Rice Industry
to Congress: "Reject Conservation
Programs at All Our Peril"
By Peter Bachmann
WASHINGTON, DC -- This morning, the
House Committee on Agriculture's Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee held a
hearing to solicit feedback from rural America on conservation policy ahead of
constructing the 2018 Farm Bill. USA
Rice was invited to provide a witness to testify and Timothy Gertson, Texas
rice farmer, graduate of the Rice Leadership Program, and member of the USA Rice
Federation and USA Rice Farmers Board of Directors was tapped to represent the
industry.
"The Conservation Title of most
farm bills is typically not the most contentious but has steadily grown to
absorb a larger portion of the legislation's overall budget, making it look
ripe for cuts," said USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward. "But the investment in voluntary working
lands conservation programs - the mission of the USDA's Natural Resources
Conservation Service - is vital to the future not just of agriculture, but of
the planet. Many groups in agriculture,
including USA Rice, will stand together to fight to protect this investment in
our future."
Gertson credits the rice industry's
"unique relationship with waterfowl" as one of the reasons rice
farmers are by default, some of the best stewards of the environment and said
the USA Rice-Ducks Unlimited Rice Stewardship Partnership "could be used
as the model for commodity and wildlife groups working together going
forward."
Gertson's testimony focused on the
effectiveness of the "workhorses" of NRCS working lands
programs: the Environmental Quality
Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and
their economic benefits. "With
working lands programs the land is still in production, so the economic drivers
of small communities are still working, unlike some programs like the
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) that pay farmers not to grow a crop,"
he said.
"The [EQIP] practices I have
put into place over the years have helped make my land more resilient to the
multi-year drought we experienced a few years ago," Gertson
continued. "These conservation
practices have helped me stay in business over the course of this depressed farm
economy."
And when a community's farmers stay
in business, so does the community.
"The revenue generated from my farm is reinvested in inputs for the
following year and ends up in the hands of other small, local businesses,"
he said. "Small towns like mine
rely on the agriculture industry for jobs and investment or they would
disappear."
Aside from asking for the Regional
Conservation Partnership Program to be reauthorized and the removal of several
regulatory provisions that deincentivize conservation, the continuity of
Gertson's operation was a major concern.
"My boys want to be farmers
just like dad and someday farm the same land our family has been working for
the last 108 years. But without being
able to make a living for my family and maintain the natural resources to keep
my land in production, there won't be anything left to hand to the sixth
generation," he said.
"I am here to ensure that this
Subcommittee fights to maintain Conservation Title funding and important
working lands program investments so my children can play a part in feeding
this great nation," concluded Gertson.
Customs seizes 9000 bags of rice in Ibadan
Agency generates N14.8b in 2016
In another dramatic raid, the
Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Oyo/Osun Command, has seized 9,000 bags of
imported rice in a warehouse in a market in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The Controller, Temitope Ogunkua, who vowed to stop illegal importation of goods, spoke yesterday at a briefing on the achievements recorded by the command in the last one year.He said the command generated N14.8billion in 2016.
During the night raid of the warehouse in an undisclosed Ibadan market, he said one suspect was arrested.
The Controller, Temitope Ogunkua, who vowed to stop illegal importation of goods, spoke yesterday at a briefing on the achievements recorded by the command in the last one year.He said the command generated N14.8billion in 2016.
During the night raid of the warehouse in an undisclosed Ibadan market, he said one suspect was arrested.
The seizure of the 9,000 (50kg) bags of smuggled imported rice had a duty paid value of N88,776,000.00.According to him, the night operation was carried out by the combined anti-smuggling team and the Federal Operations Union (FOU), Zone A.
Ogunkua said the command would not rest on its oars in playing strategic roles of revenue collection, trade facilitation and border security.He said the seizure of the rice and any other products proved to be smuggled into the country illegally was in line with Section 147 of Customs and Excise Management Act, 1990 as amended.
The Controller said 1207 vehicles paid duty of N320, 329,797.00 between January and December last year, adding that 266 packages of Canabis Sativa were seized and handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) within the period under review.
