been linked with the El Nino weather pattern. "The top four rice producing countries, accounting for 60 percent of global production including India, Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan, are all expected to see a 30 percent drop in their inventories," he added.

Thailand is now in its second year of drought and its production is expected to fall by 20 percent, he informed. While, China, the world's largest rice importer is once again expected to import around 5 million tons of rice as its own consumption will outpace production for a third year in a row, Ghori added.

"The United States Department of Agriculture in its monthly agriculture update has slashed its estimate for world ending stocks to 18 percent for the 2015-16 rice season. This means that there are now 65 days of supply or rice in reserve as compared to 80 days last year," he said.

With expectation of shortfall in production, world prices have already started to reflect this supply strain and are already up 13 percent since September, he said and added that the market is not panic levels seen in 2008, when a similar El Nino pattern caused India to ban exports causing global prices to increase by more than 300 percent. In addition, scenes of riots were witnessed in Haiti while supermarkets in Philippines got cleaned out of rice in two days.

"New rice crops are expected to be harvested during November to December. However any adverse weather change, especially the threat of drought can affect the size of the final crop," he said. Exporters are closely monitoring rice sowing for price direction as farmers are switching from rice to other less water intensive crops due to lack of water availability," Ghori said
http://www.brecorder.com/agriculture-a-allied/183:pakistan/42752:global-rice-shortage-expected-ghori/?date=2016-05-04

Vietnam's Mekong Delta rice output drops

May 02,2016
HO CHI MINH CITY, May 2 (Xinhua) -- The total yield of winter-spring rice crop in Vietnam's Mekong Delta, which has just ended, was 10.4 million tons, down 6.3 percent against the previous winter-spring crop, due to the ongoing drought and saltwater intrusion, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said Monday.
The severe drought and saltwater encroachment have damaged over 200,000 hectares of winter-spring rice in the delta. Therefore, the rice output in Kien Giang Province dropped by 312,000 tons, and that in Tra Vinh Province declined by 169,000 tons.
To cope with the severe drought and saltwater encroachment, agriculture agencies have advised Mekong Delta provinces to choose between only one, two or three key rice varieties to cultivate and then harvest summer-autumn in September.
Due to the drought and food scarcity, Vietnam's southeastern region and Central Highlands region have so far this year faced difficulties in raising cattle. Meanwhile, cultivation of maize, soya beans, and sweet potatoes nationwide have been sluggish.



Without rain, Penang paddy farmers risk losing S$12.7m


PUBLISHED: 4:15 AM, MAY 3, 2016

GEORGETOWN — Kedah may be the country’s rice bowl, but paddy farmers in neighbouring Penang are at risk of losing a whopping RM37 million (S$12.7 million) in revenue for the current planting season if the dry spell continues.With the current weather conditions, the state government is prioritising human consumption and has cut water for irrigation purposes, which has affected farming operations.According to Penang state agriculture department director Azahar Ibrahim, it costs about RM5,000 to plant each hectare of paddy field. “The total income losses they will face are calculated by deducting the costs from their estimated revenue,” he told Malay Mail Online.The revenue for each hectare is estimated to be around RM9,000 to RM10,000, he said.Currently, a total 8,622ha of paddy fields in Seberang Perai and Balik Pulau in the state, with a total 4,765 farmers, do not have enough water for irrigation.The state had proposed a solution for the affected farmers in northern Seberang Perai to start the dry seeding method on May 10.According to Kampung Terus farmer Md Pisol Mahamud, the dry seeding method requires less water, but once the paddy has sprouted, the fields still need to be watered by the rain.“The fields need to be damp and this method takes a longer time for it to sprout as the seeds will depend on rain, so if there is no rain, some of it may not sprout at all,” he said.He said even those paddy fields with irrigation now face risks if the dry spell continues because the paddy still needed to be watered after it has sprouted.
“Our yield may decrease by 70 per cent because of the weather,” he said.Each paddy planting season lasts an average 115 days and it needs to be watered intermittently.“Even for dry seeding, we need rain, and we can’t water it ourselves because this method means it needs water to be spread evenly throughout the field,” he said.Malaysia, especially its states of Perlis, Kedah, Penang and Perak, has been enveloped in a heatwave — affecting up to four million people — resulting in the temporary closure of schools, as well as slowing vegetable production, leading to price hikes.
The drought has forced some states, such as Perlis and Johor, to impose water rationing.Md Pisol’s paddy fields, located near the Kulim River, still have water supply for irrigation. He had already planted the seeds a few weeks ago.“We were told that we will get supply as long as they can get water from the river, but if the water runs out, there’s nothing anyone can do but hope for rain,” he said.When asked what he could do during times like this, he said they will have to look for other part-time jobs to supplement their income.“It’s not like we will get money from the government,” he said. “What do the politicians know about our hardships? So we have to depend on ourselves.” MALAY MAIL ONLINE

Lack of certified seeds said to be hampering rice production

      
Category: General News MAY 3, 2016  
The lack of certified seeds is hampering rice production in the country, Torgbui Azadagli III, the Ho Municipal Director of Agriculture, has said.He suggested that the Government and stakeholders such as the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research collaborated in addressing the issue of making certified rice seeds available to all rice farmers across the country.Torgbui Azadagli, who was speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview, in Ho on the sideline of the close-up workshop of the Agribusiness Systems International (ASI) Ghana Commercialisation of Rice Project (G-CORP), said the use of uncertified seeds also led to low crop yields.
He explained that some farmers in the Volta Region who had access to certified rice seeds were recording very impressive yields; however, a majority who had no access to it had no option than to grow uncertified varieties of the crops.
He said when farmers grew uncertified varieties, the grains matured at different periods, would had different lengths, shapes and sizes; hence making their harvesting, processing and packaging by rice millers very cumbersome.
The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) provided funding and technical support for the three-and-a- half- year G-CORP project.
The project, which was aimed at increasing the productivity and incomes of 4,000 smallholder farmers in the Volta Region, ended successfully with expected results.
The close-up workshop was attended by beneficiary farmer groups, aggregators, rice millers, and other stakeholders from the private and public sectors, as well as representatives from AGRA.
The close-out workshop reflected on the projects’ achievements, which includedbuilding the business and management capacity of 20 aggregators to extend improved services to over 4,700 smallholder farmers.
He said the country’s rice production generated a milling output of 204,030 tonnes (62 per cent), leaving a demand gap of 29,000 tonnes, which was being filled with imports, hence the need to intensify its production.
On the opportunity for rice production in the Volta Region, Torgbui Azadagli said that the Region could boast of over 20,000 hectares of available land for upland rice production and more than 40,000 ha (281 valleys) for low land rice production, which according to him, could all be harnessed for the nation’s socio-economic development.
He said the Region was blessed with abundant water resources favourable for rice production.
The Municipal Agriculture Director said poor and timely land preparation as a result of inadequate machinery and difficulty in weed control were also hampering rice production in the Region.
He said the Region had 43,396 rice farmers, stating that some of them used broadcasting methods in the propagation of rice; which often resulted in incorrect spacing and low plant population leading to low yield.
Torgbui Azadagli said some of the big commercial firms that were into rice production in the Region included Brazilian Agro, Wienco, Weta Irrigation and Aveyime Irrigation.
He said rice production in the Region had taken an increased dimension in relation to the shift in taste of the urban population and consumer habits.He said some of the varieties of rice being grown in the Region were brown rice, Togo Marshal, Sikamo and CSIR AGRA.
He said the Ministry of Food and Agriculture provided regular extension services to all the farmers.A lady rice farmer from Worawora and a beneficiary of the G-CORP, who spoke to the GNA on the condition of anonymity, lauded ASI for increasing their efficiency, productivity and revenues through the project.She said as the G-CORP project was due for close-up, their major challenge was how to obtain certified seeds for cropping.She, therefore, appealed to the Government to go to their aid with certified seeds.
Source: GNA
      

