Tuesday, 02 August 2016 22:01
FAISALABAD: Indonesian Ambassador Iwan Suyudhie
Amri Tuesday said that Pakistan and Indonesia had inked a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) in December last and now they were working to evolve a
mechanism for export of one million tons of rice from Pakistan to Indonesia by
2019. Addressing
the members of Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) here, he paid
glowing tribute to the deceased former Ambassador of Indonesia Burhan Muhammad,
who worked hard to bolster bilateral relations between the two counties. Indonesian
envoy said Pakistan is a very friendly country. He said the two countries
should make serious efforts to translate their relations into economic terms. He said
that volume of bilateral trade between the two countries in $2.18 billion,
which is far less than the actual potential. He said there is no doubt in it
that the balance of trade is in favour of Indonesia but the real issue is
bilateral trade as in case of China-Indonesia trade, it is in favour of China. He said
exports from Pakistan should increase. He said that law and order situation had
improved in Pakistan and it would definitely have positive impact on its
exports to Indonesia. About
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he said it would attract foreign
investment and all regional countries would enjoy its benefits. He said
that Indonesia is a country with huge population of 250 million. "Our
domestic market is very strong which has provided us a solid base for speedy
economic growth," he added. About
Halal food, he said that Pakistan is speedily undertaking the process of Halal
food certification which will help it make maximum Halal exports to Indonesia. About
people-to-people contacts, he said that Indonesia is offering scholarships to
Pakistani students which will bring both countries closer. Responding
to yet another question about health and education related reforms, he said
that Indonesia has allocated 20 per cent of its budget for education as
elementary level education is free. Similarly, subsidy is offered in health
sector. The rich are charged while the poor are getting free treatment. He hoped
that this system will be further improved in coming years. He also promised
removing hurdles to export of rock salt from Pakistan to Indonesia. Earlier
in his welcome address, Chaudhry Muhammad Nawaz, president, FCCI, underlined
the importance of existing bilateral trade between Pakistan and Indonesia. He
said that it was $2.18 billion in 2015. Pakistani exports to Indonesia were
only $140 million whereas Indonesian exports to Pakistan were $2041 million.
Thus the balance of trade is in favour of Indonesia. Syed Zia
Alamdar Hussain, Senior Vice President, FCCI, said that both countries had
inked Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) in 2012 to enhance their trade. It
played a major role in enhancing bilateral trade and the trade volume that was
only $700 million in 2010 has jumped to $2.18 billion in 2015. He said
that Indonesia is a major country exporting palm oil to Pakistan. During the
last four years, Indonesian exports to Pakistan have swollen from 30% to 83%.
He said that in 2015 Pakistan imported 2.1 million tons of palm oil, out of
which 70% was imported from Indonesia. Later,
the FCCI memento was also presented to the Indonesian ambassador, while the
guest presented a symbol of Indonesia to Chaudhry Muhammad Nawaz, president of
the FCCI.
Govt permits basmati rice exports via land
custom stations
"In addition to the EDI (electronic data
interchange) ports, export of basmati rice will now be permitted through land
custom stations on Indo-Bangladesh and Indo-Nepal border also subject to
registration of quantity with DGFT (Director General of Foreign Trade), the
commerce ministry said in a notification. | 1 Comments Govt permits basmati
rice exports via land custom stations Government permitted exports of basmati
rice through land custom stations on Indo-Bangladesh and Indo-Nepal border.
"In addition to the EDI (electronic data interchange) ports, export of
basmati rice will now be permitted through land custom stations on
Indo-Bangladesh and Indo-Nepal border also subject to registration of quantity
with DGFT (Director General of Foreign Trade), the commerce ministry said in a
notification.
Punjab: Area under rice goes
up; basmati, cotton slide
Paddy rice acreage saw an
increase of around 12 per cent from last year with almost 25 lakh hectares
dedicated to the crop. Basmati rice may soon touch 5 lakh hectares only.
Basmati rice consumes less water than paddy
rice. However, 33 per cent less land is under cultivation this time compared to
last year. (Source: File)
Farmers
have taken to rice cultivation after their cotton crop failed last season and
losing trust in Basmati’s returns. The area under rice this year has touched 30
lakh hectares — the highest in over a decade. Paddy
rice acreage, too, saw an increase of around 12 per cent from last year with
almost 25 lakh hectares dedicated to the crop. Basmati rice may soon touch 5
lakh hectares only. The news
will certainly put pressure on the state’s groundwater resources with 102 of
141 agricultural blocks already “dry”. Rice is a water-intensive crop. “This
would be a big blow to our crop diversification policy,” said a senior officer
in the agriculture department. Under the state’s New Agriculture Policy, around
12 lakh hectares was to be diverted from paddy rice to other crops mainly
basmati, maize and cotton. Basmati
rice consumes less water than paddy rice. However, 33 per cent less land is
under cultivation this time compared to last year. “Farmers
are looking for a secure market and paddy rice provides that,” said Dr J S
Bains, director, Punjab Agriculture department. Last year, whitefly infestation
wrecked the cotton market while Basmati’s prices fluctuated during last few
years
Global rice market to enter
price war
PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI
THE NATION August 4, 2016 1:00 am
THE
GLOBAL RICE market will experience a price war next year as an oversupply is
expected at the same time as trade slows, Thai exporters say, putting pressure
on the Kingdom because its rice is quite expensive compared with other
countries’.
Exporters expect Thai rice shipments this year
to total 9.5 million tonnes, maintaining the country's status as the world's
largest rice exporter, slightly ahead of its major competitor India, which will
export about 9 million tonnes.Charoen Laothammatas, president of the Thai Rice
Exporters Association, said prices would fluctuate late this year and into 2017
since many rice-importing countries had lower demand, while the supply of rice
is expected to rise significantly from the upcoming harvest season after the
end of the drought.
The strengthening of the baht against the US
dollar has pushed up the price of Thai rice, which will cause difficulty for
exporters as the prices of many competitors decrease after the onset of more
rainfall.
