USA Rice Reports to
Industry in Jennings; Sees an Old Friend
By Deborah Willenborg
JENNINGS, LA -- More than 230 rice
industry members gathered here yesterday for the annual meetings of the
Louisiana Rice Council (LARC) and the Louisiana Rice Growers Association
(LARGA), and to hear reports and updates from Baton Rouge and Washington, DC.
The meeting opened with the powerful
Future Farmers of America creed delivered by Isabella Hardy, a freshman at
Lacassine High School, and then remarks from Governor John Bel Edwards who
praised the rice industry for contributing to the economy of Louisiana that he
said was going strong.
Following the review and approval of
financial statements, St. Martinville rice farmer Jeff Durand was elected to
LARGA as an At-Large Member.
USA Rice's Dr. Steve Linscombe
introduced the Louisiana members of the Rice Leadership Development Program in
attendance, and then Louisiana Rice Research Board chair Richard Fontenot made
a special presentation to the Louisiana State University (LSU) AgCenter -- a
check for one million dollars to permanently fund a chair for rice research at
the university.
"The research that has come out
of the LSU AgCenter over the years has certainly helped the Louisiana rice
industry, but it has also supported and fed the world," Fontenot
said. "This endowment has been in
the works for a long time and now that it is official, I feel good knowing the
rice industry will continue to benefit from world-class research that will come
out of LSU thanks to this strengthened research program."
The dias is packed
USA Rice President & CEO Betsy
Ward thanked the crowd for the support her organization enjoys from Louisiana
and provided brief updates on the recently passed Farm Bill and developments on
the trade front. She highlighted the
newly-extended Memorandum of Understanding on rice between Iraq and the United
States that USA Rice pushed and that benefits Louisiana directly, shared
positive developments in the complicated relationship between the U.S. and
China, and showed the Louisiana high school student's video that won the
National Rice Month Scholarship Contest.
USA Rice Vice President
International Sarah Moran shared successes from amongst the more than 2,700
annual promotional events her department oversees overseas, including
traditional advertising in markets such as Saudi Arabia and Haiti, digital
marketing in markets such as Canada, and demonstration-based events in places
like the U.S. top market of Mexico.
Representative Ralph Abraham (R-LA)
addressed the crowd via video to talk about the pro-farmer work he is
undertaking, including a change to the formula for calculating MFP
payments. The new formula will focus on
production rather than harvested acres and will be particularly impactful for
growers in Louisiana who were prevented from harvesting some of their crop.
Following dinner, Louisiana
Department of Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Dr. Mike Strain addressed
the group to share his appreciation for the men and women of the rice industry
and to talk about some of the important projects he is spearheading --
including increased capacity at state ports and other infrastructure
improvements.
With someone new
The evening program concluded with a
presentation from USA Rice Vice President of Domestic Promotion Michael Klein
who shared highlights from several of his programs, including the successful
Think Rice Road Trip that began in Louisiana in September and concluded there
last month when local grower Michael Fruge won the raffle for the branded
pickup truck that was used throughout the tour.
The truck was on display out in front of the banquet hall continuing to
attract attention and making people "think rice."
Klein also talked about the 2018 USA
Rice Foodservice Farm & Mill Tour that took place in August on the farm of
Fred Zaunbrecher and his brothers. The
tour also visited the Supreme Rice Mill, the Falcon Rice Mill, and Grosse
Savanne Waterfowl and Wildlife Lodge, and Klein showed a powerful video
explaining and documenting the trip.
Daily Rice Online
Rice prices up for polls disruptions No more price rise from
now: minister
Rice prices have increased by Tk 2 each kilogram owing to
disruption in the supply chain because of the 11th general elections, said Food
Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder yesterday. “Now, the market is stable,” he
said after a meeting with rice millers at the Directorate of Food on the
reasons behind the spiral in prices of the staple despite good production in the
last three seasons and 11.79 lakh tonnes of rice stocks in the public
warehouses. Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi and rice traders were also present at
the meeting. In the past week, the prices of coarse rice, consumed mainly
by low-income people, edged up by Tk 1 to Tk 35-38 per kilogram, according to
data from the Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM). Majumder though said
they do not have information about the spike in coarse rice prices. “The prices
of fine rice have risen by Tk 2 each kilogram and millers have admitted to
that.”
Fine rice was selling at Tk 55-62 a kg yesterday, up from Tk 54-62
a month ago, according to data from the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh. “The
spiral may take place in Dhaka because of the 48-hour suspension of transport
during national election. But at the hub, particularly in Naoagaon, prices have
not soared,” Majumder said. The divisional rice price data show that the retail
prices of rice have not risen yesterday, he said. The rice market has become
normal now. “All the millers have promised that they will not increase the
prices further. We do not think there is any conspiracy behind the price hike.”
In response to a question on ensuring fair prices for growers, he said it is
the responsibility of the agriculture ministry. “The interests of farmers,
millers, traders and consumers will be protected if the market prices remain
consistent with the government's procurement prices of rice and paddy.” At the
meeting with the millers, referring to reports in the media Majumder said it
was a puzzle that rice prices were rising even after bumper production and
adequate stock. Munshi said they sat with the millers to ensure that none hike
prices intentionally. The prices of coarse did not increase, said KM Layek Ali,
general secretary of the Auto Major and Husking Mills Association. The prices
of rice have increased in areas that saw supply disruption during election,
said Nirod Boron Saha, president of Naogaon Dhan O Chal Arathdar Babshayee
Samity, rice wholesalers' and commission agents' association. He went on to
stress on authentic and timely data on production and stock of food grains as
well as better coordination among agriculture, food and commerce ministries.