As Asia's rice harvests shrivel amid drought, fears of global food security are revived

5/3/2016 
The Nation (Thailand)
SINGAPORE
Nearly a decade after a spike in global food prices sent shock waves around the world, the blistering drought plaguing Asia's top rice producers, including Thailand, threatens to cut output and boost prices of a staple for half the world's population.World rice production is expected to decline for the first time this year since 2010, as failing rains linked to an El Nino weather pattern cut crop yields in Asia's rice bowl.A heatwave is sweeping top rice exporter India, while the No 2 supplier Thailand is facing a second year of drought.
Large areas of farmland in Vietnam, the third-biggest supplier, are also parched, as irrigation fed by the Mekong River runs dry.Those three countries account for more than 60 per cent of the global rice trade of about 43 million tonnes.
"As of now we haven't seen a large price reaction to hot and dry weather because we have had such significant surplus stocks in India and Thailand. But that can't last forever," said James Fell, an economist at the International Grains Council (IGC).Rice inventories in the three top exporters are set to fall by about a third at the end of 2016 to 19 million tonnes, the biggest year-on-year drop since 2003, according to Reuters calculations based on US Department of Agriculture (USDA) data.
Any big supply disruption can be extremely sensitive. In 2008, lower Asian rice output due to El Nino prompted India to ban exports, sending global prices skyrocketing and causing food riots in Haiti and panic measures in big buyers such as the Philippines.Manila at the time scrambled to crack down on hoarding, ordered troops to supervise subsidised rice sales and asked fast-food chains to serve half-portions, as well as urging Vietnam and others to sell the country more rice.
The world has suffered a series of food crises over the past decade involving a range of grains due to adverse weather.In the case of rice, benchmark Thai prices hit a record of around US$1,000 a tonne in 2008. Price spikes like this typically also boost demand for other grains such as wheat, widely used for noodles in Asia, and soybeans and corn used for food or feed.
While currently far below 2008 highs, rice this month hit $389.50, the strongest since July and up 13 per cent from a eight-year low of $344 in September.
First fall in 6 years
Bruce Tolentino of the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute is concerned about Asia's vulnerability.
"In general prices are still stable right now. They're inching up though, and what will drive things over the edge will be a major calamity in one of the major producing countries."
Although India's rice output last year was largely stable, extremely hot temperatures are threatening a second crop in eastern regions.
Traders see further price gains by next month, as India's next big crop is not due until September and Thailand's main crop by year-end.
The IGC sees a 2016 world harvest of 473 million tonnes, down from 479 million tonnes in 2015 and the first decline in six years.
Mekong Delta
Thailand's last main crop was only about half of the peak production a few years ago and the USDA has forecast output will drop by more than a fifth to 15.8 million tonnes this year.
"The government has been asking farmers not to plant rice as there is little water in the reservoirs after two years of drought," a Bangkok-based trader said.
In Vietnam, output could fall by 1.5 per cent this year to 44.5 million tonnes, while exports would be 8.7 million tonnes, steady on a previous projection, the government said.
As much as 240,000 hectares of paddy has been destroyed by drought and salination in the central area and the southern Mekong Delta region, it said.
A Singapore-based trader said that while the annual decline appeared modest, Vietnam's latest harvest "is 5-6 per cent lower than last year".
Thailand and Vietnam harvest three crops a year.
Importers also suffer
Some Asian countries are already looking to raise imports.
Indonesia is expected to see 2016 purchases jump by more than 60 per cent to 2 million tonnes from a few years ago.
China, the world's top importer, taking about 5 million tonnes annually, is expected to continue this buying pace. The IGC has forecast China's 2016 production falling short of consumption for a third straight year.
The Philippines had the lowest stocks since October in March despite importing 750,000 tonnes. Its procurement agency has standby authority to ship an additional 500,000 tonnes.
"Although El Nino has entered its weakening stage, the risk of higher food prices remains, given the onset of the summer season," Philippine Economic Planning Secretary Emmanuel Esguerra said.
http://www.world-grain.com/news/news%20home/LexisNexisArticle.aspx?articleid=2580086721

Plant geneticist elected to National Academy of Sciences

With the election of Julia Bailey-Serres, 7 UC Riverside faculty members are now members of the prestigious academy
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - RIVERSIDE
   