"With more rice but lower demand,
fluctuating currencies and the baht's appreciation, and high competition, the
global rice market will enter a price war. Thailand, which is the world's major
rice supplier and holds high stocks, needs to manage its rice stocks carefully
and stabilise the price to ensure export competitiveness," Charoen said.
As Thailand enters the price war, Charoen
expects its rice to become cheaper, while domestic rice prices will also fall
because of lower demand.
Lower demand in many importing countries will
continue to be affected by low oil prices, particularly in Africa and the
Middle East, which are major import markets for Thai rice.
This year, the association expects Thailand to
export about 9.5 million tonnes of rice worth about Bt4.4 billion, while next
year export volume will drop to about 9 million tonnes.
Thailand could lose its position as the world's
rice-export champion in 2017, since India has a high supply of rice and could
release more next year, the association says.
The US Department of Agriculture expects the
global rice trade in 2017 to decrease by 2 per cent from 41.34 million tonnes
to 40.51 million, while world rice output will increase by 2.3 per cent from
470.64 million tonnes to 481.23 million.
Demand for rice consumption in the global
market is expected to increase slightly, by 0.4 per cent from 478.48 million
tonnes to 480.63 million, while ending stock in the global is expected to rise
from 106.7 million tonnes to 107.3 million tonnes.
In the first half of this year, Thailand
shipped 4.99 million tonnes of rice worth US$2.2 billion (Bt76.7 billion), more
than India, which exported 2.76 million tonnes.
However, as India has high stockpiles of rice,
about 25 million tonnes, while its price is lower than Thailand's, Charoen's
association is afraid that India could become the world's largest rice exporter
instead of Thailand next year.
Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the
Thai Rice Exporters Association, said it was hard to predict whether Thailand
or India would be the world's largest rice exporter next year because of the
uncertainties due to fluctuating prices and higher output.
He said that as Thai rice is about $50 a tonne
more expensive than some of its rivals', exporters could have difficulty
competing.
Currently, Thai rice is trading at around $425
a tonne, while Vietnam's is $375 a tonne for 5 per cent white rice. Thai
parboiled rice is quoted at $440 a tonne, and Indian parboiled rice is $375 a
tonne.
Moreover, as a larger supply of rice from the
upcoming harvest season is expected, the association warns the government to
create a benchmark price carefully from its project to clear out its rice
stocks.
Charoen said the government could continue to
release rice via auctions but it should not sell it for too low a price as that
could affect the market price and hurt farmershttp://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Global-rice-market-to-enter-price-war-30292075.html
Salinity-tolerant
rice varieties produce high yields in Myanmar
Tuesday, 02 August 2016 10:22
Sixty farmers participated
in evaluating new salinity-tolerant rice varieties in a farmer’s field in
Meikhtilar District, Mandalay to identify new high-yielding varieties
Salinity-tolerant
variety, Pyi Myanmar Sein, provided greater yield than four other
farmer-preferred varieties. (Image source: 64525258@N00/Flickr)
Through
a programme conducted by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), in
collaboration with the Consortium for Unfavourable Rice Environments (CURE),
these farmers also participated in selecting the best varieties for their
fields while becoming aware of the sustainable adoption of improved varieties
in stress-prone environments.Myanmar has a predominantly agricultural economy
based on rice production, with 32 per cent of the total rice area composed of
unfavourable lowland areas. Salinity-affected rice-farming areas account for
two per cent of these unfavourable areas—almost 110,000 ha—spread across
different states and regions.The collaboration between IRRI and CURE with
Myanmar’s Department of Agricultural Research (DAR) to develop suitable rice
varieties for these challenging areas has resulted in successfully developing
and distributing to farmers seeds of three salinity-tolerant
varieties—Sangnakhan Sin Thwe Latt, Pyi Myanmar Sein, and Shwe Asean.
All the nine tested varieties out-yielded the
check varieties, except for one variety, 11T 265. Among the tested varieties,
IR11T 159 had the highest yield (5.1 tonnes/ha).
A demonstration trial was held in a rice field
in Meikhtilar District, Mandalay, to compare Pyi Myanmar Sein, a newly released
salinity-tolerant variety, with four farmer-preferred varieties. Among the five
tested varieties, Pyi Myanmar Sein performed best and produced the highest
yield (4.3 tonnes/ha).
According
to the IRRI team, a participatory varietal selection and seed multiplication
each year will help to share information on new elite varieties with farmers,
and their capacity will be developed.
http://fareasternagriculture.com/crops/agriculture/salinity-tolerant-rice-varieties-produce-high-yields-in-myanmar
Commerce Minister Pan Sorasak (left) shakes
hands with his Chinese counterpart, Gao Hucheng, during a meeting yesterday at
the Ministry of Commerce in Phnom Penh. Photo supplied
Cambodia asks China to double rice quota
Wed, 3 August 2016
Commerce
Minister Pan Sorasak lobbied his visiting Chinese counterpart, Gao Hucheng,
yesterday to consider doubling Cambodia’s annual rice export quota to China
while also proposing a host of agricultural trade agreements. In a
press release following a meeting, Cambodia’s Ministry of Commerce said the
Chinese government would consult with its relevant agencies to push for up to a
97 per cent tariff reduction scheme that provides duty- and quota-free access
to Asia’s largest economy “as soon as possible”. China
will also consider increasing the export quota on Cambodian rice to 200,000
tonnes starting in 2017, as well as continuing to negotiate on the exports of
broken rice, banana, mango, longan, cashew nut, pepper, coffee and soybean. The
current export quota on rice to China is 100,000 tonnes per year. Ministry
spokesperson Soeng Sophary stressed that while the talks were fruitful, no
official decisions were made. “China
accepted our suggestions for consideration,” she said, adding that she hoped
they would not be rejected. “Once China agrees on any point that Cambodia
suggests, we will be ready to sign with them.” David
Van, local managing director of Bower Group Asia, said in order to secure trade
deals Cambodian agricultural products need to adopt China’s strict sanitary and
phytosanitary (SPS) protocols – a longtime barrier for the Kingdom’s exports. “They
can give us duty and quota free access, but they might still strictly control
SPS,” he said. “If that is so, we still will not be able to export to their
country until we improve our products.”
