Saturday, August 29, 2015

28th August (Friday),2015 DailyGlobal Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

News Headlines...
Asian/Regional  Rice News
·        Kisan Telecom : Board flays govt policy on rice
·        Iran asked to lift rice, kinno import ban
·        Indonesian city closes schools as haze worsens
·        Renewed monsoon cheers farmers
·        NFA tells rice traders to guard vs extortion
·        The season so far: Arkansas rice heading to the back stretch
·        RPT-COLUMN-Currency moves to tag-team El Nino in Asia rice markets: Russell
·        Boro paddy price dropsdown in Nilphamari
·        Rough rice correction likely done
·        30-baht bagged rice to be sold at cooperatives
·        Vietnam to post 216.2 bln USD in trade revenue in 8 months: statistics office
Commodity News
ü Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Aug 28
ü Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report
News Shared by USA Rice Daily
o   National Rice Month Spotlight:  Promotion Raises Awareness         
o   Egypt Bans Rice Exports as of September 1         
o   CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures  
R&D News
§  Researchers continuing to develop new tools for rice producers: Part I
§  Fisher Delta Research Center to hold 54th annual Field Day Sept. 2
§  Partnership to accelerate rice research and product development in China
§  Biggs rice station continues to flourish
Global Rice News
*    Egyptian government to stop exporting rice from next September
*    Prices of imported rice, maize slide at Mile 12 market
*    Rice institute teaches 1,000 delta farmers
Rice Recipe
o   Ready-to-serve rice cups as easy as ABC to prepare for back-to-school meals

 

News Detail...

 

Kisan Telecom : Board flays govt policy on rice


08/27/2015 | 07:04am US/Eastern

President Kisan Board Gujranwala Division Aman Ullah Chattha has strongly condemned failed rice policy of the government and advised to ensure export of last two years rice stock without further delay. Addressing cultivators of Kolo Tarar, Kassoki, Vanike Tarar and Jalalpur Bhattian he said that due to anti-Kisan policies of the government the growers of Gujranwala Division would stage sit-in demonstration inGujranwala on August 30. He said that the non-basmati paddy, which has started pouring into the grain markets, is being purchased at rupees 500 per 40 kg as against rupees 1300 last year, which is deplorable.

He demanded immediate announcement of support price of different varieties and PASCO should be directed to ensure procurement of paddy at minimum support price of non-basmati at rupees 1200 and basmati paddy at rupees 2500 to provide relief to the growers.Meanwhile, Ex-MNA and leader of PTI Ch. Mehdi Hassan Bhatti has said that growers are backbone of country's economy but the present government has increased the prices of POL, fertilizers, pesticides and electricity but have not arranged procurement of rice at reasonable price. He said that September 5Kisan convention at Hafizabad Stadium would be chaired by PTI Chief Imran Khan and it would pave the way to mitigate the sufferings of the growers.

DCO shocked over education system: DCO Hafizabad Muhammad Usman has expressed his disappointment over standard of education in the Govt. Girls and Boys High School Nauthen and Madhrianwala and warned the teachers to perform their duties honestly and with commitment to brighten the career of the students.While making surprise visit to the schools along with EDO (Education)Iftikhar Nawaz Virk and District Monitoring Officer Adnan Irshad Cheema, he enquired from the students regarding the education being imparted in the schools. Thereupon, he took strong exception and advised the teachers to work sincerely for getting better results in the annual examinations. He also issued show cause notice to four teachers including the Headmaster of Nauthen High School for their absence from duties without any intimation.

Boy killed in road mishap: A boy was killed on the spot while three others were seriously injured when a recklessly driven truck after hitting a bike intruded into shop near Nokhar Mandi of Gujranwala Road on Wednesday. According to rescue source, Muhammad Javaid alongwith his 6-year-old son Sono Javaid and Qamar and another was going towards his house on Gujranwala Road when a speeding truck coming from opposite direction hit their bike killing Sono Javaid on-the-spot while three other seriously injured.

The injured were shifted to the DHQ Hospital Hafizabad. After hitting the bike, the truck intruded into a shop which was badly damaged. The police have registered the case and started investigation.WAPDA/APCA employees hold protest: The employees of WAPDA Hafizabad division observed complete strike to protest against the proposed privatization of WAPDA. The strike was observed on the call ofWAPDA Hydro-Electric Labour Union. Addressing the employees Malik Shafqat Mehmood Chairman and Abdul Razzaq Mughal General Secretary have declared that the employees of WAPDA would not tolerate privatization of WAPDA as it would prove economic murder of the employees.

 They demanded that the proposal to privatize WAPDA should be withdrawn otherwise the employees would be constrained to continue to stage protest demonstrations.Meanwhile, APCA activists protested against non-issue of the notification regarding the acceptance of their demands. Ch. Nasrullah Hanjra President and Muhammad Amjad Fareedi General Secretary APCA Hafizabad chapter have said that the government had accepted their demands few months back but has not yet issued notification in this regard. They demanded immediate issuance of the notification to relieve the clerks of mental agony and hardships.They threatened that if notification was not issued immediately the clerks would not perform election duties and would be constrained to stage sit-in demonstration at Jati Umra.
© Pakistan Press International, source Asianet-Pakistan
4-traders.com


MUBARAK ZEB KHAN — UPDATED 2 DAYS AGO

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday formally requested Iran to withdraw its ban on imports of rice and kinno.The ban has led to a drastic cut in Pakistan’s exports to Iran, which fell to mere $43 million in 2014 from $182m in 2010, an official told Dawn.Rice exports constitute 63 per cent of the country’s total exports to Iran.The issue, among others, was raised during the two-day meeting of Pak-Iran Joint Working Group (JWG) on Trade.Pakistan’s delegation was headed by Additional Secretary Commerce Robina Ather, while Iranian side was led by Mojtaba Mousavian, Director General (Asia-Pacific) Iranian Trade Promotion Organisation.

A representative of Pakistan Ministry of National Food Security and Research informed the meeting that Iran’s quarantine department inspectors visited hot water treatment plants for mangoes and approved 16 facilities, while approval for another three was in the process.Pakistani side also informed that they have provided a draft of ‘Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Veterinary and Animal Health’ to the ministry concerned in Iran.
Both sides agreed to constitute a joint working group for implementation of electronic data interchange. Pakistan also showed its interest to hold a single-country textile exhibition in Tehran in Feb/March 2016.

Both the countries reiterated the need for granting visa to businessmen and truck drivers on a priority basis, and agreed to implement the bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) in letter and spirit including strengthening of transparency and prior notification mechanisms.Discussing freight train operations, Pakistan proposed that till freight traffic picks up, Iranian authorities may also introduce concessional fares between Zahedan-Quetta.Regarding tax and charges imposed on Pakistani vehicles, the Iranian side informed that those taxes did not constitute “para tariffs” and were consistent with the PTA as per Article 2 on services charges.

The meeting discussed the draft of ‘Five Years Strategic Plan’ to enhance bilateral trade.Both sides agreed to consider incorporating linkage of Iran with China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, strengthening border markets, upgrading road and railway networks, building warehouses and opening/upgrading border crossing points into the five-year plan.It was agreed that both sides will exchange soft data about their tariff and trade regimes as per the format provided by Pakistani side, within two weeks of this JWG meeting.
Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1203051


Indonesian city closes schools as haze worsens

 August 28, 2015 12:29 pm

Jakarta (dpa) - Worsening haze from forest and brush fires caused kindergartens and elementary schools to be closed in a town on Indonesia's Sumatra island Friday, an official said. "The haze in Jambi city has become a threat to health," said Muhammad Suaidi, the head of the provincial disaster management agency.The local government were considering deploying aeroplanes to drop water, he said."Fire-fighters on the ground have been outpaced by the spread of the fires," he said. Thick smog has blanketed much of Sumatra and the Indonesian parts of Borneo in the past few days because of a prolonged drought worsened by the El Nino weather pattern, officials said. The practice of open burning to clear land is illegal but is common in Indonesia.

