Thursday, August 27, 2015

26th August (Wednesday),2015 Daily Globa Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine




Scholarships Awarded Following Delta Classic Golf Tournament

Aug. 26, 2015
     

Brandon Moore of Marion, Paul Wolf of White Hall and Austin Cates of Marion earned scholarships awarded following the 16th Annual Delta Scholarship Golf Classic.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Department in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas collected more than $20,000 for scholarships at this year’s 16th Annual Delta Scholarship Golf Classic.The tournament was July 24 at The Ridges at Village Creek in Wynne. Since 2000, the tournament has generated more than $375,000 used to fund 139 scholarships while building an endowment for future scholarships.

Students earning a Delta Classic Scholarship include Tanner Bratton, Austin Cates and Brandon Moore from Marion High School; Drew Dillion from DeWitt High School; Seth Busby from Green County Tech High School in Paragould; Laura Ortega from Rogers High School; Zane Taillon from Beebe High School; Kaitlyn Turner from Tuckerman High School; and Paul Wolf of White Hall.
“I am currently working for a crop consultant and we scout over 13,000 acres of rice,” said Busby. “I love doing it. My dream is to one day be an independent crop scout and possibly pursue an advanced degree. This scholarship will help me gain the knowledge to teach anyone about where their food comes from and how it gets to their dinner table. I look forward to my college experience and want to help other college students after I graduate.”“I hope to learn the skills to become a crop consultant until I save the money to start a farm of my own,” said Wolf.

“I would like to earn my master’s degree and possibly a doctorate, and help future students after I begin my career.”James L. Barrentine Endowed scholarships were awarded to Zachary Jones, a U of A junior from Paragould; Blake Bennett from Pocahontas High School; Tanner Schuck from Har-Ber High School; and Helen Sha from Fayetteville High School. Barrentine, a former Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Department head, organized CSES alumni and friends who initiated the benefit golf tournament to support scholarships prior to his retirement in 2006.“I want to thank our alumni and friends for their hard work in keeping this event going in the Delta,” said tournament director Darrin Malone.

“I also want to thank the staff at The Ridges at Village Creek for helping make it a success. It’s been fun helping provide resources to our new and upcoming students in the Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences Department. I think our alumni and friends find great pleasure in being a small part of their future and career while they are at the University of Arkansas.”Tournament winners include the DuPont Pioneer 1 team of Tim Sisk, Jay Cadwell, Danny Draper and Jody Gilbert, all from Wynne, in Flight A; the Southern Bancorp team of Gaylon Rogers and Edward Reginold of Blytheville, and Wayne Anderson and John Bryant of West Helena in Flight B; and the U of A Weed Science team of Bob Scott and Ward Hanna of Cabot, Clark Moore of Little Rock and Chuck Capps of DeWitt in Flight C.

“I continue to be impressed with how well everything gets done and how good the final product is,” said Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Department head Robert Bacon. “It was very gratifying for me to see a team composed of former scholarship recipients not only supporting the tournament, but also knowing the contributions they are making to the agricultural industry in the state. The proceeds from the tournament are extremely important in maintaining the vitality of our undergraduate program.”Corporate sponsors for the tournament were Farm Bureau of Arkansas, Dow AgroSciences/Mycogen/Phytogen and DuPont Pioneer. Premier hole sponsors were DuPont Crop Protection and Monsanto.
Hole sponsors included Ag Heritage Farm Credit Services, BASF Ag Products, Farm Credit Midsouth, Gillett Grain Services, Producers Rice Mill, Riceland Foods Foundation, U of A Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, U of A Entomology Group, U of A Rice Research and Extension Center, and U of A Weed Science Group.Team sponsors included Adams Fertilizer Equipment, Alice-Sidney Dryer and Seed Company, Armor Seed, Bayer CropScience, Crop Production Services of Bernie, Missouri, Fuller Seed and Supply, Hickory Hill Pharmacy, Mid-South Ag Equipment, Mid South Ag Consultants, RiceTec, Southern Ag Resources, Southern Bancorp, and Stanley & Co.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.
 
CONTACTS
Robby Edwards, director of communications 
Dale Bumpers Co
llege of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences 
479-575-4625,
 robbye@uark.edu

http://news.uark.edu/articles/32118/scholarships-awarded-following-delta-classic-golf-tournament

APEDA INDIA NEWS

International Benchmark Price
Price on: 25-08-2015
Product
Benchmark Indicators Name
Price
Rice
1
CZCE Early Rice Futures (USD/t)
376
2
Pakistani 100%, FOB Karachi (USD/t)
318
3
Pakistani 25% Broken (USD/t)
383
Wheat
1
CZCE Wheat Futures (USD/t)
369
2
NYSE Liffe Feed Wheat Futures (USD/t)
182
3
GFO, HRW, DAT Ontario (USD/t)
192
White Sugar
1
CZCE White Sugar Futures (USD/t)
770
2
Kenya Mumias white sugar, EXW (USD/t)
690
3
Pakistani refined sugar, EXW Akbari Mandi (USD/t)
591
Source:agra-net
For more info
Market Watch
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 25-08-2015
Domestic Prices
Unit Price : Rs per Qty
Product
Market Center
Variety
Min Price
Max Price
Barley (Jau)
1
Dahod (Gujarat)
Other
1200
1275
2
Haldwani (Uttrakhand)
Other
1880
1950
3
Neemuch (Madhya Pradesh)
Other
1080
1246
Maize
1
Dehgam (Gujarat)
Other
1225
1350
2
Dhing (Assam)
Other
1310
1400
3
Koraput (Orissa)
Other
1320
1330
Mousambi
1
Sirhind (Punjab)
Other
2500
3500
2
Haldwani (Uttrakhand)
Other
1500
2500
3
Manjeri (Kerala)
Other
2200
2400
Cabbage
1
Aroor (Kerala)
Other
2600
2800
2
Bolangir (Orissa)
Other
2800
3000
3
Sirhind (Punjab)
Other
800
1200
Source:agra-net
For more info
Egg
Rs per 100 No
Price on 25-08-2015
Product
Market Center
Price
1
Ahmedabad
313
2
Nagapur
295
3
Namakkal
300
Source: e2necc.com
Other International Prices
Unit Price : US$ per package
Price on 24-08-2015
Product
Market Center
Origin
Variety
Low
High
Onions Dry
Package: 50 lb sacks
1
Atlanta
Colorado
Yellow
22
23
2
Baltimore
Mexico
Yellow
20
20
3
Chicago
California
Yellow
15
16
Cauliflower
Package: cartons film wrapped
1
Atlanta
Mexico
White
15.50
15.50
2
Dallas
California
White
21.50
21.50
3
Miami
Mexico
White
16
17
Grapes
Package:19 lb containers bagged
1
Atlanta
California
Red Globe
25
26
2
Dallas
Mexico 
Red Globe
22
23.50
3
New York
California
Red Globe
26
28
Source:USDA







2015 USA Rice Outlook Conference to Feature Political Duo
 Matalin and Carville
Keynote speakers Mary Matalin and James Carville

NEW ORLEANS, LA - Husband and wife political strategists and best-selling authors Mary Matalin and James Carville will be the keynote speakers at the 2015 USA Rice Outlook Conference to be held here this December with a conversation about the political outlook and what to expect during the 2016 presidential election. True to their reputations the couple, speaking from their home town of New Orleans, will offer fiery discussion and insight into the current political landscape and share their concerns, hopes, and predictions for the upcoming election cycle.