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/cambodia-asks-china-double-rice-quota
Rice marked with current market prices is
displayed outside a warehouse in Phnom Penh’s Daun Penh district yesterday
afternoon. Heng
Chivoan
Gloomy forecast for Cambodia's rice sector
Wed, 3 August 2016
An industry analyst has issued a dire forecast
for Cambodia’s rice sector, claiming the long-grain “white gold” that has been
credited with lifting millions of Cambodia’s farmers out of abject poverty, and
which seems a natural fit for the Kingdom’s agrarian workforce, is on a
downward trajectory. Jim
Plamondon, a former technical evangelist for Microsoft who is developing new
marketing strategies for Cambodian rice varieties, says the Kingdom’s rice
industry – the lifeblood of its agricultural economy – is headed for a brutal
and imminent consolidation. Those in
the industry who think sliding rice prices will recover, or reducing overhead
costs will make Cambodia competitive against its heavyweight neighbours, are in
for a rude awakening. According
to Plamondon, the surge in world rice prices a decade ago that prompted many of
Cambodia’s rice exporters to join the industry was an aberration. The
predominant trend for rice prices – as it has been for the last 400 years – is
down. “When
the price of rice started rising in 2006, and then spiked in 2008, that was
great news for Cambodia’s subsistence rice farmers,” he says. “Then rice stayed
high in 2011, partly because everybody was hoarding rice to make sure this
[global supply shortage] wouldn’t recur, but ever since then it has been coming
down.” The
majority of Cambodia’s rice exporters cut their teeth during these peak-rice
years, investing in mills and distribution networks while reaping stellar
profits on export shipments. “[Peak
prices] were normal to them, but they were not normal to the world, which has
seen rice prices [as a percentage of wages] steadily declining for centuries,”
explains Plamondon. Rice was
one of a raft of commodities caught in a global supply shortage in the
mid-2000s as producers raced to scale up production to meet the voracious
demand of China and other emerging economies. But now there is a global glut of
supply and the world’s rice exporters are facing hard times, as profits
continue to shrink, leaving only the hardiest contenders in the race. In April
2008, Thailand was quoting a metric tonne of 5-per cent broken milled rice for
US delivery at $1,020 per tonne. Today, it ships for about $417 per tonne,
having rebounded from a nadir of $354 per tonne last December. Ominously,
Cambodia’s rice exports fell six per cent during the first half of the year,
while rice exports from Vietnam dropped by 32 per cent despite cost-competitive
pricing. Exports from emerging rice powerhouse Myanmar plummeted 63 per cent
year-on-year during its latest dry season harvest. The UN
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has forecast the total worldwide trade
of rice at 43.9 million tonnes this year, indicating a second successive year
of contraction due to oversupply. “Much of
the projected fall would reflect import reductions in the Far East, where key
buyers such as Bangladesh, China (Mainland), the Philippines and Sri Lanka may
lower their purchases amid ample availabilities on store and/or increased
border protection,” the agency said in its July 2016 Rice Market Monitor. Yet even
with the world awash in cheap rice, many exporting countries are planning to
increase production. Myanmar is looking to triple rice exports in the coming
three years, while Cambodia is still pining for its elusive one-million-tonnes a year export
goal Plamondon
describes this strategy of ramping up the production of commodity as its prices
continue to fall as a “race to the bottom.” “This is
not about Cambodia’s rice industry – there is a worldwide glut of supply, so
there must be a retraction,” he says. “I do
not believe Cambodia’s rice industry is on the verge of collapse, but it is on
the brink of a consolidation, and that means a lot of farmers and millers are
going to go broke.” There
are signs it is already happening. According
to Moul Sarith, secretary-general of the Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF), low
margins and increased competition from neighbouring countries have forced at
least five small- and medium-sized Cambodian rice millers out of business in
the last year. “They
could not overcome the challenges and had to shut down,” he said, adding: “If
no action is taken to support the sector, more millers will go bankrupt in the
next six months.” In
total, up to 50 per cent of the nation’s rice millers could be out of business
by the end of the year, he added. Yet
Sarith remains confident there is a way out, explaining that millers have
capacity but lack capital to purchase enough rice paddy to operate efficiently. “Even
with rice export prices lower than they were last year, exports are still
profitable, though those profits are smaller,” he said, adding that the
government has pledged up facilitate up to $30 million in emergency loans for
millers and exporters to help shore up the industry. Capital
will not solve the problems plaguing Cambodia’s rice sector, insists Plamondon,
but it could determine who survives. “There’s
going to be a significant retrenchment – only those with access to capital and
plans for growth [will survive],” he said. “New
mills are more efficient than old ones, so many older, smaller mills will be
out-competed. But even new mills will be squeezed out by [bigger and more
efficient operations in] Vietnam and Thailand, especially if they’re burdened
by debt.” According
to Kann Kunthy, CEO of Battambang Rice Investment Co Ltd (BRICo), a
consolidation is already taking shape. By his calculation, nearly half of all
millers have either shuttered operations or been bought out by bigger
operations. Those
that remain are increasingly turning to business “alliances” to increase their
economies of scale. “Most of
our rice millers will have to consolidate in order to survive,” he said.
“Facing a long-term downswing, millers are forging alliances to process paddy
as a survival strategy.” As
examples, he cited new “cooperation” agreements between Asia Gold Rice and
Crystal Mill Rice, and between Apsara Rice and Soma Group. BRICo,
which has invested $15 million since 2014 into its milling operations and has a
hefty capacity of 24,000 tonnes per year, has managed to keep its head above
water, Kunthy insists. But
while the company’s exports continue to grow, he admitted “even we are feeling
the impact, just like the rest of the rice sector.”
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/gloomy-forecast-cambodias-rice-sector
Thailand's Rice Exports On
World Top List In 1st Half 2016
BANGKOK, Aug 3 (Bernama) -- Thai rice exports
have been slated the top on the world market, with shipments of the Thai grains
to trading partners reaching nearly 5 million tonnes during the first half of
this year, Thai News Agency (TNA) reports.