His words: “A total of 8,378 50kg bags of rice were seized within the period under review. The duty paid value of the intercepted rice is N87,153,591.00.
“The Command seized 111 vehicles with a duty paid value of N136,770,011.65; 1971 cartons of frozen poultry products with a duty paid value of N16,373,097.00 were intercepted. A total of 173 (25) litres gallon of petroleum products were seized and handed over to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).”
Ogunkua said the command has a N20.6billion target for the year.
“A total of 9000 (50kg) bags of smuggled imported rice with a duty paid value of N88,776,000.00 was seized and evacuated from a warehouse by the Command’s anti-smuggling team in conjunction with the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A few weeks ago”
Kishore Biyani lays
out roadmap for Future Consumer-Hain Celestial JV
The joint venture will begin with
three of Hain Celestial’s main products—Terra Chips, baby foods, and non-dairy
milk products, says Kishore Biyani
Mumbai: Kishore Biyani has laid out a
roadmap for Future Consumer’s 50-50 joint venture with New York state
headquartered Hain Celestial Group, that sells organic food and personal care
products.The joint venture was announced in January this year.“We will begin
with three of Hain Celestial’s main products, Terra Chips, baby foods, and
non-dairy milk products,” Biyani said at a press conference on Tuesday. “I
believe Indians, especially mothers, are very conscious about brands, and more
Indians today are lactose intolerant.”
With this joint venture, Future
Group will have products competing with Nestle’s Cerelac baby foods, Pepsico’s
Frito Lay’s chips, and Hershey India that sells non-dairy soy milk under the
brand name Sofit. Other non-dairy milks include rice, almond, and coconut
milks.
“We’ve identified a new plant in Tumkur,
Karnataka, to manufacture Terra Chips”, Biyani said. “This will be rolled out
by the end of December this year, made in India.”
Biyani added that the prices of
Terra chips would be lowered from the current close to Rs400 a packet to around
Rs100 a packet.He said the joint venture will continue to invest in
manufacturing facilities for these products over the next 4-5 years. However,
Biyani declined to comment on how much investment has been made or is planned
for the venture. “We have already assessed machinery requirements and other
things for now,” he said.
“We have the products and Future
(Consumer) has the distribution and the food park,” said Irwin Simon, founder
and chief executive of Hain Celestial. “We’re partnering with the largest
retailer in India.” Future Group set up an integrated food park in Tumkur,
Karnataka, in 2014.
Hain Celestial, a $3.58 billion company
by market capitalization, was founded in 1993 and listed on the NASDAQ in 1994.
Most of its sales come from consumer food products, particularly the Whole
Foods chain of retail stores in the United States. Hain also owns and markets
the basmati rice brand Tilda, for which it sources rice from India.
Future Consumer has, in the past,
brought other foreign food and personal care brands to India. For instance, in
2013, it introduced California-based citrus juices brand Sunkist.
Biyani and Simon emphasized the
growing demand for healthy and organic food among increasingly health-conscious
Indians. However, it may have to contend with the growing popularity of
ayurvedic and ‘traditionally’ made food and personal care brands in India that
health-conscious consumers have also taken to. “I don’t think that will be
something we will be thinking about,” Biyani countered. “There isn’t much
ayurvedic (trends) in packaged foods, except perhaps things like Chyawanprash
http://www.livemint.com/Industry/GFZyE2tIxqvDpGOIl8og7I/Kishore-Biyani-lays-out-roadmap-for-Future-ConsumerHain-Cel.html
Stocks in news: L&T, Idea, HPCL, NHPC, KRBL, Merck,
BEML, Varun
Stocks
in news: L&T, Idea, HPCL, NHPC, KRBL, Merck, BEML, Varun L&T | Idea
Cellular | ONGC | HPCL | Coal India | Sambhaav Media | Quess Corp | Merck |
Assam Company | NHPC | Kohinoor Foods | LT Foods | KRBL | Adani Enterprises |
Varun Beverages and BEML are stocks, which are in the news today. Here
are stocks that are in news today: L&T -LIC to persuade government to sell
part of its SUUTI stake in L&T -LIC is looking for an additional 5 percent
taking its total stake to 21 percent Idea Cellular : Sources -P5 Asia
Investments launches book to sell Idea shares up to USD 190 million -Idea block