Chinese consumers concerned over safety of Japanese rice
Chinese residents expressed concerns over the safety of Japanese
rice produced nearby the Fukushima disaster area, after the Chinese government
lifted an eight-year ban on the import of the rice. Japan's National
Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (JA) on Tuesday held a
ceremony at Yokohama, Japan for exporting the Niigata rice into China for the
first time after the Chinese government lifted the ban on imports of rice
produced in Niigata Prefecture, the Japan News reported on Wednesday. China's
General Administration of Customs announced in November that it had lifted a
ban on rice imports from Niigata, one of a number of prefectures neighboring
Fukushima, home to the Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which went into meltdown
and released radioactive material in the aftermath of a tsunami in March 2011.
The rice will be sold before the Spring Festival, which falls on February 5, a
season which will see booming demand for rice in China. An official of JA said
he had confidence that the rice is of high quality and safe, and could satisfy
Chinese consumers. Niigata rice will have a trial sale of 500 bags totaling two
tons to Shanghai, the Niigata Daily reported on Wednesday. However, Chinese
residents don't seem to have much desire to buy the rice. "I actually
don't care much about the production place when I buy rice, but I still won't
buy the Niigata rice out of food safety concern, and I'm more confident about
the quality of the rice produced in the Northeast China," Chinese student
Lei Yue majoring in Japanese told Global Times on Thursday. Varieties of
Japanese rice can be seen now being sold on Taobao, many of which are
priced higher than those produced in China. A Taobao shop is selling
Japanese rice for 145 yuan ($21.4) per two kilograms, almost twice the price of
domestic rice. The rice is produced in Yishigawa, Japan, 400 kilometers
away from Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, implying that the rice is safe. The
staff added it is popular due to its good fragrance and taste and has monthly
sales of 95 bags. Comparatively, a Taobao shop which sells rice from Northeast
China has monthly sale of more than 30,000 bags. Exports of Niigata rice
were permitted after General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection
and Quarantine of China issued announcement in November 2018.
Enactment of rice
tariffication bill to stabilize prices — NEDA
Czeriza Valencia (The Philippine Star) -
January 10, 2019 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The National Economic and Development
Authority (NEDA) urges the immediate enactment of the rice tariffication bill,
saying it is “fundamental” to the stabilization of food prices.
The bill amending the two-decade old Agricultural Tariffication
Act of 1996 replaces the quantitative restriction (QR) on rice imports with a
35 percent tariff.
It is set to be transmitted to Malacañang for President
Duterte’s signature, having been ratified by both chambers of Congress last
Nov. 28.
Under the new import regime, legitimate rice traders can import
rice from various sources without permit from the National Food Authority
(NFA), provided they secure a sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance from
the Bureau of Plant Industry of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and pay the
appropriate tariff to the Bureau of Customs.
The NFA, on the other hand, would merely focus on ensuring the
sufficiency of buffer stocks for use in emergencies.
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and NEDA chief Ernesto Pernia
said as there is a need to periodically replenish the buffer stocks, the NFA
can still sell cheap rice but to targeted markets.
“In selling rice, the NFA may opt to focus on far-flung areas,
which some private traders may not find profitable to serve,” he said.
He also noted that even with tariffication in place, the rice
subsidy provided under the government’s conditional cash transfer program would
continue.
“The aim of the bill is to make rice accessible and affordable
to every Filipino, and to make the rice sector competitive,” he said.
The bill also provides for the establishment of the Rice
Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) using tariff revenue, the proceeds of
which would be used by the DA for productivity enhancing programs for rice
farmers.
Key interventions to be financed by the RCEF include the
improvement of farm mechanization, development of high-yielding rice seed
varieties and promotion of use, expanded rice credit, crop diversification, and
extension services.
As a safety net measure to the rice sector, the bill provides
for the imposition of a special safeguard duty on rice in the event of sudden
price fluctuations.
An SSG is essentially an additional tariff imposed on
agricultural commodities, the purpose of which is to allow free trade but
prevent foreign suppliers from undercutting prices charged in the domestic
market.
In the event of a supply shortage, the President is empowered to
allow importation of a specified volume at lower rates to increase supply and
stabilize prices.
“Increasing the number of market players and competition in the
rice sector are critical for the bill to deliver on its promise of lower rice
prices for everyone,” said Pernia.
https://www.philstar.com/business/2019/01/10/1883690/enactment-rice-tariffication-bill-stabilize-prices-neda
Jokowi gives assurance on rice supply
Just three months before the legislative and presidential
elections, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who is running for a second term,
has stated that the prices of staple commodities will remain stable as he
insisted that State Logistics Agency (Bulog) had a sufficient supply of rice.
He said on Thursday that Bulog’s rice stock in its warehouses, amounting to 2.1
million tons last December, was in a much better position compared with the
700,000-800,000 tons in previous years.
Chinese consumers concerned over safety of Japanese rice
Chinese residents expressed concerns over the safety of Japanese
rice produced nearby the Fukushima disaster area,
after the Chinese government lifted an eight-year ban on the import of the
rice. Japan's National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative
Associations (JA) on Tuesday held a ceremony at Yokohama, Japan for exporting
the Niigata rice into China for the first time after the Chinese government
lifted the ban on imports of rice produced in Niigata Prefecture, the Japan
News reported on Wednesday.
China's General Administration of Customs announced in November
that it had lifted a ban on rice imports from Niigata, one of a number of
prefectures neighboring Fukushima, home to the Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant,
which went into meltdown and released radioactive material in the aftermath of
a tsunami in March 2011.
The rice will be sold before the Spring Festival, which falls on
February 5, a season which will see booming demand for rice in China. An
official of JA said he had confidence that the rice is of high quality and
safe, and could satisfy Chinese consumers. Niigata rice will have a trial sale
of 500 bags totaling two tons to Shanghai, the Niigata Daily reported on
Wednesday. However, Chinese residents don't seem to have much desire to buy the
rice.
