Wednesday, November 11, 2015

10th November,015 Daily Global,Regional & Local Rice e-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine -Latest Rice News

Rice News Headlines...
§  Rice Switches From Downtrend To Neutral
§  50L tonnes of paddy arrive in state markets
§  Task force to decide soon on rice imports
§  Slight Dip in Rice Yields ‘Won’t Affect Exports’
§  NorMin’s rice output down by 11% due to El Nino
§  Thailand Sells 2 MMT Rice Through G To G Deals
§  Rice farmers produce consumer-preferred varieties
§  Development of agriculture sector a must for economic development: Shehbaz
§  Future of hybrid rice in the U.S. and world webinar Nov. 12
§  East End Foods plc helping to save sight
§  Mars Food Commits to 100 Percent Sustainable Rice By 2020
§  Farmers in central Thailand urged to grow taro instead of rice
§  Farmers bemoan recent govt. policy on rice importation
§  Villar backs PhilRice’s 10-5 rice program
§  Rice residue
§  WASDE Report Released 
§  U.S.-Grown Rice Earns New "Likes" 
§  Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report/11/10/2015 Farm Bureau Market Report
§  CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures  
§  World Rice Production 2015/2016
News Detail...

Rice Switches From Downtrend To Neutral

By IFC MarketsCommoditiesNov 10, 2015 07:48AM ET
Asia fills up rice inventories
Thailand has sold to Indonesia 500 thousand tonnes of new rice crop for 8bn bahts. The talks around this intergovernmental deal pushed the grain prices up, but when the deal was cut, the prices went down. Will the rice continue growing?

Rice Daily Chart
Judging by the details of the deal between Thailand and Indonesia, the approximate contract price for rice was $445, which is 4.3% above the price of $426.6 a tonne for 300 thousand tonnes of the Thai rice sold to Philippines in September. Meanwhile, the current rice quotes on the CME are below those of September. Thailand is negotiating selling 1mln tonnes of rice to China with delivery early next year. In Philippines, the rice crop has fallen 3% hit by typhoon Lando. Now the officials are going to import extra 1.3mln tonnes of rice next year. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO), this year the global rice production will be 0.6% less than in 2014, totaling 491.4mln tonnes.


 In fact, the contraction may prove to be much more severe in case of El Nino effect.On the daily chart, the Rice: D1 has switched from the downtrend to the neutral and is above its 200-day moving average line. Parabolic indicator and MACD have formed buy signals. RSI is neutral and below 50, no divergence. The Bollinger bands® have widened, which may mean high volatility. The bullish momentum may develop in case the rice surpasses the last fractal high and closes the price gap at 12.74. This level may serve the point of entry.

The initial risk limit may be placed below the last fractal low at 11.51. Having opened the pending order, we shall move the stop to the next fractal low following the Bollinger and Parabolic signal. Thus, we are changing the probable profit/loss ratio to the breakeven point. The most risk-averse traders may switch to the 4-hour chart after the trade and place there a stop-loss moving it in the direction of the trade. If the price meets the stop-loss level of 1.133 without reaching the order of 1.101, we recommend cancelling the position: the market sustains internal changes which were not taken into account.
http://www.investing.com/analysis/technical-analysis-c-rice-:-2015-11-10-270888


50L tonnes of paddy arrive in state markets

  
CHANDIGARH: More than 49.53 lakh tonnes of paddy has arrived in the mandis of Haryana till Sunday this season. Of this, 40.75 lakh tonnes has been purchased by government procurement agencies. In the corresponding period last year, 35.95 lakh tonnes of paddy had arrived in the mandis.

An official of the state food and supplies department said out of the total arrivals of paddy, 43.26 lakh tonnes was Grade A and general category, more than 13,555 tonnes was Sharbati variety, 1.73 lakh tonnes was muchhal (PB-1), and 4.4 lakh tonnes were Basmati strains.

The official said 18.50 lakh tonnes of paddy have been purchased by the food and supplies department, 14.50 lakh tonnes by Hafed, 4.24 lakh tonnes by the Haryana Agro Industries Corporation and 3.49 lakh tonnes by the Haryana Warehousing Corporation.
He said Karnal had the highest arrival of paddy at 10.70 lakh tonnes, followed by Kurukshetra at 9.91 lakh tonnes, Ambala at 8.53 lakh tonnes, Kaithal at 6.11 lakh tonnes, Yamunanagar at 4.26 lakh tonnes, Fatehabad at 4.24 lakh tonnes, Jinda at 1.83 lakh tonnes, Sirsa at 1.57 lakh tonnes, Panchkula at 1.23 lakh tonnes and Palwal at 1.13 lakh tonnes.

Similarly, more than 1.08 lakh tonnes paddy arrivals were recorded in Sonipat, 39,569 tonnes in Hisar, 20,687 tonnes in Faridabad, 14,627 tonnes in Rohtak, 7,765 tonnes in Jhajjar, 3,676 tonnes in Mewat and 3,400 tonnes in Gurgaon.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/50L-tonnes-of-paddy-arrive-in-state-markets/articleshow/49731720.cms
November 10, 2015 10:39:00 PM

By Melissa Luz T. Lopez, Reporter


Task force to decide soon on rice imports



THE EL NIÑO Task Force will decide this month whether the government will need to import additional rice to serve as a buffer stock amid a prolonged dry spell expected until mid-2016, the country’s socioeconomic planning chief said yesterday.


Workers unload rice imported from Vietnam. -- AFP
Description: http://adserver.bworldonline.com/webpics/articles/image/20151110cabf7.jpgNational Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said the Cabinet will soon decide on the need to import more rice, the volume of which has yet to be determined by the interagency task force.Last week Mr. Balisacan said the task force is looking to bring in an additional 1.3 million metric tons of rice to augment the existing supply ahead of a “severe” El Niño that is expected to reduce significantly the local rice production.“We are still assessing the available information because it is changing, so the DA [Department of Agriculture] can get to validate the numbers, especially those areas badly damaged by typhoon Lando and the areas that were hit hard by El Niño,” Mr. Balisacan told reporters on the sidelines of a forum in Makati City.Asked if the volume of imports will be decided within the month, Mr. Balisacan said: “Yes, because it has to be submitted to the President.

”An additional supply is needed by the second quarter of 2016, the NEDA chief noted.The National Food Authority is the main agency tasked to import rice. The planned imports are apart from the 500,000 tons up for shipment in the first quarter next year from Vietnam and Thailand.The Task Force will also meet on Wednesday to finalize details of the government’s P19.2-billion master plan to mitigate the impact of El Niño, Mr. Balisacan said.Officially called the “Roadmap to Address the Impact of El Niño,” the master plan represents some P7.5 billion to be spent for the remaining months of 2015 and P11.7 billion for the first half of 2016. The plan awaits Malacañang’s approval.

Initial projections showed El Niño would last six months starting September this year, but this was further expected to stretch until June 2016, according to weather officials.Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad had earlier said that funding for the master plan may be reduced in the light of recent events, such as typhoon Lando which filled dams earlier projected to run dry.The central bank and international debt watchers have both pointed to the looming dry season as a risk to growth, citing its potential impact on commodity prices, among other factors.
http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Nation&title=task-force-to-decide-soon-on-rice-imports&id=118445



Slight Dip in Rice Yields ‘Won’t Affect Exports’

Khmer Times/Sok Chan

Tuesday, 10 November 2015

As the harvest of wet-season rice ends this month, a report from the Ministry of Agriculture says the yield will fall slightly below the target but this will not affect exports.
Rice will be harvested from about 2.55 million hectares of land, about 99.53 percent of the targeted 2.56 million hectares, the report said, adding that the yield would be about three tons per hectare on average. Hean Vanhan, deputy director of the General Department of Agriculture, told Khmer Times yesterday the target was almost met despite drought hitting areas of the country since the beginning of the planting season. “Cambodia has an extra 4 million tons of rice in stock after domestic consumption. As a result the loss of about 2,455 hectares [of rice to drought] this year is not a problem,” Mr. Vanhan said.

This will not affect exports, he added.  The ministry recently told its officials and those at local administrative bodies to concentrate on water management and advise farmers how to ensure the rice they harvest meets export standards. Farmers are also being encouraged to expand the kinds of crops they grow and manage water so they can grow crops during the dry season.
Var Saroeun, a farmer who is a member of the Mongkol Agriculture Development Community in Battambang province, said that yields this year would be less than last year due to drought. Rice yields are low this year, but we are continuing to grow rice for the dry season,” Mr. Saroeun said. “Yields are not only low but the price is lower than last year,” he said. Last year farmers received about $300 per ton and this year they are getting $250 per ton, Mr. Saroeun said. 

Song Saran, president of exporter Amru Rice, said that even if yields fell slightly during this harvest it would not impact purchases for export. “We are not worried about a shortage,” Mr. Saran said, explaining that according to Amru’s purchasing contracts the company only buys about 50 percent of a farmer’s yield. 
Description: http://www.khmertimeskh.com/files/news/17674/1447170124.jpg

He also said his company had increased purchasing prices by about 15 percent for contract farmers to encourage them to grow more rice of export quality. His company’s purchase target is about 10,000 tons and it has already bought about 6,000 tons, he said. Amru will double its target to 20,000 tons if it gets support from NGOs, the government or low-interest loans from local and international banks, Mr. Saran said.Agriculture officials say they are advising farmers whose rainy-season crops were destroyed to plant again in the dry season.