Matalin is one of the most celebrated and popular conservative voices in America. Among her many roles, she has served under Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush. Matalin currently co-hosts the nationally syndicated radio program Both Sides Now, which is broadcast on more than 100 radio stations.

Known for his electoral successes and remaking political underdogs into upset winners, James Carville is America's best-known political consultant. Carville guided the campaign of then Governor Bill Clinton to defeat President George H.W. Bush whose approval rating was among the highest ever for a sitting president.  Carville has written several books, including two memoirs with his wife, All's Fair: Love, War, and Running for President about the 1992 presidential campaign and the more recent, Love and War: Twenty Years, Three Presidents, Two Daughters and One Louisiana Home, about how they, and America, have changed over the last two decades.

 Outlook Sponsorship Brochure
Get in on the rice industry's premier event: become an exhibitor or sponsor today 
Carville and Matalin are headlining an expanded USA Rice Outlook Conference now with two full days of programming. Attendees will hear timely information and outlooks on farm policy, the economy, weather trends, farm management, food innovation, and more.
Other noted presenters will include Louisiana Congressman Ralph Abraham, farm management expert Dick Wittman, economist Dr. David Kohl, and many more.Visit www.usarice.com/outlook for additional program and registration information and watch the USA Rice Daily for more program news.The USA Rice Outlook Conference is the largest annual rice meeting and trade show.  Several exciting exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities are available for this premier event. To learn more, download a brochure, or contact Jeanette Davis at jdavis@usarice.com,  (703) 236-1447.

Contact: Amy Doane (703) 236-1458


California Rice Industry Hosts USA Rice Leaders 
Betsy Ward
USA Rice's Betsy Ward
SACRAMENTO, CA - This week, USA Rice Chairman Dow Brantley traveled to California to meet with members of the rice industry and attend the annual California Rice Experiment Station Field Day in Biggs.

In addition to the field day, Brantley and USA Rice President & CEO, Betsy Ward attended the 8th annual The Rice Trader (TRT) Americas Conference held in Sacramento yesterday. Ward joined California Rice Commission (CRC) CEO Tim Johnson and President of the Northern California Water Association David Guy as panelists on the "Politics, Water, Rice and the Future" panel during the general session. Ward provided an overview of USA Rice's activities and mission, particularly updates on international promotions for several export markets, farm policy and conservation efforts, and changes to the USA Rice communication resources.

 Doherty and Brantley
California producer Sean Doherty (l) and USA Rice Chairman Dow Brantley
Following the panel, Brantley and Ward along with the CRC Executive Committee and CRC Committee Chairs provided updates relative to the California rice industry, specifically the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and the China phytosanitary protocol. 

Brantley, a rice farmer from Arkansas, shared his enthusiasm for this trip saying, "It's really been a privilege to learn about the California rice industry firsthand while I've been in the state." He added, "Knowing that many challenges California faces are shared by their colleagues in the south will only strengthen and further unify the U.S. rice industry."


Contact: Peter Bachmann (703) 236-1475

CCC Announces Prevailing World Market Prices 



WASHINGTON, DC ---The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporationtoday 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 2015 crop, which will become effective today at 7:00 a.m., Eastern Time (ET). Rough rice prices decreased $0.21 per cwt for long grain and $0.22 per cwt for medium/short grain.

World Price
MLG/LDP Rate

Milled Value ($/cwt)
Rough ($/cwt)
Rough ($/cwt)
Long Grain
14.56
9.19  
0.00
Medium/Short Grain
14.07
9.44  
0.00
Brokens
  8.78  
----
----

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:

U.S. Milling Yields
Whole/Broken
(lbs/cwt)
Loan Rate
($/cwt)
Long Grain
55.01/13.46
6.50
Medium/Short Grain
61.81/8.43
6.50

The next program announcement is scheduled for September 2, 2015.


CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures   

CME Group (Prelim):  Closing Rough Rice Futures for August 26 
Month
Price
Net Change

September 2015
$11.310
 - $0.035
November 2015
$11.600
- $0.025
January 2016
$11.900
- $0.025
March 2016
$12.155
- $0.020
May 2016
$12.405
- $0.020
July 2016
$12.440
- $0.010
September 2016
$11.450
- $0.010




Rice Field Day: Growers get up close with industry-funded research

Rice farmers, researchers, breeders and more come together to learn about the newest developments in rice for the annual Rice Field Day on Wednesday at the Rice Experiment Station in BiggsBy Heather Hacking, Chico Enterprise-Record
POSTED: 08/26/15, 8:04 PM PDT | UPDATED: 2 HRS AGO
Ben Ferreira looks at a variety of rice during the annual Rice Field Day on Wednesday at the Rice Experiment Station in Biggs.Emily Bertolino — Mercury Register

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 stations 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 TENACITY
The Rice Experiment Station recently passed the 100-year mark. Tim Johnson, president of the California Rice Commission said he is always impressed by the tenacity of the rice industry.After four years of drought, acreage in the state is down 30 percent, with 175,000 few 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 semi-dwarf and has high yield.One drawback is that 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 pickup trucks.Julie Tillman was at the event to share information about the University of California’s new Rice Online website, http://rice.ucanr.edu
One 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 over 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 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 is an attorney, who was instrumental in helping farmer-friendly provisions in the latest version of the Farm Bill, McKenzie said.
Contact reporter Heather Hacking at 896-7758.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Reporter Heather Hacking focuses on water and agriculture, as well as many other community topics. Her column, which is mostly about gardening, appears on Fridays. She has been writing for the Enterprise-Record since 1992. Reach the author athhacking@chicoer.com or follow Heather on Twitter:@HeatherHacking.




Rice cook off contest entry deadline nears

 Sherry Lucas, The Clarion-Ledger3:09 p.m. CDT August 25, 2015

(Photo: Special to The Clarion-Ledger)
Friday is the deadline to enter the Think Rice Cook Off Contest, revived especially for a special anniversary — the 25 annual National Rice Month, and the 25th annual Rice Tasting Luncheon at Delta State University.The luncheon and celebration are hosted by Delta Rice Promotions. A rice cook off contest, part of the event early on, was revived to amp up the anniversary celebration. The contest will be held in conjunction with the Sept. 18 luncheon.