The Indonesian government has warned that El Nino would result in an extended dry spell and more forest fires.The Agriculture Ministry has predicted that El Nino could damage200,000 hectares of rice fields, or about 1-2 million tonnes of rice crops.President Joko Widodo warned that legal action would be taken against those who deliberately start fires to clear land.The drought has hit parts of Indonesia including Java, South Sulawesi, Bali and West Timor, resulting in shortages of clean water.Experts said El Nino is expected to last until October.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Indonesian-city-closes-schools-as-haze-worsens-30267635.html

Renewed monsoon cheers farmers
 Sangam Prasain, Kathmandu
Aug 28, 2015- The monsoon’s revival in most of the Tarai districts last week, after a month-long drought during the key paddy transplantation period, has generated optimism among farmers about this year’s harvest. Things looked really bad a fortnight ago, but the scenario has changed with most of the drought-affected districts getting drenched by heavy rains last week.The Ministry of Agricultural Development has also revised its paddy transplantation estimate with the arrival of heavy rains in the eastern and central Tarai. “Earlier, we had estimated that paddy transplantation would reach below 90 percent on the 1.60 million hectares of rice fields this year. But the late arrival of the monsoon has changed the calculation,” said Shankar Sapkota, assistant spokesperson of the ministry.

“We have expected that the transplantation rate will now touch 95 percent.”   “Technically, the paddy transplantation period in the Tarai ends in mid-August, but in some cases, paddy can be planted till early September. The rains have come as a relief,” said Sapkota, adding that the output, however, would decline as the late transplantation would reduce the ripening time and harvests. He added that plants would not get enough solar intensity if the ripening period were to stretch into the winter.  Agro experts said that a majority of farmers sow paddy seeds directly on their fields rather than growing seedlings as they don’t have enough time. Normally, drought tolerant rice varieties like Sukha Dhan are applied if the normal transplantation period exceeds as they can recover at a faster rate and have a lower ripening time.  Two weeks ago, the government had projected a loss of Rs25 billion in paddy output this year amid droughts in the eight Tarai districts in the eastern and central regions. “However, the projected losses will not reach that level,” Sapkota said.

 The eight districts-Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara and Parsa-have been hit hard by late and insufficient rainfall this year, with the average paddy transplantation rate reaching just 40 percent in the combined 326,501 hectares of land two weeks ago.As of August 24, Saptari had observed paddy transplantation on 47 percent of its 70,000 hectares, while in Siraha it had reached 40.6 percent on its 60,757 hectares of paddy fields.   Dhanusha district in the central Tarai region has the lowest rate of 30 percent. Paddy is cultivated on 40,635 hectares in Dhanusha.

In Mahottari and Sarlahi, transplantation has reached 48 percent of 36,144 hectares and 58 percent of 45,550 hectares respectively.  Sapkota, who is also a senior agro economist, said that the ministry had released funds to install 500 shallow tube wells in the eastern and central Tarai regions to prevent further paddy crop damage if droughts occur during the weeding period.“Most of the farmers have installed shallow tube wells, while others are in the process of doing so.” He said that the ministry had requested additional funds from the Finance Ministry to distribute more shallow tube wells in the affected areas.     The ministry’s statistics showed that as of August 24, the national average paddy transplantation rate had reached 83.14 percent of the total land available. Belt-wise, the transplantation has been completed on 90 percent of 68,364 hectares in the mountain region. Likewise, in the hilly region, the transplantation has been completed on 91 percent of 423,173 hectares.

The transplantation in these two belts normally ends in the first week of August.The ministry said that the transplantation in the Tarai belt, the country’s food basket, had been completed on 79.66 percent of the total 1.11 million hectares of paddy fields.The ministry has also decided to expedite its “system of rice intensification” and “direct seedling rice” system in the affected districts. “We have also planned to distribute subsidized vegetable seeds to farmers who have not been able to plant paddy,” Sapkota said.

The country produced paddy worth Rs100 billion in the fiscal year 2014-15. The paddy output dropped 5.1 percent to 4.78 million tonnes last year due to a late monsoon and untimely rainfall. The ministry had estimated a loss of Rs5 billion last year.Agro experts said the economic outlook for the next year is bleaker amid weak monsoon forecasts. Agriculture, the major contributor to Nepal’s economy, is mainly rain-fed. In 2011-12, paddy production rose an impressive 13.7 percent, and as a result, the farm sector’s growth rate swelled to 4.63 percent.However, in 2012-13, paddy output dropped 11.3 percent and the economic growth rate slumped to a six-year low of 3.5 percent. Nepal’s economy inched up just 3 percent in the last fiscal year due to the April 25 earthquake and a drop in paddy production.
PLANTATION IN TARAI BELT (As of August 24)
EASTERN TARAI
District    Plantation rate    Total land
                          (in %)            (in hectare)
Jhapa               87.8                88,000
Morang             88.6                97,860
Sunsari            90.7                58,500
Saptari             47.0                70,000
Siraha              40.6                60,757
Total                 73.2               375,117
CENTRAL TARAI
Dhanusha      30                    40,635
Mahottari         48                    36,144
Sarlahi             58                    45,550
Parsa               80                    46,710
Bara                 75                    61,680
Rautahat         55                    39,500
Chitwan           90                    29,575
Total                 62                  299,794
WESTERN TARAI
Kapilvastu       88                    72,000
Rupendehi     99                     69,500
Nawalparasi  100                   44,800
Total                 95                  186,300
MID-WESTERN TARAI
Banke             93                    36,300
Bardia             99                    52,000
Dang               96                    38,500
Total                96                  126,800
FAR-WESTERN TARAI
Kailali           100                    76,000
Kanchanpur100                    48,761
Total              100                  124,761
(Source: Agriculture Ministry)
Published: 28-08-2015 08:53
http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2015-08-28/renewed-monsoon-cheers-farmers.html

NFA tells rice traders to guard vs extortion

ABS-CBNnews.com
Posted at 08/28/2015 6:26 PM

MANILA -- The National Food Authority (NFA) warned rice traders to be vigilant against people claiming to be NFA officials trying to extort money in exchange for import permits.NFA Administrator Reynan Dalisay said no person in the agency is authorized to collect such fees.The NFA has received reports that someone is using Dalisay's name to extort money from rice traders who applied to import rice under the minimum access volume (MAV) importation.Dalisay added that as long as rice importers have complied with documentary requirements, they can expect their permits to be processed and released.

For 2015, MAV total import volume is 805,200 metric tons under the country specific quota (MAV-CSQ) and omnibus origin (MAV-OO) with a 35% tariff. The volume of importation and general guidelines were published in a newspaper, and are available through the NFA website.Also available in the website are information on the eligibility requirements, allowed rice varieties, issuance of certificate of eligibility (COE), validation of documents, processing fee and other procedures.

Rice importation under the MAV is pursuant to Republic Act No. 8178 also known as the Agricultural Tariffication Act where the government adopts "the use of tariffs in lieu of non-tariff import restrictions to protect local producers of agricultural products, except in the case of rice, which will continue to have quantitative import restrictions."The MAV is the quantity of a specific agricultural product that is allowed to be imported in a MAV allotment year at the in-quota tariff rate or at a lower tariff as committed by the Philippines to the World Trade Organization (WTO) under the Uruguay Round Final Act.

The MAV for rice is exclusively imported by the NFA in accordance with PD No. 4 and Philippine commitments under the Uruguay Round Final Act. Under the law, the NFA can allocate MAV rice importation quota to the private sector.Dalisay said that a list of importer-applicants for MAV, along with other information as to the volume, source country, authorized representative and status of their application are published in the NFA website.He also appealed to all rice traders to report to the NFA office any person claiming to be the NFA administrator, or any information against extortion or bribery involving the agency.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/08/28/15/nfa-tells-rice-traders-guard-vs-extortion

The season so far: Arkansas rice heading to the back stretch


A chat with Jarrod Hardke
Aug 27, 2015David Bennett | Delta Farm Press
A chat with Jarrod Hardke
Aug 27, 2015David Bennett | Delta Farm Press


The most recent USDA numbers has Arkansas rice acreage pegged at 1.39 million acres.“We’re about a week away from the first FSA acreage report,” says Jarrod Hardke, Arkansas Extension rice specialist, who is fresh off speaking at the Aug. 7 Arkansas Rice Expo. “Traditionally, that report hasn’t provided all the enrolled acreage regardless of crop. But it is a pretty good indicator of the direction we’re going.“If the first report, for instance, says the state has only a million acres of rice, there’s no need to be worried. FSA will keep updating that figure each month until the final report is released in January.”