IMAGE: JULIA BAILEY-SERRES IS A PROFESSOR OF GENETICS AT UC
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (http://www.ucr.edu) -- Julia Bailey-Serres, a professor of genetics at the University of California, Riverside, has been elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) for her excellence in original scientific research.Membership in the NAS is one of the highest honors given to a scientist or engineer in the United States. Bailey-Serres learned of her election today (May 3) during the academy's 153rd annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
Bailey-Serres is being recognized for her role in the discovery and characterization of a genethat allows rice to survive under water. That gene has subsequently been introduced through breeding by the International Rice Research Institute and others, creating flood-tolerant rice varieties that are grown by more than five million farmers in flood-prone areas of Asia.
"Julia's election and the fact that several other members of our Department of Botany and Plant Sciences are members of the National Academy of Sciences speak to the strength of the department and the fact that it is having a worldwide impact," said Kathryn Uhrich, dean of UC Riverside's College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences.
Elected along with 84 other new members and 21 foreign associates from 14 countries, Bailey-Serres brings the number of current UC Riverside faculty elected to the NAS to seven. The others are: Xuemei Chen, Natasha Raikhel, Susan Wessler, James Dieterich, William Jury and Alexander Raikhel.
All seven are faculty members in the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. Chen, Natasha Raikhel, Wessler and Bailey-Serres are all also part of the university's Department of Botany and Plant Sciences and Center for Plant Cell Biology (Bailey-Serres serves as director) and, along with Alexander Raikhel, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology.
Wessler, a distinguished professor of genetics and home secretary of the National Academy of Sciences, is impressed with the impact of Bailey-Serres' research."It is very unusual for someone to make a basic science discovery and in such a short period of time see it benefit so many, so quickly," Wessler said.Bailey-Serres is a graduate of the University of Utah. She has a Ph.D. from Edinburgh University. She has been a member of the faculty at UC Riverside since 1990.
Her research group studies the sensing, signaling and acclimation responses to low oxygen stress in plants. Her multidisciplinary approach combines genetic, molecular, biochemical and bioinformatic technologies and has significant implications for agricultural and global food challenges.
She has received international attention for her group's dissection of the mechanistic role of the SUB1A gene in conferring submergence tolerance in rice. Her accomplishments also include the pioneering of methods for profiling the "translatomes" of discrete cell-types of plants and identification of a homeostatic sensor of oxygen deprivation in plants.
The NAS is a private, nonprofit honorific society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furthering science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Established in 1863, the academy has served to "investigate, examine, experiment, and report upon any subject of science or art" whenever called upon to do so by any department of the government.
There are currently 2,291 active NAS members and 465 foreign associates. Among the NAS's renowned members are Albert Einstein, Robert Oppenheimer, Thomas Edison, Orville Wright, and Alexander Graham Bell. Nearly 200 living NAS members have won Nobel Prizes.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-05/uoc--pge050316.php



Nigeria Can Eliminate Rice Importation With Right Policies – Idinoba

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Dr Philip Idinoba,a rice commodity specialist with AfricaRice provides insight into Nigeria’s rice production challenges in this interview with Ruth Tene Natsa. He concludes that Nigeria can overcome its rice imports challenges with strict political will and right policies.
What do you mean by Rice Science, are you into genetically modified organisms (GMOs)?
Rice science is an all-embracing subject, it describes the application of scientific tools and methods in the genetic improvement and conservation of rice germplasms, the use of science in rice production, management and conservation of the production ecologies, including processing and value addition to rice and rice-based products to improve their nutritional qualities. And no, we are not into GMOs. Before the advent of GMOs which employ transgenic tools and methods in targeting and transferring desirable genes or material from one plant to another (either of the same specie or not), there were other breeding and crop improvement methods called conventional breeding and biotechnology methods which involves natural pollination and transfer of better traits from one plant to another (usually same plant types) , or the culturing and multiplication of plants from their tissues. Conventional crop breeding methods could take between 4-7 years before a breeder could breed a new crop depending on whether they have irrigation facilities to plant, cross and select the new off-spring and to repeat the process again at least twice a year or not. Biotechnology is much like conventional crop improvement but an improvement on conventional crosses and selection because it can shorten the period by using molecular tools or tissue culture in locating the desirable trait, extract and introduce it into the new plant off springs to get the desired result.
The last two, that is, conventional breeding and biotechnology are the methods used by AfricaRice and we don’t do GMOs.
Having been in Nigeria, do you see Nigeria overcoming her rice import challenges?
Overcoming rice import challenges seems different from reducing or eliminating rice imports which I think you wanted to ask. Yes, Nigeria can easily eliminate the importation of rice within just a couple of years to three year period if the right things are done. Fortunately, is relatively easy to increasing rice productivity because rice is not a complicated crop in terms of its production techniques, it responds very well to good crop management practices on the fields, the knowledge to do so is also available and it can grow in almost all Nigerian production ecologies from mangrove swamps, to rain-fed upland, rain-fed lowlands and irrigated ecologies which Nigeria has a lots of productive hectares unused and within a duration of 90 days to about 150 days for our common varieties. It is to be noted that Nigeria has come close to rice self-sufficiency twice in recent history but the election years are always a turning point of that dream. The Obasanjo government presidential initiative on rice was doing very well and moving toward rice self-sufficiency until 2003 election year when there was massive importation of rice for political campaign and election. The same happened in late 2014 to early 2015 when the rice transformation agenda of the last government was doing very well until massive imports were allowed.
What do you see as challenges to food security in Africa, particularly Nigeria?
Nigeria does not have major issue with food security if we could improve in two areas in addition to production. Those areas are aggregation or storage and of course value addition. Every year, Nigeria have relatively good output of our major commodities like Rice, Cassava, Sorghum, Maize, Cowpea, Plantains, etc, which Nigerians depend upon for household food security. However, the losses are also very high both on-farms, in transit and in storage. Post-harvest loses are between 20 to 40% for these crop due to poor handling techniques, weak market chains, low value addition and non-existent storage facilities. If we increase our value addition, diversification and improve storage facilities even at present production levels much will be saved and prices will stabilize across seasons encouraging farmers to remain in business. Agricultural prices are cyclical and this year production if influence positively or negatively by last season’s prices.
Would you say there are sufficient policies on ground to encourage local production, if not, what is lacking?
The Rice Transformation Agenda (RTA) as a component of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) of the past administration was very well packaged and clear to everyone whether you were working in the Agricultural sector or not. I cannot confidently say that I know what the current policy is although the government of the day has said agriculture is a means of diversification of the economy.
This did not show in the allocation to Agriculture in this year’s budget. I think the government is still working on the policy documents and also the diversification may show in 2017 budget but not this year’s budget judging from the percent allocation to the sector.
At this point does Africa/ Nigeria have a rice deficiency and what can be done?
Yeah we have deficiency in both Nigeria and the entire Sub-Sahara Africa of which Nigeria is one of the highest importers. In Nigeria there are no clear data on this and depending on who is talking the production gap that is currently filled by is between 1.5 to 2 million metric tonnes of finished rice. By late 2014 we estimated this gap to fall within 900,000Metric tonnes and 1.3 million metric tonnes. The
massive dry season production started by the last minister of  agriculture in 2012 and support to farmers was the game changer.
However, the dry season production was not taken seriously in 2014 because of the election and the reason about disproportionate import already stated. The 2015 dry season production by the launched CBN anchor program is limited to a few states, particularly Kebbi state for rice with about 75,000 hectare. This will not have much impact in terms of volume required to close the gap because even if the average yield rises to 5 tons per ha, it will still fall below 500,000 metric tonnes of paddy. Nigeria need about 2.5 million to 3million metric tonnes of paddy to properly close the national production gap.
Briefly what should be done?
Is that there should not only be good policy but a strong political will and determination to coordinate that policy to succeed which we have lacked in many years. Government policy should touch on upgrading the technology used by local millers to produce better quality rice.
We should start from that market end and that will stimulate production, more investments on affordable irrigation facilities
How would u value the quality of our local rice and what can we do toenhance it?
I don’t want to call it local rice because there is nothing local about our rice. I will call it the Nigeria rice varieties many of which are varieties developed by AfricaRice. The Nigeria rice is of excellent in taste, texture and overall quality. However, time will be required to wean us from the Asian rice texture and taste. This is not a serious problem because if people do not see it to buy when we begin to produce enough or could only see at very expensive price in the supermarkets, the preference for imported rice will wane naturally.
What specific challenges do you see to rice development in Nigeria?
The challenges has been low political will to drive very good policies through, lack of policy continuity, limited irrigation infra-structures, poor processing method by cottage millers who currently process over 85% of our national finished rice. Upgraded these cottage mills in terms of technology  used by them to improve quality remains the fasted way to reaching national self sufficiency.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://leadership.ng/news/523382/nigeria-can-eliminate-rice-importation-right-policies-idinoba



