Tuesday, September 29, 2015

28th September,2015 Daily global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

News Headlines...
o   Depressed price of new rice crop
o   Exports suffer as Sacramento Valley rice crop takes hit in drought
o   Rice millers refuse to procure paddy
o   Texas Rice Festival celebrates farming culture in Southeast Texas
o   Farm-to-Fork Festival draws 50,000
o   El Niño takes toll on US rice farmers – and points to even higher prices
o   In praise of a high-protein whole grain you probably haven’t eaten lately
o   Exports to Peru Continue to Skyrocket  
o   National Rice Month Promotional Item of the Week   
o   Crop Progress:   2015 Crop 69 Percent Harvested
o   CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
o   State's rice harvest down from '14 Midway into season, up to 10% decline expected for year
o   Paddy procurement faces rough weather
o   Indonesia has adequate rice stock: President
o   Rice exports face difficulties
o   Gov`t to Conduct Market Operation to Reduce Rice Prices
o   Water resources, eroding land need saving
o   Vietnamese farmers suffer from price fall
o   Low-Carb… Carbs? How to Hack Your Rice With Coconut Oil
o   Pollution agency plans to stick with draft sulfate standards for wild rice
o   Billion Dollar Green Campaigns Kill Poor Children
o   Rice exports forecast to reach 6 million ton this year
o   Rice exporters blame state, Centre for basmati growers' plight
o   Turning opera inside out: how I got Lost in Thought
o   APEDA COMMODITY NEWS FROM INDIA
o   Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report

News Detail....

Depressed price of new rice crop


BARRING minor issues of some seasonal diseases, the FY15 paddy crop in Sindh is said to be bumper and healthy. The paddy producers’ only worry is the low price of the commodity in the market at a time when their cost of production is attaining new highs.The Sindh-based growers do not pin much hope on the recently announced Rs341bn package for farmers. The province’s current paddy crop is estimated at 724,000 hectares, according to agriculture department reports. The Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA) had proposed a target of 781,000 hectares for the province.The price for coarse paddy variety has dropped as exports are falling. Paddy producers are being offered a price of Rs750 per 40kg — or the rate prevalent in the year 2008. The growers believe that the government is neither willing to announce a support price nor is it ready to procure rice from millers at a fair price so that they could get a better deal from the rice millers.

The price for coarse paddy variety in Sindh has dropped as exports are falling


A paddy producer in upper Sindh, Gadda Hussain Mahesar, says the farmers’ cost of production varies between Rs35,000-40,000 per acre. Given the market rate of Rs750 per 40kg, they are getting a raw deal. The Rs5,000 per acre subsidy announced in the relief package for each paddy grower in Sindh and Punjab is a joke, he adds.Pakistan’s rice exports have been declining, says Sindh Abadgar Board’s Abdul Majeed Nizamani. China has stopped importing the coarse variety that is mainly grown in Sindh due to its own crop surplus.While he realises that the global surplus has affected international prices of the crop, “we contend that regional countries have not left their farmers in the lurch. Instead, they are procuring the crop from their growers at prices fixed by their governments to save their farmers from incurring losses”.

Sindh Chamber of Agriculture General Secretary Nabi Bux Sathio points out that the paddy crop has started to reach the market when the earlier harvest is fetching better prices. But this time, it is not more than Rs700 per 40kg or so. Last year, the earlier crop had fetched Rs1,000 before dropping significantly when the fresh crop had arrived in the market.He believes that the government doesn’t plan the crop’s size and that if paddy is sown as per properly assessed foreign and domestic consumption requirements, the rice market will become more competitive locally and the farmers will be the ultimate beneficiaries.

The farmers have already invested much on their crop by using the required doses of fertiliser and incurring fuel expenses for tube-wells to water their fields in areas where the groundwater is sweet and irrigation water flows inadequate.The paddy crop is grown in the non-perennial canals’ command areas of Guddu and Sukkur barrages. Farmers in these areas have no option but to grow paddy. And while they have tried to grow cotton in some elevated land pockets, the crop is usually sown in early kharif, when irrigation water supply is not enough in Sindh. Same is the case with the Kotri Barrage’s command area, where paddy is being cultivated.As an alternative to rice, many landowners have tried to grow sugarcane. But they face supply and price problems in dealing with sugar mills, and the government does not safeguard their legitimate interests. They are left with no choice but to sow paddy.

Published in Dawn, Business & Finance weekly, September 28th, 2015

Exports suffer as Sacramento Valley rice crop takes hit in drought

Arkansas grabs overseas rice markets from California
International shift is likely temporary, but doubts emerge
Rice harvest coming in 30 percent smaller than normal
Sacramento Valley's rice harvest is 30 percent smaller than usual. Exports are hurting. Dale Kasler The Sacramento Bee
BY DALE KASLER
KNIGHTS LANDING 
It’s harvest time in Sacramento Valley rice country, and like a lot of farmers in the state, rice grower Fritz Durst loves the idea that California agriculture helps feed the world.It’s more than an idle boast. Traditionally, nearly half of the state’s agricultural output is shipped each year to international destinations, from Mexico to the Middle East, yielding $20 billion annually in sales.This year is shaping up differently, however. A fourth debilitating year of drought has put California’s role in the global food chain to a test. Some commodities are coming up short, and exports are beginning to suffer.Anxiety about the shift runs high in the Sacramento Valley. The rice crop is likely to run at least 30 percent smaller than normal because of water shortages.

As a result, Northern California growers have lost customers in traditionally strong markets in the Mediterranean and Middle East.Rice grown in Arkansas and other Southern states has filled much of the void, along with rice from Europe and Australia. It’s likely just a temporary shift. But after back-to-back years of weak crops, some Sacramento Valley growers are starting to worry about their long-term international prospects even if El Niño packs a serious punch this winter, as some forecasters predict.“I’m concerned because once you lose a market ... people get accustomed to someone else’s product,” said Durst, a fifth-generation Knights Landing farmer, as he trudged through one of his fallowed fields.

Durst, who grows rice and other commodities in Yolo and Colusa counties, planted just 300 acres of rice this year, half the normal amount.Many trade experts say California should be able to recapture the lost overseas markets once the drought ends, water supplies improve and the rice crop bounces back. acramento Valley rice, widely found in sushi restaurants, is considered superior in quality to what’s grown in the South. Even California’s competitors say so.“We’re not a threat to California,” said Bobby Coats, a farm economist and trade expert at the University of Arkansas. “Any market share we gain from California will not be sustained in the future, end of story, until we come up with a better product.

”Nevertheless, some doubts have crept in among California rice exporters. Along with the effects of the drought, they’re also getting clobbered by the strength of the dollar, which makes U.S. goods more expensive overseas. Southern farmers obviously have to deal with a strong dollar, too, but they have lower growing costs and can sell their rice for about one-third less than their California counterparts.Eager to capitalize on California’s drought, Southern farmers last year doubled their production of medium-grain rice, the variety that’s often exported. Figures for this year aren’t yet available, but it’s clear the Southern growers are making inroads in countries such as Lebanon, Turkey, Libya and Jordan.“Those countries will take Southern rice if the California rice is not available,” said Nathan Childs, a U.S. Department of Agriculture economist. “This movement was caused by the drought.

It was not a change in preference caused by taste.”One boon for California is that sales to the major export markets, Japan and South Korea, have remained intact, said Kirk Messick, senior vice president at Farmers’ Rice Cooperative, a Sacramento-based marketing company. Messick said he thinks the other customers eventually will return.For now, though, Messick said the loss of business in the Middle East and Mediterranean have hurt. Overall exports have fallen by more than 20 percent in the past year, and the prospects for this year’s stunted crop aren’t terrific.“We’re going to lose demand,” Messick said. “We could lose domestic markets as well.”The concerns aren’t limited to the rice business. The supply of almonds, one of the most important commodities grown in California, is expected to shrink by 4 percent. “We’ll just have to see how we can best satisfy that demand as the year progresses with a smaller crop,” said Julie Adams, a vice president of the Almond Board of California, in an email. California growers sold $4.2 billion worth of almonds overseas in 2013, more than any other commodity. More recent figures weren’t available.

Pistachio production seems to have been hurt by the drought as well, although it’s too soon to say how big the crop will be and what impact that will have on sales to China and other key markets. “With the high demand that has been in place for pistachios around the world, we could sell much more than what we have,” said Richard Matoian, executive director of American Pistachio Growers, a trade group based in Fresno.Jock O’Connell, a Sacramento economist and trade consultant, said international food processors and importers are growing restless about California’s weather patterns and water supplies, and are exploring alternatives.“Guys overseas are pretty shrewd,” said O’Connell, who analyzes international trade trends for Beacon Economics of Los Angeles. “They’re looking around and saying, ‘How reliable will California growers be,’ and they have plenty of reason to be skeptical.

“There’s a lot of talk in the ag sector about the danger of (California farmers) becoming unreliable suppliers,” he added. “There’s a chance it will open up opportunities for growers in other regions of the U.S., and other countries.”The California Department of Food and Agriculture says California exported $704 million worth of rice in 2013, the last year for which figures are available. That year, some 560,000 acres were harvested, a fairly typical season. This year, the harvest will encompass only 375,000 acres, according to the California Rice Commission. Export sales are sure to fall.Ordinarily this is Durst’s favorite season, the two-week sprint to bring in the rice crop. “It’s like watching your child graduate from college,” he said. “It’s what you work for.”This year, with only half his rice fields planted, the experience is bittersweet.

The sharp cutbacks have as much to do with the timing of water deliveries from the state’s government-run plumbing network as they do with the total supply of water. Compared with areas south of the Delta, water is actually fairly plentiful in the Sacramento Valley. But this spring, regulators kept more water than usual in storage at Lake Shasta, as part of a complicated effort to keep water temperatures lower in the reservoir to assist winter-run Chinook salmon. That meant much of the water didn’t arrive in time for spring planting.“We couldn’t get our water deliveries when we needed them,” Durst said.It was hardly a financial loss for most farmers. Though they couldn’t plant their full crops, many in the Sacramento Valley were able to sell much of the water that did arrive. A deal with the San Luis Delta-Mendota Water Authority, a large agricultural agency in the parched San Joaquin Valley, generated plenty of revenue: more than $600 per acre-foot of water.

Durst, one of those who participated in the sale, said he’ll probably make more money from that transaction than he would producing rice. But he called water sales a “Band-Aid” and not a permanent fix for the Sacramento Valley’s water problems.“My business is to grow rice,” Durst said, adding that the massive fallowing has hurt the regional economy. “Some of the rice warehouses are struggling because they don’t have enough inventory. The trickle-down effect is going to be felt here.”The impact is global. California rice farmers have spent decades pushing to get their products sold overseas, with considerable success.

While California generates only a quarter of U.S. rice production, until recently it has been responsible for a third of the exports. A big part of the story is a 1993 trade agreement known as the Uruguay Round, which opened doors in Japan and South Korea. All told, anywhere from 55 percent to 65 percent of the California rice crop is exported, Messick said.Now, the industry worries about backsliding.“You work very hard to gain markets and it takes a long time to gain those markets back,” said Tim Johnson, president of the rice commission. “Next year is far from certain, even if we have a normal planting year.”

Dale Kasler: 916-321-1066, @dakasler
TOP EXPORT MARKETS
The leading international customers of California rice, in 2013:
1. Japan
2. South Korea
3. Jordan
4. Turkey
5. Canada
6. Taiwan
Source: California Department of Food and Agriculture

http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article36705894.html#storylink=cpy

Rice millers refuse to procure paddy

Manvir Saini  
CHANDIGARH: Paddy procurement plans of Haryana government hit the roadblock on Monday as rice millers refused to buy produce of farmers from the grain markets even as the state announced purchase three days back. The situation may turn worse as a series of meeting between office-bearers of Haryana Rice Millers Association and the government, represented by additional chief secretary (food and supplies) S S Parsad, failed on Monday.On the other hand, upset over non-starting of paddy procurement, farmers staged an agitation and threatened to block rail tracks and major national highway in case the government failed to start the process.
"We have been able to resume to the procurement in Ambala and some other places. We are also in touch with the rice exporters association as well. At the same time we are hopeful about millers starting the procurement. We are quite positive about future," said ACS Parsad.Rice millers' association president Hans Raj confirmed the failure of talks with the state government. He ruled out possibility of starting procurement until their demands were accepted."Government has been deducting money on account of damage to rice. Besides this, millers are forced to bear the brunt of irrational tax liabilities and electricity charges. The new procurement policy is full of errors. Let the old policy prevail. We won't procure even a single grain until our demands are fulfilled," Hans Raj said.Ambala, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar and Fatehabad and some parts of Yamunanagar are among the paddy growing areas of Haryana.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Rice-millers-refuse-to-procure-paddy/articleshow/49147719.cms

Texas Rice Festival celebrates farming culture in Southeast Texas

By Michelle Heath

Updated 11:04 am, Monday, September 28, 2015

Photo: File Photo
Two rice farmers work on changing the cutting blades of a mower at their farm.
SOUTHEAST TEXAS TALES

Before refineries riddled the Southeast Texas landscape, settlers came to the coastal area with a simple lifestyle in mind: rice farming.Even as the number of rice farmers in the area dwindles, locals still come together at the Texas Rice Festival in Winnie every year to celebrate the industry that helped the Southeast Texas economy thrive in the late 1800s and early 1900s.The 1960s trade embargo with Cuba caused local rice farms to decline. There were about 300 rice farmers before the embargo, and today there are only about 40, according to previous Enterprise reporting.