deal price-range set at Rs 106.5-114.55/share -Providence will exit Idea post
block deal ahead of proposed merger with Vodafone Alert: P5 Asia Investments is
the investment arm of Providence Alert: Providence bought 15 percent stake in
Idea in 2006 ONGC - HPCL : Government Sources -ONGC may acquire
HPCL in Rs 44,000 crore deal Alert: HPCL's current market cap is Rs 57,000
crore -ONGC may buy government's entire 51.1 percent stake in HPCL -ONGC may have
to pay government Rs 29,000 crore for 51.1 percent stake in HPCL -ONGC will
have to buy another 26 percent in HPCL from open market for Rs 15,000 crore
Alert: Deal value of ONGC's HPCL acquisition at Rs 44,000 crore as per Monday's
closing price Merck Q3 -Net profit up 24.7 percent at Rs 18.2 crore
versus Rs 14.6 crore (YoY) -Total income up 5.9 percent at Rs 251.5 crore
versus Rs 237.5 crore (YoY) -EBITDA down 1.6 percent at Rs 24.6 crore versus Rs
25 crore (YoY) -EBITDA margin at 9.8 percent versus 10.5 percent (YoY) Sanofi
Q4 -Net profit (ex-exceptional item) down 3.8 percent at Rs 50.5 crore versus
Rs 52.5 crore (YoY) -Total income up 4.1 percent at Rs 592 crore versus Rs
568.7 crore (YoY) -EBITDA down 5 percent at Rs 107.3 crore versus Rs 112.9 crore
(YoY) -EBITDA margin at 18.1 percent versus 19.9 percent (YoY) IL&FS -Lone
Star, IL&FS collaborate to revive stressed infrastructure assets in India
-Lone Star, IL&FS collaboration to have investment pool of USD 550 million
Assam Company -Company now owns 100 percent of participating interest in
Amguri field -Production sharing contract of Amguri field extended by 5 years
-Arbitral board has granted company USD 3.54 million in damages plus cost of
proceedings Tata -DoCoMo case -Tata Group agrees to pay NTT DoCoMo USD 1.17
billion -Tata Sons to pay full amount of damages sought by NTT DoCoMo -Tata
Sons, NTT DoCoMo may announce resolution to dispute today Edelweiss -To
bid afresh for bank licence, sell commodities unit -In talks with several parties
to sell commodities unit Other stocks and sectors that are in news today: -
Sanghi Industries - India Ratings & Research assigns rating of A-
and A2+ - Adani Transmission bought back non-convertible debentures
(NCDs) worth Rs 165 crore - Pincon Spirits acquires 5 additional retail outlets
in Kolkata - Sambhaav Media wins FM radio channels for 13 cities of
Gujarat and J&K - Siti Networks allotted 7.77 crore shares on
conversion of warrants & OFCDs (optional fully convertible debentures) to
promoters - Indian Overseas Bank share capital increased from Rs 3,000
crore to Rs 10,000 crore - Coal India 's South Eastern Coalfields
approved buy back up to Rs 1,200 crore at Rs 79777 per share - Varun Beverages
approved allotment of NCDs worth Rs 150 crore each to RBL Bank
& Kotak Mahindra Bank - Transformers and Rectifiers gets order worth
Rs 153 crore from Gujarat Energy Transmission - Den Networks launched
Den TV+, OTT services for subscribers - Titan forays into ethnic womens wear
segment - Adani Enterprises in focus: Adani group plans to expand ship
fuelling business from 1 million tonne to 3.5 million tonne by 2020 - Kohinoor
Foods , LT Foods , KRBL , Lakshmi Energy , REI Agro
in focus: Export realisation for basmati rice has dropped to the lowest price
at USD 784/tonne (8MFY17) against USD 1298/tonne in FY14 - ICICI Bank
probing into fake notes at Rohtak ATM - Quess Corp is looking at
managing airports, health services, roads & ports - Prime Focus '
promoter release pledge on 1.33 percent shares on February 23 - NHPC
signs power purchase agreement with GRIDCO, Odisha for 35 years - SREI
Infrastructure allots NCDs worth Rs 335.17 crore on February 27 -Merchant
Bankers & legal advisors to make presentation for BEML stake sale
today
http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/stocksnews/stocks-in-news-lt-idea-hpcl-nhpc-krbl-merck-beml-varun_8565341.html?utm_source=ref_article
http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/stocksnews/stocks-in-news-lt-idea-hpcl-nhpc-krbl-merck-beml-varun_8565341.html?utm_source=ref_article
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open-March 01,2017
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-March 1
Nagpur, Mar 1 (Reuters) – Gram and tuar prices firmed up in Nagpur Agriculture Producing and
Marketing Committee (APMC) on increased buying support from local millers amid weak supply from
producing regions. Healthy rise in Madhya Pradesh pulses and reported demand from South-based
plants also jacked up prices, according to sources.