"I actually don't care much about the production place when I
buy rice, but I still won't buy the Niigata rice out of food safety concern,
and I'm more confident about the quality of the rice produced in the Northeast
China," Chinese student Lei Yue majoring in Japanese told Global Times on
Thursday. Varieties of Japanese rice can be seen now being sold on
Taobao, many of which are priced higher than those produced in
China. A Taobao shop is selling Japanese rice for 145 yuan ($21.4) per
two kilograms, almost twice the price of domestic rice. The rice is
produced in Yishigawa, Japan, 400 kilometers away from Fukushima Nuclear Power
Station, implying that the rice is safe. The staff added it is popular due to
its good fragrance and taste and has monthly sales of 95 bags. Comparatively, a
Taobao shop which sells rice from Northeast China has monthly sale of more than
30,000 bags. Exports of Niigata rice were permitted after General
Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China
issued announcement in November 2018.
A new rice regime
President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to sign into law the Rice
Tariffication bill soon. This will usher in a new market regime and limit the
government’s role in procuring the commodity.
The bill essentially allows legitimate rice traders to import the
commodity without permit from the National Food Authority, provided they secure
a sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance from the Department of
Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry and pay the appropriate tariff to the
Bureau of Customs.
The bill essentially allows legitimate rice traders to import the
commodity without permit from the National Food Authority, provided they secure
a sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance from the Department of
Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry and pay the appropriate tariff to the
Bureau of Customs.
The National Economic and Development Authority, this early,
is upbeat about the bill set to be transmitted to Malacañang for President
Duterte’s signature. Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia says the bill
will make rice affordable and accessible to Filipinos. Rice supply will also no
longer be the sole responsibility of the NFA.The measure amends the
two-decade-old Republic Act No. 8178, or the Agricultural Tariffication Act of
1996, and replaces the quantitative restrictions on rice imports with tariff.
The NFA will now focus on ensuring sufficient buffer stocks to address
emergency situations. While there is a need to periodically replenish the
buffer stocks, NFA can still sell cheap rice but to specific markets, like
those in far-flung areas that some private traders may not find profitable to
serve. The bill aims to liberalize rice imports to foster competition in the
domestic market and eventually bring down prices. Lowering rice prices, in
turn, will reduce the country’s inflation rate after surging to a nine-year
high of 6.7 percent in September and October.The government, meanwhile, must
ensure that the tariff or customs collections from the rice imports of the
private traders are well spent to alleviate the plight of farmers and raise
their productivity. The Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund from the tariff
revenues proposed under the bill should assist the farmers, especially in the
procurement of farm machinery, and provide the money for rice seed development,
expanded credit and crop diversification.The government should also set rice
self-sufficiency as a goal. Food security is a priority and the Philippines
cannot be importing rice indefinitely.
Webinar: 2019 Grain Market
Outlook, Jan. 10
Posted on January 8, 2019
©Debra L Ferguson Stock Images
Join us Thursday, Jan. 10 1:00 PM
CST for the next Food & Agribusiness Webinar “2019 Grain Market
Outlook” presented by Bryce Knorr, Senior Grain
Market Analyst, Farm Futures, Farm Progress.
After a tumultuous year grain
markets start 2019 with hopes crucial trade with China could return. Questions
remain about the size of 2018 corn and soybean crops and what farmers will
plant this spring. While USDA delayed release of its Jan. 11 reports, Farm
Futures grain market analyst Bryce Knorr presents results from his latest
grower survey to provide an up-to-date look at what to expect in the year
ahead.
Bryce Knorr first joined Farm
Futures Magazine in 1987. In addition to analyzing and writing about the
commodity markets, he is a former futures introducing broker and is a
registered Commodity Trading Advisor. He conducts Farm Futures exclusive
surveys on acreage, production and management issues and is one of the analysts
regularly contracted by business wire services before major USDA crop reports.
Besides the Morning Call on www.FarmFutures.com he
writes outlooks for corn, soybeans, and wheat that include selling price targets,
charts and seasonal trends. His other outlooks on basis, energy, fertilizer and
financial markets and feature price forecasts for key crop inputs. A journalist
with 45 years of experience, he received the Master Writers Award from the
American Agricultural Editors Association.
Register for the webinar here.
Japan farming co-op federation to resume Niigata rice exports to
China this month
JIJI
- JAN 10, 2019
YOKOHAMA - The National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations
(JA Zen-Noh) will resume sales of rice produced in Niigata Prefecture to China
later this month after a break of nearly eight years.
Niigata rice exports were
suspended following the triple core meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Company
Holdings Inc.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant due to the March 2011
earthquake and tsunami.
JA Zen-Noh, the business and
marketing arm of the Japanese agricultural cooperatives group (JA), will resume
Niigata rice sales in Shanghai later this month on a trial basis.
The group aims to expand Japanese
rice sales in the massive Chinese market amid falling domestic consumption.
China, which has a population of
more than 1.3 billion, lifted its ban on Niigata rice in November last year.
The export resumption is “a
landmark event” that will be appreciated by producers, agriculture minister
Takamori Yoshikawa said at a ceremony in Yokohama on Tuesday to mark the
occasion.
JA Zen-Noh President Genichi
Jinde said he regards the resumption as “the first step” in efforts to expand
rice sales overseas.
JA Zen-Noh will sell a total of
500 bags each containing 2 kg of polished Niigata rice in Shanghai, targeting
wealthy consumers. The organization plans to expand its Chinese sales network
to cover Beijing and other cities.
China introduced its import
restrictions on Japanese farm and fishery products in April 2011. The
regulations still affect products produced in 10 prefectures including
Fukushima.
China also maintains import
restrictions on Niigata products other than rice.
The government aims to increase
Japan’s annual exports of farm, forestry and fishery products plus food to ¥1
trillion in 2019.