Before the USDA 1.39 million acres estimate was released, Hardke’s rough prediction was 1.35 million acres in the state. Based on that expectation, “a final reported acreage number between 1.3 and 1.4 million acres won’t be a surprise.”As far as yield predictions, USDA’s newly released figure has Arkansas rice listed at 7,550 pounds per acre (or 167.8 bushels per acre). “In 2012-2014, we’ve had three straight years of record yields for the state: 166-, 168- and 168-bushels per acre. The current yield prediction of 167.8 bushels per acre seems high based on what we know about the 2015 season. “While the early season conditions this year were similar to 2014, the later season conditions have not been. The conditions haven’t been terrible, but we moved out of the ideal temperature conditions for heading and late-season. The rice in the field still looks very good. But without the milder temperatures late-season like we’ve had in the recent past, it’s doubtful we’ll hit records.”
http://deltafarmpress.com/rice/season-so-far-arkansas-rice-heading-back-stretch


RPT-COLUMN-Currency moves to tag-team El Nino in Asia rice markets: Russell

* Clyde Russell is a Reuters columnist. The views expressed are his own.
By Clyde Russell

Aug 28 (Reuters) - Market wisdom is that Asian rice prices are set to rally as El Nino cuts output and bulging stockpiles are steadily eroded.There's nothing wrong with this view, but as is often the case there are some offsetting factors that make a strong rally far from a sure thing, as can be seen by recent price movements in the grain, the staple for some two-thirds of the world's population.Benchmark Thai 5-percent broken white rice RI-THBKN5-P1 staged a 10 percent rally from a 7 1/2-year low of $367.50 a tonne on June 24 to a recent peak of $405 on July 17.

However, since then, it has dropped back to a fresh low of $362.50 a tonne on Aug. 27, making the rally very short-lived.Part of this is the general malaise that has roiled most commodity markets, but part is also that buyers have been demanding lower prices because of the depreciation of the Thai baht.The baht has lost 10 percent of its value against the U.S. dollar since its 2015 closing high of 32.33 in April to Thursday's close of 35.64.The fall in the baht has caused the baht price of rice to whipsaw about, but overall it is down about 6 percent so far this year, or less than half the 13.3 drop in dollar terms.

It's much the same situation for Thailand's regional competitor in rice exports, Vietnam, which has seen its currency, the dong, slip 6.7 percent against the dollar from the year high in early February to the close of 22,534 on Thursday.Vietnamese 5-percent broken white rice RI-VNBKN-P1 has surrendered 12.9 percent so far this year to $337.50 a tonne, but is down only 8.2 percent in local currency terms.With the outlook for ongoing dollar gains, especially against emerging market currencies, the chances are that buyers will apply additional pressure on sellers to keep prices low in dollar terms.
EL NINO LOOMS

But what of El Nino, the weather phenomenon that brings dry, hot weather to Southeast Asia and Australia, but wetter conditions to North America.Weather forecasters have been upping their predictions for a strong El Nino, which would last into next year and most likely cut output of rice, as well as that of Australian wheat, soybeans in India and corn in China.Any rice production shortfall will have to be made up from stockpiles, but how much more rice is likely to be needed and will it be enough to significantly dent Thailand's rice mountain, built up by the ousted government as part of its generous support measures for farmers?

Indonesia, traditionally a rice importer but trying hard to become self-sufficient, still expects to increase its harvest by 7 percent in 2015 despite El Nino.However, El Nino may delay rice crops and lead to imports of as much as 1.6 million tonnes this year, according to analysts, a step that would help curb rising domestic rice prices, already the second-highest in Southeast Asia.The Philippines, another heavy importer, also plans to boost domestic rice production in 2016, but will import more in 2015 to meet a shortfall in this year's output.

The government has already bought 750,000 tonnes this year and may import another 250,000 before the end of the year. Private traders may add as much as 805,200 tonnes by Nov. 30, subject to a 35 percent tariff.China's early season rice output dropped 0.9 percent to 33.69 million tonnes in 2015 from a year earlier, according to official figures, raising the possibility of higher imports by the world's second-biggest economy.While it seems likely that Asia's top importers will increase purchases, there is still the question of large stockpiles that need to be worked through.Thailand's 13-million tonne rice mountain may actually contain only about 9 million tonnes of edible rice because of spoiling from long storage periods, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).


The FAO also says that inventories have been dropping steadily in the world's five biggest exporters, after strong shipments in 2014, and the stock-to-use ratio, the level of inventories relative to domestic consumption and exports, will drop to 19 percent in 2015/16, the lowest since 2007/08.This indicates a tightening of supply, but still suggests there is plenty of rice available even as El Nino makes its presence felt.While rice prices should rise, the chances are that the process won't be even and will be influenced by currency movements, with those exporters experiencing stronger depreciation against the dollar likely to seek to maximise their advantage. (Editing byMichael Perry)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/28/column-russell-rice-asia-idUSL4N1131OR20150828

Boro paddy price dropsdown in Nilphamari
Our Correspondent

 NILPHAMARI, Aug 27: Boro farmers are sustaining huge losses in Nilphamari district due to abnormal low price of Boro paddy in the markets. At present the price of one maund (40 kg) of paddy is Tk 400 in the markets whereas its production cost was nearly Tk 500 per maund. While contacted, Abdur Rahman, a farmer of Sonarai UP of Domar Upazila, said he cultivated Boro in two acres of land where his production was 120 maunds and the markets price of it is Tk 48000 against his cultivation cost at Tk 55000.District controller of food, Nilphamari, allotted a very small amount of paddy to each Union Parishad (UP) to be procured from the growers on recommendation of respective UP chairmen.

Accordingly Boro procurement in each UP would be only around 25 MT which is very negligible and frustrating for the farmers. Sources said all the 60 UP chairman of the district are said to be utilizing the situation and recommending only such growers who are their near and dear ones.This grin situation disappointing the Boro growers and they are demanding huge amount of procurement by the government so that they can recoup their production cost.


 http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2015/08/28/105586


Rough rice correction likely done

Chief Investment Officer / ACIES Asset Management
Switzerland

There is not much worth buying in the agricultural commodity space at the moment. Most of the sector is heading down, and doing so rapidly. That's why the few markets that behave a little different can be so valuable. The rough rice market is one of those interesting markets that break out of the mold.Start by looking at the long term picture. The decline has been going on for over five years and ended in a very steep exhaustion rally. That last bit there is quite significant. This may very well be a long term reversal situation, and they don't come around very often. 

Weekly rough rice futures continuation

Source: CSI Data. Create your own charts with Saxo Trader click here to learn more

What we're seeing in the rice market is a positive market reversal. The prices have been going up since May and the recovery from the previous bull market looks very credible. But in the past couple of weeks, we have again seen falling prices. This however appears to be a normal correction. 

Daily rough rice futures continuation

Source: CSI Data


Management and risk description

This trade is about going against the short term trend, while betting on that the dominant trend prevails. In this case, the positive trend is the strong and likely to win. Therefore, we buy into the dip.Set a fixed stop and target in the market from the start, for a known risk and potential reward. The current market to trade is November. The September contract has a higher open interest, but it's about to roll so no need to move into that one. Go straight to X5.

Rough rice dashboard

Source: FollowingTheTrend.com

Parameters

Entry: Enter long on current levels, around 11.70 USD

Stop: Stop at 11.244 USD.

Target: Take profits at 12.612 USD.

Time horizon: Around two weeks.
https://www.tradingfloor.com/posts/rough-rice-correction-likely-done-6127163


30-baht bagged rice to be sold at cooperatives

 

28    ug 2015 at 19:32 2,033
29    WRITER: ONLINE REPORTERS

Authorities will sell bagged rice at 20% lower than market prices to help low-income earners.
The grain, coming from stocks under the rice-pledging programme, will be bagged and sold at 124 cooperatives in 58 provinces at discounted prices.
Of the total, 500 tonnes are 5% white rice, to be packaged into 250,000 2kg bags and sold at 30 baht each. The remaining 100 tonnes are sticky rice packaged into 50,000 bags priced at 50 baht each.
The campaign, a cooperation between the Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives Ministry and Commerce Ministry, is in response to the prime minister's policy of helping people cope with the cost of living.
The Bangkok Post

Vietnam to post 216.2 bln USD in trade revenue in 8 months: statistics office
English.news.cn   2015-08-28 11:41:28

HANOI, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam is expected to post 216.2 billion U.S. dollars in trade revenue in the first eight months of 2015, said the General Statistics Office (GSO) on Friday.
Specifically, the country is estimated to earn 106.3 billion U. S. dollars from exports, up 9 percent year-on-year while spending 109.9 billion U.S. dollars on imports, up 16.4 percent year-on- year, said the monthly statistics report released by the office.During eight-month period, Vietnam is forecast to see growth in export revenue of several items including cell phones and accessories (nearly 20 billion U.S. dollars, up 31.1 percent year- on-year), garment, textile (15 billion U.S. dollars, up 10.9 percent year-on-year), computers, electronic products, accessories (9.9 billion U.S. dollars, up 51.8 percent year-on-year), footwear (8.1 billion U.S. dollars, up 20.9 percent year-on-year), machines, equipment, tools and spare parts (5.2 billion U.S. dollars, up 10. 1 percent year-on-year), wood and its products (4.4 billion U.S. dollars, up 9.6 percent year-on-year), among others.