FOODGRAINS & PULSES
GRAM
* Gram varieties ruled steady in open market here but demand was poor.
TUAR
* Tuar gavarani and tuar Karnataka moved down in open market here on poor demand from
local traders amid increased supply from producing regions.
* Major rice varieties reported higher in open market on good festival season demand
from local traders amid thin arrival from producing regions like Chhattisgarh and
Madhya Pradesh.
* In Akola, Tuar New – 3,900-4,000, Tuar dal (clean) – 6,500-6,700, Udid Mogar (clean)
– 8,500-9,000, Moong Mogar (clean) 6,600-6,900, Gram – 4,700-4,800, Gram Super best
bold – 7,300-7,500 for 100 kg.
* Wheat 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 4,200-4,485 4,100-4,200
Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction 3,800-4,190 3,800-4,150
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 7,500-7,800 7,500-7,800
Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.
Gram Medium Best 6,500-6,800 6,500-6,800
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a
Gram Mill Quality 4,400-5,000 4,400-5,000
Desi gram Raw 4,750-5,050 4,750-5,050
Gram Yellow 7,600-8,000 7,600-8,000
Gram Kabuli 11,600-12,800 11,600-12,800
Tuar Fataka Best-New 6,600-6,800 6,600-6,800
Tuar Fataka Medium-New 6,200-6,400 6,200-6,400
Tuar Dal Best Phod-New 5,800-6,000 5,800-6,000
Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 5,300-5,600 5,300-5,600
Tuar Gavarani New 3,950-4,150 4,000-4,200
Tuar Karnataka 4,350-4,550 4,400-4,600
Masoor dal best 5,600-5,800 5,600-5,800
Masoor dal medium 5,300-5,500 5,300-5,500
Masoor n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold (New) 6,800-7,200 6,800-7,200
Moong Mogar Medium 6,200-6,500 6,200-6,500
Moong dal Chilka 5,800-6,500 5,800-6,500
Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 6,000-6,500 6,000-6,500
Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 8,800-9,500 8,800-9,500
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 7,500-8,000 7,500-8,000
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 5,200-5,500 5,200-5,500
Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 5,000-5,500 5,000-5,500
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 3,650-3,850 3,650-3,850
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,100 3,000-3,100
Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,400 3,200-3,400
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,300 3,800-4,300
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,100 2,000-2,100
Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,100 2,000-2,100
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,300 2,100-2,300
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,700 2,500-2,700
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,500 2,200-2,500
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,600-4,200 3,600-4,200
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,700-3,200 2,700-3,200
Rice BPT best New(100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,800 3,100-3,700
Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,700-3,000 2,700-3,000
Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,500 2,200-2,500
Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,600 2,400-2,500
Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,400 2,200-2,400
Rice HMT best New (100 INR/KG) 4,000-4,500 4,000-4,400
Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,600 3,400-3,500
Rice Shriram best New(100 INR/KG) 5,200-5,500 5,200-5,400
Rice Shriram med New(100 INR/KG) 4,700-5,000 4,600-5,000
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 9,200-13,300 9,200-13,300
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,000-6,200 5,000-6,200
Rice Chinnor best New(100 INR/KG) 5,600-5,800 5,600-5,600
Rice Chinnor med. New (100 INR/KG) 5,000-5,300 5,000-5,100
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,300 2,000-2,300
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,000 1,900-2,000
WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 35.7 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 15.5 degree Celsius
Rainfall : Nil
FORECAST: Mainly clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 36 and 15 degree
Celsius respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but
included in market prices)