The exports totaled ¥807.1
billion in 2017, of which rice accounted for only ¥3.2 billion
Chinese residents concerned over
imports of rice produced near Fukushima disaster area
By Xu Keyue Source:Global Times Published: 2019/1/10 22:56:37 
Consumers buy rice at a
supermarket in Taiyuan, North China's Shanxi Province in March, 2018. Photo: VCG
Chinese residents expressed concerns over the safety of Japanese rice produced nearby the Fukushima disaster area, after the Chinese government lifted an eight-year ban on the import of the rice. Japan's National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (JA) on Tuesday held a ceremony at Yokohama, Japan for exporting the Niigata rice into China for the first time after the Chinese government lifted the ban on imports of rice produced in Niigata Prefecture, the Japan News reported on Wednesday.
China's General Administration of Customs announced in November that it had lifted a ban on rice imports from Niigata, one of a number of prefectures neighboring Fukushima, home to the Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which went into meltdown and released radioactive material in the aftermath of a tsunami in March 2011.
The rice will be sold before the Spring Festival, which falls on February 5, a season which will see booming demand for rice in China.
An official of JA said he had confidence that the rice is of high quality and safe, and could satisfy Chinese consumers. Niigata rice will have a trial sale of 500 bags totaling two tons to Shanghai, the Niigata Daily reported on Wednesday.
However, Chinese residents don't seem to have much desire to buy the rice."I actually don't care much about the production place when I buy rice, but I still won't buy the Niigata rice out of food safety concern, and I'm more confident about the quality of the rice produced in the Northeast China," Chinese student Lei Yue majoring in Japanese told Global Times on Thursday.
Varieties of Japanese rice can be seen now being sold on Taobao, many of which are priced higher than those produced in China. A Taobao shop is selling Japanese rice for 145 yuan ($21.4) per two kilograms, almost twice the price of domestic rice. The rice is produced in Yishigawa, Japan, 400 kilometers away from Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, implying that the rice is safe. The staff added it is popular due to its good fragrance and taste and has monthly sales of 95 bags.
Comparatively, a Taobao shop which sells rice from Northeast China has monthly sale of more than 30,000 bags.
Exports of Niigata rice were permitted after General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China issued announcement in November 2018.
Newspaper headline: Chinese consumers concerned over safety of Japanese rice
Chinese residents expressed concerns over the safety of Japanese rice produced nearby the Fukushima disaster area, after the Chinese government lifted an eight-year ban on the import of the rice. Japan's National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (JA) on Tuesday held a ceremony at Yokohama, Japan for exporting the Niigata rice into China for the first time after the Chinese government lifted the ban on imports of rice produced in Niigata Prefecture, the Japan News reported on Wednesday.
China's General Administration of Customs announced in November that it had lifted a ban on rice imports from Niigata, one of a number of prefectures neighboring Fukushima, home to the Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which went into meltdown and released radioactive material in the aftermath of a tsunami in March 2011.
The rice will be sold before the Spring Festival, which falls on February 5, a season which will see booming demand for rice in China.
An official of JA said he had confidence that the rice is of high quality and safe, and could satisfy Chinese consumers. Niigata rice will have a trial sale of 500 bags totaling two tons to Shanghai, the Niigata Daily reported on Wednesday.
However, Chinese residents don't seem to have much desire to buy the rice."I actually don't care much about the production place when I buy rice, but I still won't buy the Niigata rice out of food safety concern, and I'm more confident about the quality of the rice produced in the Northeast China," Chinese student Lei Yue majoring in Japanese told Global Times on Thursday.
Varieties of Japanese rice can be seen now being sold on Taobao, many of which are priced higher than those produced in China. A Taobao shop is selling Japanese rice for 145 yuan ($21.4) per two kilograms, almost twice the price of domestic rice. The rice is produced in Yishigawa, Japan, 400 kilometers away from Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, implying that the rice is safe. The staff added it is popular due to its good fragrance and taste and has monthly sales of 95 bags.
Comparatively, a Taobao shop which sells rice from Northeast China has monthly sale of more than 30,000 bags.
Exports of Niigata rice were permitted after General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China issued announcement in November 2018.
Newspaper headline: Chinese consumers concerned over safety of Japanese rice
PH’s biggest rice
seed production area eyed in N. Samar
January 10, 2019
By Sarwell Meniano/PNA
TACLOBAN CITY — The Department of Agriculture (DA) will transform San
Roque, Northern Samar from being a poverty-stricken town into the biggest rice
seed production center in the country this year.
In a post on his social media
account Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said the project will
tap about 2,000 hectares for the production of seeds of high-yielding rice
varieties developed by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).
The project, a major component of
the Samar Rice Development Program (SRDP), is a joint project of the DA,
PhilRice, San Roque town local government, a private company, and farmers.
The SRDP, which is up for
launching this year, targets about 100,000 to 200,000 hectares of rich lands
into rice production areas.
“Under the program, a private
seed production group will set up a nucleus farm of 200-hectares, establish
rice seeds processing facilities and a refrigerated warehouse for seeds
storage. The private seed production group will engage farmers of San Roque in
a seed production contract where the seeds from the farmers will be bought by
the company,” Piñol explained.
Under the agreement, DA and
PhilRice will support the program by providing the farmers with technical
training, equipment and loan support. Farm-to-market roads and solar-powered
irrigation systems will also be installed in the seed production areas of the
farmers.
The agriculture department will
purchase the seeds produced in San Roque town to be distributed to the farmers
in the rest of Samar Island, including parts of Leyte. The San Roque local
government will be tasked to consolidate the areas to be developed into seed
production areas.
San Roque is a fourth class town
in Northern Samar located 280 kilometers north of Tacloban City, the regional
capital.
The SRDP will be the first major
beneficiary of the Rice Tarrification Program with an estimated PHP10-billion
fund for 2019. The project seeks to introduce new rice farming technologies and
equipment to develop areas and contribute to a bigger national rice production
and poverty reduction in Samar Island.