Other items whose export revenue is likely to decrease compared with the same period last year include seafood (4.2 billion U.S. dollars, down 16.6 percent year-on-year), vehicles and spare parts (3.6 billion U.S. dollars, down 7.1 percent), and rubber (921 million U.S. dollars, down 10.3 percent).Meanwhile, some items that experience sharp plunges in both export volume and value compared with the same period of 2014 include coffee (down 32.4 percent in volume and 32.8 percent in value), rice (down 6.5 percent in volume and 11 percent in value), coal (down 74.4 percent in volume and 64.2 percent in value), steel (down 7.4 percent in volume and 14.2 percent in value) and crude oil (down 0.6 percent in volume and 48.7 percent in value), said the statistics office.

During the January-August period, the United States remains the largest market for Vietnamese exports, with revenue of 22.1 billion U.S. dollars, up 19.8 percent year-on-year, followed by the European Union with 20.2 billion U.S. dollars, up 12.3 percent year-on-year.The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China rank third and fourth among major importers of Vietnamese exports with 12.3 billion U.S. dollars and 10.4 billion U.S. dollars, respectively.Regarding imports, in the first eight months, the country is projected to see rise in import revenue of several items including machines, equipment, tools and spare parts (18.9 billion U.S. dollars, up 33.4 percent year-on-year), computers, electronic products, accessories (7.1 billion U.S. dollars, up 36.3 percent year-on-year), fabrics (6.8 billion U.S. dollars, up 11 percent year-on-year), and plastic (2.5 billion U.S. dollars, up 23.9 percent year-on-year) among others.


China continues to be the largest supplier for Vietnam's imports, with revenue of 32.7 billion U.S. dollars, up 20.4 percent year-on-year, accounting for 29.8 percent of Vietnam's total import revenue.As a result, during eight-month period, Vietnam is forecast to suffer from a trade deficit of 3.6 billion U.S. dollars, making up 3.4 percent of the country's total export revenue.
Among the figure, domestic sector is likely to see trade deficit of 13 billion U.S. dollars, up 44 percent year-on-year while foreign invested sector is expected to enjoy a trade surplus of 9.4 billion U.S. dollars, according to the statistics office.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-08/28/c_134564893.htm

Commodity News
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Aug 28

Nagpur, Aug 28 Gram prices firmed up in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing
Committee (APMC) here on good buying support from local millers amid thin arrival from producing
regions. Fresh rise in NCDEX, good hike in Madhya Pradesh gram prices and enquiries from
South-based millers also pushed up prices, according to sources.

               *            *              *              *

    FOODGRAINS & PULSES
    GRAM
   * Desi gram reported higher in open market on renewed demand from local traders amid
     thin supply from producing belts.

     TUAR
   * Tuar varieties ruled steady in open market here matching the demand and supply
     position.  

   * Udid varieties reported strong in open market here on good festival season demand
     from local traders amid weak supply from producing regions. Low production
     expectation in this season also activated stockists    
                                                                                    
   * In Akola, Tuar - 9,800-910,100, Tuar dal - 13,800-14,200, Udid at 9,400-9,700,
     Udid Mogar (clean) - 11,300-11,700, Moong - 7,600-7,800, Moong Mogar
    (clean) 9,200-9,800, Gram - 4,500-4,800, Gram Super best bold - 6,000-6,0200
     for 100 kg.

   * Wheat, rice and other commodities remained steady in open market in thin trading
     activity, according to sources.
      
 Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg

     FOODGRAINS                 Available prices     Previous close  
     Gram Auction                   4,100-4,915         4,030-4,850
     Gram Pink Auction            n.a.           2,100-2,600
     Tuar Auction                n.a.                8,500-9,775
     Moong Auction                n.a.                6,000-6,400
     Udid Auction                n.a.           4,300-4,500
     Masoor Auction                n.a.              2,600-2,800
     Gram Super Best Bold            6,500-6,800        6,500-6,800
     Gram Super Best            n.a.               
     Gram Medium Best            5,900-6,100        5,900-6,100
     Gram Dal Medium            n.a.            n.a.
     Gram Mill Quality            5,800-5,900        5,800-5,900
     Desi gram Raw                4,950-5,050         4,900-5,000
     Gram Filter new            6,200-6,400        6,200-6,400
     Gram Kabuli                6,400-7,500        6,400-7,500
     Gram Pink                6,800-7,000        6,800-7,000
     Tuar Fataka Best             14,350-14,750        14,300-14,700
     Tuar Fataka Medium             13,550-13,950        13,500-13,900
     Tuar Dal Best Phod            12,800-13,200        12,800-13,200
     Tuar Dal Medium phod            12,000-12,600        12,000-12,600
     Tuar Gavarani New             10,350-10,450        10,350-10,450
     Tuar Karnataka             10,450-10,750        10,450-10,750
     Tuar Black                 12,600-12,900           12,600-12,900
     Masoor dal best            8,600-8,800        8,600-8,800
     Masoor dal medium            8,150-8,450        8,150-8,400
     Masoor                    n.a.            n.a.
     Moong Mogar bold               9,600-9,900         9,600-9,900
     Moong Mogar Medium best        8,200-8,800        8,200-8,800
     Moong dal Chilka            8,600-8,800        8,600-8,800
     Moong Mill quality            n.a.            n.a.
     Moong Chamki best            8,400-9,200        8,400-9,200
     Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG)    11,800-12,100       11,700-12,000
     Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG)    10,700-11,100        10,600-11,000
     Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG)        9,500-9,900        9,400-9,800
     Batri dal (100 INR/KG)        5,150-5,550        5,150-5,550
     Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg)           3,850-4,050         3,850-4,050
     Watana Dal (100 INR/KG)        3,150-3,350        3,150-3,350
     Watana White (100 INR/KG)        3,100-3,300         3,100-3,300
     Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG)    3,200-3,600        3,200-3,600
     Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG)        1,400-1,500        1,400-1,500
     Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG)    1,600-1,700        1,600-1,700
     Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG)        1,350-1,550           1,350-1,550
     Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG)    2,250-2,400        2,250-2,400
     Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG)    1,950-2,100        1,950-2,100
     Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG)    n.a.            n.a.
     MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG)    3,400-3,700        3,400-3,700
     MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG)    2,750-2,900        2,750-2,900       
     Rice BPT New(100 INR/KG)        2,800-3,000        2,800-3,000
     Rice BPT (100 INR/KG)               2,900-3,100        2,900-3,100
     Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG)        1,700-1,900        1,700-1,900
     Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG)      2,300-2,450        2,300-2,450
     Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG)      2,700-2,800        2,700-2,800
     Rice HMT new(100 INR/KG)        3,400-3,800        3,400-3,800
     Rice HMT (100 INR/KG)               3,900-4,300        3,900-4,300
     Rice HMT Shriram New(100 INR/KG)    4,200-4,500        4,200-4,500
     Rice HMT Shriram old (100 INR/KG)    4,600-5,100        4,600-5,100     
     Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG)    8,000-10,000        8,000-10,000
     Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG)    7,000-7,500        7,000-7,500
     Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG)    4,500-4,900        4,500-4,900
     Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG)        5,400-5,700        5,400-5,700
     Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG)        2,100-2,350        2,100-2,350
     Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG)        2,400-2,500        2,400-2,500

WEATHER (NAGPUR) 
Maximum temp. 30.3 degree Celsius (86.5 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.
24.1 degree Celsius (75.4 degree Fahrenheit)
Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.
Rainfall : 7.8 mm
FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky. Rains or thunder-showers likely. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 30 and 24 degree Celsius respectively.

Note: n.a.--not available

(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but
included in market prices.)