But the culture the industry created, it seems, won't easily go away.The Texas Rice Festival, created in 1968, is in its 47th year and kicks of Wednesday in Winnie.Rice farming started more than a century before, around the 1850s, and the rice was mostly planted by hand, according to the Texas Historical Association.
The first major rice farmer in the area, David French, sowed his first seeds by hand using an oxen to plow.French's daughter was tasked with keeping the birds away from the short rows of maturing rice.The rice was milled from its husk using a wooden mortar and pestle, which was unable to get the white glistening rice familiar to consumers today.
Make sure and try some of Johnny O's Famous fresh squeezed Lemonade at the 43rd annual Rice Festival which kicked off on Wednesday, October, 3, 2012 at the Winnie-Stoell Park. Photo taken: Randy Edwards/The Enterprise

The 43rd annual Rice Festival kicked off on Wednesday, October, 3, 2012 at the Winnie-Stoell Park. Photo taken: Randy Edwards/The EnterpriseFrench's first yields were only enough for his family. Any extra was used for chicken feed.Commercial production of rice picked up in Texas after the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1883 and the establishment of a rice irrigation and canal system, which led to the formation of the Lower Neches Valley Authority.The family farms that were once passed down from one generation to the next aren't seeing the same excitement from young people today or even the youths going away to college in the 1990s, according to Enterprise archives.

Since the late '90s, rice farmers still haven't had it easy. The threat of the drought in 2012 caused many to worry where they'd get their water from when the Lower Colorado River Authority announced it would not provide water for Texas farmers.Fortunately, Lower Neches Valley Authority sold the water to local rice farmers.Local rice industry representatives believe that lifting the embargo with Cuba might encourage some to get back into Southeast Texas rice farming, according to Enterprise archives.But even if the industry completely fades from the region's economy, the Texas Rice Festival is one way Southeast Texas will keep the rice farming culture alive.Read the complete story in the Beaumont Enterprise.Southeast Texas Tales is a weekly feature that examines regional history.
MHeath@BeaumontEnterprise.com 
Twitter.com/mheath31

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Texas-Rice-Festival-celebrates-farming-culture-in-6534817.php

Farm-to-Fork Festival draws 50,000


Attendees pack Capitol Mall on Saturday for celebration
Chance to meet farmers, taste produce is part of the attraction
Focus on agriculture and eating local continues to resonate with city dwellers

Sacramento's third annual Farm-to-Fork Festival on Sept. 26, 2015, featured lots of appetizing give-aways. Debbie Arrington The Sacramento Bee
BY DEBBIE ARRINGTON

Sacramento turned out in strength for Saturday’s free taste of farm-to-fork fun.
An estimated 50,000 patrons – 15,000 more than last year – strolled Capitol Mall during the third annual Farm-to-Fork Festival, the largest event during the city’s three-week food-centric celebration.“When we opened the gates at 11 a.m., it looked like midday last year,” said Steve Hammond, CEO of the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau, which coordinates the event. “It was so crowded. I thought people were just trying to beat the afternoon heat, but the crowd was just as strong all afternoon.

”Armed with sunscreen and comfortable shoes, festivalgoers browsed hundreds of displays, tasting locally grown products and collecting samples. In addition to a fleet of food trucks, they found dozens of booths featuring familiar restaurants offering special festival menu items.At stages set up in the grassy median, chefs demonstrated recipes and talked about healthy eating. Patrons stopped to sample locally brewed beer made from locally grown hops.“It’s a beautiful experience,” said Dean Peckham, a partner in United Hops, a Yuba City hop farm that supplies several local brewers. “The turnout for this event keeps growing exponentially. It’s really energizing. A lot of people are interested in the farm-to-fork or, as we put it, farm-to-glass movement.”At UC Davis’ booth, Kelly Kong and Nancy Zheng made olive-branch wreaths decorated with chive, oregano and yarrow blossoms for visitors to wear.“All of this was grown at our student farm,” Kong said.

“This is a really great event. I’m surprised by how many people are here.”Added Zheng: “A lot of people don’t think about where their food comes from. This is a simple way to show that connection.”That connection is key, said Jim Morris of the California Rice Commission, which brought out a huge combine along with rice-related giveaways such as bamboo serving paddles. “Of the rice California produces, 97 percent is grown in the Sacramento Valley, yet locally, most people don’t know that.”Part of the fest’s appeal was meeting farmers face to face and learning about their crops.“People want to eat healthy and support local farms,” said Citrus Heights’ Bal Bains, who was attending the fest for the first time with her husband, Randy. “It’s great to meet the farmers and see their fresh produce.

”“We love all the vegetables and fruit,” Randy Bains said. “We wanted to see what this was all about, and it’s pretty nice.”A first-time fest vendor, Jordan Henry of Roseville’s Fresh Way Fish, was busy selling steelhead trout fillets at his farmers market booth.“I just love the variety of vendors – everybody is here!” Henry said. “It makes it a pretty awesome event.”Sacramento’s branding as “America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital” is taking hold, said attendees and participants.“We’re very much into the farm-to-fork experience,” said Sacramento resident Tony Panariello, another festival first-timer, who attended with wife Cheryl. “When you think about it, we’re in the middle of all this agriculture. It makes sense.”Sunday evening’s $175-a-plate bridge dinner gala wraps up Sacramento’s farm-to-fork festivities, which started with the inaugural California Craft Beer Summit on Sept. 11.

Other events included Restaurant Weeks, with local eateries serving special locally sourced menus, and Legends of Wine, with area winemakers toasted on the steps of the Capitol.Meanwhile, F2F Fest has quintupled in size in three years. The first fest in 2013 drew about 10,000 people.“We’re very encouraged by the attendance,” Hammond said. “Several vendors have already asked me about getting additional space next year. No question, we’ll have to expand further up the mall, not only to accommodate the vendors, but all the people. We couldn’t have dreamed by year three that we would have this sort of support. ... The community has embraced (farm-to-fork) because it’s genuine.”
Debbie Arrington: 916-321-1075, @debarrington
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article36731439.html
El Niño takes toll on US rice farmers – and points to even higher prices
Weather has caused planting delays in the southern states and while the price hike is limited to the US, experts wonder if parts of Asia will be next
 El Niño made its mark in south-east Asia, too, causing harvest shortfalls because of weather extremes such as floods in Burma and droughts in Thailand. Photograph: Luong Thai Linh/EPA
Blame El Niño. The weather phenomenon is causing havoc for US rice farmers and a sharp price spike in the world’s most important staple food may foreshadow possibly higher prices in Asia in the coming months.While other commodities have hit recent lows, US rice futures prices are up nearly 40%, to about $12.90 per hundredweight, their highest level since August 2014.

In sharp contrast, soybean and cotton prices are at their lowest level since early 2009, while sugar prices are just off their lowest levels since 2008. And matters are likely to get worse.The latest El Niño pattern is cheering some in drought-ridden California where it promises some much needed rain and snow. But it caused planting delays this spring in the Mississippi Delta – Arkansas, Missisissipi and Louisiana – and Texas, the main US rice-growing regions. During the growing season, perpetually cloudy days and warm nights, caused by another weather system, created the worst conditions for rice production, said Shawn Hackett, president of Hackett Financial Advisors, an agricultural advisory firm. He noted harvests in Arkansas and Texas are likely to be about 15 to 20% below average.

 “The crop is an unmitigated disaster,” he said.So far the price rally is limited to US rice prices, as Asian prices are still reflecting a large overhang in supplies, largely because of the former Thai government stockpiling rice – as much as a three-year supply, said Jack Scoville, vice-president at Price Futures Group, under a vote-buying scheme. All that rice caused prices to crater, so in the past few years farmers haven’t planted as much. Demand, though hasn’t changed, and a lot of the stocks that were built up are quickly vanishing.And El Niño made its mark in south-east Asia, too, causing harvest shortfalls because of weather extremes such as floods in Burma and droughts in Thailand. Earlier this month the US Department of Agriculture reduced its forecast for global rice production because of lower harvests in several key countries. This is the first year-to-year decrease in global rice production since 2009-10, they said.

The world is quickly eating through big supplies created in the past few years. USDA’s forecast for the 2015-16 growing season estimates globally there will be 90.85m tonnes (metric tons) of rice available after accounting for supply and demand. While that seems plentiful, it’s down from 101.8m tonnes last year and 107.4m tonnes the year before. Bill Nelson, senior economist at Doane Advisory Service, said the average global inventory over the past 25 to 30 years is typically 100m tonnes or more, and that the last time the world had such small reserves was in 2007, when prices eventually hit record highs.El Niño is expected to strengthen and peak later this year, but the impact of the weather anomaly could still be felt for four or five months afterward, possibly as late as early February, said Dale Molher, expert senior meteorologist at Accuweather.com.

That could spell trouble for farmers in south-east Asian countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia who will face these ongoing dry conditions as they prepare to plant again soon. Because of less rain earlier in the year, reservoir levels are down, meaning less water to irrigate crops, Hackett said. As it is, the Thai government is restricting how much farmers can plant because of the drought.The low Asian rice prices may not last as the combination of this summer’s harvest shortfalls, farmers possibly planting less and forecasts for detrimental weather will have future ramifications.“El Niño is still going to be a major force as we move forward. Most of the effects are really yet to come. Production will be impacted, but no one knows how much,” Scoville said.
Currently, the price for high-quality Thai rice, a global benchmark, is around $350 a tonne. Comparatively, the US price, calculated in tonne, is $550. Normally US and Thai prices have only about a $60 to $70 difference, Hackett said.Hackett and Scoville said there are signs Asian buyers are concerned about future supply which may boost prices there. The Philippines is importing rice because of harvest shortfalls, and Indonesia may import rice for the same reason, they said. In August, Burma put an export ban in place because of low supplies.“So far the Asian price has been stable to weak because of the Thai [situation] and India had a pretty good crop. But I think the worm is going to turn over there … sooner than later,” Scoville said, who said prices could start to move by the end of the year.Hackett said Thai prices could rise to $500 or $600 a tonne, perhaps by spring.

It is important to keep an eye out on rice prices because rice is one of the three main cereal crops, along with wheat and corn. Those three crops make up two-thirds of what the world eats, according to the FAO. How much of an impact rising rice prices will have on consumers is unknown. Luckily for eaters, no one is forecasting a return to the sharply higher price seen in 2007 and 2008 when riots broke out over record high rice prices. Back then, supplies of all staple food crops such as rice, wheat and corn were low and prices high, so there was no alternative for buyers.But we’re not likely to see riots this time around, as countries like the Philippines are seeking to add to their wares. This year, Nelson said, although rice supplies are tight, wheat supplies are at record levels and prices are low, so he said people most affected by high prices could gravitate to buying wheat-based foods. Still, high rice prices can affect the poorest of the poor.The global economic situation now is also different than 2007-08, Hackett said.“We’re not necessarily going to see that kind of a wild, unbridled spike … because we’re dealing with a deflationary commodity environment. But having said that, higher prices will be seen in medium term,” he said.


In praise of a high-protein whole grain you probably haven’t eaten lately


 Joe Yonan Food and Dining Editor September 28 at 7:00 AM 

Wild Rice, Pear and Roasted Sweet Potato Salad With Walnuts. (Dixie D. Vereen/For The Washington Post)
I’m attracted to underdog ingredients: the lesser-known, the slightly obscure, the quirky. When kale is the green of the moment, I want to talk aboutmustard greens. When all I hear is quinoa, quinoa, quinoa, I’m apt to bring upbarley. Sell me on tofu, and I’ll counter with tempeh.Joe Yonan is the Food and Dining editor of The Washington Post and the author of "Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single Cook." He writes the Food section's Weeknight Vegetarian column.  I’ll defend those preferences to the end, but I’ll also acknowledge that they make me run the risk of seeming like the culinary equivalent of those too-cool-for-school music fans. You know, the ones who would sooner die than admit that the latest Taylor Swift song has an appealing hook, and whose fandom always seems in directly inverse proportion to record sales.That is what brings me to wild rice. When is the last time you cooked with it? I’ll bet it was last Thanksgiving, or possibly the Thanksgiving before that, if not still longer ago. I’ve had a bag crammed among dozens and dozens of other grains in my pantry for months and months now, and I’ve been waiting for a recipe to come my way that would inspire me to break it out.

The one that did the trick is from Robin Asbell’s new cookbook, “The Whole Grain Promise” (Running Press, 2015): You cook the wild rice, then toss it with roasted sweet potato chunks, pears, scallions and parsley, coat the whole affair in a simple maple-lemon dressing, and sprinkle walnuts on top. This autumnal beauty could be a simple salad on any given weeknight, or a festive side dish for a holiday party.

Besides its delightfully chewy texture and nutty flavor, wild rice turns out to have one of the highest levels of protein of any whole grain (it’s technically a grass). Higher, even, than quinoa (which is technically a seed). But the fact that it’s underused might be the best selling point of all. In Asbell’s book, with its multiple choices of recipes that feature buckwheat and oats and brown rice, guess how many call for wild rice?