“From the current average of two
metric tons per hectare average yield in the island, the SRDP targets an
average production of six metric tons by introducing high-yielding rice
varieties developed by PhilRice and commercial hybrid seeds and solar
irrigation systems in the vast rain-fed areas of the island,” Piñol said.
By 2020, the SRDP is expected to
contribute an estimated 1.2 million metric tons of paddy rice to the national
production, which would make Samar Island as one of the country’s major
rice-producing areas, the DA chief said.
The DA will organize the Project
Management Office tasked to handle and monitor the implementation of the SRDP.
It will be chaired by the DA Secretary with the heads of the other support
agencies as members.
Rice stock adequate: President
Jokowi
Reporter: Antara 10th January 2019
President Jokowi visited a
warehouse of Bulog at Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, on Thursday (10/1/2019).
vANTARA News (Agus Salim)
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The stock of rice is adequate, and the
market operation has been effective, according to President Joko Widodo
(Jokowi).
"I just want to ensure that the rice stock is adequate, and market operation is working," he noted while visiting a warehouse of the National Logistic Agency (Bulog) at Kelapa Gading in North Jakarta, here, Thursday.
The management of Bulog has improved compared to that three or four years ago, Jokowi stated.
"This year`s stock is higher than that of last year," the president, who was accompanied by Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution and Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita during his visit, stated.
Rice prices have dropped owing to market operations conducted by Bulog, he added.
He expressed optimism over the rice stock, as a grand harvest of rice will be conducted, starting March 2019.
The rice stock reached 2.1 million tons from late 2018 to early 2019, a significant increase as compared to 700 thousand to 800 thousand tons in December in the previous years.
Rice prices decreased by Rp50 per kg following routine market operations by Bulog, he remarked.
The president is giving serious attention to the stable prices of basic commodities. Hence, he has frequently visited markets for observing the prices of basic commodities and conversing with the local traders.
Reporting by Agus Salim, fardah
"I just want to ensure that the rice stock is adequate, and market operation is working," he noted while visiting a warehouse of the National Logistic Agency (Bulog) at Kelapa Gading in North Jakarta, here, Thursday.
The management of Bulog has improved compared to that three or four years ago, Jokowi stated.
"This year`s stock is higher than that of last year," the president, who was accompanied by Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution and Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita during his visit, stated.
Rice prices have dropped owing to market operations conducted by Bulog, he added.
He expressed optimism over the rice stock, as a grand harvest of rice will be conducted, starting March 2019.
The rice stock reached 2.1 million tons from late 2018 to early 2019, a significant increase as compared to 700 thousand to 800 thousand tons in December in the previous years.
Rice prices decreased by Rp50 per kg following routine market operations by Bulog, he remarked.
The president is giving serious attention to the stable prices of basic commodities. Hence, he has frequently visited markets for observing the prices of basic commodities and conversing with the local traders.
Reporting by Agus Salim, fardah
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Cambodia's rice export slightly drops last
year
Source:
Xinhua| 2019-01-10 23:16:40|Editor: Mu Xuequan
PHNOM PENH, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia exported 626,225 tons
of milled rice in 2018, a decrease of 1.5 percent over a year earlier,
according to an official report released on Thursday.
Roughly 87 firms have brokered the country's rice for 61
countries and regions across the world last year, said the report from the
Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export.
China is the biggest buyer of Cambodian rice, followed by
France, Malaysia, Gabon, the Netherlands, and Vietnam, it said.
Cambodia shipped 170,154 tons of milled rice to China in 2018,
down 14.8 percent year-on-year, said the report, adding that Chinese market
absorbed 27.1 percent of Cambodia's total rice export.Cambodia produces around
10 million tons of paddy rice a year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
Asia Rice: India rates
rise on higher local prices; Thai-Vietnam output seen surging
JANUARY 10, 2019
/Sethuraman N R
BENGALURU (Reuters) - Rice export
prices in India rose this week due to a rally in local rates, while Thai and
Vietnam prices are expected to drop in the coming weeks with fresh supplies
hitting the market.Women plant rice saplings at a paddy field in a village in
Nagaon district, in the northeastern state of Assam, India, July 3, 2018.
Picture taken July 3, 2018. REUTERS/Anuwar Hazarika
India’s 5 percent broken parboiled
variety was quoted around $382-$387 per tonne this week, compared with
$376-$383 last week.“In last few weeks demand is weak as Indian rice has become
expensive,” said M. Adishankar, executive director at Sri Lalitha, a rice
exporter in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.Export prices in India had
shot up earlier after Chhattisgarh, a leading rice producing state in central
India, raised the minimum paddy buying price.
In Thailand, benchmark 5-percent
broken rice prices narrowed to $390-$400 range, free on board Bangkok, from
$380-$400 last week due to the baht’s strength against the U.S. dollar.Traders
said prices remained relatively unchanged due to flat demand, but expected a
surge in supply between January-end to early February, which could affect
prices.
The market was looking for possible
buying from the Philippines, which imported from Thailand last year, a
Bangkok-based trader said.Meanwhile, rates for Vietnam’s 5 percent broken rice
stayed flat from last week at $370-$375 a tonne, and traders expect prices to
fall in the coming weeks on rising supplies and weak demand.
“Some of the farmers in the Mekong
Delta have started harvesting their winter-spring crop and the harvest in
expected to peak after Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday,” a trader based in Ho Chi
Minh City said.
Rice exports from Vietnam are
expected to witness a quiet year in 2019, Nguyen Ngoc Nam, chairman of the
Vietnam Food Association, told Reuters on Thursday.“We haven’t received new
orders for this year and our potential clients haven’t made any move to make
new purchases,” Nam said.