ATTN : Soyabean mandi, wholesale foodgrain market of Nagpur APMC and oil market in Vidarbha will
be closed tomorrow, Saturday, on the occasion of Rakhi festival.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/08/28/nagpur-foodgrain-idINL4N11332920150828


APEDA India Commodity News

International Benchmark Price
Price on: 27-08-2015
Product
Benchmark Indicators Name
Price
Garlic
1
Chinese first grade granules, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
2100
2
Chinese Grade A dehydrated flakes, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
2000
3
Chinese powdered, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
1800
Ginger
1
Chinese sliced, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
4600
2
Chinese whole, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
5100
3
Indian Cochin, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
3000
Guar Gum Powder
1
Indian 100 mesh 3500 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t)
4080
2
Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps basis, FOB Kandla (USD/t
1500
3
Indian 200 mesh 5000 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t)
2600
Source:agra-net
For more info
Market Watch
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 26-08-2015
Domestic Prices
Unit Price : Rs per Qty
Product
Market Center
Variety
Min Price
Max Price
Rice
1
Bonai (Orissa)
Other
2200
2400
2
Mirzapur (Uttar Pradesh)
Other
1960
2000
3
Devala (Maharashtra)
Other
1610
1610
Wheat
1
Bonai (Orissa)
Other
1450
1600
2
Manvi (Karnataka)
Other
1609
1609
3
Matar (Gujarat)
Other
1400
1470
Apple
1
Zira (Punjab)
Other
2200
2600
2
Dhand (Haryana)
Other
4600
4700
3
Solapur (Maharashtra)
Other
500
500
Carrot
1
Akluj (Maharashtra)
Other
1500
1500
2
Bonai (Orissa)
Other
1000
3000
3
Manjeri (Kerala)
Other
3400
3600
Source:agra-net
For more info
Egg
Rs per 100 No
Price on 27-08-2015
Product
Market Center
Price
1
Ahmedabad
316
2
Hyderabad
295
3
Nagapur
288
Source: e2necc.com
Other International Prices
Unit Price : US$ per package
Price on 27-08-2015
Product
Market Center
Origin
Variety
Low
High
Onions Dry
Package: 50 lb sacks
1
Atlanta
Colorado
Yellow
19
21
2
Baltimore
California
Yellow
17
18
3
Detroit
Canada
Yellow
16
16.50
Cucumbers
Package: cartons film wrapped
1
Atlanta
Canada
Long Seedless
9
10
2
Dallas
California
Long Seedless
12
14
3
Miami
Honduras
Long Seedless
10
10
Grapes
Package:19 lb containers bagged
1
Atlanta
California
Red Globe
25
26
2
Dallas
California 
Red Globe
27
27
3
Detroit
California
Red Globe
25
29
Source:USDA

Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report


A comprehensive daily commodity market report for Arkansas agricultural commodities with cash markets, futures and insightful analysis and commentary from Arkansas Farm Bureau commodity analysts.Noteworthy benchmark price levels of interest to farmers and ranchers, as well as long-term commodity market trends which are developing. Daily fundamental market influences and technical factors are noted and discussed.
Soybeans
High
Low
Cash Bids
914
824
New Crop
901
834


Riceland Foods


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


Futures:
High
Low
Last
Change
Sep '15
895.75
884.00
893.25
+7.00
Nov '15
888.75
876.25
885.50
+6.50
Jan '16
893.25
881.00
890.75
+7.00
Mar '16
894.25
882.00
892.25
+7.25
May '16
897.25
885.25
895.00
+7.00
Jul '16
900.75
889.00
898.50
+6.75
Aug '16
898.00
891.50
897.25
+7.00
Sep '16
882.25
880.50
885.50
+6.75
Nov '16
882.75
871.75
879.75
+6.75

Soybean Comment

Soybeans ended the week on a high note after putting in new contract lows earlier this week. While new crop soybeans were down only 4-cents on the week, which is more than 30-cents higher than their Monday close. While improving exports and strengthening product markets are providing most of the support for prices, this market is still facing a strong supply forecast and needs this demand to hold to prevent major stock building. Prices are likely to remain volatile as uncertainty surrounding China and the U.S. supplies will act as a weight on prices. While soybeans could make a run to retest $9, if the wheels fall off of this market we could also see price move towards $8.


Wheat
High
Low
Cash Bids
--
--
New Crop
498
473


Futures:
High
Low
Last
Change
Sep '15
487.50
476.00
477.00
-7.25
Dec '15
493.50
482.75
483.75
-6.00
Mar '16
501.00
490.50
491.75
-6.00
May '16
506.00
496.00
497.00
-6.00
Jul '16
509.75
500.00
501.25
-5.50
Sep '16
517.50
509.50
510.75
-5.00
Dec '16
529.75
523.25
524.25
-4.50
Mar '17
534.25
533.75
533.75
-5.00
May '17
537.00
-5.00

Wheat Comment

Wheat prices for the day were down slightly as we saw prices loose more than 20-cents on the week. Wheat prices were the major looser on the week as they continued to move lower despite improvements in other markets. With global wheat supplies ample it is increasingly difficult for U.S. wheat to compete. While export sales have shown some life recently, Egypt, which has historically been a large buyer of U.S., placed two tenders for wheat this week where the U.S. again failed at the tender as other countries are more competitive. Look for prices to remain weak and as such acreage in Arkansas could be even lower than last year.


Grain Sorghum
High
Low
Cash Bids
368
327
New Crop
365
340



Corn
High
Low
Cash Bids
363
334
New Crop
375
340


Futures:
High
Low
Last
Change
Sep '15
368.75
362.25
363.25
-0.50
Dec '15
380.00
374.00
375.00
0.00
Mar '16
391.25
385.25
386.50
+0.25
May '16
397.75
392.00
393.00
+0.25
Jul '16
402.25
396.75
397.50
+0.50
Sep '16
397.00
390.75
391.75
-1.50
Dec '16
403.50
398.00
399.00
-0.25
Mar '17
409.50
409.50
409.50
0.00
May '17
415.75
0.00

Corn Comment

New crop corn prices closed unchanged on the day. While prices are down a couple of cents on the week, corn prices have been stable relative to other crops. While prices are seeing some pressure from forecasted large U.S. supplies and a strengthen dollar, reports of shrinking crops in Europe and hopes that China could potentially get in the corn market are providing some support for prices and keeping them above contract lows near $3.57. Prices need to brake resistant near $3.76 to open the potential for a move higher. The likelihood of prices retesting resistance near $4 in the near term is limited as we see more harvest pressure building. A reminder that last year we saw prices dip to a low $3.18 and if supplies remain ample we could see prices move back to these lows.


Cotton
Futures:
High
Low
Last
Change
Oct '15
64.24
63.74
63.75
-0.08
Dec '15
63.62
62.76
63
-0.35
Mar '16
63.34
62.51
62.68
-0.45

Cotton Comment

Cotton futures traded higher in early dealings, but were unable to sustain any upward momentum an turned around to close lower. Net export sales of 63,300 running bales last week brought the marketing year total to 2.715 million running bales. The market continues to be concerned about a global economic slow down and China in particular, as it has the potential to impact cotton demand. December futures continued to retrace the gains charted in reaction to the monthly supply/demand report with the next support at the contract low of 61.25.


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


Futures:
High
Low
Last
Change
Sep '15
1163.5
1136.0
1159.0
+29.0
Nov '15
1194.5
1165.0
1188.5
+29.5
Jan '16
1218.5
1196.0
1218.0
+29.5
Mar '16
1235.5
1235.5
1244.0
+30.0
May '16
1268.5
+29.5
Jul '16
1272.5
+30.0
Sep '16
1173.5
+30.0

Rice Comment

Rice futures ended the week on a positive note, posting solid gains. The market has taken the rice stocks report pretty much in stride, as the totals weren't entirely unexpected. Rough rice in all positions on August 1, 2015 were up 61% from the 2014 total. Stocks held on farms totalled 1.48 million cwt and off farm stocks totalled 41.3 million cwt. Milled rice stocks were up nine percent from a year ago at 4.06 million cwt. Monday's low of $11.43 1/2 is providing support for November for the time being and the market has moved back into position to test resistance at $12.