The ministry has set aside rice seeds and seeds for other crops for planting during the dry season, they said. “We have reserve rice seeds for farmers,” Mr. Vanhan said. “In locations that are not favorable for growing rice and do not have enough water in the dry season, we will provide seeds for other crops because we don’t want to see farmers go hungry due to natural disaster,” he added.Cambodia exported 408,169 tons of milled rice in the first 10 months of the year, with about 65 percent going to Europe, according to official figures. Exports of milled rice to China totaled 83,577 tons in the period.  
Image:Drought will not have a major impact on rice yields nationally this year, officials say.KT / Emmanuel Scheffer

http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/17674/slight-dip-in-rice-yields----won---t-affect-exports---/


NorMin’s rice output down by 11% due to El Nino

By Froilan Gallardo on November 10 2015 5:57 pm
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/10 November) — Rice production in Northern Mindanao dropped by 11 percent in the 3rd quarter of this year compared to the same period last year due to the dry spell or El Nino phenomenon, agriculture officials said.Department of Agriculture Region-10 director Lealyn Ramos said the dry spell affected the flowering stage of the rice planted in June and July.The flowering stage was affected by the dry spell. The flowers were not able to open fully to shed their pollen,” Ramos said.


Citing figures from the Philippine Statistics Authority, Ramos said rice production dropped by as much as 13, 737 metric tons worth P435 million this year.The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration had declared the country is experiencing since July this year the strongest El Nino phenomenon ever recorded.It predicted that the month of November will be the driest for Northern Mindanao.Ramos said the dry spell has already affected 650 hectares in Kapatagan town in Lanao del Norte where its irrigation system was damaged by tropical storm Agaton in 2014.She said the cash-strapped National Irrigation System was not able to repair the damage on the irrigation system of the rice-producing municipality.

She said the same thing happened in the province of Bukidnon where rice farmers were already fighting among themselves for the limited water supply from their irrigation canals.She said the agriculture department has resorted to “cloud seeding” over Lake Lanao and Bukidnon in cooperation with the Philippine Air Force.Ramos said the planes will be coming from Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro, a former commercial plane hub which has been converted into a military airbase.“We are closely watching the weather updates and have asked the municipalities to monitor the rivers and other water sources,” she said. (Froilan Gallardo/MindaNews)

http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2015/11/10/normins-rice-output-down-by-11-due-to-el-nino/

Thailand Sells 2 MMT Rice Through G To G Deals

11/9/2015 
Agriwatch
India, Nov. 9 -- Thai commerce ministry is confidence about increasing demand for Thai rice.It has confirmed that about two million tonnes of rice has been sold through government-to-government deals.Its a part of the governmentand's goal to export 10 million tonnes of rice and in the latest development the Department of Foreign Trade sealed a deal with the Indonesian Bureau of Logistics (BULOG) to export 500,000 tonnes.Published by HT Syndication with permission from AgriWatch. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor athtsyndication@hindustantimes.com

http://www.world-grain.com/news/news%20home/LexisNexisArticle.aspx?articleid=2479011052


Rice farmers produce consumer-preferred varieties

Description: Rice PlantMore than 3,000 rice farmers and 700 processors in the Northern Region are being supported to produce consumer-preferred rice varieties to substitute imports this year.Under the sponsorship of SNV, a Netherlands development organisation, the project is expected to yield 8,500 tonnes of Jasmine rice, this year equivalent to 102,000 bags. That will increase the incomes of farmers and other actors in the rice value chain to GH¢4million.Last year, the project supported 1,400 local rice farmers and 600 processors in the six project districts in the Northern Region to produce 25,000 bags of consumer-preferred varieties, which yielded GH¢1.2million as income for the farmers and other actors in the rice value chain.

The project is being implemented in the Savelugu/Nanton Municipality, Tamale Metropolitan Area, Tolon, Kumbungu, Sagnarigu and part of the East Gonja District.The SNV Rice Project Manager, Mr Zakaria Jalil, made this known to the Daily Graphic at a Farmers’ Field Day at Libga in the Savelugu/Nanton Municipality in the Northern Region last Saturday.It had the theme: "Consumer-Oriented Rice Production, Key to a Competitive Rice Industry."According to Mr Jalil, the support was meant to strengthen the capacities of local rice farmers and processors to respond to the changing needs of consumers by offering them quality, tasty, aromatic and stone-free rice comparable to or even better than imported rice.That, he explained, was part of the efforts to make Ghana self-sufficient in rice production.
"Rice has now become a staple food consumed by Ghanaians and remains on the menu charts of restaurants and food joints across the country. It is also served at social gatherings and events and in order to make local rice farmers and processors to compete with their counterparts globally, there was a need to build their capacities to produce to meet the demands of the market", he stated.Mr Jalil also said significant awareness had also been created on the need to consume the rice produced locally primarily because of its quality.He appealed for support from all stakeholders to scale up the project to meet the country's aspirations of reducing rice imports drastically. Some farmers and processors who shared their experiences expressed their appreciation to SNV for the support.They said the introduction of new technologies and provision of improved seeds and good agronomic practices had increased their yields resulting in the increase in their incomes.

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/business/Rice-farmers-produce-consumer-preferred-varieties-393035

Development of agriculture sector a must for economic development: Shehbaz

2 days ago BY PPI
Description: Shahbaz Sharif

Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that the dream of economical development and stability in the country could never become true without the development of agriculture.Addressing the participants of the Kissaan Relief Package cheques distribution ceremony held in Narowal, he said that a timely and amicable solution to the farmers and growers’ prolonged problems was the top priority of the government. He said that the prosperity of Pakistan was closely linked with the prosperity of its farmers.He said Kissaan Package was an unprecedented financial support package to farmers in the country’s 68 year history, adding that farmers and growers had been the backbone of the agro-based country’s economy.

Sharif said that the government was fully aware of the problems faced by farmers and growers and was making all-out efforts to resolve them and give maximum relief to those associated with the agricultural sector.He said that the Kissan Relief Package would also boost the agro based economy of the country besides helping pull the farmers’ community out of the prevailing financial crisis. “No government has ever announced such a huge package for farmers in the history of Pakistan,” he said.Sharif said that despite all the negative propaganda of the political opponents, the PML-N government was successfully delivering and was moving in the right direction to achieve the goal of economic and political stability.

“We wanted to implement Kisaan relief package within a week; however, some people put hurdles in our way to support the farmers,” he claimed.He said that the government was meeting the expectations of the masses.The chief minister said that the relief package had been designed in four parts, with the first part being direct financial cooperation for farmers; second being relief in agricultural costs; third, the provision of agricultural loans and fourth, facilitating the process of obtaining loans.

Under the package, small rice farmers would be provided Rs 5, 000 per acre cash support. The cash assistance of Rs 5,000 has been announced for cotton growers as well, he added. A reduction in the prices of fertilizers has also been announced under the Kissan Package.Punjab CM said that a Rs 341 billion mega relief package for small farmers included direct cash support and provision of soft agriculture loans. He said the package was aimed at introducing progressive agriculture on scientific lines, reducing production cost of crops and making the small farmers prosperous.He said the country’s development was directly related to the uplift of its agriculture sector, particularly farmers.

 He said that under the package, small farmers would get Rs 147 billion as direct benefit while Rs 194 billion had been allocated for agriculture loans.He said that the farmers cultivating rice and cotton at up to 12.5 acres of land would be given cash support of Rs 5,000 per acre. The government would pay Rs 20 billion each in subsidies for rice and cotton crops.He said the government had already set up a Rs 20-billion fund to reduce prices of fertilizers which would bring down the price of Potassium and Nitrate fertilizers by Rs 500 per bag.Also, the government was negotiating with local fertilizer manufacturers and gas companies to revert the increase in prices of fertilizers which had gone up by Rs 200 per bag.DCO Narowal Syed Najaf Iqbal told newsmen on the occasion that Punjab government would distribute Rs 923.8 million among Narowal district’s 43,000 farmers under the Kissaan Relief Package.

Future of hybrid rice in the U.S. and world webinar Nov. 12

 

By Rich Keller, Editor, Ag Professional 

A webinar that will provide an overview of the current and future role of hybrid rice technology in global food production will be presented by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s Food and Agribusiness.The university’s Bobby Coats, Ph.D, professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, said. “We will review the impact that hybrid rice has had on the U.S. market, the adoption of hybrid rice in the global market and a forecast of the evolution of hybrid rice over the next 20 years.”This webinar’s presenter will be Michael Gumina, who has more than 35 years experience in the seed industry and is the lead executive for RiceTec AG which is a privately held, global hybrid rice seed business.

Description: http://www.agprofessional.com/sites/protein/files/field/image/rice.field_thumb_l_color_field_2_0.jpgTo register for the webinar, which will begin at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12, click the connection here:https://uaex.zoom.us/webinar/register/d1753b665ff1bfe334538d7d4481ef37

East End Foods plc helping to save sight


Monday 9 November, 2015

This Christmas East End Foods is aiming to raise £15,000 for the charity Sight savers - enough money to fund 500 sight saving operations for people with blinding cataracts across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Africa.

10p from every pack of 10kg and 20p from 20kg bags of Premium Gold Chapatti flour and East End Basmati rice will go towards helping Sightsavers transform the lives of people living with blinding cataracts. These products will be available in store from 1st October to 31st December 2015.More than twenty million people in the world are blind due to cataracts. Yet the condition is easily treatable with a straightforward operation. For many people living in the poorest parts of the world however, surgery is beyond their means. Often people can't get to a health centre, they don't know their condition is treatable, or simply can't afford the operation.Take Mulika Dep for example. Mulika, from Bangladesh, began losing her sight many years ago.

She was embarrassed and didn't tell anyone about the problem for a long time, but would struggle to do her housework. It wasn't until a Sightsavers-supported health worker came to her village to screen eyes that she discovered her condition was treatable. Although nervous at being referred to the hospital for surgery, she was thrilled when, following a quick operation; she was able to see once again.David Wouhra Managing Director East End Foods says: “This is the latest project by East End Foods as part of its commitment to continually improving the health and social status of our society. We are very grateful to Sightsavers for the opportunity to help us restore sight to and improve the lives of many more people, like Mulika, living with blinding cataracts”.