PPORTED WITH PRIVATE SECTOR INCENTIVES – OWOEYE

Govt’s policies desirable for economy if supported with private sector incentives – Owoeye



By: ABOLAJI ADEBAYO,on: May 04, 2016
The National President of Rice Millers, Importers and Distributors Association of Nigeria, RiMIDAN, and Managing Director of Elephant Group, Mr. Tunji Owoeye, in this interview with ABOLAJI ADEBAYO, believes that recent government policy measures, including the CBN’s forex policy restricting some 41 items from forex official window, are desirable for stimulating and promoting local production and self-sufficiency in the economy, if completed with incentives for the private sector. He also speaks on other ways to boost local industrial production. Excerpts:
Sir, could you give an insight into the current level of rice production in Nigeria? There are two categories of rice production namely, paddy production and processed rice. In term of processed rice, I think it is about 3million tonnes. About 2million tonnes are from informal processing mills, that is, the small scale fabricated mills while the remaining one million from the integrated rice millers. So, it is approximately 3 million tonnes.
What level of productivity do we need to make Nigeria sufficient in rice? We need about 5.5 to6 million tones. So, there is a gap of 2.5 to 3 million tonnes to close the gap if we are to be self-sufficient and put ban on its importation.
Will you support outright ban of rice importation and at what point? At the point that we could have achieved full self-sufficiency in the rice production it should be banned totally. But right now we have not achieved full self-sufficiency so I think right now there should be import substitution in the sense that we should look at the domestic investment in the rice value chain, the companies that have domestic investments in the rice value chain or planned investment in the rice value chain; it should still be supported by giving incentives to import difference between actual capacity and the consumption level regarding the production.
What is your reaction to the recent ban of rice importation through land borders by the Nigeria Customs Service? It is a good initiative from the government; it helps local investors in the rice value chain to consolidate on their investments so that it is not eroded by manipulating tendencies of smugglers, ensuring that whatever investment they make is not lost.
You said there should not be total ban on the importation of rice in the country yet but if there is no ban on the importation, do you think the country would be serious with its own local production? No, there should be no total ban until we achieve self-sufficiency. It has happened in cement and sugar so it can also happen in rice too. What we are saying is that we have about 3 million tones gap, which must be bridged. That gap should be made available by the investor companies who already have existing vibrant investment in the rice value chain and those that have traceable planned investment as an incentive for them to bring more investment into the rice value chain. So, those should be allowed to import to bridge the production gap.