China’s move to tighten control on
rice shipments from Vietnam will put a brake on Vietnam’s rice exports, the Ho
Chi Minh City-based trader said, adding that the Southeast Asian country had
not worked out any effective measures to cope with the situation.“Some
exporters are looking to trade rice for cashew nuts from Africa, but it’s not
clear yet how it will fare.”
Meanwhile, a report from the United
Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimated Bangladesh’s rice
output will hit a record 53.6 million tonnes in 2018, due to strong domestic
prices and bumper yields due to favourable weather conditions.Bangladesh, which
emerged as a major importer of the grain in 2017 after floods damaged crops,
imported a record 3.9 million tonnes of rice in the last financial year that ended
in June 2018.
Nagpur
Foodgrain Prices Open- JAN 11, 2019
JANUARY
11, 2019
Nagpur
Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-January 11, 2019 Nagpur, Jan 11 (Reuters) –
Gram and tuar prices moved down in Nagpur Agriculture Produce Marketing
Committee (APMC) on lack of demand from local millers amid good supply from
producing regions. Fresh fall on NCDEX in gram, easy condition in Madhya
Pradesh tuar prices and high moisture content arrival also pulled down prices
in limited deals. About 150 bags of gram and 300 bags of tuar reported for
auctions in Nagpur APMC, according to sources.
GRAM
*
Gram varieties ruled steady in open market here but demand was poor.
TUAR
*
Tuar gavarani showed weak tendency in open market in absence of buyers.
*
Wheat mill quality and Lokwan varieties reported down in open market here on
poor
demand
from local traders amid good arrival from producing belts.
* In
Akola, Tuar New – 4,500-4,700, Tuar dal (clean) – 7,000-7,200, Udid Mogar
(clean)
–
6,500-7,500, Moong Mogar (clean) 7,700-8,200, Gram – 4,300-4,400, Gram Super
best
–
6,600-6,800 * Other varieties of wheat, rice and other foodgrain items moved in
a narrow range in
scattered
deals and settled at last levels in weak trading activity.
Nagpur
foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS
Available prices Previous close
Gram
Auction 3,850-4,490 3,700-4,375
Gram
Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar
Auction 4,000-4,725 4,000-4,700
Moong
Auction n.a. 3,950-4,200
Udid
Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500
Masoor
Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800
Wheat
Mill quality Auction 1,950-2,070 1,950-2,050
Gram
Super Best Bold 6,700-7,000 6,700-7,000
Gram
Super Best n.a. n.a.
Gram
Medium Best 6,000-6,200 6,000-6,200
Gram
Dal Medium n.a. n.a
Gram
Mill Quality 4,400-4,500 4,400-4,500
Desi
gram Raw 4,450-4,550 4,450-4,550
Gram
Kabuli 8,300-10,000 8,300-10,000
Tuar
Fataka Best-New 7,300-7,500 7,300-7,500
Tuar
Fataka Medium-New 7,100-7,200 7,100-7,200
Tuar
Dal Best Phod-New 6,600-6,800 6,600-6,800
Tuar
Dal Medium phod-New 5,900-6,200 5,900-6,200
Tuar
Gavarani New 4,900-5,000 4,950-5,050
Tuar
Karnataka 5,150-5,250 5,150-5,250
Masoor
dal best 5,200-5,400 5,200-5,400
Masoor
dal medium 4,700-4,900 4,700-4,900
Masoor
n.a. n.a.
Moong
Mogar bold (New) 8,000-8,500 8,000-8,500
Moong
Mogar Medium 6,000-7,000 6,000-7,000
Moong
dal Chilka New 6,550-7,550 6,550-7,550
Moong
Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong
Chamki best 7,600-8,500 7,600-8,500
Udid
Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 7,000-8,000 7,000-8,000
Udid
Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,500-6,500 5,500-6,500
Udid
Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,200 3,800-4,200
Batri
dal (100 INR/KG) 5,550-5,650 5,500-5,600
Lakhodi
dal (100 INR/kg) 4,900-5,000 4,900-5,000
Watana
Dal (100 INR/KG) 5,600-5,700 5,400-5,500
Watana
Green Best (100 INR/KG) 6,600-6,800 6,600-6,800
Wheat
308 (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,300 2,200-2,300
Wheat
Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 2,050-2,150 2,050-2,200
Wheat
Filter (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,600 2,500-2,600
Wheat
Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,600 2,500-2,650
Wheat
Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,300 2,300-2,400
Lokwan
Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP
Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,600-4,000 3,600-4,000
MP
Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,600-3,000 2,600-3,000
Rice
Parmal (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,200 2,100-2,200
Rice
BPT best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,800 3,200-3,800
Rice
BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,600-3,000 2,600-3,000
Rice
Luchai (100 INR/KG) 2,900-3,000 2,900-3,000
Rice
Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,750 2,600-2,750
Rice
Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,600 2,500-2,600
Rice
HMT best (100 INR/KG) 4,000-4,400 4,000-4,400
Rice
HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,500-3,900 3,500-3,900
Rice
Shriram best(100 INR/KG) 5,200-5,500 5,200-5,500
Rice
Shriram med (100 INR/KG) 4,800-5,000 4,800-5,000
Rice
Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 9,500-14,000 9,500-14,000
Rice
Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 4,800-7,000 4,800-7,000
Rice
Chinnor best 100 INR/KG) 6,600-7,000 6,800-7,300
Rice
Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) 6,200-6,500 6,500-6,700
Jowar
Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,350-2,550 2,350-2,550
Jowar
CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 2,050-2,250 2,050-2,250 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 28.0
degree Celsius, minimum temp. 8.2 degree Celsius Rainfall : Nil FORECAST:
Mainly clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperature likely to be around 28 degree
Celsius and 9 degree Celsius. Note: n.a.—not available (For oils, transport
costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices)
Iran bans
rice imports after Aug. 22, 2019
10 January 2019 15:15 (UTC+04:00)
Baku,
Azerbaijan, Jan. 10
By
Elnur Baghishov - Trend:
Iran
has banned rice imports after August 22, 2019, said Masoud Basiri, head of the
Main Directorate for Market and Strategic Reserves Management of the Iranian
Ministry of Agriculture Jihad, Trend reports via ILNA.