-- BERNAMA
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v8/wn/newsworld.php?id=1269082
Gloomy forecast for Cambodia's rice sector
Wed, 3 August 2016
Rice
marked with current market prices is displayed outside a warehouse in Phnom
Penh’s Daun Penh district yesterday afternoon. Heng Chivoan
An industry analyst has issued a dire forecast for Cambodia’s
rice sector, claiming the long-grain “white gold” that has been credited with
lifting millions of Cambodia’s farmers out of abject poverty, and which seems a
natural fit for the Kingdom’s agrarian workforce, is on a downward trajectory. Jim
Plamondon, a former technical evangelist for Microsoft who is developing new
marketing strategies for Cambodian rice varieties, says the Kingdom’s rice
industry – the lifeblood of its agricultural economy – is headed for a brutal
and imminent consolidation. Those in
the industry who think sliding rice prices will recover, or reducing overhead
costs will make Cambodia competitive against its heavyweight neighbours, are in
for a rude awakening. According
to Plamondon, the surge in world rice prices a decade ago that prompted many of
Cambodia’s rice exporters to join the industry was an aberration. The
predominant trend for rice prices – as it has been for the last 400 years – is
down. “When
the price of rice started rising in 2006, and then spiked in 2008, that was
great news for Cambodia’s subsistence rice farmers,” he says. “Then rice stayed
high in 2011, partly because everybody was hoarding rice to make sure this
[global supply shortage] wouldn’t recur, but ever since then it has been coming
down.” The
majority of Cambodia’s rice exporters cut their teeth during these peak-rice
years, investing in mills and distribution networks while reaping stellar
profits on export shipments. “[Peak
prices] were normal to them, but they were not normal to the world, which has
seen rice prices [as a percentage of wages] steadily declining for centuries,”
explains Plamondon. Rice was
one of a raft of commodities caught in a global supply shortage in the
mid-2000s as producers raced to scale up production to meet the voracious
demand of China and other emerging economies. But now there is a global glut of
supply and the world’s rice exporters are facing hard times, as profits
continue to shrink, leaving only the hardiest contenders in the race. In April
2008, Thailand was quoting a metric tonne of 5-per cent broken milled rice for
US delivery at $1,020 per tonne. Today, it ships for about $417 per tonne,
having rebounded from a nadir of $354 per tonne last December. Ominously,
Cambodia’s rice exports fell six per cent during the first half of the year,
while rice exports from Vietnam dropped by 32 per cent despite cost-competitive
pricing. Exports from emerging rice powerhouse Myanmar plummeted 63 per cent
year-on-year during its latest dry season harvest. The UN
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has forecast the total worldwide trade
of rice at 43.9 million tonnes this year, indicating a second successive year
of contraction due to oversupply. “Much of
the projected fall would reflect import reductions in the Far East, where key
buyers such as Bangladesh, China (Mainland), the Philippines and Sri Lanka may
lower their purchases amid ample availabilities on store and/or increased
border protection,” the agency said in its July 2016 Rice Market Monitor. Yet even
with the world awash in cheap rice, many exporting countries are planning to
increase production. Myanmar is looking to triple rice exports in the coming
three years, while Cambodia is still pining for its elusive one-million-tonnes a year export
goal Plamondon
describes this strategy of ramping up the production of commodity as its prices
continue to fall as a “race to the bottom.” “This is
not about Cambodia’s rice industry – there is a worldwide glut of supply, so
there must be a retraction,” he says. “I do
not believe Cambodia’s rice industry is on the verge of collapse, but it is on
the brink of a consolidation, and that means a lot of farmers and millers are
going to go broke.” There
are signs it is already happening. According
to Moul Sarith, secretary-general of the Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF), low
margins and increased competition from neighbouring countries have forced at
least five small- and medium-sized Cambodian rice millers out of business in
the last year. “They
could not overcome the challenges and had to shut down,” he said, adding: “If
no action is taken to support the sector, more millers will go bankrupt in the
next six months.” In
total, up to 50 per cent of the nation’s rice millers could be out of business
by the end of the year, he added. Yet
Sarith remains confident there is a way out, explaining that millers have
capacity but lack capital to purchase enough rice paddy to operate efficiently. “Even
with rice export prices lower than they were last year, exports are still
profitable, though those profits are smaller,” he said, adding that the
government has pledged up facilitate up to $30 million in emergency loans for
millers and exporters to help shore up the industry. Capital
will not solve the problems plaguing Cambodia’s rice sector, insists Plamondon,
but it could determine who survives. “There’s
going to be a significant retrenchment – only those with access to capital and
plans for growth [will survive],” he said. “New
mills are more efficient than old ones, so many older, smaller mills will be
out-competed. But even new mills will be squeezed out by [bigger and more
efficient operations in] Vietnam and Thailand, especially if they’re burdened
by debt.” According
to Kann Kunthy, CEO of Battambang Rice Investment Co Ltd (BRICo), a
consolidation is already taking shape. By his calculation, nearly half of all
millers have either shuttered operations or been bought out by bigger
operations. Those
that remain are increasingly turning to business “alliances” to increase their
economies of scale. “Most of
our rice millers will have to consolidate in order to survive,” he said.
“Facing a long-term downswing, millers are forging alliances to process paddy
as a survival strategy.” As
examples, he cited new “cooperation” agreements between Asia Gold Rice and
Crystal Mill Rice, and between Apsara Rice and Soma Group. BRICo,
which has invested $15 million since 2014 into its milling operations and has a
hefty capacity of 24,000 tonnes per year, has managed to keep its head above
water, Kunthy insists. But
while the company’s exports continue to grow, he admitted “even we are feeling
the impact, just like the rest of the rice sector.”
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/gloomy-forecast-cambodias-rice-sector
Cabinet curbs water-consuming
plants’ cultivation to avert water shortage
Agriculture Ministry says the plan has nothing
to do with GERD construction
The
Ministry of Agriculture debunked reported statements that the cabinet is
currently preparing an alternative agricultural plan to adjust to the Grand
Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) inauguration. The new
strategy bans the export of rice and limits the space of rice fields to 700,000
acres instead of 1.1 million acres, limiting agriculture’s water consumption.