Cattle
Futures:
Live Cattle:
High
Low
Last
Change
Aug '15
146.525
144.550
146.025
+1.375
Oct '15
144.600
142.225
144.000
+1.450
Dec '15
146.525
144.575
146.025
+1.175
Feb '16
146.300
144.475
145.950
+1.275
Apr '16
144.975
143.600
144.750
+1.000
Jun '16
136.925
135.875
136.675
+0.925
Aug '16
135.125
134.075
134.925
+0.575
Oct '16
137.350
136.300
137.325
+0.575
Dec '16
138.400
137.000
138.400
+0.700
Feeders:
High
Low
Last
Change
Sep '15
203.200
200.075
202.875
+2.525
Oct '15
199.875
196.900
199.325
+2.250
Nov '15
197.300
194.900
196.775
+1.925
Jan '16
191.100
188.825
190.875
+1.875
Mar '16
189.000
187.525
188.650
+1.100
Apr '16
189.550
187.975
189.325
+1.475
May '16
189.250
188.000
188.925
+1.725
Aug '16
188.375
188.100
188.700
+2.150

Cattle Comment

Cattle prices closed sharply higher again today as prices are able to erase losses on the week and end up a few cents in the week. Strength over the last couple of days could help prices see furor their gains next week; however, we will need to see further improvements in wholesale beef prices and cash prices for these gains to hold and not slip back to recent lows.


Hogs
Futures:
High
Low
Last
Change
Oct '15
67.050
66.000
66.650
-0.400
Dec '15
62.550
61.125
62.050
0.000
Feb '16
66.725
65.625
66.300
-0.125
Apr '16
70.525
69.725
70.200
-0.050
May '16
74.850
74.800
74.825
-0.325
Jun '16
78.800
78.100
78.500
-0.025
Jul '16
77.775
77.500
77.600
-0.175
Aug '16
76.650
76.150
76.625
+0.075
Oct '16
66.475
66.325
66.325
-0.025

Hog Comment



Shell Eggs

National Turkeys

Delmarva Broilers



News Shared by USA Rice Daily

North Dakota Court on WOTUS:  "Whoa" to EPA            
 
Where will she come down? 

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Clean Water Rule: Definition of Waters of the United States, better known as Waters of the U.S. or WOTUS, has been sidelined by afederal judge in the U.S. District Court of North Dakota who called the measure "exceptionally expansive."   EPA has said they consider the preliminary injunction to only affect the 13 states involved in the lawsuit:  Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.  For all other states, WOTUS will go into effect today as scheduled.

The North Dakota judge found the rule likely to be arbitrary and capricious and so expansive that it was contrary to the Clean Water Act's grant of jurisdiction.  EPA's argument is that the lawsuit needed to be consolidated in the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, where 14 other suits are pending.  In the meantime the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) sent a letter to the agency requesting more time before implementation so state agencies could understand "their duties and obligations," but were rebuffed. 

"The Clean Water Rule is now in effect in all rice states except Arkansas and Missouri.  Farmers and landowners in the states where the regulation applies are advised to consult with state and local authorities regarding the timeline of implementation and how to avoid regulatory action," said USA Rice Vice President of Government Affairs Ben Mosely.

"There are still several pieces of legislation that have been introduced and passed out of committees in both the House and the Senate that would restrict or delay the final rule from going into effect," Mosely added.  "Congress will likely consider language in appropriations bills that would also aim to prevent the regulations from being enforced.  USA Rice supports these efforts and will work with our allies in Congress to include a statutory fix in whatever legislative vehicle has the best potential to clear both chambers of Congress."

Contact:  Steve Hensley (703) 236-1445


National Rice Month Spotlight:  Promotion Raises Awareness         
Final in a series of three articles this week highlighting upcoming
USA Rice National Rice Month promotions

ARLINGTON, VA -- Promotional events and activities are held throughout September, National Rice Month (NRM), to celebrate the harvest underway, and show support for rice farming families.  To help spread awareness of NRM, USARice will have daily social media postings on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram covering topics such as sustainability and conservation, health and nutrition, farming, rice recipes, and fun facts.  New photos, videos, and infographics will also be released throughout the month.

"Social media provides a direct line of communication to people, and it helps to grab their attention with interesting videos and images," said Colleen Klemczewski, USA Rice social media coordinator.  "This summer, our most popular posts on Facebook were infographics about rice - they received more than 300 'likes' and 500 'shares,' exposing more than 45,000 people to our messaging.  We're excited to reveal our new content in celebration of National Rice Month and anticipate it will generate a lot of interest and activity."
 
"It's important to take advantage of NRM to tell our story - U.S.-grown rice is healthy, locally-grown, and good for the environment," said Byron Holmes, USA Rice Nutrition Subcommittee chairman.  "Not only do our activities help drive those messages home, I think they contribute to a sense of pride all U.S. rice farmers should feel for what they do. "  All month long, high school seniors in rice producing states will be conducting their own NRM promotions to enter the annual NRM scholarships contest, sponsored by Dow AgroSciences.  Teens will plan creative activities to promote U.S.-grown rice, NRM, and the importance of rice growing in their state.  Be on the lookout for promotions going on in your state and support our scholarship applicants.


Egypt Bans Rice Exports as of September 1         
 
Like their rice, staying put

CAIRO, EGYPT -- Egypt will ban rice exports again as of September 1 to satisfy domestic consumption, the ministry of trade and industry said yesterday.   The ministry has yet to decide the duration of the ban, according to Sayed Abu Qomsan, a deputy to the minister.Egypt is expected to produce 2.7 million metric tons (MT) of milled rice in the 2015-2016 season while its annual consumption is estimated at 3.6 million MT.  The 750,000 MT gap will be filled from existing stocks, the ministry said in a statement. Egypt had allowed the export of its medium grain rice last October with an export tax of $280 per MT, on condition that traders sell the government one MT of rice at 2,000 Egyptian pounds ($255.43) for every MT of rice exported.  Thursday's statement said any export licenses granted according to the 2014 allowance could still be used. Egyptian medium grain rice mainly competes with U.S. and Australian rice in Jordan, as well as Russian, Italian, and Indian medium grain rice on the Turkish market.  However, traders had argued the export tax and regulations imposed made exports non-profitable.

Indeed, official rice import statistics for Turkey do not indicate any Egyptian rice imports for 2014, nor for the period of January-June 2015.  There are no official figures available on Jordanian rice imports for 2015.  However, black market trade has happened in the past and is expected to continue in spite of the newly imposed ban.Egypt first imposed a ban on exports in 2008 saying it needed to save the rice for local consumption and wanted to discourage rice farmers from growing the crop to save water. The government has used the tactic at other times as well, including a 2013 ban that helped the government build up stocks.

Contact:  Hartwig Schmidt 011-49-40-4503-8660

National Rice Month will also be celebrated in the classroom.  USA Rice is continuing its school education outreach by partnering again with Young Minds Inspired (YMI) to electronically distribute the Think Rice education program to 5,000 teachers in all six rice states and beyond.  "We received such positive feedback from teachers in the spring, we thought National Rice Month would be a perfect time to remind them about the program and encourage them to use it with their new classes," said Holmes.  "We also sent the program to school districts outside of the rice growing states to reach teachers that regularly participate in the YMI program."

Contact:  Katie Maher (703) 236-1453

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures   


CME Group (Prelim):  Closing Rough Rice Futures for August 28
Month
Price
Net Change

September 2015
$11.590
+ $0.290
November 2015
$11.885
+ $0.295
January 2016
$12.180
+ $0.295
March 2016
$12.440
+ $0.300
May 2016
$12.685
+ $0.295
July 2016
$12.725
+ $0.300
September 2016
$11.735
+ $0.300



R&D News

Researchers continuing to develop new tools for rice producers: Part I

 

Aug 27, 2015 | Delta Farm Press
 | Delta Farm Press

With rice prices lower than they would like them to be, producers need all the help they can get to return rice farming to profitability. Dr. Tim Walker, rice breeder at Mississippi State University before he joined Horizon Ag, talked about some of those tools and his take on what would help the rice industry in an interview at his company’s field day in Rayne, La., earlier this summer.
Watch Video on


Fisher Delta Research Center to hold 54th annual Field Day Sept. 2
Annual event to provide information on Delta crops, soils, weeds
Aug 27, 2015Delta Farm Press
 “We have a fabulous team and a great group of researchers,” said Trent Haggard, director of the Center. “During this field day, you will get to see the highlights of their research, which covers the newest and hottest topics in agriculture.”