He
said that the ministry bans rice imports every year from August 22 to December
21 in order to support domestic producers.
In
order to eliminate the shortage of rice in the consumer market, the amount of
currency allocated for rice imports increased by 11.2 percent compared to last
Iranian year (started March 21, 2017), he noted.
About
2-2.2 million tons of rice are produced in Iran, he said. The necessary volume
of imported rice is estimated at 800-1.1 million tons, given consumption of
37.7 kilograms of rice per capita, he noted.
“Despite
the sanctions, fortunately, strategic reserves of all necessary products,
including rice, are at a very good levels, thanks to the programs implemented
earlier,” he added.
“From
the beginning of this Iranian year (started March 21, 2018), 1.117 million tons
of rice were imported,” he said. “This is while about 1 million 113 million
tons of rice were imported in the same period last year.”
Rice plants engineered to be better at photosynthesis make more
rice
January 10,
2019, Cell Press
This image compares rice spikelets from the engineered
plants with the wild type control. Credit: Shen and Wang et
al./Molecular Plant
A new bioengineering approach for
boosting photosynthesis in rice plants could increase grain yield by up to 27%,
according to a study publishing January 10 in the journal Molecular
Plant. The approach, called GOC bypass, enriches plant cells with CO2 that
would otherwise be lost through a metabolic process called photorespiration.
The genetically engineered plants were greener and larger and showed increased
photosynthetic efficiency and productivity under field conditions, with
particular advantages in bright light.
"Food shortage related to
world population growth will be a serious problem our planet will have to
face," says senior study author Xin-Xiang Peng of South China Agricultural
University in Guangzhou, China. "Our study could have a major impact on
this problem by significantly increasing rice yield, especially for areas with
bright light."
Bioengineering improvement of rice,
a staple food crop worldwide, has high practical importance, particularly in
light of the need for increased crop productivity due to world population
growth and the reduction of cultivable soils. But increases in yield for rice
and several other major crops have been sparse in recent years, and crop yield
seems to be reaching a ceiling of maximal potential.
The main genetic approach for
increasing the yield potential of major crops focuses on photosynthesis,
the biochemical process in which CO2 and water are converted into O2 and
energy-rich sugar compounds that fuel plant growth. One way to increase
photosynthesis is to bypass photorespiration, a light-dependent process in
which O2 is taken up and CO2 released. The cost of photorespiration is massive.
Abolishing photorespiration could result in up to a 55% increase in
photosynthesis, placing photorespiration on center stage in attempts to improve
photosynthetic efficiency and yield.
Over the past few years, three
photorespiratory bypasses have been introduced into plants, and two of these
led to observable increases in photosynthesis and biomass yield. But most of
the experiments were carried out using the model organism Arabidopsis, and the
increases have typically been observed under environment-controlled, low-light,
and short-day conditions. "To the best of our knowledge, our study is the
first that tested photorespiration bypass in rice," says co-author
Zheng-Hui He of San Francisco State University.
In the new study, the researchers
developed a strategy to essentially divert CO2 from photorespiration to
photosynthesis. They converted a molecule called glycolate, which is produced
via photorespiration, to CO2 using three rice enzymes: glycolate oxidase,
oxalate oxidase, and catalase. To deploy GOC bypass, which was named for the
three enzymes, the researchers introduced genes encoding the enzymes into rice
chloroplasts—organelles where photosynthesis takes place in plant cells.
As a result, the photorespiratory
rate was suppressed by 18%-31% compared to normal, and the net photosynthetic
rate increased by 15%-22%, primarily due to higher concentrations of cellular
CO2 used for photosynthesis. Compared to plants that were not genetically
engineered, the GOC plants were consistently greener and larger, with an
above-ground dry weight that was 14%-35% higher. Moreover, starch grains grew
in size by 100% and increased in number per cell by 37%. In the spring seeding
season, grain yield improved by 7% to 27%.
Moving forward, the researchers
plan to optimize the performance of the engineered plants in the field by
putting the same metabolic bypass in other rice varieties.
They would also like to apply the same approach to other crop plants such
potatoes.
"Our engineered plants could
be deployed in fields at a larger scale after further evaluations by
independent researchers and government agencies," Peng says.
"Although we don't expect this approach would affect the taste of
these plants,
both the nutritional quality and taste are yet to be comprehensively evaluated
by independent labs and governmental agencies."
Explore further: Scientists engineer shortcut for photosynthetic glitch, boost
crop growth by 40 percent
More information: Molecular Plant, Shen and Wang et al.:
"Engineering a new chloroplastic photorespiratory bypass to increase photosynthetic
efficiency and productivity in rice"
https://www.cell.com/molecular-plant/fulltext/S1674-2052(18)30370-8 , DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2018.11.013
PH’s biggest rice seed production area eyed in N.
Samar
By
Sarwell Meniano January
10, 2019, 9:38 am
TACLOBAN
CITY --
The Department of Agriculture (DA) will transform San Roque, Northern Samar
from being a poverty-stricken town into the biggest rice seed production center
in the country this year.
In a post on his social media
account Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said the project will
tap about 2,000 hectares for the production of seeds of high-yielding rice
varieties developed by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).
The project, a major component of
the Samar Rice Development Program (SRDP), is a joint project of the DA,
PhilRice, San Roque town local government, a private company, and farmers.
The SRDP, which is up for launching
this year, targets about 100,000 to 200,000 hectares of rich lands into rice
production areas.