Recently, the CBN restricted some 41 items from assessing foreign exchange through the official forex widows as a way of promoting local production. Do you think the policy measure is in order? It is a local approach to a local problem. Yes, it is in order to the extent that. I mean the CBN will just need to be proactive in ensuring that the policy works, because if you look at it there is a lot forex that these commodities are taking away from our limited resources. But what they should have done or continue to do as before is to ensure that, before the completion of self-sufficiency, there is support for those that have the investments in the value chain, approve their effort so that they can do some business to close the gap because if they do not close the gap between production and consumption, some negative must happen and that is why the smugglers forcefully take advantage in that situation. On the impact of the policy, I think it is giving us another opportunity to look inward for solution. When there is a challenge, you look inward and think of where to turn to so this is giving us an opportunity to look for solution internally and that’s what we begin to look at. I think if we take Nigerian approach to Nigerian crisis; it is going to help us in a way to make us to be disciplined and to take production and diversification much more serious. So, it has a positive result, although it is a sacrifice that we have to make.
Do you think Nigeria is ripe for such policies considering the current level of manufacturing in local production? Well at some point in time we have to rise up to the occasion and there has to be sacrificed. At a stage where the country is now, you will see that it is the time when we have to make all the sacrifice. It is not whether we should take but it is a necessary measure for us to take. At some point in time, there would be a turnaround to have a turning point to ensure that we begin to address our long term problem with a long term solution.
There has been wide campaign for economic diversification into agriculture. Do you believe that agriculture is crucial to the drive to reverse the dwindling fortunes of the nation’s economy? Agriculture and agribusiness will play a significantly role in the diversification of our economy but obviously agriculture and agribusiness alone cannot, we have mining, we have services. Services also play very vital role but agriculture is where we have the largest GDP and that is where we have the largest employer of labour.
Sir, it has been claimed that for agriculture to play that role of reforming the economy, it must be industrialised. In your view, is the country moving towards that direction?We don’t have any other root than industrializing. Yes, a journey of a thousand miles starts with a step. I think CBN is doing that with selective products. CBN cannot intervene in all the products at the same time so, it has started intervening in rice, wheat, beans, sugar and I think as time goes by, there will be much more intervention, not only from CBN but from other developmental partner institutions. With the political weight that we are seeing in present government, and of course the wiliness and seriousness in agribusiness that we have on ground, there will be a turning point.
As an expert, which other policy do you think is needed to optimize the performance of the economy? To correct that notion, we are the players; I don’t know why you call us experts. Well, the policies by the government are okay. As a matter of fact, we have no choice than to diversify the economy so, that policy should be strengthened, there should be consistencein the policy and should be incentives for the private sectors that are driving thoseprogresses. And that would go a long way in ensuring positive outcome.
How do you rate government’s support and commitment to agriculture? As we stand today, because there are little alternatives, I think it is encouraging. It is encouraging. As stakeholders, we want consistency, we want much more engagement and we wantsupport in terms of finance and security and I’m sure Government is showing clearly remarkablesupport for the sector but I’m sure it can get better.
What is your assessment of agric sector policy direction of the present administration when analysed within the context of the immediate past government’s? First and foremost, I want to thank the President of Nigeria and the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service for assessing and taking a second look into stopping the initial approval of reopening land borders for rice coming into the country. Based on circular that came in October 2015, the government through the Comptroller General of NCS initially objected to our proposal on the ground that Nigeria should not ban rice from the neighbouring countries through land borders being a member of Economic Community of West Africa States, ECOWAS. Secondly, they felt that the much needed revenue could come in through the land borders.
But from experience, because we are stakeholders who have been in this business for years, we told them that they couldn’t manage the process of allowing rice to come through the land borders due to many unapproved routes that entered this country and Nigeria Customs doesn’t have the number of personnel and facilities to monitor those routes. Although NCS wanted to increase revenue through the borders, which was good intention; we knew the economy saboteurs would take advantage of the gesture, which they did. We made presentation to management of customs and now we are delighted that they have finally granted our request on land borders. After all, the rice we eat is per-boiled rice and our neighbouring countries don’t produce per-boiled rice. So, why are we bringing per-boiled rice to our country through the neighbouring countries that don’t produce it? They get the revenue from their ports while sending the rice to Nigeria. That is disincentive to investors and rice farmers in the country.
With the decision of the reverse order, we are happy that government is responsive to our cry and we believe that it will increase our capacity and production in the rice value chain. We have members of our association that are investors in rice production and have invested heavily in commercial rice plantation. We have state governments like Kebbi, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kano and Benue that have done so much work in reactivating and getting their rice farmers back to work. We have the CBN governor who has secured the permission of the President of the country to pursue the agro borrows programme that was in November last year, and we have N40 billion Central Bank investment in rice production across the varieties belt. The apex bank has been supporting massively in the production of rice because hitherto production has been in comatose. But the effort of CBN with the approval of the President will improve the sector. There has been a lot of improvement in rice production and most farmers are excited to produce rice today.
 The rice millers in Kebbi state are fully operational; also rice millers are fully operational in other rice producing states. Because CBN is intervening in the sector and so, we at Elephant group, an input supply and processing company, are excited to be part of this. A lot of people are asking us question, when are we going to be self-sufficient in rice production in the country. With this kind intervention we are getting from CBN, massively intervention and support, single digit interest rate for rice production and processors, also with the kind of interventions we are getting from other financial institutions in the country and capital adequate the value chain stakeholders are putting to this sector; we believe that before the expiration of this current government, we will be close to self-sufficient, if this tempos are increased.
How has your relationship, as an association, been with Bank of Industry and Bank of Agriculture been in terms of funding support? They give some of our value chain operators support but it depends on exactly what you need to know where to come in. Bank of Agriculture is getting much more vibrant in the game now, especially for refinancing input supply for the production. And with the empowerment from the CBN and other BOA’s shareholders, I’m sure the bank would have more capacity to undertake much more lending to the sector. And I’m aware that Bank of Industry and also Bank of Agriculture both have a product that cater for the youths who want to venture into agriculture/agribusiness but have no startup capital. They can approach them and get the fund in as much as they fulfill their requirements.
Mechanised farming is a key to agricultural productivity generally but then Nigeria is yet to optimize mechanization opportunities. What do you think is responsible for this?If you go to the Northern part of the country, you will see those big planters and other equipment for mechanised farming. We practise mechanised farming Nigeria but not to the level that is expected, so we need more investors in that area. Having said that, we still need the small holder farmers to operate side by side on a sustainable basis because if we use mechanised farming alone for all the business, we are not going to achieve optimally in term of employment. So, there has to be a balance between the mechanised farmers and the small holder farmers
http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/govts-policies-desirable-for-economy-if-supported-with-private-sector-incentives-owoeye/



Cooperation Means More Wild(ly) Popular Rice Promotion
By  Jim Guinn

WASHINGTON, DC - USA Rice recently signed a contract with the Minnesota Cultivated Wild Rice Council to expand existing international promotion programs that have until now had funding only from the California Wild Rice Advisory Board and the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service.  This added funding will allow USA Rice to implement additional promotions activities in Turkey, a growing wild rice market. 

"I'm pleased we were able to bring the two wild rice producing states together for promotion purposes," said USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward.  "Combining our efforts means greater efficiency and a bigger bang for the wild rice growers' bucks in a market hungry for U.S.-grown wild rice."
 
When USA Rice introduced wild rice into Turkey six years ago it was totally unknown in the market.  Starting from a zero base, exports last year reached five metric tons.  Currently two Turkish companies import wild rice with brands appearing on retail shelves of three supermarket chains.  USA Rice is focusing on increasing the number of importers and driving demand by consumers and the foodservice industry alike through demonstrations, advertising, and other promotions.

Wheat softens on ample stocks

PTI | May 3, 2016, 03.10 PM IST
New Delhi, May 3 () In restricted activity, wheat prices shed Rs 5 per quintal at the wholesale grains market today due to adequate stocks on higher supplies from producing belts against reduced offtake by flour mills.
However, other grains remained steady in limited deals.
Traders said adequate stocks position on higher supplies from producing belts against reduced offtake by flour mills kept pressure on wheat prices.
Meanwhile, wheat procurement has increased by 10 per cent to 208.11 lakh tonnes so far in the ongoing marketing season, helped by rise in production.
In the national capital, wheat dara (for mills) eased by Rs 5 to Rs 1,615-1,620 per quintal. Atta chakki delivery followed suit and enquired lower by a similar margin to Rs 1,620-1,625 per 90 kg.
Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal):
Wheat MP (desi) Rs 1,850-2,100, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs 1,615-1,620, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,620-1,625, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs 265, Shakti Bhog (10 kg) Rs 265, Roller flour mill Rs 850-860 (50 kg), Maida Rs 930-950 (50 kg) and Sooji Rs 980-990 (50 kg).
Basmati rice (Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300, Super Basmati Rice Rs 9,700, Basmati common new Rs 5,700-5,800, Rice Pusa (1121) Rs 4,600-5,500, Permal raw Rs 1,900-1,950, Permal wand Rs 2,075-2,125, Sela Rs 2,400-2,500 and Rice IR-8 Rs 1,775-1,800, Bajra Rs 1,600-1,605, Jowar yellow Rs 1,800-1,900, white Rs 3,400-3,500, Maize Rs 1,370-1,380, Barley Rs 1,580-1,585. SUN KPS SRK MKJ
(This story ha

Let’s Trade with Cuba!