Just one. Which makes it perfect for me.Wild Rice, Pear and Roasted Sweet Potato Salad With Walnuts
6 servings (makes about 7 cups)
Truly wild rice and cultivated wild rice have different cooking times; the following directions give times for both.
MAKE AHEAD: The finished salad can be refrigerated in an airtight container for a day or two. If you want to store it for another day or so, leave out the pears; chop and add them just before serving.
Adapted from “The Whole Grain Promise: More Than 100 Delicious Recipes to Jumpstart a Healthier Diet,” by Robin Asbell (Running Press, 2015).
INGREDIENTS
3 cups water
1 cup wild rice or a rice blend (see headnote)
1 pound sweet potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (4 cups)
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
2 large scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 medium ripe pears, cored but not peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons maple syrup (preferably Grade B)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup walnut pieces, coarsely chopped, for garnish
STEPS
First, cook the wild rice: Add the water to a 2-quart pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the rice and return to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook. For hand-harvested wild rice, start checking in 20 minutes. Cultivated rice may take 45 minutes to 1 hour. Once the rice is tender and just starting to split apart at the ends, drain well. Let cool.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the oil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until fork-tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool.Combine the wild rice, sweet potatoes, parsley, scallions and pears in a large mixing bowl. (If you’re planning to refrigerate the salad for a few days, leave out the pears at this point.)
Whisk together the remaining oil, the lemon juice, maple syrup, salt and pepper in a small bowl, until emulsified.

Pour the dressing over the wild rice mixture and toss to coat. Serve topped with walnuts.
A previous version of this article omitted lemon juice from the ingredients list. This version has been corrected.
Nutrition | Per serving: 370 calories, 7 g protein, 52 g carbohydrates, 16 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 250 mg sodium, 7 g dietary fiber, 15 g sugar
Recipe tested by Joe Yonan; e-mail questions to food@washpost.com

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/in-praise-of-a-high-protein-whole-grain-you-probably-havent-eaten-lately/2015/09/28/34a74884-63bc-11e5-8e9e-dce8a2a2a679_story.html
Exports to Peru Continue to Skyrocket  
Chef Israel Laura preparing fresh paella
LIMA, PERU -- U.S. rice exports to Peru continue to climb, with a dramatic increase of more than 970 percent from 2013 to 2014.  Because local production is not sufficient to meet consumption needs, exports have again increased 5 percent (to more than 5,500 MT) in the first seven months of this year compared with the first seven months of 2014.
 Promotional efforts in the country are keeping pace.  Earlier this month, USA Rice teamed up with the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) to present a series of cooking workshops featuring American rice and poultry.The first seminar was conducted at Comercial Tres Estrellas S.A., a wholesale company with 30 years' experience marketing food to the hotel, restaurant, and institutional sectors of Peru.  The government of Peru is actually their primary customer.

"Our company has a social responsibility [to] the Peruvian state...providing food of high quality and safety," said Walter Medina Quispe, head of the department of nutrition at Comercial Tres Estrellas.  "We ensure our raw materials [are] of the highest quality and our staff [is properly trained].  Seminars like this help make all of this possible."
 
At the workshop, participants learned about the U.S. rice industry, preparation techniques, and how to increase profits using U.S.-grown rice.  Israel Laura, renowned executive chef, culinary professor, and TV personality, conducted the seminar with plans for two more before the end of September.
 "It's amazing what you can do with rice," Laura said. "This seminar provides a comprehensive understanding of the types of U.S. rice available here, and how to combine these American ingredients of the finest quality with the cooking techniques and flavors of Peruvian cuisine."
 Contact:  Sarah Moran (703) 236-1457
National Rice Month Promotional Item of the Week   
 
Order these Think Rice croakies and other promotional items at the
USA Rice Online Store or print and mail the item order form.
Crop Progress:   2015 Crop 69 Percent Harvested   
WASHINGTON, DC -- Sixty-nine percent of the nation's 2015 rice acreage is harvested, according to today's U.S. Department of Agriculture's Crop Progress Report. 

Rice Headed, Selected States 
Week Ending
State
 Sept 27, 2014  
Sept 20, 2015 
Sept 27, 2015
2010-2014 average
Percent
Arkansas
59
57
72
68
California
12
15
35
13
Louisiana
96
95
98
98
Mississippi
69
59
76
72
Missouri
44
20
48
56
Texas
98
97
98
99
Six States
57
55
69
63


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

November 2015
$13.340
+ $0.070
January 2016
$13.630
+ $0.070
March 2016
$13.845
+ $0.070
May 2016
$14.000
+ $0.070
July 2016
$14.035
- $0.010
September 2016
$13.090
UNCH
November 2016
$13.090
UNCH

State's rice harvest down from '14 Midway into season, up to 10% decline expected for year

Posted: September 26, 2015 at 2:47 a.m.
Benjamin KrainRice is harvested Thursday in a field near Stuttgart. Arkansas farmers planted about 1.1. million acres of long-grain rice this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The 2015 Arkansas rice harvest is about half over, and industry experts said this week they expect yields to decline from last year's record performance.
A truck waits for unloading Thursday at the Riceland complex in Stuttgart. (By: Benjamin Krain)
"It's been far from the yield we would like to see," said Jarrod Hardke, extension rice agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.Hardke said he expected average rice yields statewide to decline between 5 percent and 10 percent, from 168 bushels per acre in 2014 to about 155 bushels in 2015.Hardke said he had initially expected a statewide drop of between 10 percent and 15 percent. As the harvest progressed, however, he said that production improved on farms north of Interstate 40, raising the expected statewide average.

He noted that yields vary by location and rice variety, and he said individual growers could get sharply varied results.Joe Christian, who planted 1,450 acres of long-grain rice near Cash in Craighead County, was among the North Arkansas farmers who had not seen improvement."It's terrible," he said of his yield.Christian said hybrid varieties that should yield 200 bushels per acre were yielding only 185, while conventional varieties that ought to produce 170 bushels per acre were yielding closer to 140.Hardke attributed much of the decline to a rough growing season.Planting was delayed by cold, wet weather that extended through May, he said. Some farmers were able to plant during brief periods in March and early April, he said, but most probably put in their rice between late April and late May. The entire crop was not in the ground until June, Hardke said.Farmers then saw their rice stressed by a cold snap that was followed by extreme heat, he said. Arkansas rice grows best when when temperatures range between 90 degrees during the day and 70 degrees at night, he said."If it's hot to you, it's hot to rice," Hardke said. "We like it warm but we don't like it scalding, and neither does rice."

The state's total rice acreage also declined in 2015.Scott Stiles, an extension economist, said May's rice futures prices were $4.40 per bushel, the lowest they had been since July 2010, and that probably led farmers to devote fewer acres to rice.Arkansas farmers planted about 1.1. million acres of long-grain rice, by far the most common type in the state, during 2015, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That was down from almost 1.3 million acres in 2014, the USDA said.Rice futures have risen since May and closed Friday at about $5.48 per bushel, excluding transportation and storage costs, Stiles said.Christian, a member of the Arkansas Farm Bureau Board, said that price wasn't sustainable because it costs more than $6 to produce a bushel of rice."I wouldn't doubt we'll lose more farmers," he said, predicting "a long, cold winter in the rice industry."

U.S. rice producers are expected to gain access to China later this year, and they hope to win permission to export their crop to Cuba as relations between that country and the U.S. improve.Hardke said he expected the Arkansas rice harvest would wrap up in mid-October.

Business on 09/26/2015
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:As9YhZ0Blc0J:www.nwaonline.com/news/2015/sep/26/state-s-rice-harvest-down-from-14-20150/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=pk

Paddy procurement faces rough weather


the paddy procurement scheme, launched by the State government through Supplyco, is facing rough weather. Over 10,000 hectares of paddy fields spread over Kuttanad, Ambalappuzha, and other areas are facing uncertainty over the procurement of the second crop.Though Supplyco is expected to commence procurement on October 1, non-cooperation of millers is bound to create serious problems. In many areas, paddy shoots have fallen down, posing damage to the crop. If not harvested at the earliest, there is the danger of germination of paddy.
Even those who have harvested the crop are unable to remove paddy from the fields as the procurement is done at the fields. In the past, farmers were given procurement advice by the officials concerned well in advance so that the harvested paddy could be directly transported from the spot to the assigned millers.This time, the millers have decided to desist from the procurement drive, demanding a hike in handling charges. As the dispute drags on, the farmers could be the worst hit. If Supplyco fails to take a decision at the earliest, it could sound the death knell of the procurement process, leading to an alarming situation in the paddy farming sector.
Intervention sought
“The government should intervene in the matter urgently,” says Kuttanad Vikasana Samithy executive director Fr. Thomas Peelianikkal. The information that procurement would start only on October 1 has been passed on to the farmers late. There is lack of coordination between the Civil Supplies and Agriculture Ministries, he says.“The issue needs urgent attention from the government,” says P.T. Scaria, district president, Karsha Congress. Farmers’ problems should be resolved on a priority basis, he says.Rice millers used to collect paddy from the fields, process it, and send it to wholesalers.
The Kerala State Rice Mill Owners Association contends that it has been incurring increased expenditure, rendering the job unprofitable.The moisture content in the paddy being collected from the fields has exceeded stipulated limits, according to association president K.K. Karnan. It results in reduced output of rice, but the millers are bound to meet the quantity requirements as per contract, causing loss. Over 30 mills, among the 100 plus rice mills in the State, have been closed down unable to bear the loss in the past few years, the owners say.
If not harvested at the earliest, there is the danger of germination of paddy.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/paddy-procurement-faces-rough-weather/article7696776.ece

Indonesia has adequate rice stock: President


28.09.2015
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has stated that the national rice stock is adequate currently, therefore rice import is not necessary."Our rice demand can be fulfilled by our farmers rice production, no need for import. Until this second, there is no import, although we have received many pressures," the president said after visiting rice fields in Karawang, here, Sunday.Indonesias rice stock reaches 1.7 million tons at present. In October and November, there will be more rice harvests, he added."Its adequate, and safe," he remarked.Parks of the stock will be used for poor families and reserves as the nation is facing El Nino. Basically, the stock is adequate for December and January.

There is also a potential stock of 15 million tons from next harvests until December."The future challenge is how to provide incentives for farmers to encourage them to produce more rice," he noted.The government has designated six provinces - West Java, East Java, Central Java, North Sumatra, South Sumatra and South Sulawesi, as regions that support food nationally.President Jokowi was accompanied by First Lady Iriani when visiting Cikarang village, Banyusari subdistrict, Karawang district, which is one of the countrys major rice producers.

Rector of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) Herry Suhardiyanto explained that paddy of IPB 3S and IPB 4S varieties were planted on rice fields measuring 730 hectares in Karawang.
Among officials present in the event were Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman, Head of the National Logistic Board (Bulog) Djarot Kusumayakti, Deputy Governor of West Java Deddy Mizwar, acting District Head of Karawang Selly, and Chief of Staff of the Army General Moelyono

http://www.blackseagrain.net/novosti/indonesia-has-adequate-rice-stock-president
Rice exports face difficulties
Vietnam is encountering difficulties in exporting rice in the face of fierce competition from Thailand, India and Myanmar.
 Rice for exports (Photo:VNA)
The statement was made by Vo Hung Dung, Director of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry – Can Tho branch, at a workshop in the Mekong Delta city on September 25 to seek solutions for rice producers and exporters.Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development showed that in the first eight months of 2015, Vietnam shipped 4.1 million tonnes of rice abroad and earned US$ 1.76 billion, down 8.6 percent in volume and over 13 percent in value compared to the same period last year.Notably, China, which remains Vietnam’s largest rice importer with 32 percent of the country’s total market shares, is decreasing its imports from Vietnam. In 2012-2013, around 65 percent of China’s imported rice came from Vietnam but the figure reduced to 53 percent in 2014 and 47 percent in the first four months of this year.

In addition, Vietnam’s two other major importers, the Philippines and Indonesia, which account for 12 and 5 percent of the market shares, respectively, are striving to boost production towards self-sufficiency.At the workshop, Chairman of the Vietnam Food Association Huynh The Nang introduced several measures to help businesses improve their competitiveness.
According to Nang, the long-term solution to effectively stabilising production and exports is to provide loans for export businesses’ rice stockpiles.He also suggested reducing risks in harvesting, stocking and distributing rice while striving to building trademarks for the Vietnamese product.The Ho Chi Minh City Development Bank (HDBank) also took the occasion to introduce its programme to support rice exporters.
http://www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn/Business/Economy/2015/9/115561/



Gov`t to Conduct Market Operation to Reduce Rice Prices
 SUNDAY, 27 SEPTEMBER, 2015 | 14:28 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Karawang - President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo announced on Sunday that this week the government is set to conduct a market operation to reduce the price of rice."Our priority is enough rice supply, smooth distribution and affordable piece. This will be a market operation in a big scale. This week. So that the price of rice can be reduced,” Jokowi said during a paddy harvest in Karawang on Sunday (27/9).According to Jokowi, the government also has to ensure rice supply security due to the impacts of El Nino. He also said that the government still has to calculate the impacts of El Nino."We need to have enough supply of rice to anticipate the impacts of El Nino in December and January," he added.


http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2015/09/27/056704204/Govt-to-Conduct-Market-Operation-to-Reduce-Rice-Prices
Water resources, eroding land need saving
Water management has become a major topic of discussion in recent years among Viet Nam's lawmakers, experts and society. The country has been struggling to deal with water-related issues such as a rising sea level, land subsidence and saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta. Lawmakers and experts shared their views on water management with Viet Nam News reporters Thu Van and Hoang Anh.
Nguyen Thai Lai
Nguyen Thai Lai, deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment

What are the major problems that Viet Nam is facing in water management?