http://in.reuters.com/article/nagpur-foodgrain-idINL3N1GE3CJ
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open-February
28,2017
Reuters | Updated: Feb 28, 2017, 01.25 PM IST
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/nagpur-foodgrain-prices-open-february-282017/articleshow/57389527.cms
AATF, others to boost rice production for
export
THE African Agricultural Technology
Foundation (AATF) and partners will soon develop and disseminate a Nitrogen-Use
Efficient, Water-Use Efficient and Salt Tolerant Rice (NEWEST) for food
sufficiency in Sub-Saharan Africa. Researchers involved in the development of Nitrogen-Use Efficient,
Water Use Efficient and Salt-Tolerant Rice, insist it will lead to
self-sufficiency in rice production
The AATF Executive Director (ED),
Dr Denis Kyetere made this known at the NEWEST Rice Project Annual Review and
Planning Meeting held at International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
(IITA), Ibadan.Kyetere said the goal of the project was to develop, disseminate
farmer preferred, locally adapted rice varieties with enhanced nitrogen, water
use efficiency and salt tolerance.
He noted that it would lead to food
sufficiency, adding that food self-sufficiency in rice will redirect limited
foreign exchange used to import rice.In his words, Kyetere said “there will be
improved rice yields resulting in enhanced household food security and production
of marketable crop surplus.”
“Also abandoned croplands will be
reclaimed reducing land shortages; an additional 1.3 million tons of rice will
be produced in Africa each year, reducing the current deficit by 10 per cent.”
Also speaking, Dr Mohammed Ishiaq,
Director, Information and Documentation Department, National Cereal Research
Institute (NCRI) emphasized that rice demand exceeded production in most
Sub-Saharan
Africa. Ishiaq who represented the
NCRI Executive Director, Dr Samuel Agboire, said insufficient rice production
affected well-being of over 20 million smallholder farmers who depend on rice
as a staple.
“Sub-Saharan Africa countries are spending more than US$5 billion
annually on rice imports, rice production deficit along with large outflow of
foreign exchange presents great development challenge to governments in SSA.
Low yields experienced by farmers are responsible for rice imports in SSA where
over 40 per cent of the rice consumed is imported. Also nitrogen deficiency has
been cited as a major constraint to rice production; nitrogen is difficult to
maintain when applied in lowland areas due to floods,” he said.
According to the project manager, Dr Kayode Sanni, the project
started in 2008 and that the essence was to have excess rice production and
reduce its importation by or before 2020.“Improving the nitrogen use efficiency
of rice is one means of achieving this goal. With the utilization and
application of water use efficient component, the rice will require less water
and this will offer an appreciable coping mechanism against drought,” he said.Sanni
noted that the project was funded by the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID).
Scientists from AATF, National Cereal Research Institute, NCRI,
Badegi, Nigeria, Crop Research Institute, CRI, Kumasi, Ghana, National Research
Organisation, NARO, Uganda, Arcadia Biosciences, USA and International Centre
for Tropical Agriculture, CIAT, Colombia form the team that is working on the
development of this variety.
http://tribuneonlineng.com/aatf-others-boost-rice-production-export/
Australian Met upgrades El Nino
outlook
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, FEB 28:
With the Australian Bureau of
Meteorology (BoM) upgrading its outlook to ‘El Nino watch’ mode, the Indian
Ocean could well hold the key to this year’s South-West monsoon here.The Indian
Ocean will be watched for any sign of an evolving positive phase of the Indian
Ocean Dipole (IOD).
The IOD event is comparable to El
Nino-La Nina playout in the Equatorial Pacific.During a positive IOD phase, the
western part of the Indian Ocean (close to South Arabian Sea) warms up setting
up clouds, and boosting a concurrent Indian monsoon.The Application Laboratory
of the Japanese national forecaster Jamstec has alluded to the likelihood of a
positive IOD, but the BoM is not that optimistic.