The strategy also aims to increase the number of plastic greenhouse fields,
treat sewage water, and develop field irrigation tools to increase water
efficiency. Ministry
spokesperson, Eid Hawash, told Daily News Egypt that the plan has nothing to do
with the GERD, but that it rather focuses on averting effects of the current
water shortage crisis, as well as effects of climate change. “Egypt’s
water share used to be 55.5 billion cubic metres (BCM)/year for only 20 million
citizens. Now, after population rates increased throughout the years, the water
share has not increased,” he said. According
to Hawash, this share will not be affected by the GERD construction, which will
be complete by October 2017. However, he said the ministry is currently
undertaking a set of pre-emptive measures, with the cabinet’s plan to ban rice
planting among them. “Exporting
rice means exporting water,” he illustrated, noting that this also applies for
sugar cane, a highly water-consuming plant. “There is a wide gap between
consumption and production rates,” Hawash further highlighted. President
Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi mandated that the Minister of Agriculture head a
governmental delegation from different ministries to work on a new national
mega project for the establishment of 100,000 plastic greenhouses. The
delegation will reportedly visit European countries to gain the know-how of
cultivating these houses. Egypt is
one of the world’s largest food importers, according to a 2014 study by the
Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation. By the year 2020, water
requirements will most likely increase by 20% (15 BCM/year). The agricultural
imports bill in the country has rapidly increased putting a substantial burden
on the country’s foreign exchange resources. Climate
changes are one of the main threats affecting agricultural crops and overall
food security in Egypt and the MENA region. Maize, rice, and wheat are among
the top crops to be affected by severe climate change in Egypt, according to a
study by United States Aid in 2013
http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2016/08/02/cabinet-curbs-water-consuming-plants-cultivation-avert-water-shortage/
Feature: Farmers save
rainwater for dry seasons
QUEZON
CITY, Aug. 4 - Farmers in Brgy. Biclat, San Miguel, Bulacan are taking
advantage of the rainy season by saving rainwater for their rice farms’ use
during dry months. Small farm reservoirs (SFR) help them do so. SFR,
according to Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM), is a water impounding
structure with a maximum height of embankment of 4 meter and average pond area
of 1,500 square meters. Farmers with areas no more than 2 ha of rainfed farms
find the tool convenient to use. “Almost
every farm here has SFR since we have limited water resources and irrigation
can’t reach us,” said Rodelio B. Viola, chairman of Biclat Farmers Field School
Marketing Cooperative. Farmers
use SFRs as fishponds to give them extra income during the first cropping season.
They use the water from SFR for rice production in the second cropping season,
particularly before or during summer. For
farmers who want to start their own SFR, they would have to spend more than
P10,000. “We rent
digging equipment such as bulldozer or backhoe. In our area, the rent costs
P2,000/hour,” said Florentino B. Salvador, a farmer and owner of three SFRs. “Diggings
are made every five years to maintain the depth of the structure as it becomes
shallow with soil erosion. If the farmer has resources, he can dig it every
year,” he added. Experts
at the Rice Engineering and Mechanization Division of the Philippine Rice
Research Institute (PhilRice) said that SFR is just one of the water harvesting
techniques farmers can use during the rainy season. Other
technologies include small water impounding project (SWIP), diversion dam,
dug-out pond, open ditch, and rain interceptor ponds and ditches. According
to Engr. Kristine S. Pascual, water harvesting techniques such as SFR, are
important as there is a negative effect when rice is submerged in the water for
a long time. “Aeration
will be an issue, resulting in poor tillering of the rice plant,” she said. Pascual
also gave tips on managing water in the rice field during the rainy season. “Dikes
and irrigation canals must be fixed to make sure that the water flows to the
drainage or any impounding structure,” she explained. She
added that farmers can avoid the onslaught of typhoons and floods by following
a cropping calendar to guide them on the proper timing of planting rice. PhilRice
breeders also suggest that farmers can plant flood-tolerant varieties such as
NSIC Rc194 (Submarino 1) which has an average yield of 3.5 t/ha and matures in
112 days. For more
information on water harvesting techniques, farmers may contact the PhilRice
Text Center at 0920 911 1398. (PhilRice)
Posted by Web Team Posted
on Aug - 3 - 2016
Farmers in Brgy. Biclat, San Miguel, Bulacan
are taking advantage of the rainy season by saving rainwater for their rice
farms’ use during dry months. Small farm reservoirs (SFR) help them do so. SFR,
according to Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM), is a water impounding
structure with a maximum height of embankment of 4 meter and average pond area
of 1,500 square meters. Farmers with areas no more than 2 ha of rainfed farms
find the tool convenient to use. “Almost
every farm here has SFR since we have limited water resources and irrigation
can’t reach us,” said Rodelio B. Viola, chairman of Biclat Farmers Field School
Marketing Cooperative. Farmers
use SFRs as fishponds to give them extra income during the first cropping
season. They use the water from SFR for rice production in the second
cropping season, particularly before or during summer. For
farmers who want to start their own SFR, they would have to spend more than
P10,000. “We rent
digging equipment such as bulldozer or backhoe. In our area, the rent costs
P2,000/hour,” said Florentino B. Salvador, a farmer and owner of three SFRs. “Diggings
are made every five years to maintain the depth of the structure as it becomes
shallow with soil erosion. If the farmer has resources, he can dig it every
year,” he added. Experts
at the Rice Engineering and Mechanization Division of the Philippine Rice
Research Institute (PhilRice) said that SFR is just one of the water harvesting
techniques farmers can use during the rainy season. Other
technologies include small water impounding project (SWIP), diversion dam,
dug-out pond, open ditch, and rain interceptor ponds and ditches. According
to Engr. Kristine S. Pascual, water harvesting techniques such as SFR, are
important as there is a negative effect when rice is submerged in the water for
a long time. “Aeration
will be an issue, resulting in poor tillering of the rice plant,” she said. Pascual
also gave tips on managing water in the rice field during the rainy season. “Dikes
and irrigation canals must be fixed to make sure that the water flows to the
drainage or any impounding structure,” she explained. She
added that farmers can avoid the onslaught of typhoons and floods by following
a cropping calendar to guide them on the proper timing of planting rice. PhilRice
breeders also suggest that farmers can plant flood-tolerant varieties such as
NSIC Rc194 (Submarino 1) which has an average yield of 3.5 t/ha and matures in
112 days. For more
information on water harvesting techniques, farmers may contact the PhilRice
Text Center at 0920 911 1398
Detective Scientists Discover
Which Rice Crops Can Save Money and Reduce Pollution
U of T Scarborough Professor Herbert Kronzucker
has helped identify "superstar" varieties of rice that can reduce
fertilizer loss and cut down on environmental pollution in the process
Ken Jones, Courtesy of U of T Scarborough
Excess nitrogen—dumped onto agricultural
products as fertilizer—is a huge problem for the environment and for farmers.