 05/02/2016 05:14 pm ET | 
·          
Rep. Charles RangelRepresentative from the 13th Congressional District in New York
SVEN CREUTZMANN/MAMBO PHOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES
I am pleased that the first U.S. cruise ship to make a voyage to Cuba in almost 40 years arrived in Havana, Cuba, yesterday morning carrying 700 passengers, including Cuban Americans on board. This is an exciting development since my historic trip with President Barack Obama who led a small bipartisan delegation to the Island Nation.
The last sitting U.S. President to visit Cuba before the Cold War was Calvin Coolidge in 1928, two years before I was born. I would have never imagined in 1995 when Fidel Castro visited Harlem that I would be traveling to Cuba with my President to meet with his brother, President Raul Castro. We reaffirmed our efforts to cement our new ties and push for ending the embargo. I am confident that both of our nations and citizens will benefit through the exchange of people, goods, and ideas.
I was fortunate to witness the excitement on the streets of Havana in December 2014, when President Obama first announced his plan to chart a new course in our diplomatic relationship with Cuba. As the sponsor of the Promoting American Agricultural and Medical Exports to Cuba Act, I had originally traveled to Havana with few other congressmen to explore how the United States could gain access to a miraculous drug that could cure ulcers. Because I had stayed an extra few days, I was able to report through multiple television interviews from Havana to the American audience how Cubans embraced the news of rekindling our ties.
The recent landmark visit by President Obama, which also included American entrepreneurs coupled with the Administration’s New Course in Cuba policy, has compelled us to take more concrete actions towards removing outdated barriers that are currently limiting opportunities for our country and people. As President Obama acknowledged, it is up to the U.S. Congress to lift the embargo which was first imposed in February 1962, and currently maintained through five statutes, including the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917, the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992, the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act of 1996, and most recently the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000. The current embargo is the most enduring trade embargo in modern history and shortchanges the American people from pursuing business opportunities in Cuba. In 2014, the United States was the eighth largest exporter to Cuba, accounting for just 3% of Cuba imports. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that the embargo costs our economy $1.2 billion per year in lost sales and exports, 

I have long recognized that the embargo has proved futile. I first introduced my Free Trade with Cuba Act in 1993, and since have repeatedly introduced bills and pushed for policies that would end it. Through numerous discussions with people, businesses, and organizations, and it is abundantly clear to me that economic relaxation affords many American firms to increase their services to the people in Cuba, which includes the hospitality industry, agriculture industries, and any number of other American businesses and it creates a climate for successful American investments. For example, we know that Cuba imports about seventy to eighty percent of its food supply, representing a market estimated to exceed over $1 billion per year for U.S. agriculture exports.
Through 2008, U.S. rice exporters shipped over 12,000 metric tons with an estimated farm gate value to our economy of $7 million. Since 2008, due our trade restrictions and corresponding inability to provide competitive credit terms, we lost this Cuba market to Vietnam, Brazil, and others. If we were to lift the embargo, the global advocate for the U.S. rice industry, the USA Rice Federation estimates within two years, we could regain 20 to 30 percent of the Cuban import market, worth nearly $70 million and in five years 50 percent of the market, about 300,000 metric tons worth about $153 million to the US economy. Not to mention the increased jobs in the rice growing, milling, and shipping industries associated with the increased exports.
Furthermore, allowing trade with Cuba will not only generate revenue for our economy, but will also enable us to exchange American culture and ideals that can help foster democratic principles in Cuba.
After the President left, I remained in Havana with a delegation from the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce consisting of 21 key professionals in the fields of art, culture, education, engineering, health, law and business. Together we met with senior ministers of the Cuban government to finalize the first annual ‘Havana in Harlem Cultural Festival’ which will be launched in August 2016 in our own backyard in Harlem. The Festival will then take place annually during the summer in Harlem and during the winter in Havana. It will focus on the Harlem-Havana Afro-Cuban exchange of performing arts, fine arts, and cultural seminars.
With New York City’s shared African and Cuban roots, the annual festival is expected to initially attract thousands of visitors from around the world annually to Harlem and to Havana and continue to grow. Through such people-to-people exchanges and culture, we can promote peace, democracy and human rights.
The answer to when the U.S. Congress will lift the embargo lies in the hands of American voters. Over 70 percent of us support normalizing relations with Cuba. Both the Cuban and American people acknowledge that the embargo has been extremely unsuccessful. I believe we can end it soon and bring about real change in our relationship. I will keep fighting to create the right conditions for when that time comes when our two nations can work collectively towards peace and prosperity.
Copyright © 2016 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | "The Huffington Post" is a registered trademark of TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
Part of HuffPost on HPMG News

5TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FOOD PROCESSING & TECHNOLOGY


Date:
Location:
Crowne Plaza / Istanbul / Turkey
Category:

We feel proud and honored to invite the attendees across the globe to its premier 15th International Conference on Food Processing & Technology (Food Technology-2016) to be held during November 07-09, 2016 at Istanbul, Turkey. With researcher and nutritionist working on the science of future food we will form a traverse between the academic and industry peers. This agenda for this Food Technology Conferences will focus mainly on investigating the Interrelationships of Food, Nutrition and Health to Feed our Future. Turkey is considered to be one of the leading countries in the world in the field of food and agriculture. Turkish food sector employs more than 100 thousand registered workers and technical staff in more than 28 thousand enterprises which are mostly SMEs. Two thousand of these enterprises are relatively modern and big plants. For registration and more information about this Food Technology Event visit our website: http://foodtechnology.conferenceseries.com/ 



Commodity Report-May 3

Published Today’s commodity report: National Weekly Rice Summary, California F.O.B. Price for Extra Grade and Grade A Nonfat Dry Milk, California Shell Eggs: Daily Egg Report, Shell Eggs: Daily National Egg Market and other commodity end of the day market numbers.

National Weekly Rice Summary

In California, medium grain milled rice prices steady. Second head prices steady to 1.00 lower and Brewers prices steady to 2.00 lower. Rice by-products: Rice Bran prices steady to 10.00 lower. Rice hulls limited spot trade with prices steady. May 1st Rice Planted was 15%, par with 5 yr. average.
CME Rough Rice settlements for Friday 29th, May 16 closed .105 higher at 10.84; Jul 16 closed .11 higher at 11.115; Sep 16 closed .095 higher at 11.255. US dollar index on Friday settled at 93.08.
USDA National Weekly Rice Summary (.pdf) with all prices.