There is an actual risk of the degradation and depletion of water resources due to the impact of climate change and an increase in the exploitation and use of water in upstream countries. It is shown on the following aspects:
Firstly, the resources of Viet Nam depend heavily on international waters and are facing the challenge of water security by upstream countries to strengthen groundwater extraction.Most of the major river systems of Viet Nam are all related to the flow coming from outside the country. The area outside Viet Nam's territory of the shared international river basins comprises over 70 per cent of the total water of the whole river basin.
 As countries in the upstream are conducting many hydro-power plants and reservoirs, it is certain that water flows to Viet Nam will decline.Secondly, water resources are distributed unevenly, both geographically and over time, which has led to the emergence of the problem of water scarcity and water shortages in the dry season. The dry season usually lasts from six to nine months, and the amount of natural flow in the dry season accounts for 20-30 per cent of annual flow.Third, the exploitation and use of water resources is irrational and unsustainable, leading to the deterioration of water resources while water use efficiency is low.
The exploitation of reservoirs for agricultural irrigation and hydro-power development is causing many problems of shared water basins, water supply and maintaining environmental flows for the downstream.Fourth, the demand for water is increasing while we are also facing the risks of water pollution and degradation, scarcity and depletion. Wastewater from many urban areas, industrial zones, and villages shows signs of local pollutants, like Nhue, Day, Cau and Dong Nai rivers.Fifth, increasing climate change is causing profound impacts on water resources. Viet Nam is one of the five countries that is most heavily affected by climate change, which has a strong impact on water resources.
According to forecasts, the impacts of climate change will make the dry season flow in the Mekong Delta decline by 4.8 percent in 2020, by 14.5 per cent in 2050 and by about 33.7 per cent in 2100. The effects mentioned above, coupled with the impact of climate change and the increasing water demand, will surely worsen water shortages and water scarcity.

What solutions are needed for the sustainable development of water resources?
To achieve the goal of sustainable development in the context of water resources that are seriously degraded at present, we need to focus on five key groups of measure.First, we have to continue to improve the legal system and strengthen the inspection of enforcement of policies and legislation in the management and protection of water resources.Second, we have to strengthen regional and international co-operation, and enlist the support of international assistance to protect national water security.
Third, it is necessary to promote surveys, observation, monitoring, forecasting and prevention to catch up with the development of national water resources.Fourth, we need to develop and implement water resource planning for the whole country, conduct water resources planning for large and interprovincial rivers and planning of water resources in each locality in order to solve the sharing, distribution, protection of water resources and to prevent and respond to harm caused by water.Fifth, it's very important to enhance communication to raise societal awareness about water security, as well as the responsibility to protect and use water economically and efficiently.
Currently, water exploitation of some neighbouring countries along the Mekong River has an impact on water use of Viet Nam. What do you think we should do to balance the regional benefits while protecting ours?
The decrease in flow, sedimentation, nutrients, fishery, biodiversity and the increase in sea water intrusion and bank erosion... may upset the life, livelihood and production activities of 17 million people and also influence the regional environment.Ssolving the problem of balancing the benefits between all countries has to be based on fair and reasonable principles, and must also prevent significant harms to riparian countries.To protect our benefits, Viet Nam and other neighbouring countries are studying the impacts of hydro-power plants on the main stream of the Mekong River to assess the impacts on water sources, salinity intrusion, decrease of sedimentation and biodiversity.
On that basis, Viet Nam will discuss with related countries the specific measures to minimise those impacts under the principles of fairness and reason in accordance with international standards and the Mekong Agreement.
Le Anh Tuan
Assoc. Prof. PhD in Earth Sciences Le Anh Tuan, Deputy Director, Research Institute for Climate Change (DRAGON institute-Mekong) Can Tho University
We are living in a world where everything is inter-connected. The declines of water supply to the Mekong Delta will not only affect its population, of which most are farmers who rely on agricultural production to sustain their livelihood, but also the country's food and social security.
Viet Nam's rice export accounted for some 20 per cent of the global rice market with the majority of it going to poor countries, who are desperately trying to feed their populations. Plunging rice production in the Mekong Delta may very well affect global food security.
Viet Nam will have to make a trade-off somewhere. If there is nothing we can do to support other countries, they will have to find ways to support themselves. This is where the role of Viet Nam's Government is vital in negotiating with other countries sharing the same rivers.There is a need for the whole country to unite on this matter. I'm aware that some Vietnamese businesses have taken interests in hydro power projects in foreign countries that may in turn complicate the issue of water management in the Mekong Delta.
The Government must take a firm stand on this particular matter and seek support from not only neighbouring countries and international organisations but also Vietnamese business communities.Looking at the bigger picture, countries that share the same rivers must continue to discuss shared responsibilities and benefits. It is ideal that countries, with the help of environment and water management experts, establish codes of conduct to supervise and manage the exploitation of water resources.
Saline water intrusion has happened at an alarming level in many areas in the Mekong Delta in recent years. This has tremendously affected agricultural production and the lives of millions of people. What are the causes behind it?
Saline intrusion is not a new problem for the Mekong Delta. The delta lies between the Pacific on one side and the Indian Ocean on the other on top of its massive network of rivers and canals and has always been susceptible to saltwater intrusion.Firstly, there has been less water carried by the Mekong River to the delta, especially during the dry season. This was because of a decreased amount of rainfall in the region and increased water use by up-river countries. When there is less fresh water in the delta it is easier for salt water to intrude.

Secondly, the sea level has been rising and global warming increasing while the Mekong Delta is subsiding steadily over the years at a rate that according to some researches is even greater than the rise of sea level, at 2-3 cm at some sites.Thirdly, our population is increasing. A greater population naturally requires more water in agricultural production and higher risk of protected forests being destroyed or damaged.A large amount of water pumped from under the ground abruptly resulted in an even faster rate of land subsidence, and it formed a vicious circle.
What are the solutions to stop saltwater intrusion? Are there international experiences Viet Nam can learn from on this particular issue?
Saltwater intrusion is caused by several factors. The solutions must also be able to cover them all at the same time to maximise their effectiveness.For example, measures must be taken to manage the amount of water being taken from under the ground. It does not mean forbidding people from getting the water they desperately need. It just means we need to have some kind of master plan for our water use to avoid waste and polluting water sources, in case of inadequate drilling technology.Another solution was to store more rain water. There is quite a lot of rain in the Mekong Delta but without storage facilities people won't be able to retain it. Also, we must focus in planting more protective forests along the coast line and river banks to protect our water sources.
In term of agricultural production, we can switch to crops that require less water. For example, we do not need to grow that much rice any more. We are maintaining our status as a large rice exporter at the expense of our living environment.Alternatively, we can also choose to grow varieties of rice and other crops that require less water, too. Can Tho University has been working to develop saline-resistant varieties of rice as well as water-efficient cultivation techniques to help farmers save water. It is easier and cheaper to save a cubic metre of clean water than to purify it after it was polluted.Another solution being researched at the moment is how to move part of the water during the Mekong Delta's flood season under the ground and store it for later use. It will serve to provide water for human use and also prevent or slow down the region's subsidence.
There have been successful models of this solution in the cases of Australia, the Netherlands and Germany. The principle remained the same: to move part of the abundant amount of water during rainy season under the ground for later use during the dry season.
Tran Nhon
Tran Nhon, former deputy Minister of Water Resources
What do you think of the State's policies on water management?
In my opinion, the State's water management policies have become out-dated and ineffective, given the country's socio-economic development.
At the central level, water management is divided into many parts and assigned to many offices, resulting in duplicated - but unclear - responsibilities. Water management duties pertaining to river basins and administrative localities are also overlapping and unclear.
This leads to the fact that Viet Nam's water resources are seriously polluted and overexploited, and they have been used wastefully.
Due to its complicated chain of command, water resources need to be placed under an integrated management scheme.
What measures do you think are necessary to better manage the country's water resources?
Water resources management should be placed under the market economy mechanism. The use of water resources should bear fees, just like the use of any other natural resource. Water should be considered a kind of good in the market.However, it's still important to note that water supply services belong to both the economic infrastructure and social infrastructure. Therefore, while water supply should be largely managed as a business matter, it should also be regulated with proper social policies.The elimination of a subsidy mechanism in water supply doesn't mean the elimination of proper State support for water in remote areas or for those with special needs.
It's also of crucial importance to create an integrated water management agency. In the past, the agriculture ministry and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) shared the water management responsibility.After several reforms, MONRE is now assigned the task. However, huge personnel resources who have profound knowledge and skills in water management still work in the agriculture ministry. In order for MONRE to fulfill its task properly, I think these staff should be transferred to MONRE.Along with this, we can gradually reduce the involvement of the State in water management and start to privatise State enterprises that are operating in this industry. — VNS
http://vietnamnews.vn/opinion/in-the-spotlight/276353/water-resources-eroding-land-need-saving.html
Vietnamese farmers suffer from price fall
VietNamNet Bridge - Farmers in the Mekong Delta are "crying" because of the drop in prices for agricultural products such as rice, pitaya, and sweet potatoes. At the same time, shrimp breeders are suffering because of crop disease and the sharp fall of prices, the lowest in many years.

Now is the harvest time for the summer-autumn paddy crop, and as a rule, the rice prices are low. However, many farmers have decided to sell paddy on the spot because they could not stock rice to wait for higher prices.Nguyen Cong Ly, a rice farmer in Phuong Thinh commune, Cao Lanh district of Dong Thap province, said: "I planted a fragrant rice variety, a specialty of Dong Thap, but the price is just VND4,100 per kilo. It is lower for other fragrant varieties of rice like OM 4900 and Jasmine (VND4,000/kg) or IR 50404 (VND3,800/kg). At these prices, farmers do not make a profit or even suffer heavy losses if they used hired labor."Ly said farmers had to sell paddy in the field at low prices because they were afraid of the cost for storage and the reduction of rice quality due to unpredicted weather.Growers of pitaya and sweet potatoes in Tien Giang, Long An and Vinh Long provinces are also in the similar circumstance.
Dragon fruit is piled up on the sidewalks in HCM City and other towns, priced only VND3,000/kg.Tran Van Hoa, Deputy Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Division of Cho Gao district, said the district has 4,053 hectares of dragon fruit, with a capacity of about 15 tons per hectare. This year farmers incurred losses because of the low price for this fruit.Hoa said premium dragon fruit for export accounts for about 30% of the output. The remaining is classified as second and third class, with very low prices, about VND1,000/kg at the garden. On the sidewalks, it is priced VND3,000.Shrimp breeders afflicted by disease, low pricesAccording to incomplete statistics in Tra Vinh province, more than 1 billion breeding shrimp of 25-40 days of age died of diseases, causing huge losses for breeders
Dragon fruits are piled up on the sidewalk, priced VND10,000/3kg.

In the provinces of Tien Giang, Ben Tre, and Soc Trang, the areas of shrimp-breeding areas affected by diseases were also vast. The main reason was weather and disease epidemics. Many households had to stop business to avoid further losses.Besides disease, the price for shrimps fell to the lowest level in many years.Le Minh Tuan, a farmer in Hamlet 4, Binh Thoi commune, Binh Dai district, Ben Tre province said he had losses of VND25 million ($1,200) for feed and baby shrimp, which died en masse. He was not the only one that suffered shrimp epidemics.
Tuan also said that the price for shrimp was also very low, with VND80,000 (nearly $4) for a kilo of white-legged shrimp (100 shrimps/kg) and VND100,000for a kilo with 70 shrimp, from VND30,000 to VND40,000 ($1.5-$2) less than the same period last year.Nguyen Van Vinh, a shrimp breeder in Binh Thoi commune, Binh Dai district, Ben Tre province said many farmers have become debtors.Experts said that the poor situation of agricultural production in the Mekong Delta was due to recent difficulties in exports.

Mai Nguyen

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/business/142302/vietnamese-farmers-suffer-from-price-fall.html

 

Low-Carb… Carbs? How to Hack Your Rice With Coconut Oil

via bulletproofforyahooSeptember 28, 2015
(Photo: Lali Masriera)
White rice is a great source of carbohydrate – in moderation and at the right time of day.  And we all know that coconut oilprovides useful energy on the Bulletproof Diet.But what about the two together?  New research on what happens when you cook rice with coconut oil might blow your mind!

Cyclical fat burning (ketosis) with occasional carbs is an important part of the Bulletproof Diet, and white rice is one of the most Bulletproof carbs around.Turning brown rice into white rice removes phytate – an anti-nutrient that stops us from absorbing minerals – and leaves both a clean source of starch and an excellent base for several easy meals.  It also reduces arsenic – brown rice was found to have up to 80 times more arsenic than white rice. White rice is the perfect vehicle for all kinds of tasty things: bacon, grass-fed butter, veggies…the list goes on.With so many delicious additions you might find it easy to overindulge on rice, and too much rice too often is no good.