Press release distributed by Pressat on behalf of Sightsavers, on Monday 9 November, 2015. For more information visit http://www.pressat.co.uk/

Mars Food Commits to 100 Percent Sustainable Rice By 2020

Mars Food Commits to 100 Percent Sustainable Rice By 2020
Nov 10, 2015 | 9:00 am

Rice is a key food staple for more than half of the global population and supports more than 140 million smallholder farmers in the developing world. Unfortunately, rice production alone is currently responsible for 5 to 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and 35 to 45 percent of the world’s irrigated water use. But it’s possible to improve production methods to prevent these environmental impacts while improving food security in the developing world. The U.N Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) recently announced the first-ever worldwide standard for sustainable rice production, as part of a partnership, the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP), at a kickoff workshop in Cambodia.


Mars Food is the first company to commit to the new standard, and will apply it to 100 percent of its rice by 2020, including Uncle Ben’s, which is the world’s largest rice brand. Mars is already piloting the new standard in Pakistan and India with practices that work to improve both food safety and water quality.The standard implemented by the SRP includes 46 requirements for productivity, food safety, worker health, labor rights, and biodiversity, designed to reduce the environmental footprint of rice cultivation while improving the incomes of small farmers. “Caring for our environment as well as our entire supply chain from end-to-end is more than usual corporate responsibility. It's an imperative for Mars Food," says Fiona Dawson, President of Mars Food.
"Through the global standard, we hope to create benefits for all involved from the farmers to our consumers.  The benefit for us is that is that we are ensuring premium quality rice, whilst also ensuring a higher income for farmers, and a better environment for current and future generations. It is a truly mutual solution."The SRP vision for success includes benchmarks to reduce expenditures on rice by people under the US$1.25 poverty line, to avert 1 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions, and to reduce hunger in Asia by 12 percent, all by 2035.
http://www.thedailymeal.com/mars-food-commits-100-percent-sustainable-rice-2020


Farmers in central Thailand urged to grow taro instead of rice

English.news.cn   2015-11-10 19:37:02
       
BANGKOK, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- Farmers in Thailand's central region are suggested to replace rice with taro on their farms in a bid to cope with droughts, said a senior government official on Tuesday.Those who have been used to cultivating rice, especially in the basin of Chao Praya River, are now advised to go for taro which will yield more income than rice, according to Apichart Lawanprasert, head of the Rice Department's Rice Research Center in Pathum Thani province.The authorities have urged the farmers in 20-plus central provinces to turn to types of plants which do not need so much water as rice since critical droughts have reportedly prevailed throughout the region.

The rice department has discouraged the farmers from only growing rice on all arable plots of land and from doing extra crops of rice so as to contain severe drought problems.The government has repeatedly called on the rice farmers to cultivate just one crop of the "water-consuming" rice in a year to better cope with droughts.Premier Prayut Chan-o-cha recently blamed extra-crop farmings in the Chao Praya River basin in previous years which had allegedly demanded large volumes of water from major dams up north for this year's sustained droughts.In particular, the premier pointed an accusing finger at a controversial rice subsidy program implemented by a previous Yingluck Shinawatra government.

The rice program had allegedly prompted the farmers to produce rice "in excess" at the expense of large volumes of the dam-generated water.Those major dams, namely Bhumibol dam in Tak province, Sirikit dam in Uttaradit province, Kwai Noi dam in Pitsanulok province and Pasak Chonlasit dam in Lopburi province, could no longer release so much water to the Chao Praya River basin as in previous years because they had to keep large volumes in reserve and alleviate droughts this year and beyond, according to the premier.Since last year, Gen Prayut has ordered the Irrigation Department to close water gates which control daily flows of water from those dams to deny irrigation for extra-crop season in low-lying areas throughout the central region.The Chao Praya River basin is the country's largest producing area of the indigenous rice, which differs in texture, shape and prices from the relatively world-famous Hom Mali (fragrant jasmine) rice, largely grown in the Esarn (northeastern) region.

Meanwhile, Apichart assured that the rice farmers could even be better off by growing such edible roots as taro."Taro can bring up more income than rice. For instance, one ton of taro currently sells for an average of 25,000 baht (about 694 U.S. dollars), compared to the average price of only 6,500 baht (about 180 U.S. dollars) for a ton of rice," he said."Taro is not only on high demands throughout the country, especially during a vegetarian festival and Chinese New Year season, but is exported in limited quantity. There never seemed to be enough taro either for the domestic or export market," he said.Nevertheless, the agency has by no means called on the farmers to stop growing rice completely but to spare some of their farmland for the cultivating of taro or other plants which do not consume so much water while leaving other plots as rice farms as usual, according to the director of the department's rice research center.
He added that one acre of farm could possibly yield as much as 10 tons of taro for which its producing costs might amount up to 2,800 U.S. dollars but it could sell for more than 6,900 U.S. dollars.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-11/10/c_134802872.htm

Farmers bemoan recent govt. policy on rice importation

By Editor 

November 10, 2015
  
By PHILIP IKPONKO
Description: http://nationalaccordnewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/rice.jpg
Rice farmers in Katsina State coming under the aegis of All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, have faulted the recent decision of the Nigerian Customs Service legalising the importation of rice through land borders.Speaking yesterday through the state chairman of AFAN, Dr Yau Umar Gojogojo, the farmers urged the government to reconsider the policy insisting that it was capable of discouraging local production.They warned that adopting the policy at a time when the nation needed to adopt measures to boost farming “including the cultivation of rice for which we have fertile lands, is to say the least, counter-productive.


”According to Gojogojo, “What the government need to do and should be seen doing is for it to provide enabling environment including making improved rice seeds available and accessible to farmers,” he noted.“Once this is done, our farmers can cultivate enough rice for both local consumption and for export” he added even as he lauded the Senate for condemning the policy.The Katsina AFAN boss said what the nation needed at this time of dwindling revenue from oil was to aggressively pursue the farming option noting “once government will use the advice of specialists and real farmers, we will attain the much needed food security”.He stressed that to boost farming and ensure that the nation attains food security and self-sufficiency, the government must genuinely look at the issues of providing improved seeds and encourage constant soil test so as to ascertain the suitability of crops in a given area.“Government needs to provide equipment for soil measurements because we need a good understanding of our soil through accurate tests,” he said.

 

Villar backs PhilRice’s 10-5 rice program

November 10, 2015
Senator Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, expressed her full support for the 10-5 rice production project of PhilRice in order to achieve rice supply sufficiency with competitive cost in the future.Villar visited PhilRice Batac City branch to grace its 2015 Field Day event on Tuesday for the celebration of the National Rice Awareness Month this November.Joining Villar in the occasion were Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos, Batac City Mayor Jeffrey Jubal Nalupta, PhilRice Executive Director Calixto M. Protacio, the researchers and employees of PhilRice; officials from the Department of Agriculture in Region 1. Description: RICE MUSEUM — Senator Cynthia Villar, (left) chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, and Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos enjoy a chat as they stand before an attractive canvass of the Banaui Rice Terraces installed in the Rice Museum of PhilRice Branch in Batac City, Ilocos Norte, yesterday. Villar was in town to grace the 2015 Field Day Tour at the PhilRice-Batac City Branch. (Freddie G. Lazaro)
The 2015 field day tour was also attended by the rice farmers, researchers and students from the academe in La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte.“The 10-5 rice production program is a nationwide project of PhilRice meaning the production of rice at 10 metric tons per hectare at a cost of P5.00 per kilogram,” she explained.She said the program is very necessary for making the country more competitive to the upcoming Asean Economic Integration.


“If we could lower the cost of our fresh palay grains from the traditional P10.50 per kilo to P5 per kilo, we are very much lower to other Southeast Asian Nations. Thus, we are more competitive; we don’t need to import rice; we are more rice sufficient; we will eliminate rice smuggling,” she said.She cited the importance of the field day tour initiated by the PhilRice to showcase their new rice production technologies that would probably enhance the rice output of the farmers.
Image:  http://www.mb.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/uiu.jpg

RICE MUSEUM — Senator Cynthia Villar, (left) chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, and Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos enjoy a chat as they stand before an attractive canvass of the Banaui Rice Terraces installed in the Rice Museum of PhilRice Branch in Batac City, Ilocos Norte, yesterday. Villar was in town to grace the 2015 Field Day Tour at the PhilRice-Batac City Branch. (Freddie G. Lazaro)
http://www.mb.com.ph/villar-backs-philrices-10-5-rice-
program/#xExvpSrBiqwyzK7x.99http://www.mb.com.ph/villar-backs-philrices-10-5-rice-program/

 

Rice residue

New UD study looks at adding rice residue to lower arsenic, improve crop yields

Description: http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2016/nov/images/rice5679.jpg
A new study by University of Delaware researchers considers how adding silica-rich rice residue to improve crop yields and decrease arsenic uptake may affect the soils in which rice plants are grown.
8:24 a.m., Nov. 10, 2015--A new study by University of Delaware researchers considers how adding silica-rich rice residue -- such as husks, straw and the ash of those materials -- to improve crop yields and decrease arsenic uptake may affect the soils in which rice plants are grown. The results of the study were recently published in Plant and Soil, an international journal on plant-soil relationships. The study was carried out by Evanise Penido, a visiting student from the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA) in Brazil.Penido worked on the project, led by Angelia Seyfferth, assistant professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, in collaboration with Tom Hanson, professor in the School of Marine Science and Policy and associate director of the marine biosciences program, and Alexa Bennett, a graduate student in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment

Seyfferth said the current practice of removing silica-rich rice residues and not incorporating them into soil is a leading cause of yield declines and the susceptibility of rice to abiotic and biotic stress. “Rice is a very efficient silicon accumulator. It’s able to pull silicon out of soil, and the rice straw and the rice husk have a lot of silicon stored in the tissues,” Seyfferth said. “If we incorporate those residues back into soil and get more into a holistic farming approach – kind of like with organic residues – we could improve the health of the soil and provide a source of nutrients for plant-uptake.”Because farmers in developing countries need a low cost solution to lower arsenic uptake in rice, the leftover material could prove to be a viable option, something that became apparent to Seyfferth when she conducted work in Cambodia. “These residues are removed from the field and just piled up, but if we were able to take these materials and put them back into soil, they might provide a source of silicon for the plants that would be something that farmers in developing countries would easily have access to and could utilize,” said Seyfferth. 

