Port gives rice exporters a cut in storage costs
Wed,
4 March 2015
In
a bid to ramp up rice exports to 1 million tonnes in 2015, the Phnom Penh
Autonomous Port announced yesterday that rice stored in its warehouses would
not be charge any fees for up to 18 days.The move comes after 2014’s rice
exports stacked up to 387,061 tonnes, according to the Agriculture Ministry,
with Prime Minister Hun Sen admitting in December that the million-tonne goal
was unlikely.Song Saran, chief executive of Amru rice, said the port’s move was
a “good sign” for rice exporters.
“I
think it will help push our exports, especially to China,” he said, adding that
storing rice at the port currently costs about $1 to $2 per tonne for every two
weeks.However, Saran said he believed the 1 million tonne goal was still
improbable due to high logistical and storage costs outside Cambodia. “It’s one
of the factors we cannot reach.”
APEDA News
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Market Watch
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Traders To Blame For Spike in Rice Prices, Says Official
By
I MADE SENTANA and DEDEN SUDRAJAT
A
farmer pulls an old fishing net over a rice field to protect it from birds in
Cilacap, Central Java, on March 2.Darren Whiteside/Reuters
JAKARTA, Indonesia—Markups by
traders not a supply shortage were the primary cause of a recent spike in rice
prices in Indonesia, a government official has said, downplaying the widespread
effect of the increase.Sasmito Hadi Wibowo, a deputy
at Indonesia’s national statistics agency, said farmers across the country sold
their crops to middlemen as the harvest season began in February for 2.1% less
on average than in January, at 4,922 rupiah
($0.38 cents) per kilogram.
The
middlemen then sold the rice on to mills at 0.33%
higher than in January, he added. The mills raised their prices by 1% before
selling the unhusked rice on to wholesalers, who charged retailers 3% more per
kilogram of rice than they had in January.The costs of moving through all those
hands was passed onto consumers, said Mr. Wibowo. In total, some consumers ended
up paying as much as 7% more for rice than in January, he said.Mr. Wibowo
refuted media reports that the price of rice rose 30% across the country,
saying that such a spike happened only at a few market places and it only
affected the price of certain types of rice.
“The highest increase was recorded
in Jakarta, where the average increase was 7%,” said
Mr. Wibowo.The price spike raised alarm among
consumers in a country of 250 million people where rice is considered a staple
crop. As a local saying goes, if you haven’t eaten rice, you haven’t had a
meal.This
handout photo, taken and released on Feb. 25 by the presidential palace, shows
Indonesian President Joko Widodo (2nd R) speaking to State Enterprise Minister
Rini Soemarno (3rd R) and other officials during a visit to the Bureau of
Logistics (Bulog) warehouse.
President
Joko Widodo has made achieving self-sufficiency in rice and several other
key staples one of the priorities of his administration. Following the
increase last month, he ordered the national logistics agency, known as Bulog,
to release its 1.4 million ton of rice stocks to calm prices.
Mr.
Wibowo praised the government’s decision not to import rice in response to the
rice inflation, since it was not due to a supply shortage, he said. Importation
would only hurt the farmers, he added.In recent years domestic
rice production has increased – growing from 31 million tons to 41 million
tons between 2004 and 2014. But Indonesians are among the largest consumers of
rice in the world, eating an average of 130 kilograms of rice per person per
year.In order to meet demand from a growing population, the government has had
to make up a supply shortfall with imports almost every year since the
early 1960s.
CME Group/Closing
Rough Rice Futures
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Gov't to hold 'Thai rice: Thainess' fair
Gov’t to hold ‘Thai rice:
Thainess’ fair tomorrow
BANGKOK, 4 March 2015 (NNT) –
Thai government will begin the ‘Thai rice: Thainess’ rice fair tomorrow in
accordance with the Prime Minister’s policy to promote good quality rice from
Thai farmers, to increase product value and to support the farmers.Officials are now working to prepare the area along the Phadung
Krung Kasem canal in Bangkok, which is the designated location that will host
the ‘Thai rice: Thainess’ fair, starting tomorrow onwards.Food vendor booths,
central stage, rice sprouts display, the exhibition on the Royal Family’s
contribution on rice development in Thailand, and the exhibition on rice
technology are the highlights at the event.