“Farmers in Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, California, Missouri and Texas grow 18 billion pounds of rice each year,” said Laura Giaccaglia, Mississippi State University extension agent/coordinator for Bolivar County, who assists with Delta Rice Promotions. “And, nearly 85 percent of the rice Americans eat is grown by America’s rice farmers.”The cook off contest will have four categories: appetizer, side dish, main dish and dessert. Cash prizes will be awarded in each category, and cooks can enter one dish in more than one category. The prize potential: $100 for first place winners; $75 for second place, $50 for third place. The grand prize is $300.Contestants must be Mississippi residents 18 years old or older. Official entry forms and more details are available at the Bolivar County Extension Service in Cleveland, (662) 843-8371 or online at http://msucares.com/counties/bolivar_6/info.html.Official entry forms must be turned in to the Bolivar County Extension Service by Friday.

Prepared dishes must be dropped off for judging, 9-9:45 a.m. Sept. 18 at the Delta State University Walter Sillers Coliseum. Winners will be announced during the Rice Tasting Luncheon that same day.
To contact Sherry Lucas, email slucas@gannett.com or call (601) 961-7283. Follow @SherryLucas1 on Twitter.

 

Research Reveals How Rice Plants Detect Pathogens

Aug 26, 2015 06:23 PM EDT
Researchers recently discovered that a sensor protein from rice, Pik, binds with AVR-Pik, a protein from the rice blast pathogen, which is a fungus that causes the most devastating disease of rice crops. The strength of this bond, directly correlates to the strength of the plant's response. (Photo : Maqbool et al.)

Certain types of plants can fight off plant killers, or pathogens--but not others, according to a mid-20th century model called the "gene-for-gene" hypothesis, developed by scientist Harold Henry Flor. New research from the UK's John Innes Centre and others bring great detail to Flor's model, showing how a plant senses a pathogen. 

"We know that plants have sensors to detect pathogens but we knew little about how they work," Professor Banfield, lead researcher from the John Innes Centre (UK), said in a statement.Their study, recently published in eLife, investigated how a sensor protein in rice (called Pik) binds with AVR-Pik, a protein from the rice blast pathogen. The latter is a fungus that causes rice's most devastating disease. The team used X-ray crystallography facilities at Diamond Light Source in Oxfordshire, from which they were able to identify the contact points between the plant and pathogen proteins at the molecular level.

This is the first imagery that has been done for a pair of plant and pathogen proteins that follow the gene-for-gene model."Harold Flor predicted that plant sensors discriminate between different pathogen types, but at the time he had no knowledge of the molecules involved. It is remarkable that his ideas have now crystallized into detailed molecular models," explained first author of the study, Dr. Abbas Maqbool.The team also found that the strength at which the Pik sensor binds with the pathogen AVR-Pik protein correlates with the strength of the plant's response, meaning that plant responses can be engineered to better fight against pathogens. By building sensors with increased strength of binding to pathogen proteins, plants would be able to enhance their resistance to diseases.

"Once we understand how these plant sensors detect invading pathogens, we can devise strategies to 'boost' the plant immune system and help protect rice and other important food crops from disease," Professor Banfield said.
For more great nature science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN) http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/16240/20150826/research-reveals-rice-plants-detect-pathogens.htm

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
913
822
New Crop
899
833


Riceland Foods


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


Futures:
High
Low
Last
Change
Sep '15
898.50
877.00
877.75
-16.50
Nov '15
882.00
864.00
865.00
-12.75
Jan '16
885.50
867.50
868.50
-12.50
Mar '16
885.50
868.50
869.25
-12.00
May '16
888.75
871.50
872.50
-12.00
Jul '16
892.00
875.50
875.75
-12.50
Aug '16
888.00
873.50
874.25
-13.25
Sep '16
873.75
873.75
864.25
-12.25
Nov '16
875.00
860.50
860.75
-11.50

Soybean Comment

Soybeans saw sharp losses today as prices again put in a new low for a close. Soybeans have been hit particularly hard by the turmoil in China and increased competition from international competition. While demand remains robust domestically, the forecast large supplies and weak exports have the market worried about the impact this will have on ending stocks this year. Improving weather conditions are another bearish factor for prices and could push prices below $8.50 should they continue.


Wheat
High
Low
Cash Bids
455
368
New Crop
507
400


Futures:
High
Low
Last
Change
Sep '15
499.75
488.50
489.75
-5.25
Dec '15
504.25
493.00
494.25
-5.25
Mar '16
509.75
499.50
501.00
-4.75
May '16
512.75
503.25
505.25
-4.00
Jul '16
515.50
505.75
508.00
-3.50
Sep '16
523.75
513.75
516.75
-3.75
Dec '16
534.25
527.50
530.50
-4.00
Mar '17
540.00
-4.50
May '17
543.25
-4.50

Wheat Comment

Wheat prices weakened further today. Prices remain under significant pressure from the strong dollar and weak demand. With other commodities seeing weakness there remains little support for wheat to push higher.


Grain Sorghum
High
Low
Cash Bids
367
329
New Crop
367
302



Corn
High
Low
Cash Bids
360
317
New Crop
385
337


Futures:
High
Low
Last
Change
Sep '15
369.00
361.50
361.75
-3.75
Dec '15
380.50
372.75
373.25
-3.75
Mar '16
391.50
383.75
384.25
-3.75
May '16
397.25
390.00
390.75
-3.50
Jul '16
401.25
394.25
395.00
-3.25
Sep '16
394.75
388.50
389.50
-2.25
Dec '16
400.25
394.50
395.50
-1.50
Mar '17
406.25
405.50
406.00
-1.75
May '17
412.50
-1.75

Corn Comment

Corn prices closed lower today as concerns about China and slow exports continue weigh prices down. Improving weather conditions are likely to keep a lid on prices as we approach harvest. Look for prices to remain under pressure until we get a clearer picture of the size of this crop.


Cotton
Futures:
High
Low
Last
Change
Oct '15
63.21
62.31
62.56
-1.2
Dec '15
63.52
62.26
62.51
-0.65
Mar '16
63.19
62.06
62.25
-0.61

Cotton Comment

Cotton futures continued this weeks trend of sharp losses, although losses were less severe today. 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
1139.5
1129.5
1131.0
-3.5
Nov '15
1168.5
1156.0
1160.0
-2.5
Jan '16
1197.0
1186.0
1190.0
-2.5
Mar '16
1215.5
-2.0
May '16
1240.5
-2.0
Jul '16
1244.0
-1.0
Sep '16
1145.0
-1.0

Rice Comment

Rice futures traded in a narrow range before closing a bit lower. Burdensome stocks continue to keep a lid on prices, despite the forecast for a smaller crop in 2015. Monday's low of $11.43 1/2 is providing support for the time being. Additional support can be found at the 50% retracement level of the summer's gains at $11.06.