Penido added that most farmers in South and Southeast Asia have small-scale operations and cannot afford regular applications of silicon fertilizers because of the high costs and limited availability. “A low cost solution, such as applying rice residues into rice paddies, is important to both the environment and human health. We are recycling wastes which can be used by small-holder farmers in developing countries, providing enough silicon to decrease arsenic uptake by rice,” said Penido.

Importance of silicon
Seyfferth said that silicon helps rice plants grow stronger, expend less energy and work more efficiently. “It’s almost like the plant has glass within it and when the plant has glass within its tissue, it makes things like fungal pathogens less able to chew through it. In that way it helps to increase resistance to diseases because of the rigidity it provides to the rice plant,” she said. 
In addition to that rigidity, the silicon also directly competes with the predominant form of arsenic — the reduced form of arsenic called arsenite — that is present in flooded rice paddy soils. 

“Arsenite looks very similar chemically to dissolved silicon and the two get taken up through rice roots along the same transport pathway. So just by increasing the amount of dissolved silicon, we can effectively decrease the amount of arsenic that gets taken up and stored in the grains,” said Seyfferth. In addition to decreasing arsenic uptake in the rice, silicon also helps improve crop yields by making the plant more rigid, stronger and healthier. When the rice plants have more silicon, they use less water and employ water and nutrients more efficiently. 

Impact on soils
The researchers were also interested in what happens when the residue is added back to the soil to see how they impacted the pH, the silicon and arsenic availability, and also the dissolved methane in the soils. “What we don’t want to do is add something that would increase methane emissions,” said Seyfferth. Penido explained that to conduct the research, they collected soil from UD’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) farm and had three kilograms of soil added in each pot. “Different particle sizes of fresh straw, fresh husk and the ash of straw or husk were incorporated into soil. Pots were then flooded to five centimeters above the soil surface and kept flooded during the entire eight-week experiment.

Pore water samples were obtained every week, for a total of eight weeks and analyzed,” Penido said. The study showed that incorporating the straw has drawbacks because, while it has a lot of silicon, it also leads to more methane production and more arsenic release. Husk addition, on the other hand, is very beneficial because it provides the most silicon of all the residues studied, doesn’t release much arsenic and has a low impact on methane emissions. “There were a lot of benefits from incorporating the husk,” said Seyfferth. 

Time at UD
As for her time at UD, Penido, who is currently working toward a master’s degree in chemistry at UFLA, said, “As an international student I just loved being a Blue Hen. UD for me was home away from home. I made really good friends, studied a lot, made the fall dean's list, and had a lot of support. Dr. Tom Sims, Maria Pautler and Ashley Fry were of extreme importance to make my dream of studying at UD true. Ashley was the best adviser I could have asked for. I am thankful for everyone from CANR who welcomed me.

 I loved living in the dorms, the social events and clubs, the UDairy Creamery, Ag Day and the good UD atmosphere – everyone is so happy.” Of working with Seyfferth, Penido said, “She was always willing to teach and help me, not just with the project but also with the courses I was taking. She always showed me kindness and respect. She was my adviser for my senior thesis and was very willing to help me prepare for research presentations. I want to continue our studies in the near future.” Seyfferth remains in touch with Penido, who she said was great to work with on the project. 

“She was so engaged and outgoing and I think it was a testament to the quality of students that UFLA has and brings here,” said Seyfferth, who added that she now has another UFLA student in her lab who is in a doctoral program. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to get high quality students and also to have this exchange. I think it’s opened the doors for a lot of collaboration,” said Seyfferth. The research was funded by a National Science Foundation (NSF) Early Career Development Award that Seyfferth received, as well as an NSF research starter grant and the UD Research Foundation
Article by Adam Thomas
WASDE Report Released    

Description: USDAWASHINGTON, D.C.--U.S. all rice production in 2015/16 is forecast at 190.8 million cwt, up 3.0 million from last month, with the increase entirely due to a higher yield. The average all rice yield is forecast at 7,423 pounds per acre, up 116 pounds from last month. Yields are raised for all states except for Texas and Arkansas. Yields are lowered for Texas and unchanged for Arkansas. The California all rice yield is raised 600 pounds per acre to 8,600 pounds. Long-grain and combined mediumand short-grain rice production are both raised from last month, with long-grain production projected at 132.4 million cwt and combined medium- and short-grain production at 58.4 million.
The all rice import forecast is unchanged at 25.5 million cwt. All rice domestic and residual use is raised 2.0 million cwt to 127.0 million cwt, 1.0 million each in long-grain and medium- and shortgrain rice. All rice exports are raised 1.0 million cwt to 98.0 million cwt with the increase in longgrain. Long-grain exports are projected at 65.0 million, and medium- and short-grain exports at 33.0 million. All rice ending stocks are projected at 39.8 million cwt, unchanged from last month with long-grain stocks at 21.8 million, and medium- and short-grain at 16.1 million. he 2015/16 long-grain season-average farm price range is projected at $11.50 to $12.50 per cwt, down $1.30 per cwt on both ends from last month. The medium- and short-grain farm price range is projected at $17.60 to $18.60 per cwt, up 30 cents per cwt on each end of the range. The California medium- and short-grain rice price at a midpoint of $21.50 per cwt is up $0.50 per cwt from last month.

The Other States medium- and short-grain rice price at a midpoint of $13.00 WASDE-547-3 per cwt is lowered $1.00 per cwt. The all rice season-average farm price is forecast at $13.30 to $14.30 per cwt, down $0.90 per cwt on each end of the range. Lower-than-expected prices published by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) for August and September, along with price expectations the remainder of the marketing year, support the downward adjustment in rice prices from a month ago. Global 2015/16 ending stocks are raised 2.7 million tons or 3 percent due mostly to an increase in beginning stocks and a decrease in consumption. Beginning stocks for 2015/16 are raised 1.9 million tons due mostly to downward adjustments in 2014/15 consumption for China and India, that consequently raised 2014/15 ending stocks.
 Consumption changes in recent years for China and India are based on reports received from the Agricultural Counselor's offices in each country. In China, consumption is lowered for both 2014/15 and 2015/16 due to higher prices, inconsistent quality of state rice reserves, and changing consumption patterns. In India, consumption is lowered and ending stocks are raised to better reflect government of India reports on the stocks situation. Global production for 2015/16 is lowered 0.5 million tons to 473.5 million, primarily due to smaller crops forecast for Bangladesh, Cambodia, and the Philippines, partially offset by increases for Sri Lanka, South Korea, and the United States.

 World consumption is projected at 486.2 million tons, down 1.3 million from last month, but still a record. Consumption is lowered for Cambodia, China, India, and Vietnam. Trade for 2015/16 is lowered slightly due mostly to smaller exports by Cambodia, and smaller imports by Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Global ending stocks are forecast at 91.0 million tons, up 2.7 million from last month, but a decrease of 12.7 million tons from the preceding year, and the lowest stocks since 2007/08. The 2015/16 stocks-to-use ratio at 18.7 percent is the lowest since 2006/07. 

Read the full report
 here. 


U.S.-Grown Rice Earns New "Likes"  

What's not to like? 
ARLINGTON, VA -- Eight major grocery chains with more than 1,200 store locations in 23 states have used USA Rice messages and recipes to promote U.S.-grown rice to their customers this fall. Overall, promotion activities by these stores earned USA Rice an additional 3.9 million impressions among consumers during September and October.

"We were beyond thrilled to get such a positive response to our program this fall," said Katie Maher, director, domestic promotion programs. "These numbers are especially impressive because USA Rice did not pay for any of the partnership activities. Each month we see growth in this program and expand to new stores and audiences."

USA Rice recipe cards were distributed through Big Y, Giant Eagle, Meijer's, and Skogen's Festival Foods to more than 1 million shoppers during September as a National Rice Month (NRM) promotion. As an extra effort, Meijer, Giant Eagle, Jewel Osco, Raley's, and Big Y stores used Twitter and Facebook to link consumers to recipes and reached a combined 1.8 million viewers through social media.

Redner's featured rice in the September/October issue of their HealthCents newsletter. A full-page article titled "Reach for Rice" told readers how to select the best type of rice for their dish and passed along nutrition facts on each type along with a USA Rice recipe. The newsletter reaches more than 30,000 shoppers in-store and online.

Dietitian blogs were also a popular tool with supermarkets. Jewel Osco posted information and graphics from USA Rice's Healthy Rice Bowls materials to more than 150,000 readers. "Tasty and Healthy Options with Whole Grains" was the title of the blog post from Lowes Foods' dietitian in October. The post featured USA Rice's consumer infographic 10 Reasons to Eat Rice Grown in the USA. Raley's Season Blog blog promoted the infographic and shared two recipes perfect for California shoppers looking for locally grown products.


Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report/11/10/2015 Farm Bureau Market Report

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


Futures:
High
Low
Last
Change
Nov '15
1205.0
1186.0
1163.5
-16.0
Jan '16
1231.5
1185.5
1188.0
-17.5
Mar '16
1255.0
1213.5
1215.0
-17.0
May '16
1255.0
1244.5
1244.5
-13.0
Jul '16
1296.0
1270.0
1272.5
-8.5
Sep '16
1253.0
+21.0
Nov '16
1253.0
+21.0

Rice Comment

Rice futures traded in a wide range today before winding up in the red. The USDA production report raised total US production by 3 million cwt to 190.8 million cwt due entirely to higher yields. Total long grain production was projected at 132.4 million cwt, with medium and short-grain production pegged at 58.4 million. Ending stocks are projected at 39.8 million cwt, which is unchanged from last month due to increased domestic use and export projections. The average long-grain price is projected down $1.30 from last month to $11.50 to $12.50. Global ending stocks for 15/16 were raised by 3 percent (2.7 million tons) due to an increase in beginning stocks and a decrease in consumption.


http://www.arfb.com/ag-markets-statistics/report/

 

World Rice Production 2015/2016

This month the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that the World Rice Production 2015/2016 will be 473.5 million metric tons, around 0.52 million tons less than the previous month's projection.
Rice Production last year (*) was 478.28 million tons. This year's 473.5 estimated million tons could represent a decrease of 4.79 million tons or a 1% in rice production around the globe.

Rice Production by Country

(Values in Metric Tons)
China: 145,500,000
India: 103,500,000
Others: 40,533,000
Indonesia: 36,300,000
Bangladesh: 34,600,000
Vietnam: 28,200,000
Thailand: 16,400,000
Burma: 12,200,000
Philippines: 11,500,000
Brazil: 8,000,000
Japan: 7,900,000
Pakistan: 6,900,000
United States: 6,057,000
Cambodia: 4,350,000
Korea, South: 4,258,000
Egypt: 4,000,000
Sri Lanka: 3,300,000

Next Update will be December 09, 2015.
https://www.worldriceproduction.com/?Referer=Newsletter


CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures   
CME Group (Prelim):  Closing Rough Rice Futures for November 10
Month
Price
Net Change

November 2015
$11.635
- $0.160
January 2016
$11.880
- $0.175
March 2016
$12.150
- $0.170
May 2016
$12.445
- $0.130
July 2016
$12.725
- $0.085 
September 2016
$12.530
+ $0.210
November 2016
$12.530
 + $0.210

USA rice daily

11th November 2015 Daily Exclusive ORYZA Rice E-Newsletter by riceplus Magazine

Argentina Rice Exports Increase Sharply in First Six Months of 2015

Nov 10, 2015
Argentina has exported around 432,568 tons of rice in the first six months of 2015 (January - June), up about 21% from around 358,598 tons exported during the same period in 2014, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture in Argentina.  
In June 2015, Argentina exported around 131,002 tons of rice, up about 19% from around 109,775 tons in May 2015 and more than twice from around 61,648 tons exported in June 2014.
Argentina exported around 30,000 tons of rice to Iraq (about 23% of total June 2015 exports), around 29,067 tons of rice to Cuba (about 22% of June 2015 exports), around 23,768 tons of rice to Chile (about 18% of June 2015 exports), around 20,593 tons of rice to Brazil (about 16% of June 2015 exports), around 10,739 tons of rice to Bolivia (about 8% of June 2015 exports) and around 7,953 tons of rice to Senegal (about 6% of June 2015 exports) in June 2015.
It exported the remaining 7% or around 9,170 tons of rice to Belgium (857 tons), Canada (1,177 tons), Denmark (260 tons), the U.S. (1,428 tons), Israel (184 tons), Nicaragua (360 tons), Paraguay (110 tons), Algeria (1,999 tons), Costa Rica (1,750 tons), Honduras (325 tons), Italy (162 tons), New Zealand (20 tons), Netherlands (65 tons), U.K. (45 tons), Germany (72 tons), and Ukraine (20 tons) during the month.

Government of Thailand Advises Rice Farmers to Grow Taro Instead of Rice to Cope with Water Shortages

Nov 10, 2015

The government of Thailand is advising the rice farmers in the Central provinces to grow taro instead of rice in this season due to water shortages in the Chao Phraya River basin, according to Xinhua.
An official from the Rice Department told local sources that farmers are being encouraged to grow taro, which will yield more income than rice. "Taro can bring up more income than rice. For instance, one ton of taro currently sells for an average of 25,000 baht (about 694 U.S. dollars), compared to the average price of only 6,500 baht (about 180 U.S. dollars) for a ton of rice," he said.
Farmers are essentially advised to grow less water-consuming plants. The Rice Department is also discouraging farmers from growing second and third crops to contain severe drought problems. The Prime Minister recently noted that the current water problem has arisen due to farmers growing more rice crops in a year, which are said to have demanded large volumes of water from major dams in the north. He reportedly instructed officials to restrict irrigation water for extra crops in the central region since last year. 
The extending drought conditions are likely to lower the Thai paddy rice production to around 22.98 million tons in 2015-16, down about 30% from around 32.62 million tons last year

Italian Paddy Rice Prices Continue to Increase in First Week of November 2015

Nov 10, 2015
Italian paddy rice prices, which were quite low in the last week of September last week and first week of October, have started increasing from the second week of October and are continuing the pace. Prices of both Indica and Japonica varieties have increased during the week October 27 - November 3, 2015. Harvesting of the 2015-15 rice land is complete and the data regarding the availability of stocks will be released soon, according to the local sources.
Below are farm gate paddy quotes from the Milan grain exchange, as of November 3, 2015:     
Arborio-Volano rice is quoted 650-675 euros (about $ 699-726) per ton, unchanged from a week prior; Balilla, Centauro and similar paddies are out at 330-350 euros (about $ 355-398) per ton, up from 315-335 euros (about $ 339-382) per ton of October 27.
Lido, Crono, Flipper and similar varieties are unchanged at 285-305 euros (about $ 306-328);
Padano, Argo is out at 385-430 euros (about $ 414-462) per ton, unchanged from a week prior.
Vialone Nano was quoted in the week of November 3; on October 27 it was out at 545-570 euros (about $ 586-613) per ton. 
Carnaroli is quoted 660-715 euros (about $ 710-769) per ton, up from 650-705 euros (about $ 695-759)  of one week prior.
Thaibonnet and similar varieties are unchanged at 280-300 euros (about $ 301-322) per ton.
Sant'Andrea is quoted 370-400 euros (about $ 398-430) per ton, up from 350-380 euros (about $ 376-409) of October 27.
Luna Cl, Dardo and similar varieties are shown at 290-310 euros (about $ 312-333) per ton, up from 285-305 euros ($ 306-328) per ton of October 27.
Baldo is quoted 360-380 euros (about $ 387-409) per ton, unchanged from a week prior.

Roma was quoted 390-420 euros (about $ 419-452) per ton, up from 370-400 euros (about $ 398-430) per ton of October 27.
Selenio is quoted 330-370 euros (about $ 355-398) per ton, up from 315-355 euros (about $ 339-382) per ton of October 27.
Augusto is out at 355-375 euros (about $ 382-403) per ton, up from 330-350 euros (about $ 355-76) per ton of a week prior; Loto and Nembo are quoted 320-350 euros (about $ 344-376) per ton, up from 295-325 euros (about 317-349) per ton of a week prior.

Brazil Rice Stocks Decline About 3% m/m to 121,038 Tons in October 2015

Nov 10, 2015
Brazil rice stocks stood at around 121,038 tons in October 2015, down about 3% from around 124,777  tons in September 2015 and down about 76% from around 494,339 tons in October 2014, according to the country's national grain supplying agency Conab.
According to Conab, rice stocks with the Selling Option Contract of Agricultural Products (OPCAO) stood at around 68,683 tons, down about 4% from around 72,558 tons in September 2015 and down about 77% from around 299,621 tons in October 2014.
Rice stocks with the Federal Government Acquisition (AGF) stood at around 51,349 tons, down about 2% from around 52,213 tons in September 2015 and down about 75% from around 194,313 tons in October 2014.
Rice stocks with farmers (Agricultural Familiar) stood at around 6 tons in August 2015, unchanged from September 2015 and down about 99% from around 405 tons in October 2014.
In September 2015, Brazil’s National Grains Supply Company (Conab) has forecasted the country's 2014-15 paddy rice production at around 12.449 million tons (around 8.6 million tons, basis milled), up about 2.7% from around 12.121 million tons (around 8.24 million tons, basis milled) in 2013-14, and slightly up from its August estimate of around 12.342 million tons (around 8.51 million tons, basis milled).
USDA Estimates U.S. 2015-16 All Rice Supplies to Increase on Higher Production
Nov 10, 2015

In its November 2015 World Agricultural Demand and Supply Estimates (WASDE) report, USDA estimates the U.S. all rice supplies at around 12.01 million tons, up from its last month’s forecast of 11.88 million tons and down from 12.56 million tons in 2014-15 due to expected higher production. The U.S. long-grain rice supply estimates are raised to 8.2 million tons, and the U.S. short and medium grain rice supply estimates are raised to 3.72 million tons, from last month.
USDA estimates U.S. 2015-16 U.S. all rice production (milled basis) at around 8.65 million tons, up from last month's estimate of 8.52 million tons due to a likely increase in yields to around 8.35 tons per hectare. However, the production is expected to be lower than last year's estimated 10.02 million tons. Long-grain rice production is estimated at around 6.01 million tons, down from last month's estimate of 5.91 million tons; and short- and medium- grain production is estimated at around 2.65 million tons, down from last month's estimate of 2.61 million tons.
USDA raised all rice domestic and residual use to around 5.67 million tons, down from last month's estimates of around 5.67 million tons. Long-grain estimates are raised to 4.26 million tons and combined medium- and short- grain estimates are raised to 1.5 million tons.
It estimates 2015-16 U.S. all rice exports at around 4.45 million tons, up from last month's forecast of 4.4 million tons and down from last year's 4.76 million tons. Estimates for the U.S. long grain exports are raised to around 2.95 million tons from last month's estimate of 2.9 million tons. However, no changes are made to the export estimates of the combined medium- and short- grain rice.
Average farm prices of all rice and long-grain rice are expected to decline to around $293.21 - $315.26 per ton and $253.53 - $275.70 per ton respectively, but those of combined medium- and short- grain rice are expected to increase to around $388.00 - $410.00 per ton.