Your body converts white rice to glucose quickly, which is why too much of it, like too much of any carbohydrate, can trigger insulin resistance, fatigue, weight gain, and a host of other issues.But what if you could hack your white rice to avoid this problem? What if you could decrease its glycemic index, increase its health benefits, and make it more Bulletproof, all with a simple change to the way you cook it?

Well, some new observations imply that you can, and it’s very easy to do. All it takes is a little coconut oil.

Why You Should Upgrade Your Rice With Coconut Oil

While it’s not a very efficient way to get true biological MCTs, coconut oil serves an important role in your diet. It may not boost your brain and metabolism like Brain Octane Oil, but it’s an excellent source of cheap and abundant lauric acid, and it’s a beneficial addition to any diet.According to a group of researchers who presented at The American Chemical Society in spring 2015, coconut oil may also be the key to upgrading your rice. Though the research on this is still preliminary, the results look promising, and doing it now doesn’t appear to have any risk.

The researchers steamed rice normally, making just two modest changes: they added coconut oil before cooking the rice, and afterward they cooled the rice down in a fridge. Researchers already knew that cooked-and cooled or parboiled rice were higher in resistant starch than freshly-steamed rice. The results were profound, though not for the reason the researchers report.  The team focuses on the fact that the calories in the rice decreased by 10-12%, and they’re optimistic that with more research, they can raise that number to 60%. However, if you’ve been reading about the Bulletproof Diet you know that calories don’t mattercompared to hormones, and that when it comes to your health, quality trumps quantity.But it’s nice to be able to eat a lot more rice without overloading on carbs!

So you don’t need to pay a lot of attention to the decreased calories themselves – but you DO want to care about the reason behind the decrease in calories.When you cook coconut oil and rice together, the oil binds to the digestible starch in the rice – that’s the starch that converts to glucose. Once bound with the oil, the digestible starch begins to crystallize, creating another form of starch: the resistant variety. The researchers found that cooling the rice after cooking it promoted crystallization, leading to a shocking 10 to 15-fold increase in resistant starch compared to normally prepared white rice.They haven’t published their study yet, but the preliminary research shows promise.

Why Resistant Starch Matters

Resistant starch can be helpful for some people, although loading up on potato starch and the like isn’t a great strategy for many of us. (Read up on resistant starch here.) In short: taken as a supplement, it can improve insulin sensitivity, enhance sleep quality, increase energy levels, and promote mental clarity.When it comes resistant starch in rice, there is another benefit. Our bodies convert digestible starch into glucose, which raises blood sugar levels. Humans don’t digest resistant starch, on the other hand, so it doesn’t raise blood glucose at all. In fact, for some people, certain types of resistant starch can lower glucose and insulin levels after meals. For others, it causes digestive distress.

https://www.yahoo.com/health/low-carb-carbs-how-to-hack-your-rice-with-110051764.html

Pollution agency plans to stick with draft sulfate standards for wild rice


By Ramona Marozas - Biography
September 28, 2015Updated Sep 28, 2015 at 5:48 PM CDT
Minneapolis, MN (NNCNOW.com) -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) plans to stick with its draft approach for setting sulfate standards for wild rice protection.The draft proposal says sulfate levels should be based on location-specific factors rather than a single sulfate level for all wild rice waters.The MPCA says scientists will continue to work on a final wild rice plan, but say it is expected to mirror their suggestion of location-specific factors.The agency originally started re-evaluating sulfate standards after groups voiced their concern with the current standard being too low.They plan on asking for more comments from the public in October.

http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/news/iron-range/Pollution-agency-plans-to-stick-with-draft-sulfate-standard-for-wild-rice-329850711.html
Billion Dollar Green Campaigns Kill Poor Children
By Gil Ross | September 28th 2015 11:47 AM | 
 In a recent lecture at Cornell University entitled "Check Your Green Privilege: It's not environmentally friendly to allow millions to die," British Member of Parliament, the Rt. Hon. Owen Paterson exposed the deadly facts behind the "green" charades perpetrated by activist groups, exemplified by Greenpeace.Mr. Paterson scathingly castigates the rich "environmental" (green) groups that are funded by wealthy elites and foundations, including the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Environmental Working Group (EWG), Friends of the Earth, and (especially) Greenpeace, for their baseless but well-devised campaigns to manipulate consumers' fears and spread suspicion and mistrust among the public.

These well-heeled groups - the news is probably shocking to an undergraduate audience - arenot devoted to saving the earth and its precious biodiversity, as they often claim; instead, their motivation is first and foremost financial and their methods are political and cultural. But most tragically the consequences are felt by the malnourished poor in Asia and Africa. And they are heavily backed by interests having nothing to do with Mother Earth: Big Organic has invested in anti-GMO crusades like the "Just Label It' movement, which wants warning labels on non-organic food, and the U.S. Right To Know group, which exists to smear scientists who stand up to anti-science rhetoric. 
Mr. Paterson has been an MP for almost 20 years, and served as David Cameron's Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2012-2014. He was sacked in no small part due to his opposition to the baseless ban on the neonicotinoid class of pesticides over phony bee-colony toxicity allegations.His talk was sponsored by Cornell's Alliance for Science speaker series, whose mission is to use facts to counter the perceived tendency of college students to follow the environmentalist mantra without too much thought — a problem that seems to be growing among the population at large as well, as evidenced by the growing "concern" about biotechnology and GMOs.
These fears are being promoted by green activist groups, whose vast resources help spread the fear-mongering against the clear science- and evidence-based benefits of agricultural biotechnology. For anyone with any grounding in science, including genetics or biochemistry, the concept of being afraid of genetic engineering is akin to looking under the bed for hobgoblins such as Godzilla, awakened by the atomic tests of the Cold War. Paterson sets out to explain how genetically-engineered crops are not so different from millennia-old plant breeding techniques, the main difference being the microscopic precision scientists can now use to transfer one or two genes accurately. He further notes that GMO crops are now being planted in more under-developed lands than in wealthier countries, and that small freeholders are gaining the benefits in terms of crop yields, no-till methods, labor saving, and higher income. 
Greenpeace is called out because its campaign against Golden Rice - basically, a public domain bowl of vitamin-enriched rice - is not just anti-science, it is anti-human. Paterson illustrates in sickening detail the consequences for the impoverished, malnourished poor in the Third World where vitamin A deficiency is common, suffered by 200 million or more in areas unseen by wealthy bureaucrats and NGO leaders in Brussels, Berkeley and New York. While such deficiencies are vision-impairing, the attendant immune deficiencies lead to premature death of perhaps a half-million infants and children each year. The remedy has been close at hand for 15 years now: Golden Rice, gene-modified to supply vitamin A precursors in the form of golden rice — but kept away from those poor children by a pervasive pressure campaign led by Greenpeace.
 A typical tactic of the anti-GMO lobby is to tar all such products with the "Big Agrobusiness" label, attempting to tie all GMOs to Monsanto and other disfavored companies. They fail to acknowledge that the discoverer of Golden Rice, Dr. Ingo Potrykus, and his colleagues developed the strain while working in the public labs of the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines, and that he has pledged that all profits (if any) would be donated to public charities. Mr. Paterson points out that the Greens and their acolytes initially claimed the modified rice would not work; when that was shown to be false, they then called for more evidence, more experimentation. But then, in 2011 and 2013, they unleashed vandals disguised as grassroots anti-GMO farmers to trample and pull out plants in experimental fields, preventing accumulating the evidence they allegedly sought. Let's conclude with Mr. Paterson's own words:
 "The question must be asked, when did this 'humanitarian' organization and so many others like it become so disdainful about the lives of the desperately poor? Do Greenpeace supporters understand that the conduct of the organization that they give to has been truly wicked?

"Patrick Moore, one the early leaders of Greenpeace in the 1970s when it took account of science and respected human life, has broken with his old organization for just this reason. He now works to expose Greenpeace’s actions in the developing world and has joined with Golden Rice inventor Ingo Potrykus in calling for the organization to be tried for crimes against humanity."

http://www.science20.com/tip_of_the_spear/billion_dollar_green_campaigns_kill_poor_children-157299
Rice exports forecast to reach 6 million ton this year
Monday, Sep 28, 2015, Posted at: 12:34(GMT+7)
Vietnam’s rice export is forecast to get this year target of over six million tons, according to chairman of the Vietnam Food Association Huynh The Nang.Export is likely to recover in the rest of 2015 and next year because El Nino has caused dry weather reduce output in many import nations of Vietnam, Nang added. Vietnam has won a bid to export 450,000 tons out of 750,000 tons of rice that the Philippines opened for tenders on September 17. The country is expected to import more Vietnamese rice in the last months this year.In addition, Indonesia might purchase Vietnamese rice to make up local shortfall.Vietnamese businesses have exported over 4 million tons of rice by the end of August, a reduction of 10 percent over the same period last year.The number approximated five million tons if including small volume export through the border to China, equivalent to the same period last year.By Minh Tuan – Translated by Hai Mien.
Farmers sell rice to traders right after harvest in the field in the Mekong Delta (Photo: SGGP)
http://www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn/Business/2015/9/115566/

Rice exporters blame state, Centre for basmati growers' plight


Press Trust of India  |  Chandigarh September 27, 2015 Last Updated at 16:48 IST

With growers in Punjab lamenting lower prices of PUSA basmati 1509 variety, rice exporters today blamed the Punjab government and the Centre for the "plight" of growers, saying they were not discouraged from plantation of the crop despite poor response from buyers. With PUSA 1509 variety arriving in mandis of Punjab and Haryana, its prices are hovering around Rs 1,200-1,300 per quintal which is even lesser than the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 1,450 per quintal for Grade-A variety, traders said. In Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, the variety is fetching price in the range of Rs 800-1,000 a quintal, they further said. "It is the failure of the governments both Punjab and Centre for not discouraging growers from sowing PUSA basmati 1509 variety in the state despite warning them numerous times that this variety was not acceptable to buyers," Punjab Rice Millers and Exporters Association, Director, Ashok Sethi told PTI today. 
Sethi claimed that farmers in Punjab brought uncertified and unrecommended seed of short-duration 1509 variety and planted it without considering its results. Exporters pointed out that rice millers had witnessed high broken content in 1509 variety during processing last year. Besides grain turning weak, rice of this variety became blackish, which was not acceptable to overseas buyers, they said adding that exporters and millers were unnecessarily being accused of not paying higher rates for this crop. They claimed that PUSA 1509 variety was not suitable for plantation in Punjab and Haryana. "We had spent Rs 8-10 lakh on advertisements just to discourage farmers not to plant 1509 variety. But despite that fact this year 2 crore bags of this variety was expected to arrive in mandis in Punjab alone," he said. 
A vigorous campaign was also launched this season in paddy growing areas of Punjab and Haryana, asking growers not to sow PUSA Basmati 1509 before July 15 after basmati exporters complained of high incident of broken content because of pre-mature plantation. Exporters said farmers planted crop before July 15 despite being told not do so. Developed by Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), PUSA Basmati 1509 variety has seen its acceptability among growers both in Punjab and Haryana in a big way because of its high yield and short duration (90 days). Its yield is about 25 quintals per acre, more than the other aromatic variety of PUSA 1121 whose yield is 20 quintals per acre. After basmati 1509 variety fetched higher returns in 2013 when this came for the first time, farmers, who planted it early, fetched Rs 4,000 per quintal for paddy, industry insiders said.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/rice-exporters-blame-state-centre-for-basmati-growers-plight-115092700468_1.html

Turning opera inside out: how I got Lost in Thought

Shoeless and armed only with a swizzle stick, Stuart Jeffries attempts to banish distracting thoughts and be part of the world’s first mindfulness opera
 ‘Music is doing what it always does – dividing up time, but this time in order to structure our work’ Lost in Thought: a mindfulness opera, by Rolf Hind, at LSO St Luke’s. Photograph: Simon Jay Price.It’s 6pm at the basement cafe of St Luke’s church in London and the audience is being advised how to behave during the world premiere of Lost in Thought: A Mindfulness Opera. “We ask that you observe silence for four hours,” says our mindfulness guide. “Bring a sense of curiosity and playfulness. Hand in phones and writing materials. You can use the bathroom at any point.”

Vertical time: where mindfulness and music meet

I scan the room. There are 100 of us – lithe yoga fiends, spiritually questing folk in sensibly loose clothing, uncomfortable aesthetes who look as though they’d rather be at the new production of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, and a cabal of critics who decline to hand in our notepads. This isn’t – yet – North Korea.