PPO inhibitor resistance, Enlist Duo, Roundup Ready Xtend, Engenia, Provisia, Rinskor Active, Priaxor, chalkiness, Acuron, pollinators, neonicotinoids, soil moisture sensors, surge valves, flow meters, rice fertility….

Those are just a few examples of the new terminologies farmers are having to deal with these days. Fortunately, land-grant universities such as the University of Missouri are offering farmers the opportunity to learn more about them and what they can mean for their operations in the years ahead.
The 54th annual Fisher Delta Research Center Field Day, one of a number of such facilities operated by the University of Missouri, will attempt to help farmers wade through the changes the changes that are rapidly occurring in agriculture with discussions on several agricultural topics.
Rice, cotton, corn and soybeans will also be discussed during the Sept. 2 field day at the Fisher Center, which is located near Portageville in the Missouri Bootheel. Tours run from 8:30 a.m. to 1:10 p.m.
Andrea Jones will discuss cotton variety trials during this year's Fisher Delta Research Center field day. 
 “We have a fabulous team and a great group of researchers,” said Trent Haggard, director of the Center. “During this field day, you will get to see the highlights of their research, which covers the newest and hottest topics in agriculture.”While the Delta Research Center does share some similarities to other regions of Missouri, the land more closely resembles western Tennessee, eastern Arkansas and western Mississippi. The theme for the 2015 Field Day – “Delta Agriculture on the Move” – pertains to the entire Delta.

“Our research always relates to the entire Delta region,” Haggard said. “The Delta and Missouri boot heel have extremely prolific soils. It’s a hyper-productive area.”Corn, beans, rice, cotton, wheat and milo can all be found in the Delta. FDRC’s Field Day will take a look at most of them.Gene Stevens, plant sciences professor, will present on impacting yield through variable rate seed, fertilizer and irrigation regimes. Stevens will also have a second presentation on using a smartphone app to manage your irrigation needs.Both presentations will be during the corn and pollinator tour. Moneen Jones and Bob Walters will also present on new initiatives to benefit the overall health of bee colonies, as well as the many crops that bees pollinate.Matt Rhine, research associate, and David Dunn, soil and tissue lab associate, will both speak on the impact of rice.


“The rice tour will highlight the University of Missouri rice variety trials, research on chalkiness in rice and proper potash management,” Haggard said.Grover Shannon, professor of plant sciences, and Andrew Scaboo, senior research scientist, will showcase upcoming soybean releases to enhance Delta producers’ productivity and profitability.“At this year’s field day, we are sharing our work on variable rate irrigation, stewardship of fertilizer in several crops and assisting the local bee population,” Haggard said. “That work is just a small sample of ways our research continue to enhance our natural resources.

”The FDRC field day will also include three presentations on cotton and weed science. From variety trials to new weed technologies, numerous topics will be covered.“The cotton and weed tour will highlight the newest varieties for cotton, along with the new weed technology available to maximize cotton revenue and minimize weed drag,” Haggard said.For more information on the Delta Center or the field day, call 573-379-5431 or emailHaggardT@missouri.edu. You can also visit their website at http://delta.cafnr.org/.

http://deltafarmpress.com/cotton/fisher-delta-research-center-hold-54th-annual-field-day-sept-2?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+August+28%2C+2015&utm_campaign=Friday%2C+December+13%2C+2013&utm_medium=email


Partnership to accelerate rice research and product development in China

By Dow AgroSciences August 28, 2015 | 12:45 pm EDT
Dow AgroSciences LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, has entered into a collaboration agreement with the Institute of Crop Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ICS-CAAS). Under the agreement, Dow AgroSciences grants ICS-CAAS a royalty-free, non-transferable research and commercialization license for its proprietary Exzact Precision Genome Editing Technology to be used in rice in China. Dow AgroSciences and ICS-CAAS scientists will collaboratively develop an industry-leading rice genome editing technology platform. 
The Exzact Precision Genome Editing Platform will enable ICS-CAAS scientists to capitalize on their significant investment and technical expertise in rice genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and cell biology as well as accelerate integration of the scientific knowledge generated in rice to rapidly develop valuable products for China. Dow AgroSciences has developed the Exzact Precision Technology platform under an exclusive license and collaboration agreement in plants with Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. Dow AgroSciences and ICS-CAAS scientists will work together to make sure that the expertise and strengths of both parties are best combined to accelerate rice research and product development in China. This is part of Dow AgroSciences’ commitment to providing innovative and sustainable solutions to bolster food security and food safety in China.
ICS-CAAS indicates this collaboration is a milestone, which will accelerate the development of rice genome editing technology platform in China. It will have significant impact in developing new agronomic traits in rice.“Our collaboration with ICS-CAAS, a world-renowned agricultural science research organization, is one with great promise,” said Tim Hassinger, President and CEO of Dow AgroSciences. “We have a long-term commitment in China as a strategic partner for agricultural sustainability and best practices. The Exzact Precision Technology collaboration with CAAS is a strong example of this commitment, which will significantly enable Chinese scientists to improve rice research and product development, thus benefiting China’s long term food security.” http://www.agprofessional.com/news/partnership-accelerate-rice-research-and-product-development-china
Biggs rice station continues to flourish

By Heather Hacking/Chico Enterprise-Record
BIGGS — This summer has been rough for rice farmers with nearly 30 percent of the statewide rice acreage left to bare, open ground.Yet, cutbacks on water did not keep hundreds of rice farmers from attending the traditional summer get-together — Rice Field Day.Once a year, growers converge on the research farm, where scientists hand-plant more than 40 acres, keeping carefully cross-bred plants separate from other plants.

The goal is to develop improved plants that will provide better yield, disease resistance, cooking quality and other factors.Farmers pay a small amount per bag of harvested rice, and that money funds the experiment station and researchers.During the drought, less rice was grown, which meant a decreased flow of money to the research station. Experiment Station director Kent McKenzie said his operation was fortunate that some funding from a tariff settlement has been used to offset the lost financial support.For the past several years, the California Rice Research Board has received funding from a tariff agreement with Colombia, Seth Fiack, chairman of the Rice Research Board, explained. Rice buyers bid for the right to buy California rice. The treaty allows for a phase-in of duty-free access to U.S. rice over time.

Yet, for now, a few million dollars are divided among rice-growing states each year.The funding came just in time, and has been used to ensure the Biggs experiment station is fully funded.McKenzie said the research center also could have had problems this year due to lack of water. Like many landowners who receive surface water, the Biggs experiment station had cutbacks of 50 percent.The station has a well, but that did not provide enough water to keep all of the research plants alive.McKenzie said some nearby landowners through Richvale Irrigation District provided the needed water, and all of the research plants were maintained.

Growing tenacityThe Rice Experiment Station recently passed the 100-year mark. Tim Johnson, president of the California Rice Commission, said he is always impressed by the rice industry's tenacity.After four years of drought, acreage in the state is down 30 percent, with 175,000 fewer acres planted.A key goal of the breeding program is to develop even better types of rice.Calrose is the mainstay medium-grain rice grown in the Sacramento Valley. Most growers opt for one of just a handful of seed types, depending on their specific growing conditions.Early this year, the board of directors approved a new Calrose named M-209, which matures early, is a semi-dwarf and has a high yield.One drawback is the variety can be damaged in cold temperatures, and more of the kernels may not mature in cooler weather.

Sharing knowledge

A big part of Rice Field Day is for growers to learn more about their industry, especially if that information will help them grow more or better rice. One highlight of Rice Field Day is the ride through the 3,000 experimental rice plots. Farmers pile into the back of oversized pickups.Julie Tillman was at the event to share information about the University of California's new Rice Online website,http://rice.ucanr.eduOne feature is a map that shows early and very early rice field test results in different parts of the valley. This can be important because one type of rice plant may perform slightly better or worse in slightly different climates.For example, the M-206 did best in Colusa County in the past four years. In Butte County, early M-209 has done very well the past three years.