Activities in this event will include cultural performances,
demonstrations of rice-related traditions and farmers’ livelihood from the four
regions of Thailand, as well as a workshop on cooking rice. Cheap rice
retailing will also be available at the fair.The event was initiated by the
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to serve as a platform for good quality rice
farmers from communities to be able to promote their products in Bangkok. This
fair will be a good opportunity to create a direct connection between farmers
and consumers, as well as increasing the rice value which will help encourage
farmers income and livelihood.
– NNT 2015-03-04
http://news.thaivisa.com/thailand/govt-to-hold-thai-rice-thainess-fair/35092/
36,000 rice farmers in central Thailand are taking alternative employments
due to drought
MOAC: 36,000 rice farmers in
central region are taking alternative employments due to drought
BANGKOK, 4 Mar 2015 (NNT) –
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, about 36-thousand
rice farmers in the central region are taking substitution jobs offered by the
government to compensate revenue loss as they are unable to do off-season
farming due to widespread drought. Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Chawalit Chukajon said that
these farmers are residing in 26 provinces along the Chao Phraya and Mae Klong
Rivers which have been denied from irrigation water due to the severe
drought.He also claimed that state projects that are hiring farmers affected by
the harsh weather condition are now 50% completed.
Mr. Chawalit expected the projects to be concluded by
the end of this month. These projects involve canal dredging and water source
development.As for the project to give a fund of 1 million baht to each of the
3,051 drought affected villages in 58 provinces, Mr. Chawalit estimated that
the funding would start to be poured into each Tambon in the second week of
this month.Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Petipong
Pheungbun Na Ayutthaya, said royal rainmaking will soon be conducted in the
North to help control smog and wildfires in the region.
The air contamination level in the area has already
exceeded the standard mark by 120 microgram per cubic meter as measured on
February 28th. Mr. Petipong claimed the majority of the smog came from Myanmar.
Thailand Ready To Help Namibia In Rice Production
WINDHOEK, March 4 (BERNAMA-NNN-NAMPA) -- Rice exporters
from Thailand have stated their readiness to assist Namibia in identifying the
right technology in the production of rice."We are one of the biggest
exporters of rice and we would like to help Namibia plant and produce its own
rice. If need be, we can also export rice to Namibia," the kingdom's
ambassador to Namibia, Voradet Viravakin, told Nampa.
Speaking after an audience with President Hifikepunye Pohamba at State House here Monday, at the head of Thai business delegation, most of them rice exporters, he said Thailand had all the technologies and expertise needed in planting and growing rice."We have helped Ghana to grow its own rice and today that country is producing rice even for export," he said.Pohamba urged Namibian and Thai businesses to co-operate in the field of trade."We want Thailand to teach us how to grow rice. Namibians know how to eat rice but do not know how to produce rice," quipped Pohamba.
He said the land was available, but there was no
expertise. Namibia is already producing rice at the Kalimbeza project in the
Zambezi Region, where three varieties of rice -- Supa, Irga and Angola -- are
being grown.The project covers a total area of 222 hectares, of which some
hectares are still under production. It was declared a national project by
Pohamba in 2009, indicating its potential to boost food security and assist
with poverty reduction.
-- BERNAMA-NNN-NAMPA
-- BERNAMA-NNN-NAMPA
Rice imports rise to four-year high
Sohel Parvez
Rice imports hit a four-year high
as traders find foreign produce, mainly from India, cheaper.Private traders
imported 8.73 lakh tonnes of rice between July 1 and March 2, the highest since
fiscal 2010-11, according to food ministry data. The government did not import
any rice in the same period.“It is because of the price difference between the
Indian and Bangladeshi rice. Indian produce is cheaper than ours," said
Chitta Majumder, owner of Majumder Traders that has imported more than 80,000
tonnes since July.Traders and millers said imports soared in the current fiscal
year due to a zero-duty facility for rice import and higher production of
medium quality rice in India. 
Majumder said a medium-quality
rice variety named Swarna, which is also grown locally, is being imported in
bulk due to low prices in India.His import cost for one kilogram of Swarna
stood between Tk 24.5 and Tk 25.20 yesterday -- lower than the wholesale price
of local Swarna at Tk 27, Majumder said.He, however, said increased imports
have put millers in a tight spot as the demand for locally grown coarse and
medium quality rice has come down."Due to the slack demand for local
Swarna, I am making profits from imports, but at the same time, incurring losses
for my milled rice," he said.All the imports made so far this fiscal year
were by the private sector.