Audience members are handed a postcard that offers a synopsis of the coming evening. Lost in Thought is an opera, but its plot is simpler than The Marriage of Figaro. The card reads: “Sit. Walk. Sit. Eat. Wash up. Sit. Rest. Waking up. Sit. Play. Walk. Chant. Sit. Breaking the silence.” It is suggested we meditate in the next four hours on what it is to sit, what it is to walk, what it is to eat. Part of me wants to run out on to Old Street and meditate on the value of self-liberation.
For ages nothing happens but breathing. Critics complain about the longueurs in Wagner. They know nothing.
One fellow critic writes in her notebook: “Oh God.” But that really isn’t the attitude: yes, some of us are giggly with trepidation, but if we’re going to get anything out of the opera then we should check our inhibiting attitudes, if not critical faculties and notebooks, at the door. Pianist and composer Rolf Hind’s hope is that the music he has written for a soprano and seven-strong ensemble (clarinettist, violinist, cellist, harpist, accordion player, percussionist, pianist) can help structure tonight’s short, silent retreat – ironically, by breaking the silence.

Upstairs, rows of blue yoga mats and orange cushions face musicians’ instruments. We lose our shoes and sit down. Mezzo-soprano Lore Lixenberginvites us to close our eyes and concentrate on our breathing. “The distracted mind,” she says repeatedly throughout the next four hours, “returns to the breath.” I find this very helpful: distracting thoughts (will I get back for Newsnight? No way I’m washing dishes at the opera) come, but can be sent whence they came on the exhaled breath.

 Return to the breath … Lore Lixenberg leads the group meditation in Rolf Hind’s Lost in Thought. Photograph: Simon Jay Price
For ages nothing happens but breathing. Critics complain about the longueurs in Wagner. They know nothing. Perhaps, I think, there are no musicians and this is the emperor’s new clothes with the twist that there’s no emperor. Or maybe, I muse grimly, this isn’t a mindfulness opera at all, but an allegory of how late capitalism transfers work from those who are paid for services to paying punters, as Lynne Truss argues. I banish that distracting thought by concentrating on breathing. What is really happening, of course, is opera is being turned inside out: instead of watching a drama played out on stage, we’re – ideally – attending to our own inner journey.

It's turning opera inside out: instead of watching a drama on stage, we’re attending to our own inner journey.

Then, very slowly, our breathing (some around me are demonstrating their virtuosity in noisy Ujjayi breathing) has a growing accompaniment. A bell (tubular? sleigh? church?) rings out at intervals of perhaps two minutes. Music is doing what it always does – dividing up time – but this time in order to structure our work. Then a violin scratches out a breathing rhythm, joined by a clarinet and an accordion. Lixenberg invites us to open our eyes: the ensemble is now sitting before us working at their instruments, gently helping us to concentrate on breathing.She invites us to stand and walk. Soon, most of us are walking slowly anticlockwise around the ensemble, slyly checking out their scores, appreciating the weird noises pianist Siwan Rhys is plucking into being from under her lid and wondering why percussionist Sam Wilson has quite so many coloured swizzle sticks next to his playstation.

Everybody is heading in the same direction. Later, the Spectator critic will tell me how it’s just such moments that make her realise how biddable humans are, how easy it is for societies to be herded into totalitarianism. Intriguing point, but we all agreed to this, and will soon be back home to watch rugby highlights, which wasn’t quite what happened in Nazi Germany.After more seated breathing, we’re invited to hold out our hands with our eyes closed. Something is placed on my hand. A plum? We’re invited to mindfully contemplate its size and temperature, before placing it between our teeth. I bite in, before Lore tells us to. A grape. Disappointing. I appreciate the grape’s taste and texture as I have never done before. Is there any music going on while I do so? I forget – I was mindfully attending to the grape. And that is the problem with the opera – if its function is to make us mindfully attend to the quotidian, to walking, breathing, and the rest, the music is at most ancillary, at worst redundant.

 ‘The mindfulness leaders hand out swizzle sticks to wave above our heads … I can’t tell you how happy I am.’ Photograph: Simon Jay Price.The grape is just the starter. We stand en masse once more and walk to some tables where bowls of the inevitable basmati rice and dal have been laid out. I attend to the flavours and textures of my meal more than I have done for recent curries and listen to the audience symphony of metal forks clicking on china. Then we have to wash up our bowls. As the Spectator critic rightly complains later, this may be communal and mindful, but using the same lukewarm water for 100 bowls is hardly sanitary.

One person seems to be making a noisy fuss of washing up, banging his plastic stick against a bowl. It’s the percussionist, and his rhythm gets taken up by the rest of the ensemble; the piece, I note from glancing at the score, is called Kitchen Dervish. We return to our seats while this plays. It’s perhaps the most traditional part of the evening: we’re listening to music, not mindfully attending to our bodies.Then, slowly, the lights are dimmed and Lixenberg invites us to close our eyes and rest. It’s the same kind of controlling vibe that you get from cabin crews after dinner on a long-haul flight. I’ve been choosing my own bedtime since I was 37, thanks very much. That said, I was nodding off happily until the woman behind me kicked me in the head. That didn’t happen when I fell asleep during Wozzeck.

… to walking, breathing, and the rest, the music is at most ancillary, at worst redundant.

Perhaps 15 minutes later we’re walking in circles again. What are those strange, otherworldly sounds? Are they coming from the accordion? No, the mindfulness leaders are handing out swizzle sticks to wave above our heads. One is given to me. I can’t tell you how happy I am, twirling and walking, walking and twirling, making a sound like the owl of Minerva hooting wisely in the twilight of its existence. Possibly. Then a mindfulness leader approaches me as I walk, and suggests with an eloquent eyebrow that I surrender the swizzle stick to someone else. I do and feel intensely not just the pleasure of giving, but the pain of loss. I loved that swizzle stick and the noise it made.
Again, we’re all walking anticlockwise as directed by Lixenberg – except, that is, for one man who walks clockwise. It’s Rolf Hind, who looks like he’s more mindful than the rest of us put together. Nice touch, maestro.Lixenberg intones the only words in the libretto.

I surrender the swizzle stick. I do and feel intensely not just the pleasure of giving, but the pain of loss
“I have lived on the lip / of insanity, wanting to know reasons / knocking on a door. It opens. / I’ve been knocking from the inside.”Then she’s standing face-to-face with the percussionist and repeatedly singing these words mantra-like to the rhythm he sets up by rubbing two wooden blocks together. In an evening already filled with mysteries, I wonder how he gets that sound (sandpaper?) and why Lixenberg is singing so close to his face, reminding me unfortunately of Freddie Mercury cod-ecstatically shouting We Will Rock You while invading the drummer’s personal space. Not for the first or last time tonight I let distracting thoughts go and return to my breathing.

 ‘Soon, most of us are walking slowly anticlockwise around the musicians, slyly checking out their scores.’ Photograph: Simon Jay Price
The words she sings are from Rumi and fit with the proselytising tenor of the opera. If we are driven to the lip (weird) of insanity by modern frenetic living, by the manifold distractions of putatively enabling gizmos (our silenced phones now immobilised in the cloakroom, in particular), then we have it within ourselves to reverse from the edge. That, I guess, is what mindfulness is about. Contemplate the grape in its phenomenological beauty, not your Twitter followers. Or something like that.

The transfer of work from musician to audience continues in the last hurrah of the opera. After a frenetic passage in which the rhythms of the ensemble give way to chanting, the musicians mingle with us, relying only on their voices. We are wordlessly invited to join in the chant. I’m bashful. How does it go again? The way I’m chanting is more “Pooh Bear tiddily pom” than “om mani padme hum”. But at least it’s a start. And this seems to be how the opera ends, not with us sobbing over the death of a consumptive courtesan, but shoeless in London singing out of tune while the musicians look on as benignly as they can manage.

The opera ends with us shoeless singing out of tune while the musicians look on as benignly as they can manage
There is, though, a coda. The musicians hand out objects and invite us to make percussive noises – bang two plastic forks together, scratch cushion fabric with fingernails in time to some gathering rhythm. Lore is suddenly among us gargling water from noisy counterpoint to scratched cushion covers. Audience members start to get rambunctious as the clattering rhythm quickens, like overtired toddlers at the end of an overextended play date. A giggly cushion fight breaks out.At every kids’ party I’ve ever presided over, I’ve had two feelings: one that this could go Lord of the Flies at any moment and, two, that I wish I’d brought my book. I have those feelings now. Thankfully, it is the end of the opera. The musicians start chatting to themselves and us. We are back in the verbal world of infinite distraction.

As I unchain my bike from churchyard railings, it’s 10.15pm, I’m feeling rested, calm, serene – but also, like Martin Luther King, free at last. Does the mindfulness inculcated by opera make one a more attentive road user or just a zoned-out liability? Frankly, I don’t know, but certainly, until that coda with its retro-East German-holiday-camp-cum-group-mind-meld mood of compulsory fun, I found the experience offered by Lost in Thought oddly touching, inspiring and, like life itself, absurd.Lost In Thought will next be performed at the Lowry in Salford next month. I recommend you go along. You have nothing to lose but your inhibitions, shoes and mobile phones, and then only for a few hours.
The guardian

APEDA COMMODITY NEWS FROM INDIA
International Benchmark Price
Price on: 28-09-2015
Product
Benchmark Indicators Name
Price
Apricots
1
Turkish No. 2 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD cent/t)
4875
2
Turkish No. 4 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD/t)
4375
3
Turkish size 8, CIF UK (USD/t)
3625
Sultanas
1
Australian 5 Crown, CIF UK (USD/t)
2923
2
South African Orange River, CIF UK (USD/t)
2579
3
Turkish No 9 standard, FOB Izmir (USD/t)
2100
Peanuts
1
South Africa, HPS 70/80 peanuts CFR main European ports (USD/t)
1200
2
South African, HPS 40/50 peanuts CFR main European ports (USD/t)
1592
3
Argentinean 40/50 runners, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
1150
Source:agra-net
For more info
Market Watch
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 28-09-2015
Domestic Prices
Unit Price : Rs per Qty
Product
Market Center
Variety
Min Price
Max Price
Maize
1
Haliyala (Karnataka)
Local
1350
1500
2
Pune (Maharashtra)
Other
1650
1725
3
Khanna (Punjab)
Other
1030
1465
Paddy(Dhan)
1
Vyra (Gujarat)
Other
1225
1385
2
Kota (Rajasthan)
Other
1221
1301
3
Samsi (West Bengal)
Fine
1190
1210
Pine Apple
1
Chala (Kerala)
Other
2500
2560
2
Nagpur (Maharashtra)
Other
1000
2600
3
Jagraon (Punjab)
Other
1500
2000
Brinjal
1
Sarankul (Orissa)
Other
1600
1800
2
Shillong (Meghalaya)
Other
3000
3500
3
Mumbai(Maharashtra)
Other
1000
1600
For more info
Egg
Rs per 100 No
Price on 28-09-2015
Product
Market Center
Price
1
Pune
317
2
Chittoor
303
3
Nagapur
297
Source: e2necc.com
Other International Prices
Unit Price : US$ per package
Price on 28-09-2015
Product
Market Center
Origin
Variety
Low
High
Potatoes
Package: 50 lb cartons
1
Atlanta
Colorado
Russet
21.75
21.75
2
Baltimore
Idaho
Russet
15
18
3
Detroit
Idaho
Russet
11
14.50
Cauliflower
Package: cartons film wrapped
1
Atlanta
Mexico
White
24.50
25.50
2
Baltimore
California
White
18
21
3
Dallas
Mexico
White
20
20
Grapefruit
Package: 7/10 bushel cartons
1
Atlanta
California
Red
24.75
26.50
2
Chicago
California 
Red
21
21
3
Dallas
California
Red
24
24
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
916
834
New Crop
909
839


Riceland Foods


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


Futures:
High
Low
Last
Change
Nov '15
892.00
875.75
876.75
-12.50
Jan '16
896.00
879.75
880.75
-12.50
Mar '16
900.00
884.50
885.25
-12.25
May '16
901.75
887.50
888.25
-11.25
Jul '16
905.50
892.25
893.00
-10.75
Aug '16
905.00
892.25
892.50
-10.50
Sep '16
890.50
885.75
885.75
-9.75
Nov '16
895.00
883.25
884.00
-9.00
Jan '17
895.00
889.00
890.00
-8.75

Soybean Comment

Soybeans closed sharply lower today in the face of profit taking and lower than expected export inspections today. Soybeans continue to face difficulty holding onto to gains as export demand remains volatile and uncertainty continues to surround U.S. production levels. There remain a lot of negative factors surrounding this market as South America prepares for another record crop, the Brazilian Real and U.S. Dollar exchange rate at record levels, China demand is expected to slow in the 4th quarter, and global stocks are forecast to be ample to start 2015/16. Soybeans are likely to face a bearish outlook for some time and will rely on gains in corn to help support prices and minimize losses.


Wheat
High
Low
Cash Bids
--
--
New Crop
515
413


Futures:
High
Low
Last
Change
Dec '15
515.50
500.00
505.50
-2.25
Mar '16
522.25
507.50
512.75
-2.25
May '16
526.50
512.25
517.50
-2.00
Jul '16
529.00
515.25
520.00
-2.75
Sep '16
537.00
524.00
528.25
-2.50
Dec '16
549.75
537.75
541.75
-2.75
Mar '17
556.00
556.00
553.50
-2.75
May '17
551.75
-2.50
Jul '17
533.25
-2.50

Wheat Comment

Wheat prices started the day out higher and were leading other commodities higher; however, strength faded late and prices ended the day a couple of cents lower. Gains over the last couple of weeks have helped improve wheat’s technical picture, which will add pressure to prices limiting gains. With fundamentals as weak as they are there is little support for prices to move higher.