Because it happens closer to the
monsoon theatre, the IOD is thought to influence rainfall pattern over India
than would the El Nino-La Nina in the far-away Pacific. Meanwhile, the BoM had
kept away from taking a call on the El Nino, the abnormal warming in the East
Equatorial Pacific with implications for global weather, but took the plunge on
Tuesday.
In its updated outlook, it said
that the likelihood of an El Nino developing this year has increased. It has
since put its El Nino tracker back to a ‘watch’ position.It estimated the
probability of the recurrence of El Nino this year at 50 per cent, despite
current conditions being ‘neutral,’ the BoM said in background information.But
recent changes go to elevate the probability of El Nino, it added. The
Application Laboratory of the Jamstec has already come out with a similar
outlook.
Both these forecasts are in dire
contrast to expectations that the year 2016 was likely to be a La Nina year,
which reverses El Nino conditions in the Pacific.A La Nina has often been
accompanied by heavy rain and flooding in parts of India, resulting in normal
to excess monsoon.
Thus far, the BoM had gone on
record to emphatically rule out a La Nina this year. But it has now proceeded
to upgrade the lookout to an El Nino.Meanwhile, parts of South India are
bracing to receive badly needed summer showers from the weekend. Pilot showers
may hit the extreme southern parts even ahead of it. This is being masterminded
by the presence of a trough each to either side of the peninsula, anchored over
the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal and adjoining Sri Lanka.
The showers may scale up from
Saturday, grow along the East Coast of India and last for a fortnight,
according to the US National Centres for Environment Prediction.The US Climate
Prediction Centre is of the view that heavier rain may lash South Kerala and
adjoining Tamil Nadu during March 6 to 12.
Chairman
Keith Glover closes out government affairs conference
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"We
meet in Washington, D.C. three times a year, and our February session benefits
from several previous days of meetings with congressional and administration
officials," Subcommittee Chairman Keith Glover of Producers' Rice Mill in
Stuttgart, said. "We also welcome the newly graduated Leadership Class so
they can see first-hand the work of the Subcommittee and all segments of USA
Rice's membership."
USA
Rice's World Market Price Subcommittee met on Feb. 16, marking the unofficial
last meeting of the 2017 Government Affairs Conference.
"We meet in Washington, D.C. three times
a year, and our February session benefits from several previous days of
meetings with congressional and administration officials," Subcommittee
Chairman Keith Glover of Producers' Rice Mill in Stuttgart, said. "We also welcome the
newly graduated Leadership Class so they can see first-hand the work of the
Subcommittee and all segments of USA Rice's membership."
Members
discussed estimates for the 2017 rice crop in anticipation of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Prospective Plantings Report to be issued at the
end of March. Area this year could fall as much as 15 percent from 2016's 3.15
million acres given current prices of rice and competing crops. The
Subcommittee focused discussions with USDA's National Agricultural Statistics
Service on reporting of monthly rough rice prices.
"Reporting of average cash prices by
NASS is very important to our industry, and we continue to work with the agency
and our members to get this right," Glover said.
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Representatives
from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) reported on favorable developments
in USA Rice's long-running efforts to have fortified rice included in U.S. food
aid programs and to have private food aid organizations request fortified rice in
U.S. donations.
"We met
earlier this week with administration officials and representatives of the
World Food Program and we're getting very close to the door opening wide for
U.S. fortified rice in food aid," reported USA Rice President and CEO
Betsy Ward.
FAS officials
also noted the discrepancy in figures for rice exports to Mexico as reported by
the Bureau of the Census, the U.S. government's official source for trade data,
and figures as reported in USDA's weekly Export Sales report. Export numbers to
Mexico as carried in Export Sales consistently lag those reported by Census,
and all industry participants were encouraged to improve exporting reporting to
USDA in line with regulatory requirements.
The
subcommittee will next meet in May in Washington, D.C.
http://www.stuttgartdailyleader.com/news/20170227/chairman-keith-glover-closes-out-government-affairs-conference