Cattle
Futures:
Live Cattle:
High
Low
Last
Change
Aug '15
144.675
141.975
143.175
-0.500
Oct '15
142.425
139.650
141.675
-0.025
Dec '15
144.475
141.925
144.100
+0.125
Feb '16
144.275
141.675
143.800
-0.125
Apr '16
143.150
140.525
142.575
-0.325
Jun '16
135.250
133.000
134.800
-0.100
Aug '16
133.500
131.800
133.500
+0.375
Oct '16
135.975
134.325
135.975
+0.625
Dec '16
136.575
135.225
136.575
+1.100
Feeders:
High
Low
Last
Change
Aug '15
211.000
210.150
210.300
-0.600
Sep '15
199.575
196.625
199.450
+0.050
Oct '15
195.925
192.825
195.725
-0.025
Nov '15
193.275
190.200
193.075
-0.475
Jan '16
187.750
185.000
187.700
-0.375
Mar '16
185.875
183.425
185.850
-0.575
Apr '16
184.625
184.200
185.325
-1.550
May '16
185.350
183.350
184.600
-1.325

Cattle Comment

Cattle prices closed lower again today. Slow cash demand and concerns about the impact declines in China will have on demand for beef has over shadowed the improvements in the beef price in recent weeks.


Hogs
Futures:
High
Low
Last
Change
Oct '15
67.825
66.550
67.325
-0.175
Dec '15
63.650
61.825
62.650
-0.825
Feb '16
67.725
66.425
66.850
-0.875
Apr '16
71.525
70.325
70.700
-0.825
May '16
75.600
75.175
75.175
-1.050
Jun '16
79.600
78.300
78.775
-0.850
Jul '16
78.500
77.400
77.600
-0.900
Aug '16
76.300
76.025
76.150
-1.100
Oct '16
66.225
-0.625

Hog Comment



Shell Eggs

National Turkeys

Delmarva Broilers

 

EG rice millers in a hard grind

Rice millers in EG district have pending dues Rs. 100 crore from the Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation and the Kerala State Co-operative Consumers’ Federation.– File PHOTO

The dull export market and the Centre’s new levy policy has delivered a double whammy on the rice mill industry in East Godavari district. Majority of the otherwise busy 450 and odd mills in the district have downed their shutters or on the verge of closure owing to the slump in business.The millers have faced a major setback as dues from the Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco) and the Kerala State Co-operative Consumers’ Federation (Consumerfed) have mounted up to around Rs. 100 crore. With the rotation of money coming to a halt, the millers now are finding it tough to run their units by paying hefty power bills and maintenance charges.The first three months of a financial year is very crucial for the rice exports from the Kakianda Anchorage Port, which contributes to nearly about half of the rice being exported from the port. The export figures for the April, May and June were put at 1.79 lakh metric tonnes, 1.68 lakh metric tonnes and 2.28 lakh metric tonnes respectively. Last fiscal year, as many as 22.01 lakh metric tonnes of rice were exported from the port.
“Slowdown owing to the price fluctuations has taken the sheen off the export market. Our traders are not getting a competitive price due to slump in demand,” observes Dantu Surya Rao, president of the Cocanada Chamber of Commerce.As the flow of produce into the export market is not on the expected lines, the millers have no other options to clear the stocks. “Most of them are not in a position to operate their units owing to recurrent losses. Every year, we export rice to Kerala, especially the ‘Bondalu’ variety. Given the bad debts of the Supplyco and the Consumerfed, we are not in a position to send the stocks to Kerala,” says Ambati Ramakrishna Reddy, president of the East Godavari Rice Millers Association.

Slowdown owing to the price fluctuations has taken the sheen off the export market. Traders are not getting competitive prices due to slump in demand
Dantu Surya Rao,president, Cocanada Chamber of Commerce
www.arfb.com/ag-markets-statistics/report/



Say Goodbye to Gluten!


A Gluten Free diet doesn’t mean you have to compromise on flavour orvariety. In fact, eliminating gluten opens up a colourful world of fresh foodand fibre-rich ingredients, like our nutritious Wholegrain Basmati and Quinoa. Thinking more deeply about your ingredients and what goes into your meals can help you discover the joy of creating a beautiful, healthy, Gluten Free meal from scratch.




Agricultural pricing policy

August 26, 2015
Commodity prices have been falling, led by the precipitous collapse globally in the price of oil from a peak of $120 per barrel to a low of below $40. Oil importing countries have benefited in terms of a lower import bill, a fall in prices of electricity and transport and a decline in the overall rate of inflation in consumer prices. But there is a flip side. As the prices of agricultural commodities have come under pressure farm incomes have been adversely affected. This has been manifested recently by protests by the Pakistan Kissan Ittehad Council in Lahore, demanding measures by the Provincial Government of Punjab to minimise the loss in farm incomes. There is also the risk of a restricted supply response to the fall in prices. 

How much have prices fallen? On a year to year basis, as of July 2015, the wholesale prices of rice, cotton and potatoes have shown declines of 19 percent, 21 percent and 72 percent respectively. The ex-farm prices of wheat and sugarcane have remained relatively stable, due to the presence of a procurement/support price regime in these two products. 
The fundamental question is how should the Government intervene in a period of falling prices of agricultural commodities? One option is to do nothing and to try and preserve the status quo. The argument can be made that markets should play their normal role in determining prices. After all, the overall international primary commodity price index has been showing a healthy upward trend since 2005, with only one dip in 2009. Between 2005 and 2013 the index rose cumulatively by as much as 83 percent.

 The fall since then may be essentially cyclical in nature and prices will recover sooner or later. The perspective from the consumer point of view is that low food prices will provide relief, reverse at least partially the fall in standards of nutrition and augment overall food security in Pakistan. The problem with this view is that lower prices may force farmers to produce less, implying a reduction in the availability of food and agricultural raw materials. This will lead to either a fall in exports or a rise in imports. On top of this supply problem, large farmers have considerable political power and the vast body of small farmers can launch a process of widespread agitation.

This may, for example, lead to disruption of traffic on key highways and temporary suspension in the supply of essential commodities. What have the federal and provincial governments done in the face of falling international prices in 2014? The response has been to only protect the growers of wheat and sugarcane. As mentioned earlier, these are the only two commodities in Pakistan for which procurement/support prices are offered. Despite falling prices, the procurement price of wheat was raised by over 8 percent to Rs 1300 per 40 kgs. In the case of sugarcane, the support price was increased by almost 6 percent. No significant interventions were made in other commodity markets or in prices of agricultural inputs. The enhancement in the procurement price of wheat implied that the Pakistani farmer was promised 30 percent more than the prevailing international price. Clearly, this represented a potentially large welfare transfer from consumers to producers.