Oryza U.S. Rough Rice Recap – Weaker Prices Seen after WASDE Report Surprises Market with Increased Yields and Greater Global Ending Stocks

Nov 11, 2015

The U.S. cash market was weaker again today after the USDA World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimate report showed that 2015/2016 global ending stocks increased 3% from the last report as consumption falls in China and India.
The USDA left their 2015/2016 long grain ending stocks figure unchanged from last month at 21.8 million cwt (0.99 million tons) however there were a few changes made to the US long grain balance sheet.
They increased their domestic use and export figures both by 1.0 million cwt (45,360 tons), which some in the industry had expected, however this was completely offset by a 2.0 million cwt (90,719 tons) increase in production on account of greater yields, which almost no one had expected.
The USDA also decreased their average on farm price for long grain paddy from $12.80-$13.80 per cwt ($282-$304 per ton) back to $11.50-12.50 per cwt ($254-$276 per ton) which was what they had forecasted in their September report.
Going into the report, the consensus was that the USDA would cut their yield forecast as well as their end stocks figure and as a result this report surprised many in the industry.  

Oryza CBOT Rough Rice Futures Recap - Chicago Rough Rice Futures Continue to Slide as Bearish USDA S&D Report Causes U.S Grains to Selloff

Nov 11, 2015

Chicago rough rice futures for Jan delivery settled 17.5 cent per cwt (about $4 per ton) lower at $11.880 per cwt (about $262per ton). The other grains finished the day sharply lower as well, as traders reacted to a bearish USDA S&D report; Soybeans closed about 1.2% lower at $8.5550 per bushel; wheat finished about 2.2% lower at $4.9075 per bushel, and corn finished the day about 2.1% lower at $3.5550 per bushel.
U.S. stocks traded in a range Tuesday, pausing after Monday's roughly 1 percent decline, as investors continued to weigh the likelihood of a December rate hike. European stocks closed mixed. Asian equities ended mostly lower, with only Japan's Nikkei closing a touch higher. Overnight, data from China increased concerns of deflationary pressure and lack of domestic response to stimulus measures so far. The country's National Bureau of Statistics reported the October consumer price index rose a less-than-expected 1.3% from a year earlier, while the producer price index fell 5.9% for its 44th straight month of decline. The major U.S. averages fell about 1% Monday for their biggest decline in six weeks, as investors weighed the odds of an interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve in December, as well as soft trade data from China. In economic news, import prices declined a more-than-expected 0.5% in October, while export prices fell 0.2%.Wholesale inventories rose 0.5% in September, the largest gain in 3 months. In afternoon trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 2 points, or 0.01%, to 17,736. The S&P 500 traded up 1 point, or 0.05%, to 2,079, with health care leading six sectors higher and materials the greatest laggard. The Nasdaq declined 17 points, or 0.34%, to 5,077. Gold is seen trading unchanged, crude oil is seen trading about 1.3% higher, and the U.S. dollar is seen trading about 0.2% higher about  1:05pm Chicago time.
Monday, there were 960 contracts traded, up from 357 contracts traded on Friday. Open interest – the number of contracts outstanding – on Monday increased by 101 contracts to 11,992.
Global Rice Quotes
November 10th, 2015

Long grain white rice - high quality
Thailand 100% B grade          360-370           ↔
Vietnam 5% broken    370-380           ↔
India 5% broken         345-355           ↔
Pakistan 5% broken    320-330           ↔
Myanmar 5% broken   405-415           ↔
Cambodia 5% broken             415-425           ↔
U.S. 4% broken           490-510           ↔
Uruguay 5% broken    535-545           ↔
Argentina 5% broken 530-540           ↔

Long grain white rice - low quality
Thailand 25% broken 345-355           ↔
Vietnam 25% broken 355-365           ↔
Pakistan 25% broken 290-300           ↔
Cambodia 25% broken           400-410           ↔
India 25% broken       325-335           ↔
U.S. 15% broken         500-510           ↔

Long grain parboiled rice
Thailand parboiled 100% stxd            350-360           ↔
Pakistan parboiled 5% broken stxd    405-415           ↔
India parboiled 5% broken stxd         340-350           ↔
U.S. parboiled 4% broken       590-610           ↔
Brazil parboiled 5% broken    545-555           ↔
Uruguay parboiled 5% broken            NQ      ↔

Long grain fragrant rice
Thailand Hommali 92%          785-795           ↔
Vietnam Jasmine         470-480           ↔
India basmati 2% broken        NQ      ↔
Pakistan basmati 2% broken   NQ      ↔
Cambodia Phka Mails             830-840           ↔

Brokens
Thailand A1 Super      320-330           ↔
Vietnam 100% broken            330-340           ↔
Pakistan 100% broken stxd    280-290           ↔
Cambodia A1 Super   355-365           ↔
India 100% broken stxd         285-295           ↔
Egypt medium grain brokens NQ      ↔
U.S. pet food 330-340           ↔
Brazil half grain          NQ      ↔

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


Contents are published with written permission of ORYZA.com with thanks.All credit goes to ORYZA.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

9th November,2015 Daily Exclusvie ORYZA Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Oryza Weekly: Rice Market Recovers on Indonesia, Philippines Imports

Nov 07, 2015
The Oryza White Rice Index (WRI), a weighted average of global white rice export quotes, ended the week at about $393 per ton, up about $1 per ton from a week ago, down about $2 per ton from a month ago and down about $62 per ton from a year ago.
In October, the FAO All Rice Price Index declined for the fourteenth consecutive month to around 199 points, about 3% lower than in September, and about 15.4% lower than a year ago.  The FAO index value in October 2015 is the lowest since June 2010.

Thailand
Thailand 5% broken rice is today shown at about $355 per ton, up about $5 per ton each from a week and month ago, and down about $60 per ton from a year ago.
During the first nine months of 2015, Thailand exported around 6.6 million tons of rice, a decrease of about 13% from the same period last year.  In terms of value, Thai rice exports earned about $3.155 billion, down about 15% from the same period last year.
The government of Indonesia has secured a G2G deal to import 500,000 tons of rice from Thailand. Indonesia has decided to import 1.5 million tons of rice from Thailand and Vietnam before March 2016 to replenish stocks.
The USDA Post forecasts Thailand’s 2015 rice exports to decline to around 9 million tons, down about 18% from 10.97 million tons in 2014, due to increased competition from Vietnam and India.
The government of Thailand is incurring about a billion baht (about $28 million) every month for storing rice stocks.
Vietnam
Vietnam 5% broken rice is today indicated at about $375 per ton, unchanged from a week ago, up about $25 per ton from a month ago, and down about $105 per ton from a year ago.
The government has increased its estimates for 2015 rice exports to around 7-7.5 million tons, excluding border exports.  This is an increase from earlier estimates of 6 million tons, according to the Vice-Head of Crop Production Dept. under the Agriculture Ministry.
The Chairman of the Vietnam Food Association has denied rumors that Vietnam rice exporters have halted exports of low-quality 25% broken rice due to undersupply.
The State Logistics Agency Bulog in Indonesia has been authorized to receive about 250,000-300,000 tons of medium-quality rice from Vietnam this month.
Cambodia 5% broken rice is today shown at about $420 per ton, unchanged from a week and a month ago, and down about $50 per ton from year ago. Cambodian fragrant rice, which won the world’s best rice competition for the last three years, has lost its top position to Californian rice in the 7th World Rice Competition held in Kuala Lumpur.
India
India 5% broken rice is today shown at about $350 per ton, unchanged from a week ago, down about $10 per ton from a month ago, and down about $65 per ton from a year ago.
Despite earlier reports that Iran’s Government Trading Corporation announced that it will lift the ban on rice imports (which has been in place since November 2014) starting this month, the Executive Director of the All India Rice Exporters Association claims the Iranian embassy denies any such development, and imports remain banned.  Indian rice exporters expect Iran to issue fresh basmati rice import permits starting next month.
The USDA Post estimates India’s MY 2015-16 (October-September) rice exports will decline to around 9 million tons, down about 24% from estimates for MY 2014-15, due to anticipated tight supplies.  The USDA Post estimates MY 2015-16 rice production at around 103 million tons, down from about 104.8 million tons in MY 2014-15.
India average wholesale rice prices declined in October 2015 after increasing for two consecutive months.  The decline is attributed to increasing supplies from the ongoing kharif (June-December) rice crop harvest.
Scientists of the Central Rice Research Institute are developing a “climate smart” paddy variety with multi-train gene packaging, which is capable of withstanding both drought and flood.
Pakistan
Pakistan 5% broken rice is today shown at about $320 per ton, down about $10 per ton each from a week and month ago, and down about $80 per ton from a year ago.
Pakistan basmati rice export prices have declined for the second consecutive month after increasing in August, according to the UN’s FAO.  The decline is due to increasing supplies from the current harvest, lack of export demand, and surging stocks.
Central & South America
Brazil 5% broken rice is today shown at about $500 per ton, unchanged from a week and a month ago and down about $50 per ton from a year ago. The Brazilian paddy rice index maintained by CEPEA reached around 40.8 real per 50 kilograms as of November 2, 2015, slightly up from around 40.6 real per 50 kilograms recorded on October 26, 2015.
In terms of USD per ton, the index reached around $216.5 per ton on November 2, 2015, up about 4% from around $208.01 per ton recorded on October 26, 2015.  Month-on-month, the index has increased about 2% from about 39.91 real per 50 kilograms. In terms of USD, the index increased about 4% during the month.
Five per cent broken rice from Uruguay and Argentina is today shown at about $535 per ton, unchanged from a week, down about $5 per ton a month ago, and down about $65 per ton from a year ago.
Guyana is likely to secure a rice export contract with Mexico shortly.
U.S.
U.S. 4% broken rice is today shown at about $500 per ton, unchanged from a week ago, up about $35 per ton from a month ago and up about $45 per ton from a year ago.
Taiwan has completed tender for 53,750 tons or about 83% of the 2015 U.S. rice country specific quota of 64,634 tons, according to the USDA Post.
Chicago rough rice futures for January delivery climbed steadily this week, opening the week at $11.935 per cwt (about $263 per ton) and continuously going up before reaching the weekly high of $12.490 per cwt (about $275 per ton) on Friday.  Futures closed at $12.405 per cwt (about $273 per ton) on Friday afternoon.
The U.S. cash market was mostly quiet this week, starting the week with no trading before firming up in tandem with the futures market midweek.  The cash market finished the week quiet as everyone seems to be prepared to wait until next year to begin trading again.
Other Markets
Rice stocks in the Philippines have increased in October 2015 after declining for four continuous months, according to the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, which attributes the increase to rising imports.  However, the government may need to import over 1.3 million tons of additional rice in 2016 following crop losses from recent typhoons as well as the El Nino-induced dry weather conditions.
The government of Malaysia has withdrawn its subsidized rice program ST15 rice (Super Tempatan 15% broken), under which it provides subsidized rice to low-income families, after finding “too many leakages” in the implementation of the program.
China has agreed to import rice from South Korea as part of the ongoing bilateral summit between the Premiers of the two countries.
The USDA Post forecasts South Korea’s 2015 rice production will increase y/y to about 4.26 million tons, despite a decline in acreage, due to increasing yields.
The UN’s FAO forecasts Bangladesh’s 2015 paddy rice output to reach a record 51.895 million tons, slightly above last year’s 51.793 million tons, despite a likely decline in the Aman (mid-May to mid-December) rice crop, which accounts for about 40% of the country’s total output.
One of the oldest rice-milling companies in Europe, and FIR (Supply Italian Rice), a cooperative owned by farmers’ union Coldiretti, have signed a new agreement at the end of the Milan Expo to avoid paddy price volatility in Italy for the next three years.
The USDA Post estimates South Africa’s MY 2015-16 rice imports will increase about 10% y/y to around 1.1 million tons, due to increasing demand.
The USDA Post estimates Turkey’s MY 2015-16 (September-August) rice production will be around 500,000 tons, up from last year’s 460,000 tons but unchanged from USDA’s official estimates.  The increase in production is attributed to increased acreage reflecting higher water levels and firmer prices.
The European Parliament has decided to reject the European Commission’s trade proposal to allow EU Member States to opt-out from authorized Genetically Modified Organisms for food and feed uses.
The USDA Post forecasts Bangladesh MY 2015-16 (May-April) rice production to decline to around 34.6 million tons, due to flooding.