Majumder said a medium-quality
rice variety named Swarna, which is also grown locally, is being imported in
bulk due to low prices in India.His import cost for one kilogram of Swarna
stood between Tk 24.5 and Tk 25.20 yesterday -- lower than the wholesale price
of local Swarna at Tk 27, Majumder said.He, however, said increased imports
have put millers in a tight spot as the demand for locally grown coarse and
medium quality rice has come down."Due to the slack demand for local
Swarna, I am making profits from imports, but at the same time, incurring losses
for my milled rice," he said.All the imports made so far this fiscal year
were by the private sector.
However, imports soared though
the latest harvests of aman, aus and boro rice were good.Bangladesh produced
3.44 crore tonnes of rice in fiscal 2013-14, up from 3.38 crore tonnes a year
ago, according to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.Production is higher than the
domestic food grain requirement of nearly three crore tonnes, according to an
estimate by Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies.Banking on the
increased output, the government also shipped 25,000 tonnes of rice to Sri
Lanka early this fiscal year.
Leaders of Bangladesh Auto,
Major and Husking Mills Association, which has around 17,000 members, said they
are demanding the government discourage imports to protect local millers and
farmers."The demand for locally grown fine rice remains good. But the
demand for coarse and medium quality rice has fallen and it can rise if the
government imposes duty on imports," he said.In December last year, a parliamentary
panel advised the food ministry to take steps to discourage imports.Contacted
by phone, Food Minister Md Qamrul Islam said the imported amount is not so high
compared to domestic production. He also said imposing duty on rice imports is
the jurisdiction of the commerce ministry.
Published: 12:00 am Thursday, March 05, 2015
Last modified: 1:01 am Thursday, March 05, 2015
Expo Pakistan 2015' opens new avenues for rice export: REAP chief
March 04, 2015,
Expo
Pakistan 2015' has opened new avenues for the rice export as buyers of several
countries were gathered under a roof, said Rafique Suleman Chairman Rice
Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP). Addressing a reception in honour of
foreign delegations of Kenya, Indonesia, Malaysia and Kuwait, he expressed
hearted congratulations to S M Munir, Chief Executive and Rabiya Javeri,
Secretary Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) for organising
successful event of Expo Pakistan 2015 at Expo Centre Karachi.
Although Pakistani rice was already popular in the world market,
however that exhibition had provided another platform to explore new markets,
he said. "Expo Pakistan 2015 provided good opportunity to introduce
Pakistani rice to foreign delegates and we will get very positive results of
this event," he added. Chairman
REAP said rice had not been included in the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA)
between Pakistan and Indonesia, which was a big hurdle in increasing exports to
Indonesia, hoping that after inclusion of Pakistani rice in PTA bilateral trade
among two countries could be enhanced.
Talking about the trade with Kenya, he said rice and tea were two
major commodities being traded between Kenya and Pakistan. He urged TDAP to
continue those types of efforts to increase the country's exports. Senior Vice
President, FPCCI, Abdul Rahim Janoo said Pakistan enjoyed very friendly
relationship with GCC countries and Pakistan was importing huge quantity of oil
products. He said for first time
a huge number of foreign delegations attended Expo Pakistan which showed the
confidence of foreign investors on government and its policies. Local business
community was also satisfied with the steps taken by government towards the
improvement of trade and business in Pakistan, he added.
On the occasion, High Commissioner of Pakistan to Kenya
Rafiuzzaman Siddiqi, Consul General of Indonesia in Karachi Hadi Santoso,
Honarary Consul of Kenya in Karachi Hanif Janoo, Senior Vice President, FPCCI
Abdul Rahim Janoo, Commercial Secretary of Pakistan Embassy in Indonesia Maria
Kazi, Commercial Secretary of Pakistan in Malaysia Wajihullah Kundi and others
were also present.
The Business Recorder
Thailand won 200,000-tonne G2G
rice sale deal with the Philippines
BANGKOK, 4 March 2015 (NNT) –
Thailand won a government-to-government rice bidding contest to sell 200,000
tones of rice to the Philippines, one of the biggest rice buyers in the world,
Commerce Minister Gen Chatchai Sarikulya revealed.The Philippines called the
auction to buy a total of 500,000 tonnes of new rice, with Thailand winning to
deliver 200,000 tonnes and Vietnam to deal with the rest.
Half of the Thai rice to be
delivered will be 15% broken white rice, and the other half will be 25% broken
white rice.Gen Chatchai said the rice deal would benefit Thailand’s rice
production cycle as Manila has set the delivery date in March and April, allowing
Thailand to release a great amount of rice in a short period. This is expected
to help accelerate the release of new rice which is to come out in late-March.