 It could only be sustained by the introduction for the first time of a big regulatory duty of 25 percent on the import of wheat. A similar policy had to be followed in the case of sugar to compel sugar factories to pay the higher support price to sugarcane growers. The consequence is that consumer prices of wheat flour (atta) and sugar have remained high in Pakistan. For example, a comparison of retail prices in Lahore versus Delhi reveal that in the latter city the atta price is 20 percent lower, while sugar is cheaper by 35 percent. Therefore in the case of extremely important items in the consumer basket, there has been no transmission of the benefit of lower international prices in Pakistan. Simultaneously, another problem has emerged. It has not been possible to dispose of the exportable surplus of over two million tons of wheat.

The subsidy offered by the federal and provincial governments combined has proved to be inadequate. The result is an accumulation of stocks. Fortunately, relatively large exports of sugar have taken place of over 700,000 tons in 2014-15. In the absence of any interventions, conditions in the markets for other crops have deteriorated. The worst hit are rice, cotton and potato growers. In an effort to maintain the export price of Basmati rice, the quantity exported has fallen by as much as 27 percent. Therefore, stocks of this commodity have also risen. The export prices of other varieties of rice have declined by about 4 percent. The potato price has collapsed in the domestic market. The failure of the 2014 pricing policy clearly demonstrates that a change is required. A more balanced policy of insulating the farmer from low international prices needs to be followed, based on the following two guidelines. First, the support price regime needs to be broadened. In particular, such protection needs to be offered to rice, cotton and vegetable growers. Pakistan, in fact, had a more comprehensive support price system in the 90s. This was abandoned during the Musharraf period, when agriculture was given less priority in relation to other sectors like industry, banking and telecom. India provides the guarantee of minimum support prices to as many as 28 commodities.

Covering more commodities with support prices ought not to prove too costly as prices are generally expected to stabilise by mid-2016. The second guideline is that with the fall in international prices, the support prices be fixed in such manner that there is also some general `cascading` down of prices domestically. This is essential to pass some of the benefit of lower food prices, especially to the poorer segments of the population. Also, too high support prices will necessitate large export subsidies by the government, which may not be financially sustainable. The best way to facilitate lower prices is for input costs in agriculture to be brought down. In particular, the introduction of GST at 17 percent on fertilizer and pesticides in 2010-11 is contributing to squeezing the farmer in the presence of lower output prices. Therefore, to the extent possible, all taxes on agricultural inputs need to be withdrawn.

 The revenue loss will be at least partially compensated for by the reduction in the export subsidy bill. The primary objective should be to confer more benefits to our domestic consumers rather than consumers in foreign markets. In summary, there are important decisions to be taken by Federal and Provincial Governments in the agricultural sector in coming weeks. It is of fundamental importance that there be a balanced consideration of the interests of growers, exporters and consumers. Also, there is need for proper co-ordination of policies among the Federal and Provincial Governments at this time.

The cost sharing formula should be such that the latter pick up the costs of the support price regime while the federal government bears the loss of revenue from agricultural inputs and the cost of export subsidies. This is essential if the agricultural sector is to achieve the target growth rate of almost 4 percent in 2015-16. (The writer is the Managing Director of the Institute for Policy Reforms and a former Federal Minister) 

Scrutinizing Prescience Point's Short Attack On Amira Nature Foods


Aug. 24, 2015 11:25 PM ET  |  About: Amira Nature Foods (ANFI)
Disclosure: I am/we are long ANFI. (More...)

 

Summary

Prescience Point has accused Amira Nature Foods of fraud, and has slapped a $0 price target on the stock.Reviewing the two reports laid out by Prescience, there are questionable aspects which raise doubt as to the quality of the analysis.I believe a fair value on the stock is $7.50-10 until the dust settles on the fraud accusations.Amira Nature Foods Ltd. (NYSE:ANFI) is an international company with origins in India that is engaged in the processing, distribution, and marketing of packaged specialty rice. On the surface, that may sound like an uninteresting stock, but ANFI has been absolutely hammered from $12 to less than $3, before rebounding since the start of August amid fraud allegations led by Prescience Point.

Investors have feared that there may be some truth to this research firm's claims, as the company recently changed auditors for the second time in a couple of years. The value proposition on ANFI is obvious, as the company's price-to-earnings ratio sits at only 2.7 at a $3.75 stock price. Calming investor concerns over the fraud allegations would lead the stock to having 2x-5x upside, as it has turned into a deeply discounted value play. KRBL Limited (KRBL.NS) is the largest player in the Indian rice industry, and currently has a P/E of 11 and P/S of 1.2. As some investors sell their shares at all-time lows out of fear, others such as myself have picked up shares in hopes that the fraud allegations turn out to be baseless or greatly exaggerated.

                            

What do chefs pack for their kids?


Published on Wednesday, 26 August 2015 05:44 - Written by Arthi Subramaniam, Tribune News Service Restaurant chefs are like every other parent when it comes to wanting to give their children specially prepared, tasty and healthy school-box lunches. But they have an advantage because of their professional background and access to a variety of foods, and can almost pull off anything when it comes to pleasing their child’s palate.Here’s how they think outside the box for the back-to-school days.
---
SONJA FINN
Sonja Finn, chef and owner of Dinette in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty, does not favor sugared foods for her 3-year-old son, Miles, but insists on some sort of fruit.What she packs: A pasta with walnut-basil pesto. Sometimes she would pack baked spinach rice, which she makes with basmati rice, onion, spinach and vegetable or chicken stock; or a roasted chicken breast; or some version of a peanut butter sandwich made with no-sugar peanut butter and low-sugar wheat bread. A banana is a must, and so is some sort of a cut-fruit like watermelon, strawberries or apricots. Miles’ favorite is matzo balls made by his nana.

Her prep technique: “I make pesto ahead of time and keep it in the freezer. On Sunday night, I cook a pound of pasta and then add the frozen pesto to the hot pasta. I keep stirring until the pesto melts completely, coating the pasta and at the same time cooling it. That way I don’t need to wait for it to cool to pack it away (waiting isn’t an option anyway since it’s already midnight by the time I get around to making the school lunch). I can immediately pack it into individually covered containers and put it in the fridge, and I’m set for the week.” Frozen walnuts will ensure that the pesto will be green, she says.

What she won’t pack: “No juice boxes and no yogurt shooters.”From Dinette’s menu: Dinette doesn’t have a lunch menu, and so sometimes Miles gets a slice of cheese pizza that was made the night before. “A lot of Miles’ lunches are prepared at Dinette.”Her school lunch: “I didn’t take lunch from home. I did school lunch the whole time.”Changes in lunch-box fare: “The convenience foods and prepackaged foods have gotten worse. There is more sugar, more salt and the sizes have gotten bigger.”