A new
study from the University of Toronto Scarborough could help rice farmers lessen
the impact of excess nitrogen, from the ground up. More
from Modern Farmer
Plants
need nitrogen to grow; it can be found naturally in the soil in small doses,
but like everything else in agriculture, to get plants to grow efficiently and
quickly, farmers have long boosted the natural ways with hacks, in this case by
dumping nitrogen onto their crops in the form of fertilizer. But many plants,
including rice—one of the world’s most produced crops—are not especially
efficient at taking in nitrogen, forcing the use of higher quantities. “In
tropical rice fields, as much as 50 to 70 per cent can be lost,” reads the
study’s release That’s a
huge problem. Nitrogen runoff studies indicate This new
study analyzed 19 popular varieties of rice for something that’s never really
been analyzed before: the efficiency with which the variety takes in nitrogen.
The study even managed to figure out more precisely how
http://modernfarmer.com/2016/08/efficient-rice-crops/
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open-
Aug 4,2016
Nagpur, Aug 4 Gram and tuar prices firmed up again in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) here on good buying support from local millers amid weak supply from producing regions because of rains. Healthy rise in Madhya Pradesh pulses and repeated enquiries from South-based millers also jacked up prices, according to sources. * * * * FOODGRAINS & PULSES GRAM * Desi gram recovered in open market here on renewed demand from local traders amid tight supply from producing belts. TUAR * Tuar varieties ruled steady in open market here on subdued demand from local traders amid ample stock in ready position. * Masoor varieties recovered in open market on good demand from local trader amid weak supply from producing belts. * In Akola, Tuar New - 7,600-7,700, Tuar dal New - 12,100-12,400, Udid - 12,300-12,800, Udid Mogar (clean) - 16,200-16,900, Moong - 7,200-7,400, Moong Mogar (clean) 8,700-8,800, Gram - 7,700-7,900, Gram Super best bold - 10,000-10,200 for 100 kg. * Wheat, rice and other commodities moved in a narrow range in scattered deals, settled at last levels. Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close Gram Auction 6,800-7,705 6,700-7,600 Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600 Tuar Auction 6,500-7,375 6,500-7,200 Moong Auction n.a. 6,400-6,600 Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500 Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800 Gram Super Best Bold 10,500-10,800 10,500-10,800 Gram Super Best n.a. n.a. Gram Medium Best 9,700-10,000 9,700-10,000 Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a Gram Mill Quality 8,500-8,700 8,500-8,700 Desi gram Raw 8,150-8,250 8,100-8,200 Gram Yellow 9,400-9,700 9,400-9,700 Gram Kabuli 9,100-11,100 9,100-11,100 Gram Pink 9,200-9,400 9,200-9,400 Tuar Fataka Best-New 12,500-12,800 12,500-12,800 Tuar Fataka Medium-New 12,000-12,300 12,000-12,300 Tuar Dal Best Phod-New 11,500-11,800 11,500-11,800 Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 10,500-11,000 10,500-11,000 Tuar Gavarani New 8,000-8,100 8,000-8,100 Tuar Karnataka 8,500-8,900 8,500-8,900 Tuar Black 11,700-12,600 11,700-12,600 Masoor dal best 7,600-7,800 7,500-7,700 Masoor dal medium 6,700-7,200 6,600-7,100 Masoor n.a. n.a. Moong Mogar bold (New) 8,500-9,000 8,500-9,000 Moong Mogar Medium 7,600-8,000 7,600-8,000 Moong dal Chilka 6,200-7,000 6,200-7,000 Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a. Moong Chamki best 7,800-8,200 7,800-8,200 Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 16,000-17,000 16,000-17,000 Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 13,500-15,000 13,500-15,000 Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 9,000-9,200 9,000-9,200 Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 6,300-6,800 6,300-6,800 Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 5,600-5,800 5,600-5,800 Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 4,000-4,100 4,000-4,100 Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,000 3,800-4,000 Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 4,300-4,800 4,300-4,800 Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,850-1,950 1,850-1,950 Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 1,950-2,000 1,950-2,000 Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,750-1,950 1,750-1,950 Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,250-2,400 2,250-2,400 Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,200 2,000-2,200 Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a. MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,800 3,200-3,800 MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,700-3,000 2,900-3,000 Rice BPT best New(100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,800 3,100-3,800 Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,700-2,900 2,700-2,900 Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,700 2,500-2,700 Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,500 2,200-2,500 Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,100 1,900-2,100 Rice HMT best New (100 INR/KG) 3,700-4,000 3,700-4,000 Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,300 3,000-3,300 Rice Shriram best New(100 INR/KG) 4,400-4,600 4,500-4,900 Rice Shriram med New(100 INR/KG) 4,100-4,300 4,200-4,300 Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 9,500-14,000 9,500-14,000 Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 7,000-8,000 7,000-8,000 Rice Chinnor best New(100 INR/KG) 5,500-5,800 5,500-5,800 Rice Chinnor med. New (100 INR/KG) 5,200-5,400 5,200-5,400 Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,100 1,900-2,100 Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,850 1,700-1,850 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 29.6 degree Celsius (85.3 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp. 24.6 degree Celsius (76.3 degree Fahrenheit) Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a. Rainfall : 1.6 mm FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky. Rains or thunder-showers very likely to occur. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 30 and 24 degree Celsius respectively. Note: n.a.--not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices.)