CCC
Announces Prevailing World Market Prices
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WASHINGTON, DC -- The Department of
Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation today announced the following prevailing world market
prices of milled and rough rice, adjusted for U.S. milling yields and
location, and the resulting marketing loan-gain (MLG) and loan deficiency
payment (LDP) rates applicable to the 2014 crop, which became effective today
at 7:00 a.m., Eastern Time (ET). Rough rice prices are decreased $0.08
per cwt for long grain and medium/short grain.
This week's prevailing world market prices and MLG/LDP rates are based on the following U.S. milling yields and the corresponding loan rates:
The next program announcement is scheduled for March 11. |
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CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
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Dry Winter Weather Worries Rice
Farmers
Farm
on Pleasant Grove Road, Pleasant Grove CA.
Brian Baer / California Rice
Commission
California rice farmers are worried that if doesn't rain or snow
soon they will have to fallow fields again this year. The rice crop was down
nearly 25% in 2014. But, it's not just the drought that's hurting growers.
Market competition from states like Louisiana and Arkansas is also
increasing. Ryan Schohr is a sixth generation rice farmer in Butte County.
Last year he fallowed more than half of his fields because of the drought. He
worries about this year and next. "The drought is certainly really
impacting the decisions we make with the level of employees, the amount of
equipment we'll be utilizing to help prepare the soil to plant our crops. All
those things are very dynamic at this point," says Schohr.
The drought is only one dark
market force. Tim Johnson is the president of the California Rice Commission.
He says rice grown in Arkansas and Louisiana is penetrating the market and
driving the price down. He stresses that the quality of southern rice is lower,
but some markets are willing to sacrifice on flavor to save money."The
world knows that the quality of the rice grown in California is very very high.
But, for especially countries that import rice sometimes price is the
predominating factor."Johnson cites Turkey, Taiwan and Micronesia as
examples of countries who are buying southern rice instead of calrose.
Consumers: Health Foods like Rice are Worth Every
Penny
ARLINGTON,
VA -- A recent
Global
Health and Wellness Survey conducted by Nielsen
showcased the willingness of younger consumers to put their money where their
mouth is -- literally. Nielsen, a top global information and
measurement company that provides insight into current consumer trends, found
consumers are making a conscious effort to incorporate natural foods into
their diets in lieu of processed, artificial ingredients.
 This is good
news for the rice industry, as U.S.-grown rice is sodium- and
cholesterol-free, contains no trans fats or saturated fats, is gluten-free,
and the least allergenic of all grains. These health features are what
consumers are seeking out and are happy to pay for. "The outreach
we do with registered dietitians is precisely designed to capitalize on thesetypes
of findings," said Fred Zaunbrecher, a Louisiana rice farmer and
chairman of the USA Rice Federation's Domestic Promotion Committee.
"We put a lot of effort into positioning rice as the answer for this
influential audience, and this survey shows we got the questions right - the
questions people are asking dietitians - namely, 'I have health concerns,
whatshould I be eating?'"
The
obesity epidemic has worsened over the last few decades, with nearly half of
global respondents to Nielsen's Global Health and Wellness Survey reporting
that they consider themselves overweight. In spite of this statistic,
or perhaps because of it, consumers are becoming motivated to embrace foods,
like rice, that promote good health and combat disease. The "clean
eating" craze has resonated with consumers and they are willing to pay
top dollar for these important health attributes.
The
Global Health and Wellness Survey also revealed that consumers are looking
for practical foods that fulfill their nutritional needs. According to
the study, more than 30 percent of participants want foods that are high in
protein, contain whole grains, or are fortified with vitamins or
minerals. U.S.-grown rice easily meets these criteria as it is nutrient
dense and contributes more than 15 vitamins and minerals including folate,
iron, and zinc.
"There
is a tremendous opportunity for food manufacturers and retailers to lead a
healthy movement by providing the products and services that consumers want
and need," said Susan Dunn, executive vice president, Global
Professional Services, Nielsen. "While diet fads come and go over
time, innovative, back-to-basics foods that taste good, are easy to prepare,
and provide healthful benefits will have staying power."The U.S. rice
industry agrees. "Healthy
rice bowls are fast, easy, delicious, and budget-friendly, and we think here
to stay," said Zaunbrecher.
"You start with U.S.-grown rice and add other nutritious foods
such as vegetables, poultry, lean beef, seafood, and beans. It's a win-win situation."
Contact: Colleen Klemczewski (703) 236-1446
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