BILL FULLER
Bill Fuller is the corporate chef at Big Burrito. He has an 11 and 14 year old and packs their lunches every day.What he packs: “Either a sandwich, milk (I pack the milk with a small ice pack together in a baggie because my kids hate warm milk), fruit and snack (crackers, chips, etc.) or a thermos of soup or leftovers instead of the sandwich. Occasionally two slices of leftover pizza in place of the thermos of soup/sandwich. If they are sweet, I’ll drop a piece of leftover Halloween candy or some cookies in there.”What he won’t pack: “Nothing that won’t be temperature safe through the course of the day. Not very many sweets. Never soda.”

From Casbah’s menu: “I always sent leftover pastas from Casbah (his restaurant in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside), especially the Ricotta Cavatelli. Both my kids devour that.”His school lunch: “We rarely packed lunches but when we did it was a sandwich, chips/snack, fruit. We usually ate school lunch because my grandmother cooked in the cafeteria. In those days, they actually cooked, so it was my grandmother cooking for us every day in grade school. Also, we got free or reduced lunches throughout school too, and that was hard to pass up.”

His lunch box: I had an “Adam-12” box when I was a little kid. Also a Spider-Man one, I think. I remember the “Adam-12” one best because I hit Eddie Krauch in the face with it once and got in trouble. We were friends, mostly, but got in a fight that day.Changes in the lunch-box fare: Not much in my world. I guess I can afford fresh fruit and my mother couldn’t. A lot of kids bring pre-packaged stuff. My older kid likes to take Ramen noodles occasionally since the middle school cafeteria has a microwave. We never had a microwave!

LING ROBINSON
Ling Robinson, executive chef and owner of Asiatique Thai Bistro in Larimer’s Bakery Square, who has four children and two grandchildren, says it’s important to prepare a different lunch everyday for children as they will remember it. “It’s a gift from childhood that creates special memories of how much their mother or father loved them,” she says.What she will pack: Fresh, healthy, non-processed food.” I always include a protein, fruit and vegetable. I grill chicken or beef or salmon, steam vegetables, thinly slice apples, cut up some carrots, and put it all together in one container with a light dressing using olive oil. For my older boys, who require more calories, I would make a sandwich containing salmon, beef or chicken.”

What she won’t pack: “Chips, soft drinks or prepackaged meats.”From Asiatique’s menu: “I would pack foods such as our Summer Roll, which is quick and easy to make, and contains fresh leaf lettuce, cilantro, mint, avocado, tomato and tapioca skin.” She wraps it with chicken or salmon and rice noodles.Her school lunch: “Growing up in Thailand, I would take rice with mixed vegetables and seafood.” She says she was fortunate because her parents insisted on those foods along with fruit. “All kinds of fruits.”
Her lunch box: “My lunch box was a vertical stack of containers - the bottom one had rice, the middle one had steamed vegetables and the top held fresh fruit. I also carried one metal spoon - no plastic spoons. If you had brothers and sisters at the same school, you also carried their lunches in your lunch box. You just added more containers to your stack. It was usually the older child who had to carry it to school.”

Changes in the lunch-box fare: “Back then, our lunch boxes featured these three different compartments for three food groups. It was easy to open and was safe and secure. Today, everything is taken in Ziploc bags, which are sometimes not so easy for the children to open without spilling on themselves. Also, it’s all about processed fruits and puddings in plastic containers. I do use the safe plastic box containers that are easier to open. My boys and grandchildren would have a hard time carrying the stacked lunch boxes today, so it’s the next best thing.”

Philippines: Government targets 6.5% rice output growth in 2016, says may buy more


 reuters via ABS-CBN News.com   |  Aug 26, 2015
| 

The Philippines aims to increase rice production by as much as 6.5 percent next year after an expected fall in this year’s output, with state spending to boost crop yields helping to offset possible losses from the El Nino dry weather condition, a senior official said on Tuesday.Higher domestic output, however, does not mean the Philippines, one of the world’s biggest rice importers, will not import the grain any more, with the government finalizing plans to buy an additional 250,000 tonnes before the year ends, Francis Pangilinan, the country’s food security chief, told a congressional budget hearing.Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said at the same hearing that the target next year is to harvest as much as 20.09 million tonnes. That compares with the 18.86 million tonnes output that the government statistics agency has projected for this year, below last year’s record harvest of 18.97 million tonnes.

http://ricetoday.irri.org/philippines-government-targets-6-5-rice-output-growth-in-2016-says-may-buy-more/



Ningbo becomes import base for rice from Thailand


distributed by noodls on 26/08/2015 09:32
Ningbo becomes import base for rice from Thailand

2015-08-26 16:50:14
Ningbo citizens will have the opportunity to buy the fresh "Thai rice". On the morning of August 24, a container ship docked at the Daxie Wharf of Ningbo Port of, and a large bridge crane lifted the container full of rice imported from Thailand from the ship to the truck, marking both the overall opening of the "COFCO Express" and the establishment of the import base for farm produce from Southeast Asia.

Based on the four Southeast Asian shipping routes, two from Thailand to China, one from Burma to China, and the other one from Cambodia to China, the "COFCO Express" is able to increase the weekly container volume of the imported rice from 960 cases to 1900 cases.In October 2014, Ningbo Port was approved as one of the first designated rice import ports by the State Bureau of Quality Inspection. After the farm produce are imported, they can be shipped to the markets in East China by land, and can also be shipped to other ports along the Yangtze River by water.According to Hong Qihu, Director of Business Department of China Port Co. Ltd., at first the monthly delivery of the imported rice from Thailand to Ningbo via the "COFCO Express" stands at 3000 tons on average, accounting for over 20% of the Thai rice in Ningbo market. After becoming the new import market for the COFCO, Ningbo will become a more important import crop distribution center in East China.

http://www.noodls.com/view/AC7173D35F3D4824D9CF3B87AF1F5871B463F6B8?7691xxx1440583275#sthash.flEP4pXZ.dpuf


Rice Price in Traditional Markets Skyrocketing

REPORTER : NURITO | TRANSLATED BY : TRIAS RISANGAYU | 08-26-2015 03:52 PM | HITS 209

( Photo : Nurito / Beritajakarta.Com)
Rice price in a number of traditional markets began to rise. The increase in rice prices has occurred since a few days ago.
"
It hikes since last Tuesday. The price had increased from the agent
"
Wisnu (38), a trader in Rawasari Market, Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta acknowledged since last Thursday has increased. For a 10 kilograms of rice packaging sack sold for Rp 160 thousand. In fact, on Monday (8/24) it was Rp 150 thousand.For other brand sold for Rp 100 thousand which previously sold Rp 90 thousand and Rp 120 thousand."It hikes since last Tuesday. The price had increased from the agent," he said, Wednesday (8/26)

Due to the rise, the number of buyers was fairly decreased. Moreover, the stall is only open from 5 AM to 12 PM.  They maximally sold 2 bags of rice, 50 kg size.“I could buy two sacks of rice, but tomorrow it could only 1.5 sacks since the price goes up,” he said.Similar statement was also stated by another rice trader, Slamet (40).“Price hiked since post ied-ul fitr, it hikes gradually. The condition worst by the drop of rate exchange,” he expressed.Separately, Assistant Economy of City Secretary, Mangatas Panjaitan uttered indeed rice price is hiking up in Cipinang Wholesale Rice Market in the third week of August.According to him, price increase due to the amount of spending is higher than revenue despite normal supply with an average of 3,586 tonnes per day.

http://beritajakarta.com/en/read/7104/Rice_Price_in_Traditional_Markets_Skyrocketing#.Vc-7HvlViko





A group of farmers in queues for 3 days unable to sell paddy 
WEDNESDAY, 26 AUGUST 2015 - 8:14
It has been reported to our news team from several areas with regard to the way farmers are inconvenienced as a result of paddy purchase not taking place in a systematic manner.Some farmers told our regional correspondents visiting the relevant locations that they were staying in queues for three days to sell paddy.This situation is widely prevalent in the Matale District.  The farmers said further that paddy sale was further delayed as the Paddy Marketing Board had appointed only one manager for the store.