Thai Government Spends $28 Million Monthly for Storage of Rice Stocks, Says Commerce Minister

Nov 06, 2015

The government of Thailand is incurring about a billion baht (around $28 million) every month for storing the rice stocks, local sources quoted the Commerce Minister as saying.
Responding to the questions of the members of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), the Minister noted that since taking over in May 2014, the military government sold about 5 million tons of stockpiled rice raising about 52.3 billion baht (around $1.5 billion) and it is currently holding around 13.7 million tons.
She noted that the government needs about billion baht (around $28 million) a month to store the 13.7 million tons of pledged rice. Warehouse rent, storage and maintenance fees, fumigation, interest payments and insurance premiums are costs associated with the rice storage.
The Minister noted that the government is keen on releasing more rice in auctions but is planning to halt auctions during November and December to support local paddy prices during the harvest time. The government was supposed to auction 2 million tons od rotten rice (for industrial use) in November and December.
She assured the officials working on cases related to rice pledging scheme that the Section 44 of the interim charter would protect them from any kind of disciplinary or legal charges (sometime in the future) for performing their tasks honestly.



Oryza CBOT Recap – Chicago Rough Rice Futures Finish the Day a Bit Lower, Erasing Yesterday’s Gains

Nov 07, 2015

Chicago rough rice futures for Jan delivery settled 1.5 cents per cwt (about $0.33 per ton) lower at $12.44 per cwt (about $274 per ton). The other grains finished the day mixed; Soybeans closed about higher at $8.6700 per bushel; wheat lower at $5.222 per bushel, and corn finished the day lower at $3.730 per bushel.
U.S. stocks traded sideways Friday. October nonfarm payrolls were up more than expected, raising anticipation the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates in December. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 46.9 points or 0.26% to 17,910.33; the S&P 500 lost 0.73 points or 0.03% to 2,099.2, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 19.38 points, or 0.38% to 5,147.12.
Friday, there were 357 contracts traded, down from 1,001 contracts traded on Thursday. Open interest – the number of contracts outstanding – on Thursday fell by 233 contracts to 11,941.

Thailand Secures 500,000 Ton G2G Rice Export Deal from Indonesia

Nov 06, 2015

Thailand has secured a 500,000 ton government-to-government (G2G) rice export deal from Indonesia, Bloomberg quoted a statement from the Ministry of Commerce.
Thailand will export 50,000 tons of 5% white rice and 450,000 tons of 15% broken white rice from the new crop to Indonesia under the contract between November 2015 and March 2016. The contract is expected to earn about 8 billion baht (around $224 million) to the Thai government.
The Thai Ministry is expected to sign an Agreement with Indonesia's state logistics agency Bulog next week. 
The statement also noted that the government's rice sales under G2G contracts would reach around 2 million tons this year, including the Indonesian contract. It noted that the Ministry has also signed a contract to export 300,000 tons of 25% broken white rice to the Philippines. The Thai government has to export around 300,000 tons of rice to China as part of a one million ton deal signed this year. The government is likely to secure another contract to sell one million tons of China for delivery in 2016.
Increased demand is expected to firm up the Thai rice export prices, which are currently below the Vietnam rice prices. Thai 5% rice is quoted at around $355 per ton compared to Viet 5% rice quoted at around $375 per ton.

Pakistan Basmati Rice Export Prices Decline Sharply in October 2015

Nov 06, 2015
Pakistan basmati rice export prices have declined for second consecutive month after increasing in August 2015, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The decline can be attributed to increasing supplies from the current harvest, lack of export demand as well as surging stocks. Pakistan rice exporters reportedly hold around 500,000 tons of basmati rice from last season. They have been urging the government to intervene in the export market and support them. The exporters are lobbying for a rice-energy barter trade with Iran and are keen on increasing exports to China as part of efforts to boost exports.
In October 2015, Pakistan's basmati rice export prices have declined by about 23% to around $661 per ton from around $855 per ton in September 2015, and down about 54% from their year-ago levels of around $1,435 per ton. In terms of local currency, average Pakistan basmati rice prices in October 2015 declined by about 22% to around PKR 68,744 per ton from around PKR 88,065 per ton in September 2015, and down about 52% from around PKR 143,787 per ton in October 2014.
Average Pakistan basmati rice prices stood at around $886 per ton in the first ten months of 2015 (January - October), down about 36% from around $1,382 per ton recorded during the same period last year.
Pakistan basmati growers have also been urging the government to provide adequate support to increase competitiveness of Pakistan's basmati rice in the global market.

Vietnam Rice Sellers Lower Some of Their Quotes Today; Other Quotes Remain Unchanged

Nov 06, 2015

Vietnam rice sellers have lowered their quotes for jasmine rice and glutinous rice by $5 per ton each to around $465 - $475 per ton and $460 - $470 per ton respectively.
5% Broken Rice
Thailand 5% rice is indicated at around $350 - $360 per ton about $20 per ton discount on Vietnam 5% rice shown at around $370 - $380 per ton. India 5% rice is indicated at around $345 - $355 per ton, about $30 per ton premium on Pakistan 5% rice shown at around $315- $325 per ton.
25% Broken Rice
Thailand 25% rice is indicated at around $345 - $355 per ton, about $10 per ton discount on Vietnam 25% rice shown at around $355- $365 per ton. India 25% rice is indicated at around $325 - $335 per ton, about $40 per ton premium on Pakistan 25% rice shown at around $285 - $295 per ton.
Parboiled Rice
Thailand parboiled rice is indicated at around $350 - $360 per ton. India parboiled rice is indicated at around $340 - $350 per ton, about $65 per ton discount to Pakistan parboiled rice last shown at around $405 - $415 per ton.     

100% Broken Rice
Thailand broken rice, A1 Super is indicated at around $320 - $330 per ton, about $10 per ton discount to Vietnam 100% broken rice shown at around $330 - $340 per ton. India's 100% broken rice is shown at around $285 - $295 per ton, about $10 per ton premium on Pakistan broken sortexed rice shown at around $275 - $285 per ton.

USDA Post Forecasts Bangladesh MY 2015-16 Rice Production to Decline Due to Floods

Nov 06, 2015
USDA Post forecasts Bangladesh's MY 2015-16 (May - April) rice production at around 34.6 million tons, down about 400,000 tons from USDA's official estimates of around 35 million tons due to floods that occurred in the northern and southern Bangladesh.
Floods are said to have affected the Aman (May - December) rice production significantly as 213,346 hectares of arable land is damaged due to cyclone Komen and a strong monsoon.