Rice Prices
as on :
03-08-2016 08:10:32 PM Arrivals in tonnes;prices in
Rs/quintal in domestic market.
Arrivals
Price
Current
%
Season
Modal
Prev.
Prev.Yr
Rice
Bhivandi(Mah)
2250.00
12.5
40859.00
2300
2200
43.75
Bangalore(Kar)
2059.00
29.66
162842.00
4200
4200
-2.33
Bangarpet(Kar)
440.00
28.28
11930.00
1880
1850
18.99
Dhing(ASM)
86.20
26.76
3936.40
1950
1950
NC
Kalipur(WB)
85.00
-5.56
7109.00
2350
2350
20.51
P.O. Uparhali Guwahati(ASM)
83.50
-2.91
4021.10
2230
2230
6.19
Kesinga(Ori)
80.00
NC
790.00
2350
2300
-7.84
Thodupuzha(Ker)
70.00
NC
3500.00
2800
2700
12.00
Cachar(ASM)
40.00
33.33
2680.00
2500
2500
-7.41
Jajpur(Ori)
32.00
113.33
505.00
2000
2000
-20.00
Kolaghat(WB)
21.00
5
920.00
2400
2400
4.35
Bethuadahari(WB)
16.00
100
40.00
3200
2450
8.47
Champadanga(WB)
16.00
14.29
1097.00
2650
2650
3.92
North Lakhimpur(ASM)
11.80
19.19
1754.00
1900
1900
-
Kolhapur(Laxmipuri)(Mah)
11.00
10
2072.00
3400
3400
-
Dibrugarh(ASM)
8.30
102.44
1410.30
2450
2450
-
Mirzapur(UP)
7.50
25
1528.10
1985
1980
0.76
Siyana(UP)
2.00
NC
115.50
2310
2225
12.68
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/article8937501.ece
Farewell Steve!
ARLINGTON, VA -- USA Rice Senior Director of
Regulatory Affairs Steve Hensley has accepted a position with the National
Cotton Council managing their science and environmental issues. Friday is his last day with USA Rice.
The staff celebrated Steve's thirteen-year
tenure at USA Rice today at a luncheon in the Arlington office. In commemorating Steve's accomplishments, USA
Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward said, "I know you all share in my
sincerest thanks to Steve for his commitment and dedication to USA Rice. He has been a key contributor, helping to
navigate USA Rice through some of the industry's biggest regulatory issues over
the years, along with working to bring sustainability to the forefront."
Ward added, "Steve has written countless
comments to the EPA and USDA. I think
one of our member's put it best recently when he said Steve has an exceptional
ability to communicate complex and technical information in plain English. We'll miss that and him!"
Mr. Hensley's "class" celebrates
National Rice Month
Next Generation of Chefs Gives Brown Rice a
Thumbs Up
By Katie Maher
WASHINGTON, DC -- This week, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the 2016 Healthy Lunchtime Challenge
Cookbook, comprised of recipes created by kid chefs across the country. The fifty-six MyPlate inspired recipes are
the winning entries of the 2016 Healthy Lunchtime Challenge and 12 of those
recipes include brown rice as a featured ingredient.
Last month, the winners joined First Lady
Michelle Obama at the White House for the 5th Annual Kids "State
Dinner," where these winning recipes were served.
With more than 1,200 entries submitted to the
challenge, the recipes were narrowed down based on healthfulness, taste, originality,
affordability, and following USDA's MyPlate nutrition guidance. As a new twist, this year's challenge
incorporated the MyPlate, MyState initiative, shining a spotlight on
American-grown food and encouraging entrants to use local ingredients from their
state.
The twelve rice recipes tout the whole grain
and gluten-free benefits of brown rice. From the 'Louisiana Power Lunch,' to
the 'Super Stuffed Squash,' to 'D.I.Y Sushi,' these aspiring chefs highlight
the versatility of rice and its place on a healthy plate.
"It's great to see that these young people
care about healthy eating and know that brown rice is a part of that,"
said Byron Homes, chairman of the USA Rice Nutrition Subcommittee. "And what's more, this project educated
kids about American agriculture and encouraged them to see the value of
sourcing locally-grown ingredients, like U.S. rice, which is exactly our
goal."
The winning recipes are available online at
What's Cooking? USDA Mixing Bowl.
Our Views: Cuba is poor but a
new market for Louisiana
ADVOCATE EDITORIAL Aug
3, 2016 - 6:00 am
While
legal and political barriers remain, mere geography is on the side of
Louisiana's exporters when it comes to trade with Cuba.A series of trade
promotion trips is therefore underway involving Louisiana businessmen and
officials, seeking to build relationships before what is seen as the inevitable
lifting of the U.S. trade embargo on the Communist-governed island. The
latest group included rice farmers, eager to sell to a North American country
that now imports much of its rice from Vietnam. The
data: Louisiana exports $439 million worth of rice each year. Cuba imports $173
million of rice per year and on average consumes more than 177 pounds of rice
annually, the most rice per capita in the western hemisphere. The new
trade group, headed by Commissioner Mike Strain of the Louisiana Department of
Agriculture and Forestry, was of course heavy with farmers from the state but
also included a range of business interests. While
agriculture has an obvious interest in a new and physically close market,
tourism officials are also interested in what Cuba can offer. “We are
in a prime position to export agricultural products, petrochemicals and the
cruise industry," said former state Rep. Joe Accardo, executive director
of the Ports Association of Louisiana. Is all
this premature? Because
of the deplorable human rights record of the Cuban government, there is always
going to be the potential for rifts between the United States and the island's
cruel leadership. What President Barack Obama's normalization of relations does
is allow a dialogue to begin but business is not only a matter of diplomacy;
instead, it is relationships and credit arrangements with buyer and seller, and
supply and demand. Louisiana
can supply a lot of what Cuba currently demands, but the consequence of
socialism over the decades has been economic failure and social misery. Credit
is hard to come by in such a poor country. Nevertheless,
there are opportunities: Cuba needs our farm products, and we commend Strain
for this groundwork. It is not the first nor the last such trip: The
commissioner said that Gov. John Bel Edwards will join a similar delegation in
October. "It
is critical to establish these important business relationships now in order to
gain access to new market opportunities for our Louisiana agricultural
producers when it does," Strain said. He is
right, but there remain significant difficulties ahead as Louisiana exporters
work their way through legal and language barriers but also the financial
hurdles to a more robust relationship with Cuba
http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/our_views/article_b229fb82-5374-11e6-83f6-536a688e30f2.html
More Cambodia rice bound for China
A Cambodian farmer works on a rice seedling farm in Svay Chek
village on the outskirts of Phnom Penh on Monday. (AP photo)
China plans to increase its rice import quota from Cambodia
next year as the country braces for possible cutbacks by the European Union
(EU) to limit milled rice imports from least developed countries (LDC).Commerce
Minister Pan Sorasak said on Tuesday that his Chinese counterpart Gao Hucheng
agreed at a bilateral trade meeting to increase China’s import of milled rice
from Cambodia and to review the import quotas every year, the
Khmer Times reported on Wednesday.