Our news team inquired about this problem from PMB Chairman M. B. Dissanayake.
The PMB Chairman said that the Paddy Marketing Board did not have enough efficient personnel for handling paddy purchase.He said that however he hoped to carry out paddy purchase in manner not inconveniencing the farmers by using the mobile purchase service.






















(Pix by - Kanchana Ariyadasa)
http://www.hirunews.lk/115493/group-farmers-in-queues-for-3-days-unable-to-sell-paddy

 

Colombians flee Venezuela after mass deportations

Colombians have begun fleeing their homes in Venezuela, rather than risk deportation. The exodus comes as Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro vowed to extend a crackdown on illegal migrants living along the border.
Hundreds of Colombians left Venezuela Tuesday, fleeing the country with their belongings instead of risking being deported empty-handed like more than 1,000 people sent home in the last week in agrowing border crisis."We left at 3:00 am (0800 UTC) in the clothes we were wearing. We wanted to come back before they deported us," said Rosana Morena, a 25-year-old Colombian who fled Venezuela with her two children.

Colombians waded through the waist-deep water of the river that forms the border with Venezuela, carting refrigerators or mattresses on their backs as they made the trek back to their home country.Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro closed the border between Tachira and the Colombian department of Norte de Santander last week in response to an attack by unknown assailants on an anti-smuggling military patrol. A civilian and three soldiers were wounded in the attack.Maduro has sought to combat the rampant smuggling of heavily subsidized food and other goods out of Venezuela. He initially ordered the border closed for 72 hours, but later extended it indefinitely after accusing Colombia of waging "an attack on Venezuela's economy."
Venezuela has deported more than a thousand people in the last week amid a smuggling crackdown, convincing many more to leave on their own accord.

Venezuela has long taken advantage of its oil wealth to subsidize goods such as rice and toilet paper, making them up to 10 times cheaper than in Colombia. But now the country is in the midst of shortages, exacerbated by falling oil prices.The Venezuelan government launched mass deportations of Colombians shortly after closing the border, drawing scathing criticism from Colombian Interior Minister Juan Fernanda Cristo, who decried the deportations as "a humanitarian tragedy."The majority of the deportees were sent home for lacking documents, without their families or their belongings. Some 600 of them are currently being housed in shelters, while 400 are staying with relatives, according to officials.

Another 400 to 700 people have crossed the border into Colombia to avoid deportation, Colombian police said.Many of those fleeing have accused Venezuelan soldiers of robbing their belongings and ordering them to leave their homes within a matter of hours.The Colombian and Venezuelan foreign ministers are scheduled to meet Wednesday in the Colombian city of Cartagena to discuss the crisis.
bw/lw (AP, AFP)

DW RECOMMENDS

Colombia complains of mass deportations from Venezuela

Colombia calls on Venezuela to re-open border after anti-smuggling military patrol attack


http://www.dw.com/en/colombians-flee-venezuela-after-mass-deportations/a-18672312



Venezuela’s Food Shortages Trigger Long Lines, Hunger and Looting

Violent clashes flare in pockets of the country as citizens wait for hours for basics, such as milk and rice

1 of 10fullscreen
A National Guard soldier leads detainees accused of illegally selling contraband state-controlled food goods in Maracaibo on Aug. 13. MIGUEL GUTIÉRREZ FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Shoppers wait in a long line to enter the "Latino Supermarket" in the Dr. Portillo area of Maracaibo, Venezuela, on Aug. 12.MIGUEL GUTIÉRREZ FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
By MAOLIS CASTRO and

KEJAL VYAS
Aug. 26, 2015 5:30 a.m. ET
LA SIBUCARA, Venezuela—Hours after they looted and set fire to a National Guard command post in this sun-baked corner of Venezuela earlier this month, a mob infuriated by worsening food shortages rammed trucks into the smoldering edifice, reducing it mostly to rubble.The incident was just one of numerous violent clashes that have flared in pockets around the country in recent weeks as Venezuelans wait for hours in long supermarket lines for basics like milk and rice. Shortages have made hunger a palpable concern for many Wayuu Indians who live here at the northern tip of Venezuela’s 1,300-mile border with Colombia.
We are going very hungry here and the children are suffering a lot.
—María Palma, 55, of La Sibucara

The soldiers had been deployed to stem rampant food smuggling and price speculation, which President Nicolás Maduro blames for triple-digit inflation and scarcity. But after they seize contraband goods, the troops themselves often become targets of increasingly desperate people.
“What’s certain is that we are going very hungry here and the children are suffering a lot,” said María Palma, a 55-year-old grandmother who on a recent blistering hot day had been standing in line at the grocery store since 3 a.m. before walking away empty-handed at midday.In a national survey, the pollster Consultores 21 found 30% of Venezuelans eating two or fewer meals a day during the second quarter of this year, up from 20% in the first quarter. Around 70% of people in the study also said they had stopped buying some basic food item because it had become unavailable or too expensive.

If people aren’t outside protesting, they’re outside standing in line for goods.
—Marco Ponce, head of the Venezuela Observatory of Social Conflict
Food-supply problems in Venezuela underscore the increasingly precarious situation for Mr. Maduro’s socialist government, which according to the latest poll by Datanálisis is preferred by less than 20% of voters ahead of Dec. 6 parliamentary elections. The critical situation threatens to plunge South America’s largest oil exporter into a wave of civil unrest reminiscent of last year’s nationwide demonstrations seeking Mr. Maduro’s ouster.“It’s a national crisis,” said Marco Ponce, head of the Venezuela Observatory of Social Conflict, noting that unlike the political protests of last year, residents are now taking to the streets demanding social rights.

The nonprofit group recorded 500 protests over food shortages during the first half of 2015, 56 looting incidents and dozens of attempted lootings at grocery stores, pharmacies and warehouses. Even delivery trucks are frequently targeted. “If people aren’t outside protesting, they’re outside standing in line for goods,” Mr. Ponce said.The unrest is a response to dramatically worsening living conditions for Venezuelans as the economy reels from oil’s slump following more than a decade of populist spending that left the government broke.