California F.O.B. Price for Extra Grade and Grade A Nonfat Dry Milk

Week Ending
Avg. Price($/lb.)
Total Sales (lb.)
April 29, 2016
$0.7144
20,375,111
April 22, 2016
$0.7349
10,528,568
Prices are weighted averages for Extra Grade and Grade A Nonfat Dry Milk, f.o.b. California manufacturing plants. Prices for both periods were influenced by effects of long-term contract sales. Compiled by Dairy Marketing Branch, California Department of Food and Agriculture.

California Shell Eggs: Daily Egg Report

Prices are steady. The undertone is steady to lower. Offerings and supplies are moderate to heavy. Demand is light to moderate. Market activity is slow. Compared to last week, the shell egg inventory is 15.4 higher in the Southwest region and 5.1% lower in the Northwest region.
Shell egg marketer’s benchmark price for negotiated egg sales of USDA Grade AA and Grade AA in cartons, cents per dozen. This price does not reflect discounts or other contract terms.
RANGE
JUMBO
156
EXTRA LARGE
149
LARGE
142
MEDIUM
113

Shell Eggs: Daily National Egg Market

New York prices are unchanged on all sizes. California and regional prices are steady. The undertone is steady to lower. Demand is light to moderate in California, moderate to instances fairly good elsewhere. Offerings are light to moderate in the Northeast, moderate to heavy in California, generally moderate in the remaining regions. Supplies are mostly moderate to heavy for trading purposes. The total shell egg inventory is 1.6 percent higher when compared to the previous week. Market activity is slow to moderate. Breaking stock offerings are light to moderate for the moderate demand. Light type fowl offerings are adequate; processing schedules are full-time.
Check the May USDA Commodity Report Calendar for today’s commodity reports released by USDA.

Tuesday’s Commodity Market ending market numbers:

Corn
July Corn ended at $3.79 3/4 losing 12 cents, September ended at $3.81 1/2 down 10 3/4 cents.
Soybeans
July Soybeans ended at 10.30 decreasing 13 3/4 cents, August ended at 10.32 losing 12 cents.
Wheat
July Wheat ended at $4.70 3/4 down 17 cents, September ended at $4.81 1/4, decreasing 17 1/4 cents.
Rough Rice
July Rough Rice ended at 11.445 increasing 0.11, September ended at 11.59 up 0.12.
Live Cattle
June Live Cattle ended at $116.375 up $0.575, August ended at $114.35 gaining $0.625 and October ended at $114.325 increasing $0.75.
Feeder Cattle
May Feeder Cattle ended at $143.40 gaining $1.975 and August ended at $143.05 increasing $1.55 and September ended at $142.50 up $1.075.
Lean Hogs
May Lean Hogs ended at $78.475 increasing $0.05, June ended at $82.925 up $0.225
Class III Milk
May Class III Milk ended at $12.95 decreasing $0.08, June ended at $12.92 losing $0.07, July ended at $13.12 down $0.19.
#2 Cotton
July #2 Cotton ended at 63.06 down 1.31, December ended at 62.35 losing 1.07.
Sugar #11
July Sugar #11 ended at 16.25 increasing $0.04, October ended at 16.53 unchanged.
Orange Juice
July Orange Juice ending at 134.50 down $2.15, September ended at 134.55 losing $2.15.

http://agnetwest.com/2016/05/03/commodity-report-may-3/
  

05/03/2016 Farm Bureau Market Report


Soybeans
High
Low
Cash Bids
1049
1027
New Crop
1030
947



Riceland Foods


Cash Bids
Stuttgart: - - -
Pendleton: - - -
New Crop
Stuttgart: - - -
Pendleton: - - -


Futures:
SOYBEANS
High
Low
Last
Change
May '16
1047.50
1015.00
1021.50
-14.00
Jul '16
1057.00
1023.00
1030.00
-13.75
Aug '16
1057.25
1025.00
1032.00
-12.00
Sep '16
1041.75
1012.25
1019.00
-10.00
Nov '16
1030.75
1003.00
1010.25
-7.50
Jan '17
1031.25
1004.00
1011.00
-8.25
Mar '17
1021.75
995.25
999.25
-11.50
May '17
1018.75
992.75
995.00
-12.75
Jul '17
1020.00
994.00
996.00
-13.75
   

Soybean Comment

Soybeans closed sharply lower today after setting new multi month highs. The new crop contract set new highs today after an early jump to $10.30; however, prices weakened some 20-cents during the course of the day. Continued fund buying continues to support prices as fundamentals remain mostly negative. Soybeans will need a strong export report tomorrow to help soybeans continue to maintain gains above $10.




Wheat
High
Low
Cash Bids
496
437
New Crop
500
475


Futures:
WHEAT
High
Low
Last
Change
May '16
481.50
458.25
459.75
-17.25
Jul '16
492.75
468.25
470.75
-17.00
Sep '16
503.25
478.75
481.25
-17.25
Dec '16
521.25
496.25
498.75
-18.00
Mar '17
538.00
513.00
515.50
-18.50
May '17
547.50
523.00
525.75
-18.25
Jul '17
551.00
526.00
528.50
-18.75
Sep '17
536.50
535.75
535.50
-19.50
Dec '17
546.50
546.50
549.00
-18.75
   

Wheat Comment

Wheat prices saw the largest declines of any grains today as July wheat closed down 17-cents on the day. July wheat has support at $4.67, if this support is broken prices could be headed back towards contract lows if wheat does not get significant support from outside markets. Wheat remains pressured by improving crop outlook and lackluster demand.




Grain Sorghum
High
Low
Cash Bids
391
375
New Crop
366
282





Corn
High
Low
Cash Bids
406
380
New Crop
400
376


Futures:
CORN
High
Low
Last
Change
May '16
393.50
375.75
378.25
-12.00
Jul '16
395.00
377.00
379.75
-12.00
Sep '16
394.75
378.75
381.50
-10.75
Dec '16
398.50
384.00
387.00
-9.50
Mar '17
406.00
392.50
395.50
-9.00
May '17
410.75
397.75
400.25
-9.00
Jul '17
415.00
402.00
405.00
-8.50
Sep '17
404.00
397.75
400.50
-8.00
Dec '17
410.50
400.50
402.75
-7.00
   

Corn Comment

Corn prices closed sharply lower with double digit losses in almost all the contracts. New crop corn closed down some 9.5-cents today after prices failed near resistance at $4 and is now back below $3.90. Corn prices continue to feel pressure from improved planting forecast and concern over the weaker export inspections yesterday. Corn prices are likely trying to consolidate back in their previous range between $3.70 and $3.90.