Grain Sorghum
High
Low
Cash Bids
400
331
New Crop
399
363



Corn
High
Low
Cash Bids
395
336
New Crop
379
346


Futures:
High
Low
Last
Change
Dec '15
392.50
383.75
386.75
-2.25
Mar '16
403.50
394.75
398.00
-2.25
May '16
410.50
402.00
405.00
-2.50
Jul '16
415.75
407.00
410.25
-2.50
Sep '16
408.25
400.25
402.75
-2.25
Dec '16
413.75
406.00
408.75
-2.25
Mar '17
422.00
417.00
418.50
-1.75
May '17
423.00
422.50
424.50
-1.00
Jul '17
430.00
425.00
427.00
-0.75

Corn Comment

Corn prices closed lower today as weather conditions look favorable for harvest to remain strong over the next couple of weeks. Prices continue to remain volatile as harvest pressure and demand concerns continue to pressure prices; while, reports of lower than expected yields remain supportive of prices. In the short term prices are likely to continue their sideways trade as there is not enough support to move prices significantly higher. If the USDA begins confirming the smaller yield reports look for price to trend higher offering additional pricing opportunities towards the end of 2015 and beginning of 2016.


Cotton
Futures:
High
Low
Last
Change
Oct '15
60.31
60.3
59.8
0.16
Dec '15
60.95
60.1
60.75
0.11
Mar '16
60.56
59.79
60.41
0.07

Cotton Comment

December cotton traded within Friday's range before closing higher. The market is building support at Thursday's contract low of 59.70, which was the day the market charted a bullish reversal. The market has a chance to continue to follow through on the positive chart signal as wet weather forecast for the end of the week could slow harvest and impact the quality of the crop in some areas.

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


Futures:
High
Low
Last
Change
Nov '15
1337.5
1316.5
1334.0
+7.0
Jan '16
1366.0
1345.5
1363.0
+7.0
Mar '16
1384.5
+7.0
May '16
1400.0
+7.0
Jul '16
1403.5
-1.0
Sep '16
1310.0
1310.0
1309.0
0.0
Nov '16
1309.0
0.0

Rice Comment

Rice futures have rallied to their highest level in 14 months in the nearby contract, with November setting a new contract high again today. Reports of disappointing yields across the south coupled with smaller acreage has fueled the recent rally. Concerns about Asian production are also a factor, as an El Nino weather pattern has caused drought in major production areas.



Cattle
Futures:
Live Cattle:
High
Low
Last
Change
Oct '15
133.500
131.550
131.825
-1.875
Dec '15
137.900
136.275
136.975
-0.025
Feb '16
138.500
137.100
137.925
+0.425
Apr '16
137.125
135.675
136.675
+0.625
Jun '16
128.825
127.350
128.300
+0.250
Aug '16
126.850
125.150
125.850
+0.125
Oct '16
129.225
127.700
128.050
-0.825
Dec '16
130.000
128.375
128.700
-1.325
Feb '17
128.250
128.000
128.050
-1.450
Feeders:
High
Low
Last
Change
Oct '15
186.650
183.650
184.850
+0.250
Nov '15
183.225
180.300
181.000
-0.600
Jan '16
177.650
174.775
175.200
-0.950
Mar '16
175.275
172.500
172.675
-1.325
Apr '16
175.650
172.900
173.300
-1.325
May '16
175.225
172.550
173.250
-0.925
Aug '16
175.900
173.300
173.750
-0.875
Sep '16
170.475
-0.275

Cattle Comment

Cattle prices closed mixed today. The nearby contract continued to move lower while other contracts closed higher. Cattle prices remain under pressure as demand concerns and weak overall economy remain negative for prices. While supply reports remain somewhat bullish for cattle, the large stocks reported last week continue to overshadow production and could keep prices trending lower.



Hogs
Futures:
High
Low
Last
Change
Oct '15
72.500
71.150
71.525
-0.350
Dec '15
66.450
65.275
65.925
+0.150
Feb '16
69.825
68.800
69.250
+0.300
Apr '16
72.550
71.800
72.150
+0.300
May '16
76.875
76.725
76.825
+0.150
Jun '16
80.300
79.525
79.975
+0.150
Jul '16
79.350
78.850
79.175
+0.225
Aug '16
78.525
78.075
78.525
+0.300
Oct '16
67.475
+0.200

Hog Comment




Shell Eggs

National Turkeys

Delmarva Broilers




http://ww
w.arfb.com/ag-markets-statistics/report
Download/View On-Line the above News in pdf format,just click the following link

29th September,2015 Daily Exclusive ORYZA Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Ancient Rice Varieties in India Before and After Green Revolution

Sep 28, 2015

 Efforts are on to blend the unique qualities of some ancient rice varieties through genetic engineering into some popular rice varieties to obtain tasty, healthy, high yielding and low duration varieties, according to local sources.
A number of ancient rice varieties, which were known for their health benefits and taste, have lost their importance after the green revolution. A lot of importance is being given to increasing production to feed millions of people. Thus hybrid varieties have replaced ancient rice varieties.
In order to revive these older rice varieties, a NGO called Devamirtham has decided to work closely with farmers to bring put these varieties to use. As part of these efforts, the NGO arranged an exhibition in Chennai, where nearly 25 ancient rice varieties were put up for sale.
Researchers are now planning to release these varieties for commercial use after testing their nutritional properties. Experts say since ancient varieties yield very less, they need to be genetically modified with popular varieties to produce rice varieties with nutritional qualities as well other qualities such as high-yielding and low duration.

Changes to EU CAP Possible through Mid-Term Review, Says Former Italian Minister

Sep 28, 2015
Most of the stakeholders are unhappy with the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union (EU) since it recommends a cut in the EU agricultural budget. While the European Commission (EC) is planning to simplify the CAP at the end of this year, the EU Parliament fears that a complete CAP reform would further cut down the EU agricultural budget.
However, Italy's former Minister of Agriculture noted that changes to the current CAP can are possible in the mid-term review. Speaking at a workshop titled "Can the (new) CAP deliver on sustainability?" in Milan, he noted that the new CAP is a hybrid policy that runs the risk of displeasing all parties. He is also the former chairman of the Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development and current coordinator of the S&D group in the committee.
He noted that the EC is underestimating problems and is finding temporary solutions for structural problems. For instance, he said an aid package worth €500 million for supporting milk and meat sectors, though positive, does not solve the problem completely. While the new CAP recommends direct cash payments per hectare to farmers, the former Minister says there is a need for more risk management instruments.
Other participants in the workshop noted that the mid-term review should also focus on including certain measures to support younger farmers. They noted that due to the absence of proper access to land and credit, young people are showing interest to enter the farming sector.
Responding to the speakers’ views, the Press Officer of the EC noted that the Commission has approved the aid package after considering the price volatility. He also noted that the new CAP focuses on benefits to the younger generation. The Commission is further evaluating new measures related to addressing the ageing sector, including loans whose repayment would depend on price performance, he added.
The new CAP accounts for only 37.8% of the EU's 2014-2020 budget compared to nearly 71% in 1984. It reportedly places a greater emphasis on environmental measures, with up to 30% of the funding granted to farmers who diversify production, rotate their land or maintain permanent pastures



Indian Farmers Urge Government to Revise MSP of Basmati Paddy to Cope with Falling Prices

Sep 28, 2015
Farmers who had sown basmati 1509 variety are expressing concern that falling prices and lack of buyers in the market are making their situation worse, according to local sources.
As the harvest is almost nearing completion, farmers are even more concerned about the storage of their output. This year, the government directed the procurement agencies to buy basmati 1509 variety 'Grade A' at Rs.1,450 per quintal (around $218 per ton). However, most of the traders are understood to be procuring the variety at much lower prices compared to the MSP. Export demand for this variety is said to be falling due to higher moisture and breakage content. 
Most of the farmers are forced to sell their output at around Rs.900-1,200 per quintal (around $136-$181 per ton) fearing a lack of demand. The amount is inadequate to cover their input costs, according to local sources. Last year, the variety fetched around Rs.1,800-2,200 per quintal (around $271-$331 per ton).  
Meanwhile, basmati rice exporters are blaming the state governments of Punjab and Haryana (where most of the basmati is grown) and the Central government for not discouraging farmers from sowing this variety. The exporters have reportedly requested farmers to sow basmati 1509 paddy after July 15 to lower the breakage content. But most of the paddy was sown before that they said.
The 1509 variety was promoted among the farmers as a high yielding and short-duration variety. It provides a yield of 6.25 tons per hectare compared to 5 tons per hectare provided by basmati 1121 variety. In 2013, farmers received about Rs.4,000 per quintal (around $603 per ton) for the 1509 variety.
However, exporters could not sell the variety to the overseas buyers due to high broken content. Therefore this year, exporters and millers are unwilling to buy the variety and prices are tumbling, say local sources.
Now, farmers are demanding a hike in the minimum support price (MSP) of the basmati paddy. They are also warning to stage protests if the MSP is not increased. They say planting basmati 1509 has cost them about Rs.16,000 per acre (around $602 per hectare) on an average. "We farmers expect at least Rs. 2,000 profit to survive and sustain our family. Otherwise, we will be doomed," one farmer was quoted.

Thailand, Vietnam Rice Sellers Increase Some of Their Quotes Today; Other Asia Rice Quotes Unchanged

Sep 28, 2015

Thailand rice sellers increased their quotes for 5% broken rice, parboiled rice and Hommali rice by about $5 per ton each to around $345-$355 per ton, $345-$355 per ton and $810-$820 per ton respectively today. Vietnam rice sellers increased their quotes for 5% broken rice and Jasmine rice by about $5 per ton each to around $335-$345 per ton and $455-$465 per ton respectively. India rice sellers kept their quotes mostly unchanged. Pakistan rice sellers are out today due to a national holiday.
5% Broken Rice
Thailand 5% rice is indicated at around $345 - $355 per ton,  up about $5 per ton from Friday and about $10 per ton premium on Vietnam 5% rice shown at around $335 - $345 per ton, up about $5 per ton from Friday.  India 5% rice is indicated at around $355 - $365 per ton, about $45 per ton premium on Pakistan 5% rice last shown at around $310 - $320 per ton.
25% Broken Rice
Thailand 25% rice shown at around $330 - $340 per ton, about $10 per ton premium on Vietnam 25% rice shown at around $320- $330 per ton. India 25% rice is indicated at around $315 - $325 per ton, about $25 per ton premium on Pakistan 25% rice last shown at around $290 - $300 per ton.
Parboiled Rice
Thailand parboiled rice is indicated at around $345 - $355 per ton, up about $5 per ton from Friday. India parboiled rice is indicated at around $340- $350 per ton, about $75 per ton discount to Pakistan parboiled rice last shown at around $415 - $425 per ton.                            
100% Broken Rice
Thailand broken rice, A1 Super, indicated at around $305 - $315 per ton, at par with Vietnam 100% broken rice shown at around $305 - $315 per ton. India's 100% broken rice is shown at around $300 - $310 per ton, about $25 per ton premium on Pakistan broken sortexed rice was last shown at around $275 - $285 per ton.

FAO Estimates Cambodia Rice Exports to Increase Sharply in 2015

Sep 28, 2015
The UN's Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) estimates Cambodia's total rice exports (including official and unofficial exports to Thailand and Vietnam) to reach about 1.2 million tons in 2015, up about 6% from last year.
The FAO says the government's strategy to boost official exports through targeting new markets is being reflected in the high pace of shipments so far this year. Direct milled rice exports between January and August 2015 have reached about 342,136 tonnes, up about 50% from the same period in the previous year.
The UN agency estimates 2015 total paddy rice production at around 9.18 million tons, down about 1.5% from around 9.324 million tons in 2014. Planting of the main (wet) season paddy crop began in June and will continue till October. Below-average rains between May and July reportedly delayed planting operations. Around 189,122 hectares have been damaged due to dry weather conditions. However, normal rains from August helped planting operations to pick up. The FAO estimates output from the main season crop to decline about 3% y/y to 7 million tons in 2015 and output from the dry season crop to compensate for the losses from main season crop.
Wholesale rice prices increased in most of the markets in August due to increased export demand. Concerns about damage to the 2015 main season crops due to prolonged dry weather also pushed prices during the month. However, prices were below their year-ago levels, according to the FAO.

Italian Paddy Rice Acreage Increases About 3.5% in 2015-16 Crop Year



The Italian paddy rice acreage in 2015-16 (September - August) reached around 227,329 hectares, up about 3.5% from around 219,532 hectares in the previous crop year, according to data provided by Ente Nazionale Risi, the National Agency for Rice.
The Ente Nazionale Risi data shows that the paddy rice growing area in Pavia, Vercelli and Novara reached around 80,127 hectares, 69,709 hectares and 33,001 hectares respectively.
The 2015-16 acreage for round varieties increased about 8.1% y/y to around 56,946 hectares; the acreage for medium varieties increased about 56.4% y/y to around 1,183 hectares; and acreage for Long A varieties increased about 20.4% y/y to around 125,832 hectares. However, the acreage for Long B varieties declined by about 36.5% y/y to around 35,080 hectares.
Harvesting is continuing in most of the fields, according to local sources. "Regularity and consistency of water availability exercised undoubtedly a crucial impact on production," noted an agronomist. However, he stated that results are not so good in areas where there were no adequate irrigation facilities during the important phases of plant growth. The final impact will be known after the completion of harvests, he said.