Praise for farmers

The annual event is also a time to honor those who stand out in the industry.The group managed to surprise attorney Tim Kelleher.Organizers asked Kelleher to present the Rice Industry Award to Dr. C. Lorenzo Pope, who worked as a private rice researcher in Glenn County for 39 years.
After Pope's award was given, Kelleher was announced as a another recipient.Kelleher was instrumental in helping farmer-friendly provisions in the latest version of the Farm Bill, McKenzie said
http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/biggs-rice-station-continues-to-flourish/article_dafd2bae-4d14-11e5-82f2-6756e052cad3.html?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+August+28%2C+2015&utm_campaign=Friday%2C+December+13%2C+2013&utm_medium=email

Global Rice News

Egyptian government to stop exporting rice from next September

Friday, 28 August 2015 15:14
  

The Egyptian Ministry of Industry and Trade has decided to stop exporting all kinds of rice starting from the first of September. Only the export of broken rice will be allowed in accordance with Ministerial Resolution 601 of 2009, as amended.The ministry said that this decision does not apply to export licenses issued in accordance with Ministerial Decree 756 of 2014. This decision came before completing the validation of Ministerial Decree 776 of 2014, which approved the export of milled rice until the end of August of this year, or until reaching the permitted export quantity of one million tonnes, according to Borsa newspaper.


The Minister of Industry and Trade Mounir Fakhri Abd El-Nour said that this decision aimed primarily to meet the needs of the local Egyptian market and the General Authority for Supply Commodities.He added that the data issued by the Ministry of Agriculture about the rice crop for the new season 2015-2016 confirmed that the actual cultivated area of rice this year is around 1.27 million acres, the expected crop from which is estimated at about 4.4 million tonnes of barley rice, of which about 2.7 million tonnes of white rice is produced. Domestic consumption amounted to 3.6 million tonnes of white rice last year. The gap will be covered through stocks from the 2014-2015 season, which amounted to 750,000 tonnes of rice.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/20692-egyptian-government-to-stop-exporting-rice-from-next-september

 

Published On: Fri, Aug 28th, 2015

Prices of imported rice, maize slide at Mile 12 market

The prices of imported rice and maize on Friday slightly decreased at the Mile 12 market in Lagos State for the week ended, August 28, a commodity index sheet made available by Novus Agro Nigeria Ltd said on Friday.The index showed that the price of a 50kg bag of imported rice which now sells for N8,567 was sold at N8,700.While the price of a paint bucket measurement remained the same at N800 at the market.It also showed that the price of a 100kg bag of maize reduced by about N500; it now sells for N6,000 but was sold at N6,433 the previous week.However, the price of a paint bucket measurement remained the same.Meanwhile, other agricultural commodities like Garri, Sorghum, Drum Beans and Soya Beans sold at the same price as last week.A 100kg bag of soya beans is now selling at N15,000 at the same price as last week; the paint bucket measure also remained the same at N550.A 60kg bag of white garri also remained the same as last week at N6,000, while the paint bucket measurement sold at N300.

The prices of 100kg bags of groundnut and sorghum sold at the same as last week at N25,000 and N6,500 and the paint bucket measurement at N1,000 and N350 respectively.While a 100kg bag of drum beans also did not change in price as it remained the same at N23,000, while a paint bucket measurement sold at N800.Also, the prices of a 100kg bag of onions and a 25 litres of palm oil remained the same at N9,083 and N6,800, while a 2kg bag and a bottle of palm oil sold at N308 and N220 respectively.Obiajuru Luya, Strategy Manager of the agro company, said that the enforcement of some Federal Government policies on imported rice could be the reason for the reduction in prices.

“The reduction in the price of imported rice may not be unassociated with the recent ban on forex trading for rice importation. As well, the sealing of the warehouses of major rice importers by the Nigerian Customs Service could have impacted on the prices. This led to the influx of many other products at the time, so, the effects are probably manifesting in the prices of the products,’’ Luya said.She added that the old stocks of maize were running out and most markets did not have the new stock yet.

http://businessdayonline.com/2015/08/prices-of-imported-rice-maize-slide-at-mile-12-market/


Rice institute teaches 1,000 delta farmers
Around 1,000 farmers in the Mekong Delta received training in the best rice cultivation and crop protection practices from the Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute (CLRRI) and US conglomerate DuPont in Can Tho on Thursday. — Photo baotainguyenmoitruong.vn
CAN THO (VNS)— Around 1,000 farmers in the Mekong Delta received training in the best rice cultivation and crop protection practices from the Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute (CLRRI) and US conglomerate DuPont in Can Tho on Thursday.
Farmers from Can Tho and the provinces of Long An, Dong Thap, An Giang, Kien Giang, Hau Giang, and Soc Trang were taken to experimental fields belonging to the two, and they also held discussions with researchers, agronomists and experts from CLRRI and DuPont.
On the agenda were crop protection technologies, integrated pest management, stewardship principles, proper use of personal protective equipment, label awareness, harmful effects of fake products, and resistance management."Empowering farmers through agriculture technology and information is crucial," Dr Ngo Luc Cuong, former principal researcher in plant protection at CLRRI, said. "Farmers should be equipped with knowledge and understanding of how to use crop protection products while minimising environmental impacts."The safe use of the products is also an important element underpinning sustainable agriculture."
At the experimental fields, the farmers were taught to clearly identify differences in leaf colour and thickness, durability of the leaves and estimate potential productivity."To meet the agricultural productivity challenges in Viet Nam, the public and private sectors must work closely together to achieve sustainable solutions," Sittideth Sriprateth, managing director of DuPont Viet Nam, said."With the extensive knowledge of CLRRI's and DuPont's experts, we have obtained some positive results initially. We will continue to collaborate for further intensive researches." —
VNShttp://vietnamnews.vn/society/275142/rice-institute-teaches-1000-delta-farmers.html
Rice Recipe

Ready-to-serve rice cups as easy as ABC to prepare for back-to-school meals


Looking for quick and easy dishes for the busy back-to-school time that’s almost upon us?
How about rice that’s done in just one minute? That’s how long it takes to prepare Minute Rice Ready To Serve Cups, which are available in six varieties — Basmati, Whole Grain, Oriental Style, Vegetable Medley, Long Grain and Wild Rice .Some varieties feature plain rice that can be enjoyed on their own or as a base for a meal, such as the Basmati and Whole Grain. Others, such as Oriental Style, contain additional ingredients like peas, sweet red pepper, mushrooms and onions in a light soy-flavoured base. A favourite among kids is the Vegetable Medley, which blends peas, carrots and corn with long grain rice.They cost about $2.75 for a sleeve of two 125-gram microwaveable cups.Cooking with Minute Rice Ready to Serve Cups is as easy as ABC. Here are some recipes to whet your appetite:
More information and time-saving recipes can be found at http://www.minuterice.ca/prod_rts.htm.

Chicken Vegetable Rice Crunch MINUTE RICE photo
Minute Rice Chicken Vegetable Rice Crunch
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
1 Minute Rice Ready to Serve Cup – Vegetable Medley
Quantities of your choice of:
Cooked shredded chicken
Ranch dressing
Chopped nuts
Sliced celery
Sliced radish
Shredded lettuce
Pita bread
Instructions:
1. Heat Minute Rice Ready to Serve Cup – Vegetable Medley in microwave, per package instructions.
2. Transfer to bowl, and add cooked shredded chicken and ranch dressing.
3. Stir in chopped nuts, sliced celery, sliced radish and shredded lettuce.
4. Stuff into pita halves

Cranberry Pecan Rice MINUTE RICE photo
Minute Rice Cranberry Pecan Basmati Rice
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
1 Minute Rice Ready to Serve Cup – Basmati Rice
Quantities of your choice of:
Dried cranberries
Toasted pecans
Melted Butter
Orange zest
Instructions:
1. Heat Minute Rice Ready to Serve Cup Basmati Rice in microwave, per package instructions.
2. Add dried cranberries, toasted pecans and butter.
3. Stir-in orange zest.
Chicken Wild Rice MINUTE RICE photo
Minute Rice Chicken and Wild Rice Salad
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
1 Minute Rice® Ready to Serve Cup – Long Grain & Wild Rice – Chicken Flavour
Quantities of your choice of:
Diced fully cooked chicken breast
Sliced fresh snow peas
Sliced red onion
Mandarin orange segments
Sesame orange salad dressing (store bought)
Instructions:
1. Heat Minute Rice Ready to Serve Cup – Long Grain & Wild Rice – Chicken Flavour in microwave, per package instructions.
2. Add diced chicken breast, snow peas and sliced red onion.
3. Stir in mandarin orange segments and sesame orange salad dressing.
Optional:
Serve on a bed of salad greens

http://blogs.leaderpost.com/2015/08/27/ready-to-serve-rice-cups-as-easy-as-abc-to-prepare-for-back-to-school-meals/


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