They’re committing treason against our country, taking food and crossing the border.
—National Guard Gen. Manuel Graterol

In past years, when oil prices were high, Venezuela’s leftist government flooded markets with subsidized goods ranging from cooking oil to diapers. It gave citizens in border towns like La Sibucara not only access to cheap supplies, but also a source of income as many people trafficked products—including nearly free gasoline—to neighboring Colombia, drawing handsome profits.With the government now struggling to pay for imports, there is less inventory to go around. In recent days, Mr. Maduro upped the ante by ordering troops along the border to seize contraband, deporting hundreds of Colombians whom the government blames for smuggling and shortages.

Armed soldiers monitor supermarkets as part of an effort the president calls “Operation People’s Liberation.” More than 6,000 alleged smugglers have been arrested this year, according to the attorney general’s office. Images of soldiers posing with handcuffed suspects and stacks of decommissioned goods are splashed on state media.“We’re going to get to the root of the problem,” Mr. Maduro said in a national address last week after a shootout with smugglers in the frontier state of Táchira left three National Guard troops injured and pushed Venezuela to shut key border crossings.

The smugglers targeted by the government crackdown are called bachaqueros, named after a leaf-cutter ant that can carry many times its weight. The word, first used here in the northwestern state of Zulia, has become part of daily national parlance as a label for Venezuelans who buy price-controlled goods and resell them for profit on the black market.While the government blames the shortages on bachaqueros, economists say they are the consequence of price controls and a broken economic model that has left average Venezuelans with diminishing employment options.“The people that used to give us work—the private companies, the rich—have all gone,” said Ms. Palma in La Sibucara, adding that she also occasionally traffics goods to get by. “It’s not the greatest business but we don’t have work and we have to find a way to eat.”
Earlier this month, Venezuela’s military raided homes and warehouse around the town, seizing tons of allegedly hoarded goods that were destined to leave Venezuela or be resold on the black market for well above the state-set price.Lisandro Uriana, who had a black eye and a bandaged leg, said he and two friends were badly beaten up when a neighbor’s house was raided. “They didn’t say or ask us anything,” recalled the 46-year-old Wayuu father of four, who lives in a tin-roofed house of two rooms. “They just beat us and we couldn’t defend ourselves because they were armed and were many. I don’t even smuggle…and now I can’t even get up to work.”

The day of the raids, neighbors said residents pleaded with troops at the National Guard command post to distribute seized food to non-smugglers but were turned away. An angry mob soon formed, sending soldiers fleeing before they attacked the office and even stripped it of scrap metal.
We are very peaceful people, but what happened was an act of desperation. I think this is going to get worse.
—Street vendor Robert Guzmán

“These are just some isolated cases,” Manuel Graterol, a National Guard general overseeing operations in La Sibucara on a recent day, said, blaming the unrest and the bachaquerophenomenon on opponents of Mr. Maduro’s government.“Many of them are being shameless,” said Gen. Graterol. “They’re committing treason against our country, taking food and crossing the border.”

But such food fights have broken out in numerous small municipalities around the state of Zulia. In the nearby town of Sinamaica, the ground floor of the mayor’s office was set on fire in early August following a wave of unrest that included gangs looting delivery trucks. The unrest, locals said, began after police detained a truck loaded with rice.Street vendor Robert Guzmán, wearing a red pro-government T-shirt, said the sacking was justified. “We are very peaceful people,” Mr. Guzmán said of his Wayuu community, “but what happened was an act of desperation. I think this is going to get worse.”

Resident Yusleidy Márquez said she too fears the worst. The basket of subsidized food the government gives her mother every 15 days only feeds her family for two days. Lately, she only eats a cornmeal patty for lunch because she can’t afford more.“I think we’re going to die of hunger,” she said.
Write to Kejal Vyas at kejal.vyas@wsj.com

http://www.wsj.com/articles/venezuelas-food-shortages-trigger-long-lines-hunger-and-looting-1440581400



Cuba Suffers Through The Worst Drought Of ‘The Last Century’

More than 1 million residents in the Caribbean country are now relying on trucked-in water to survive.

Dominique MosbergenSenior Writer, The Huffington Post

Posted: 08/26/2015 01:36 AM EDT | Edited: 08/26/2015 08:49 AM EDT
YAMIL LAGE VIA GETTY IMAGES
A man fills bottles with water in the Consolacion del Sur neighborhood in the Pinar del Rio province, Cuba on August 19, 2015.With the year-long drought in Cuba forecast to worsen in the coming months, some residents are harboring what may seem like an unusual hope.“It is hard to believe, but many of us are hoping for a hurricane,” Nuris Lopez, a hairdresser in Granma province, told Reuters earlier this month. “I might lose my roof, but at least I could clean my house.”Lopez is one of more than 1 million people in Cuba who are currently relying on trucked-in water to survive. Reuters says one in 10 residents in the Caribbean country have been depending on government tank trucks to make do during a record hot summer.

Last Monday, Cuba reportedly put its civil defense system on alert due the continuing drought that has already depleted the country's reservoirs and destroyed thousands of acres of crops including coffee, rice, sugar cane and tobacco.  “Reservoirs are well below capacity and underground water sources are falling as compared to previous months,” the civil defense system stated.Cuban journalist Elaine Diaz wrote Wednesday that the drought, which has been caused by the weather phenomenon known as El Nino, was the worst to hit the Caribbean country “in the last century.”With the rainy season expected to bring lower-than-average rainfall this year, experts say the drought will likely worsen in the coming months. The Cuban government said emergency measures are already being “taken at all levels, including stricter rationing of water through the state-run waterworks,” per Reuters.  
YAMIL LAGE VIA GETTY IMAGES
A man fills a drum with water in the Consolacion del Sur neighborhood in the Pinar del Rio province, Cuba on August 19, 2015.El Nino, a warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean that affects global weather patterns, has caused terrible drought conditions across the Caribbean this year.  
“California gets all the attention but in the Caribbean the situation is worse because large-scale water transport is not possible at all,” Toby Ault, a professor in Cornell University’s earth and atmospheric sciences department, told Bloomberg in July. 

In Puerto Rico, more than 1.5 million people have been affected by drought while in some areas of the Dominican Republic, people have reportedly gone weeks without “any liquid in the pipes.”  
In June, Norman Gibson, scientific officer at the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute, told The Associated Press that the region's farm sector had already lost more than $1 million in crops and tens of thousands of dollars in livestock due to the dry spell. “The outlook is very, very bad,” Anthony Herman, who oversees a local farm cooperative in St. Lucia, told the AP. “The trees are dying, the plants are dying ... It's stripping the very life of rivers.”


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cuba-drought_55dd3e28e4b08cd3359ddfef



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