Japan May Allow Access to Over 100,000 Tons of U.S. Rice Under Deal

Sep 28, 2015

Japan may provide access to more than 100,000 tons of U.S. rice under a rice deal, but that would be divided between a new country-specific tariff-rate quota (TRQ) and an additional informal allocation of Tokyo's existing WTO TRQ, Inside U.S. Trade quoted the congressional sources.
Under the TPP deal, Japan is planning to allow 50,000 tons of duty-free rice imports from the U.S. and gradually increase up to 70,000 tons. Japan will reportedly increase imports from the U.S. by 2,000 tons from the fourth year of the agreement.
In addition to the above, Japan may agree to informally allocate between 45,000 - 50,000 tons of its annual WTO TRQ, which is currently 682,000 tons (on a milled basis). However, these imports have to pass through the Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) rather than being sold directly to end users. It is understood that the new quota will be administered through the simultaneous buy-sell (SBS) system, under which the MAFF buys rice, stores and sells it for low-value uses like feed or flour.
The U.S. producers are, however, seeking improvements to the quality of access to the Japan rice market rather than just elimination of tariffs or increase in quotas.

Indonesian President Rules Out Rice Imports

Sep 28, 2015
The Indonesian President has ruled out rice imports this year citing adequate stocks to fulfil the local consumption demand, according to local sources. The President's statement is contradicting the Vice-President's statement that the country is importing around 1.5 million tons of rice from Thailand and Vietnam to ensure adequate stocks in the country.
The President who visited rice fields in Karawang told local sourced that Indonesia's rice stocks currently stand at 1.7 million tons and another 200,000 - 300,000 tons would be added during the harvest period in October and November. He noted that "the rice reserve is quite safe" though El Nino is likely to continue till the end of this year.
He noted that the government will again calculate the impact of the extending drought conditions on potential harvest failures across the country to arrive at the exact reserves. “Our priority is to ensure adequate supply, smooth distribution and affordable prices of rice. We will conduct widespread market operations this week to help push down the prices,” he was quoted as saying.
The state logistics agency Bulog reportedly did not comment on the President's statement on imports. Earlier, it anticipated a need to import rice in March/April next year.
The country's statistics agency BPS, which estimated Indonesia to produce around 75.5 million tons or paddy rice, is also in the process of re-evaluating the estimates taking into effect the impact of drought.
The President is keen on achieving self-sufficiency in rice production and avoid imports.

Global Rice Quotes

September 29th, 2015

Long grain white rice - high quality
Thailand 100% B grade          355-365           ↔
Vietnam 5% broken    330-340           ↓
India 5% broken         355-355           ↔
Pakistan 5% broken    305-315           ↓
Myanmar 5% broken   410-420           ↓
Cambodia 5% broken             415-425           ↔
U.S. 4% broken           530-540           ↔
Uruguay 5% broken    535-545           ↔
Argentina 5% broken 530-540           ↔

Long grain white rice - low quality
Thailand 25% broken 330-340           ↔
Vietnam 25% broken 315-325           ↓
Pakistan 25% broken 285-295           ↓
Cambodia 25% broken           400-410           ↔
India 25% broken       315-325           ↔
U.S. 15% broken         500-510           ↔

Long grain parboiled rice
Thailand parboiled 100% stxd            345-355           ↔
Pakistan parboiled 5% broken stxd    415-425           ↔
India parboiled 5% broken stxd         340-350           ↔
U.S. parboiled 4% broken       570-580           ↔
Brazil parboiled 5% broken    545-555           ↔
Uruguay parboiled 5% broken            NQ      ↔

Long grain fragrant rice
Thailand Hommali 92%          805-815           ↓
Vietnam Jasmine         450-460           ↓
India basmati 2% broken        NQ      ↔
Pakistan basmati 2% broken   NQ      ↔
Cambodia Phka Mails             830-840           ↔

Brokens
Thailand A1 Super      305-315           ↔
Vietnam 100% broken            305-315           ↔
Pakistan 100% broken stxd    275-285           ↔
Cambodia A1 Super   355-365           ↔
India 100% broken stxd         300-310           ↔
Egypt medium grain brokens NQ      ↔
U.S. pet food 335-345           ↔
Brazil half grain          NQ      ↔


All prices USD per ton, FOB vessel, oryza.com

Oryza U.S. Rough Rice Recap - Prices Continue to Firm amid a Lack of Farmer Selling; Harvest 69% Complete

Sep 29, 2015

The U.S. cash market was slightly firmer today rallying in tandem with a stronger futures market. Analysts note that farmers are not very interested in marketing their rice at the current price as most expect prices to continue to increase as the market looks to ration smaller domestic supplies.  
In the meantime, the USDA estimates that as of September 27, 69% of the crop had been harvested which was 12% ahead of this time last year and 6% ahead of the previous 5-year average. As of now, the USDA estimates that 72% of the rice crop in Arkansas had been harvested compared to 35% in California, 98% in Louisiana, 76% in Mississippi, 48% in Missouri, and 98% in Texas.

Thailand, Vietnam Rice Sellers Increase Some of Their Quotes Today; Other Asia Rice Quotes Unchanged

Sep 28, 2015

Thailand rice sellers increased their quotes for 5% broken rice, parboiled rice and Hommali rice by about $5 per ton each to around $345-$355 per ton, $345-$355 per ton and $810-$820 per ton respectively today. Vietnam rice sellers increased their quotes for 5% broken rice and Jasmine rice by about $5 per ton each to around $335-$345 per ton and $455-$465 per ton respectively. India rice sellers kept their quotes mostly unchanged. Pakistan rice sellers are out today due to a national holiday.
5% Broken Rice
Thailand 5% rice is indicated at around $345 - $355 per ton,  up about $5 per ton from Friday and about $10 per ton premium on Vietnam 5% rice shown at around $335 - $345 per ton, up about $5 per ton from Friday.  India 5% rice is indicated at around $355 - $365 per ton, about $45 per ton premium on Pakistan 5% rice last shown at around $310 - $320 per ton.
25% Broken Rice
Thailand 25% rice shown at around $330 - $340 per ton, about $10 per ton premium on Vietnam 25% rice shown at around $320- $330 per ton. India 25% rice is indicated at around $315 - $325 per ton, about $25 per ton premium on Pakistan 25% rice last shown at around $290 - $300 per ton.
Parboiled Rice
Thailand parboiled rice is indicated at around $345 - $355 per ton, up about $5 per ton from Friday. India parboiled rice is indicated at around $340- $350 per ton, about $75 per ton discount to Pakistan parboiled rice last shown at around $415 - $425 per ton.                            
100% Broken Rice
Thailand broken rice, A1 Super, indicated at around $305 - $315 per ton, at par with Vietnam 100% broken rice shown at around $305 - $315 per ton. India's 100% broken rice is shown at around $300 - $310 per ton, about $25 per ton premium on Pakistan broken sortexed rice was last shown at around $275 - $285 per ton.

Download/View On-Line the above News in pdf for
mat,just click the following link




Monday, September 28, 2015

28th September,2015 Daily Exclusive ORYZA Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

FAO Estimates Cambodia Rice Exports to Increase Sharply in 2015

Sep 28, 2015
The UN's Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) estimates Cambodia's total rice exports (including official and unofficial exports to Thailand and Vietnam) to reach about 1.2 million tons in 2015, up about 6% from last year.
The FAO says the government's strategy to boost official exports through targeting new markets is being reflected in the high pace of shipments so far this year. Direct milled rice exports between January and August 2015 have reached about 342,136 tonnes, up about 50% from the same period in the previous year.
The UN agency estimates 2015 total paddy rice production at around 9.18 million tons, down about 1.5% from around 9.324 million tons in 2014. Planting of the main (wet) season paddy crop began in June and will continue till October. Below-average rains between May and July reportedly delayed planting operations. Around 189,122 hectares have been damaged due to dry weather conditions. However, normal rains from August helped planting operations to pick up. The FAO estimates output from the main season crop to decline about 3% y/y to 7 million tons in 2015 and output from the dry season crop to compensate for the losses from main season crop.
Wholesale rice prices increased in most of the markets in August due to increased export demand. Concerns about damage to the 2015 main season crops due to prolonged dry weather also pushed prices during the month. However, prices were below their year-ago levels, according to the FAO.

Changes to EU CAP Possible through Mid-Term Review, Says Former Italian Minister

Sep 28, 2015
Most of the stakeholders are unhappy with the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union (EU) since it recommends a cut in the EU agricultural budget. While the European Commission (EC) is planning to simplify the CAP at the end of this year, the EU Parliament fears that a complete CAP reform would further cut down the EU agricultural budget.
However, Italy's former Minister of Agriculture noted that changes to the current CAP can are possible in the mid-term review. Speaking at a workshop titled "Can the (new) CAP deliver on sustainability?" in Milan, he noted that the new CAP is a hybrid policy that runs the risk of displeasing all parties. He is also the former chairman of the Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development and current coordinator of the S&D group in the committee.
He noted that the EC is underestimating problems and is finding temporary solutions for structural problems. For instance, he said an aid package worth €500 million for supporting milk and meat sectors, though positive, does not solve the problem completely. While the new CAP recommends direct cash payments per hectare to farmers, the former Minister says there is a need for more risk management instruments.
Other participants in the workshop noted that the mid-term review should also focus on including certain measures to support younger farmers. They noted that due to the absence of proper access to land and credit, young people are showing interest to enter the farming sector.
Responding to the speakers’ views, the Press Officer of the EC noted that the Commission has approved the aid package after considering the price volatility. He also noted that the new CAP focuses on benefits to the younger generation. The Commission is further evaluating new measures related to addressing the ageing sector, including loans whose repayment would depend on price performance, he added.
The new CAP accounts for only 37.8% of the EU's 2014-2020 budget compared to nearly 71% in 1984. It reportedly places a greater emphasis on environmental measures, with up to 30% of the funding granted to farmers who diversify production, rotate their land or maintain permanent pastures.

Italian Paddy Rice Acreage Increases About 3.5% in 2015-16 Crop Year

Sep 28, 2015
The Italian paddy rice acreage in 2015-16 (September - August) reached around 227,329 hectares, up about 3.5% from around 219,532 hectares in the previous crop year, according to data provided by Ente Nazionale Risi, the National Agency for Rice.
The Ente Nazionale Risi data shows that the paddy rice growing area in Pavia, Vercelli and Novara reached around 80,127 hectares, 69,709 hectares and 33,001 hectares respectively.
The 2015-16 acreage for round varieties increased about 8.1% y/y to around 56,946 hectares; the acreage for medium varieties increased about 56.4% y/y to around 1,183 hectares; and acreage for Long A varieties increased about 20.4% y/y to around 125,832 hectares. However, the acreage for Long B varieties declined by about 36.5% y/y to around 35,080 hectares.
Harvesting is continuing in most of the fields, according to local sources. "Regularity and consistency of water availability exercised undoubtedly a crucial impact on production," noted an agronomist. However, he stated that results are not so good in areas where there were no adequate irrigation facilities during the important phases of plant growth. The final impact will be known after the completion of harvests, he said.

Global Rice Quotes
September 28th, 2015
Long grain white rice - high quality

Thailand 100% B grade          355-365           ↑
Vietnam 5% broken    335-345           ↑
India 5% broken         355-355           ↔
Pakistan 5% broken    310-320           ↔
Myanmar 5% broken   415-425           ↔
Cambodia 5% broken             415-425           ↔
U.S. 4% broken           530-540           ↔
Uruguay 5% broken    535-545           ↔
Argentina 5% broken 530-540           ↔

Long grain white rice - low quality
Thailand 25% broken 330-340           ↔
Vietnam 25% broken 320-330           ↔
Pakistan 25% broken 290-300           ↔
Cambodia 25% broken           400-410           ↔
India 25% broken       315-325           ↔
U.S. 15% broken         500-510           ↔

Long grain parboiled rice
Thailand parboiled 100% stxd            345-355           ↑
Pakistan parboiled 5% broken stxd    415-425           ↔
India parboiled 5% broken stxd         340-350           ↔
U.S. parboiled 4% broken       570-580           ↔
Brazil parboiled 5% broken    545-555           ↔
Uruguay parboiled 5% broken            NQ      ↔

Long grain fragrant rice
Thailand Hommali 92%          810-820           ↑
Vietnam Jasmine         455-465           ↑
India basmati 2% broken        NQ      ↔
Pakistan basmati 2% broken   NQ      ↔
Cambodia Phka Mails             830-840           ↔

Brokens
Thailand A1 Super      305-315           ↔
Vietnam 100% broken            305-315           ↔
Pakistan 100% broken stxd    275-285           ↔
Cambodia A1 Super   355-365           ↔
India 100% broken stxd         300-310           ↔
Egypt medium grain brokens NQ      ↔
U.S. pet food 335-345           ↔
Brazil half grain          NQ      ↔



All prices USD per ton, FOB vessel, oryza.com




Download/View On-Line the above News in pdf for
mat,just click the following link