Cotton
Futures:
COTTON
High
Low
Last
Change
May '16
62.62
62.5
63.05
-1.31
Jul '16
64.65
62.16
63.06
-1.31
Dec '16
63.69
61.52
62.35
-1.07

Cotton Comment

Cotton futures charted a huge bearish reversal today. The International Cotton Advisory Committee revised its global output forecast to 22.96 million tons and lowered the global demand forecast to 23.77 million, leaving ending stocks of 19.59 million tons for the 16/17 season. Weekly exports were a disappointing 74,600 running bales, down from 117,900 bales the previous week. This was due mainly to recent price increases, but the decrease was greater than expected. Export bookings are now down 23% from last year. July has uptrending support near 61.50 cents, while resistance is at the recent high of 64.75.




Rice
High
Low
Long Grain Cash Bids
- - -
- - -
Long Grain New Crop
- - -
- - -


Futures:
ROUGH RICE
High
Low
Last
Change
May '16
1105.0
1094.0
1117.0
+11.0
Jul '16
1146.0
1121.0
1144.5
+11.0
Sep '16
1160.0
1142.0
1159.0
+12.0
Nov '16
1164.0
1156.0
1168.0
+13.0
Jan '17
1168.0
1168.0
1179.0
+11.5
Mar '17
1196.0
+11.5
May '17
1215.0
+11.5
   

Rice Comment

Rice futures were higher across the board today. July completed a 38% retracement today, with the next upside objective at the 50% level of $11.93. Weekly exports were only 31,700 metric tons this week, down from 121,300 metric tons last week. The market will be watching crop progress closely. If farmers plant what they reported to USDA in the survey, the large crop will limit the upside potential. Currently, USDA says 72% of the crop in the ground and 55% emerged. In Arkansas, the totals are 87% planted and 66% emerged, so Arkansas farmers made lots of progress in a week’s time. However, world production is in question as dry conditions persist in Asia due to El Nino, and that is providing support and possibly pricing opportunities for the time being.




Cattle
Futures:
Live Cattle:
LIVE CATTLE
High
Low
Last
Change
Jun '16
116.850
115.750
116.375
+0.575
Aug '16
114.800
113.775
114.350
+0.625
Oct '16
114.525
113.625
114.325
+0.750
Dec '16
114.425
113.575
114.300
+0.600
Feb '17
113.475
112.575
113.425
+0.575
Apr '17
112.925
112.250
112.750
+0.300
Jun '17
107.425
106.775
107.425
+0.425
Aug '17
105.450
104.975
105.375
+0.375
   
Feeders:
FEEDER CATTLE
High
Low
Last
Change
May '16
143.725
141.225
143.400
+1.975
Aug '16
143.425
141.075
143.050
+1.550
Sep '16
142.725
140.975
142.500
+1.075
Oct '16
141.925
140.325
141.600
+0.675
Nov '16
137.900
136.275
137.675
+0.625
Jan '17
134.150
132.650
134.000
+0.575
Mar '17
133.400
132.000
133.275
+0.425
Apr '17
132.400
+0.425
   

Cattle Comment

Cattle prices closed higher again today as the market continues to try and recover last losses from last Thursday's limit down move. The market has seen little bullish support for prices as beef prices continue to weaken and cattle slaughtered continues lag year ago levels.




Hogs
Futures:
LEAN HOGS
High
Low
Last
Change
May '16
78.575
77.800
78.475
+0.050
Jun '16
83.125
82.100
82.925
+0.225
Jul '16
83.450
82.700
83.350
+0.225
Aug '16
82.150
81.500
81.925
+0.075
Oct '16
70.575
70.050
70.450
+0.075
Dec '16
65.250
64.800
65.175
0.000
Feb '17
67.875
67.550
67.825
+0.025
Apr '17
70.600
70.400
70.600
+0.050
May '17
74.850
74.825
74.825
+0.025
   

Hog Comment






APEDA AgriExchange Newsletter - Volume 1464

International Benchmark Price
Price on: 29-04-2016
Product
Benchmark Indicators Name
Price
Apricots
1
Turkish No. 2 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD/t)
4625
2
Turkish No. 4 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD/t)
4125
3
Turkish size 8, CIF UK (USD/t)
3625
Honey
1
Argentine 85mm, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
2140
2
Argentine 50mm, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
2160
3
Argentine 34mm, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
2180
Peanuts
1
South Africa, HPS 70/80 peanuts CFR main European ports (USD/t)
2000
2
South African, HPS 40/50 peanuts CFR main European ports (USD/t)
1950
3
Argentinean 38/42 runners, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
1485
Source:agra-net
For more info
Market Watch
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 30-04-2016
Domestic Prices
Unit Price : Rs per Qty
Product
Market Center
Variety
Min Price
Max Price
Rice
1
Manjeri (Kerala)
Other
2700
3700
2
Deogarh (Orissa)
Other
2000
3000
3
Purulia (West Bengal)
Other
2200
2220
Wheat
1
Manvi (Karnataka)
Other
1625
1655
2
Neemuch (Madhya Pradesh)
Other
1550
1923
3
Sangli (Maharashtra)
Other
2000
2600
Mousambi
1
Thirurrangadi (Kerala)
Other
3500
3700
2
Sultanpur (Uttar Pradesh)
Other
3900
3950
3
Gohana (Haryana)
Other
2000
2800
Onion
1
Bolangir (Orissa)
Other
1500
1600
2
Nabha (Punjab)
Other
500
800
3
Karad (Maharashtra)
Other
600
900
For more info
Egg
Rs per 100 No
Price on 02-05-2016
Product
Market Center
Price
1
Pune
325
2
Nagapur
307
3
Hyderabad
304
Source: e2necc.com
Other International Prices
Unit Price : US$ per package
Price on 02-05-2016
Product
Market Center
Origin
Variety
Low
High
Onions Dry
Package: 50 lb cartons
1
Atlanta
Colorado
Russet
17
17.50
2
Chicago
California
Russet
21
21
2
Detroit
Wisconsin
Russet
16
16.50
Carrots
Package: 20 1-lb film bags
1
Atlanta
California
Baby Peeled
20.25
20.75
2
Dallas
Mexico
Baby Peeled
17
19
3
Philadelphia
California
Baby Peeled
16
16
Apples
Package: cartons tray pack
1
Atlanta
Virginia   
Red Delicious
25.50
26
2
Chicago
Washington
Red Delicious
21
21
3
Miami
Washington
Red Delicious
24
28
Source:USDA