“Under the program, a private seed
production group will set up a nucleus farm of 200-hectares, establish rice
seeds processing facilities and a refrigerated warehouse for seeds storage. The
private seed production group will engage farmers of San Roque in a seed
production contract where the seeds from the farmers will be bought by the
company,” Piñol explained.
Under the agreement, DA and
PhilRice will support the program by providing the farmers with technical
training, equipment and loan support. Farm-to-market roads and solar-powered
irrigation systems will also be installed in the seed production areas of the
farmers.
The agriculture department will purchase
the seeds produced in San Roque town to be distributed to the farmers in the
rest of Samar Island, including parts of Leyte. The San Roque local government
will be tasked to consolidate the areas to be developed into seed production
areas.
San Roque is a fourth class town in
Northern Samar located 280 kilometers north of Tacloban City, the regional
capital.
The SRDP will be the first major
beneficiary of the Rice Tarrification Program with an estimated PHP10-billion
fund for 2019. The project seeks to introduce new rice farming technologies and
equipment to develop areas and contribute to a bigger national rice production
and poverty reduction in Samar Island.
“From the current average of two
metric tons per hectare average yield in the island, the SRDP targets an
average production of six metric tons by introducing high-yielding rice
varieties developed by PhilRice and commercial hybrid seeds and solar
irrigation systems in the vast rain-fed areas of the island,” Piñol said.By
2020, the SRDP is expected to contribute an estimated 1.2 million metric tons
of paddy rice to the national production, which would make Samar Island as one
of the country’s major rice-producing areas, the DA chief said.
The DA will organize the Project
Management Office tasked to handle and monitor the implementation of the SRDP.
It will be chaired by the DA Secretary with the heads of the other support
agencies as members. (PNA)
Canada to consider
importing Pakistani mangoes, rice
Published: January 10, 2019
Minister calls for enhanced
collaboration in agriculture, boosting trade. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Canada’s bilateral relations
have bright future prospects not only in the context of bilateral trade but
also keeping in view the mutual benefits, which would be attained in agro
research and development, said Federal Minister for National Food Security and
Research Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan.
In a meeting
with Canadian High Commissioner to Pakistan Wendy Gilmour on Wednesday, he said
that the country’s trade of agricultural commodities has been influenced by
sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures adopted by the developed countries.
The procedural formalities like pest risk analysis and stringent conditions
render trade difficult.
In such a
situation, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research is making
efforts to obtain maximum market access for agro-commodities, he explained.
He shared
that Pakistan imports mostly pulses and canola seeds from Canada. “Last year,
Pakistan imported 880,525 tons of oil seed and pulses, whereas the volume of
Pakistan’s export to Canada remained 14,521.36 tons,” the minister recalled.
He outlined
the need for bilateral trade, between the two nations, to be accelerated
through harmonisation of SPS measures.
Speaking on
the occasion, Gilmour added that Canada was eager to explore new areas of cooperation
and the country believes in scientific rigour. “In fact, Canada is always ready
to share information,” she said. She disclosed that canola was the major
commodity which Pakistan imports from Canada and “Pakistan imports agro
products worth $800 million from our country.”
The federal minister expressed desire for
Canada to consider and proceed forward to open its market for Pakistani mangoes
and rice, which are of exceptional quality. Currently, Canada imports these
items from Mexico and Brazil. The Canadian ambassador agreed to consider the
issue.
Published in
Farmers, legislators gather for annual Arkansas rice meeting
STUTTGART — Rice farmers from
around Arkansas and the Mid-South gathered Jan. 8 for the Arkansas Rice Annual
Meeting at the Grand Prairie Center at Stuttgart.
Some 330 were registered to
attend and included farmers from Arkansas along with other rice-growing states
in the Delta region.
About 400 people were in
attendance, along with vendors and business interests that support rice
farming. Also on hand were the state’s Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward,
several elected officials including Secretary of State John Thurston and state
Commissioner of Lands Tommy Land along with various state senators and
representatives.
The day started with a
legislative overview with state Rep. Dan Douglas and state Sen. John Cooper of
Bentonville and Jonesboro, respectively. Douglas, a farmer, is chair of the
House’s Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development committee, while Cooper
serves on the same committee on the Senate side.
Both were quizzed about issues
they expect to see in the upcoming legislative session that starts Monday, Jan.
14. One of the major issues that was addressed was the proposed restructuring
of the state government.
“I think it will be smooth,”
Douglas said of what he expects from Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s proposed
reorganization of state government while Cooper added, “the efficiencies gained
from that will be very important.”
Both noted that consolidating
agencies would end duplicated offices like those that serve computer networks
and human resources.
“I think it will pass,” Douglas
said of the proposed reorganization. “Ultimately it will be a good thing for
our state.”
Both also noted that other key
topics in the upcoming legislative session would be a proposed tax cut, along
with securing more funding for the state’s highways. The legislators also noted
the success of last year’s voluntary smoke management guidelines implemented by
the agriculture industry for row crop burning.
Representatives Andy Davis and
David Hillman were also in attendance. USA Rice CEO, Betsy Ward, also provided
an overview of national efforts including opening the Chinese market for U.S.
rice and highlights of the new farm bill.
“I appreciate the opportunity to
share with folks in Arkansas what we are doing on their behalf and to hear
firsthand their concerns and priorities,” said Betsy Ward, President and chief
executive officer of USA Rice. “It was also nice to be able to share some good news
— bipartisan passage of the Farm Bill and positive developments in Iraq and
China.”
In addition to the legislative
overview, attorneys Trav Baxter and Ryan O’Quinn of Little Rock law firms
respectively, Mitchell Williams and Quattlebaum, Grooms and Tull talked estate
planning, while other sessions included farming issues on water conservation
and progress from promotional and research projects funded through the rice
checkoff program.
The meeting concluded with lunch,
and, naturally, rice was on the menu.