“We have asked China to increase its import quota of milled rice
from Cambodia, and now they [China] agreed to what we requested,” said
Sorasak. “China will import another 200,000 metric tonnes of milled rice
in 2017 on top of their current rice imports from Cambodia. Both sides agreed
to review the outcomes of this bilateral trade cooperation every year,” he
added. The Chinese commerce minister is currently on an official visit
to Cambodia to discuss roads, railways, airport construction, agriculture and other
projects with senior government officials. Cambodia’s request to China comes just after last month’s visit
by delegations from the Brussels-based European Commission’s
directorate-general for agriculture and rural development and the
directorate-general for trade. Both delegations advised Cambodia’s rice
industry to seek other markets and not just concentrate its exports to Europe,
as the country moves from a low-income country in its LDC status to a
lower-middle income nation. An EU source who did not want to be named told the Khmer
Times that the visiting delegations from Brussels hinted the EU could
limit rice imports from LDCs in the “Everything but Arms” (EBA) trade
concessions to about 300,000 to 350,000 tonnes a year. Both Cambodia and Myanmar are the only LDCs recognised in the
EBA trade concessions and rice exports from both countries have unfettered
access to EU markets. “This means Cambodia would need to share these new EU quotas
with Myanmar in the very near future,” said the source. Last year, the total amount of Cambodian milled rice exported
reached some 538,396 tonnes, according to the Cambodian Rice Federation, with
43% exported to the EU. Sorasak, however, was optimistic that the EU would not cut back
on its import of milled rice from Cambodia. “Cambodia still has preferential access to the EU’s rice
markets. They [EU] just want to make sure that we export good-quality rice,”
said Sorasak. Hun Lak, Cambodia Rice Federation’s vice president, told the
Khmer Times that both China and Cambodia had already agreed on the import quota
of 100,000 tonnes. Hun Lak added that it was an opportune moment now, with China
agreeing to import more rice from the country, for Cambodia to make its milled
rice competitive in the international market. “Though the quality of Cambodian rice is good, its price is $60
higher per metric tonne compared to a neighbouring country,” he added. Though
referring to Vietnam, Hun Lak did not name it outright. “We have to find a way to lower production costs to keep our
rice prices low,” he said. Thai rice faces global price war
4 Aug 2016 NEWSPAPER SECTION: BUSINESS | WRITER: PHUSADEE ARUNMAS
A farmer harvests paddy at an organic
plantation in Bangkok. Thailand's rice exports are likely to face difficulties
next year with the strengthening baht and an expected supply glut of
paddy. PANUPONG CHANGCHAI
Thailand's rice market is expected to face
a price war next year as a result of oversupply that will lower prices in both
domestic and export markets, while the stronger baht could hurt the
competitiveness of rice shipments, exporters warn.Charoen Laothammatas,
president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said paddy supply from the
2016-17 crop to be harvested from November to January, is estimated to rise by
10-20% from the normal level of 22 million tonnes.The increased supply is
expected after farmers, especially those in the Central Plains, Northeast and
North, enlarged their planting areas to enjoy continual rainfall after the
severe drought.
Mr Charoen said global rice prices will
also be affected by the La Nina weather phenomenon, which is spreading across
Asia and creating more monsoons to prop up rice production in countries such as
India, Pakistan and Vietnam.These countries are major export competitors of
Thai producers and their output normally come out at the same time as
Thailand's crops, he said.He expected the rice supply would flood the market
from the last quarter this year to cause a price war in the global market.
Mr Charoen's forecast echoed the report of the US Department of
Agriculture (USDA), which earlier estimated world rice supply next year at
481.23 million tonnes, up 2.3% from 2016, while consumption will increase
slightly by 0.4% to 480.63 million tonnes. He said the baht's appreciation in recent weeks would be another
factor in decreasing the competitiveness of Thai rice in the global market.The
baht hit a one-year high on Monday at 34.72 against the US dollar and has risen
by 3.3% against the greenback this year.The strong baht will make Thai rice
relatively costly, Mr Charoen said.
"Every appreciation of one baht
against the dollar adds $10 to the price of a tonne of Thai rice," he said
at a press conference yesterday.Mr Charoen said large stockpiles of Thai rice
accumulated under the rice pledging scheme would also influence buyers to offer
lower prices.At present, there are about 9 million tonnes of milled rice in
state stocks, down from 18 million tonnes two years ago.
In the first six months, Thailand shipped
4.99 million tonnes of rice and it is set to export about 9.5 million tonnes
this year.The USDA forecasts Thailand will export about 9 million tonnes of
rice in 2017, followed by Vietnam at 7 million, India at 5.5 million and
Pakistan at 4.25 million.Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai
Rice Exporters Association, said the price of Thai white rice in free-on-board
terms is $425 a tonne or about $50 more than Vietnamese rice. This shows that
Thai rice is less competitive than that of its rivals and that may turn buyers
to other markets, he said