The Post also lowered Bangladesh MY 2015-16 rice acreage to around 11.8 million hectares from USDA's official estimates of around 12 million tons.
It is forecasting this year's imports at around 600,000 tons, unchanged from USDA's official estimates but nearly half of last year's imports of around 1.22 million tons. The government is continuing with the 10% import duty, which was introduced from May 1, 2015.
The government rice stocks stood at around 1.26 million tons as of October 25, 2015, says the Post citing the Ministry of Food.
The Post reports that domestic rice prices increased due to concerns of lower production




Contents are published with written permission of ORYZA.com with Thanks

10th November,2015 Daily Exclusvie ORYZA Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Malaysia May Not Join TPP Due to GI Obligations, Says Trade Minister

Nov 09, 2015

Malaysia may not ratify the final Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement due to the TPP obligations on geographical indications (GI), the Malaysian Trade Minister was quoted as saying.
In a side letter to the U.S., the Minister noted that "Malaysia will comply with the object and purpose of the procedural disciplines that apply to GIs recognized under other international agreements even after the TPP is signed." He also noted that the government is keen on publishing a GI application though it can also reject it based on stakeholder opposition.
The Minister also noted that signing of the final Agreement means that they cannot resort to acts, which would defeat the object and purpose of the TPP. The letter is understood to send signals that Malaysia may not join the TPP on these grounds.
It is understood that the governments of Chile, Mexico and Vietnam have indicated to the U.S. that "they will honour the procedural disciplines on GIs recognized under international agreements from the time the TPP is signed until it enters into force for them."

EU Imports from Asian LDCs Decline About 7% y/y in First Two Months of 2015-16

Nov 09, 2015

The European Union's (EU) rice imports from the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) of Asia such as Cambodia and Myanmar under the Everything But Arms (EBA) Agreement have reached around 42,916 tons in the first two months of the crop year 2015-16(September 2015 - August 2016), down about 7% from around 45,975 tons imported during the same period last year, according to data from the European Commission (EC).
The EC data shows that imports from Cambodia (which account for about 81% of total imports from Asian LDCs in September – October 2015) declined about 4% to around 34,880 tons from around 36,297 tons during the same period last year. On the other hand, rice imports from Myanmar (which account for about 17% of total imports from Asian LDCs in the first two months of 2015) have declined about 15% to around 7,387 tons from around 8,677 tons during the same period last year.
Decline of EU rice imports from Myanmar is more pronounced due to the temporary ban imposed by the Myanmar government on rice exports following the occurrence of floods in the northern part of the country. The government lifted the ban in mid-September 2015. 

Vietnam, Pakistan Rice Sellers Increase Some of Their Quotes Today; Other Quotes Remain Unchanged

Nov 09, 2015

Vietnam rice sellers have increased their quotes for jasmine rice by about $5 per ton to around $470 - $480 per ton today. Pakistan rice sellers have increased their quotes for 5% broken, 25% broken and 100% broken rice varieties by about $5 per ton each to around $320 - $330 per ton, $290 - $300 per ton and $280 - $295 per ton respectively.
5% Broken Rice
Thailand 5% rice is indicated at around $350 - $360 per ton about $20 per ton discount on Vietnam 5% rice shown at around $370 - $380 per ton. India 5% rice is indicated at around $345 - $355 per ton, about $25 per ton premium on Pakistan 5% rice shown at around $320 - $330 per ton.
25% Broken Rice
Thailand 25% rice is indicated at around $345 - $355 per ton, about $10 per ton discount on Vietnam 25% rice shown at around $355- $365 per ton. India 25% rice is indicated at around $325 - $335 per ton, about $35 per ton premium on Pakistan 25% rice shown at around $290 - $300 per ton.
Parboiled Rice            
Thailand parboiled rice is indicated at around $350 - $360 per ton. India parboiled rice is indicated at around $340 - $350 per ton, about $65 per ton discount to Pakistan parboiled rice last shown at around $405 - $415 per ton.      
100% Broken Rice
Thailand broken rice, A1 Super is indicated at around $320 - $330 per ton, about $10 per ton discount to Vietnam 100% broken rice shown at around $330 - $340 per ton. India's 100% broken rice is shown at around $285 - $295 per ton, about $5 per ton premium on Pakistan broken sortexed rice shown at around $280 - $290 per ton.

Argentina Rice Sector Faces Challenges Amid Low Global Prices and High Domestic Costs, Says USDA Post

Nov 09, 2015
The USDA Post reports that Argentina's local rice sector is facing problems due to slow export sales as well as high domestic costs. They are not able to compete internationally due to these reasons, it says.
Meanwhile, beginning stocks from MY 2014-15 (April 2015 - March 2016) are high at around 2.49 million tons but the pace of exports is very less due to lower shipments to Iraq, according to the Post. Exporters are reportedly waiting for Iraq to open bids in November.
Amid these concerns, the Post expects Argentina's MY 2014-15 paddy rice production at around 1.491 million tons, down from around 1.58 million tons in the previous year and down from USDA's official estimates of around 1.56 million tons. The Post is expecting Argentina to export 450,000 tons of rice in 2015, down from 465,000 tons in 2014.
Despite expected lower returns, most of the rice producers have reportedly completed planting for the 2015-16 crop with an expectation that the government would introduce some policy changes that would bring profitability to the sector.

Government of Nigeria Seeks to Attain Rice Self-Sufficiency in Two Years

Nov 09, 2015

The government of Nigeria is aiming to attain self-sufficiency in rice production in the next two years and stop imports, Reuters quoted a policy document by the President's Office.
The agriculture section of the document, which was reportedly circulated among the Minsters on the last weekend, stated that the government aims to achieve 'self-sufficiency in rice production in 24 months' and 'self-sufficiency in wheat production in 26 months'. It also calls for 'market guarantee for farm produce'.
Recently, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) also restricted foreign exchange to importers of 41 categories of items, including rice, to stop the depreciation of naira against the U.S. dollar. The CBN Governor emphasized that the Central Bank would not support the importation of items such as rice, which have a huge potential to be grown locally.
Earlier, the Nigerian government had targeted to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production and end imports by 2015. In that direction, the government launched the Agriculture Transformation Agenda (ATA) in 2012 and raised import duties on polished and milled rice to 40% and 110% respectively. But high rice import tariffs have led to informal cross-border imports from neighboring coastal countries. In order to reduce rice smuggling, the government has lowered import duties on polished and milled rice to 30% and 70% respectively in July 2014.
Nigeria is the world's second largest importer of rice and imports over half of its annual rice consumption demand. Nigeria produced around 2.9 million tons in 2014, about 52% higher than around 1.9 million tons produced in 2013.
USDA estimates Nigeria to produce around 2.709 million tons of rice and import around 3 million tons of rice in MY 2015-16 (October – September) to meet a consumption demand of around 6 million tons.

Oryza U.S. Rough Rice Recap - Prices Sink as Futures Crash; Still No Farmers Selling

Nov 10, 2015

The U.S. cash market was materially weaker today despite limited sell interest from farmers as both bids and offers from resellers dropped with the futures market.
Analysts insist that export demand will need to pick up if we are to see higher prices this marketing year and this break in prices might just be what the market needs to get more rice moved.

Vietnam Rice Exports Increase Sharply in October 2015 on Increased Demand from Philippines, Indonesia

Nov 09, 2015
Vietnam rice exports, which have been sluggish for the last three months, have increased sharply in October 2015 following increased demand from the Philippines and Indonesia. However, the total rice exports are still lagging behind last year, according to the Vietnam Food Association (VFA)
According to the data from the VFA, Vietnam exported about 687,663 tons of rice in October 2015, up about 29% from about 532,267 tons rice exported in September 2015, and up about 20% from about 570,769 tons rice exported in October 2014. The average export price so far in October stands at about $391.9 per ton, down about 3.5% per ton from a month ago and down about 16% from a year ago.
Vietnam exported about 5.036 million tons of rice in January 1 - October 31, 2015, down about 6% from about 5.374 million tons of rice exported in first ten months of 2014, according to data from the Vietnam Food Association (VFA). The average rice export price so far in this year stands at about $417.89 per ton (FOB), down about 4% per ton from about $435.6 per ton recorded during same last year.

Oryza CBOT Rough Rice Futures Recap - Chicago Rough Rice Futures Tumble as Dollar Strength Leads to Weaker U.S. Grain Prices; Traders Turn their Eyes to Tomorrow's USDA S&D Update

Nov 10, 2015

Chicago rough rice futures for Jan delivery settled 38.5 cent per cwt (about $9 per ton) lower at $12.055 per cwt (about $266 per ton). The other grains finished the day lower; Soybeans closed about 0.1% lower at $8.6625 per bushel; wheat finished about 4.1% lower at $5.0175 per bushel, and corn finished the day about 1.7% lower at $3.6675 per bushel.
U.S. stocks traded sharply lower Monday as investors weighed a possible Federal Reserve rate hike in December. The odds of the Fed raising rates for the first time in about a decade rose dramatically after the October nonfarm payrolls report — released Friday — showed the U.S. economy added 271,000 jobs. U.S. stocks opened lower and soon proceeded to extend losses, with the Dow Jones industrial average falling over 200 points at its lows.
The S&P 500 held over 1% lower as consumer discretionary fell about 1.5%.Overnight, China said October exports fell 6.9 percent from a year ago, while imports dropped 18.8%, both missing expectations. The major indexes posted a six-week winning streak on Friday, gaining at least 1%.There are no major economic data points due Monday, but Friday will feature October retail sales. Investors also kept an eye in oil, after OPEC said it expected global demand to remain strong next year. European equities closed lower on weak Chinese export data. In Asia, equities in China and Japan rose their highest levels in over two months. The Dow Jones industrial average traded down 198 points, or 1.11%, at 17,711. The S&P 500 traded 22 points lower, or 1.07%, at 2,076, with consumer discretionary leading nine sectors lower and utilities the only advancer. The Nasdaq traded down 61 points, or 1.2%, at 5,086. Gold is trading about 0.2% higher, crude oil is seen trading about 0.9% lower, and the U.S. dollar is seen trading about 0.2% lower about  1:45pm Chicago time.
Friday, there were 357 contracts traded, down from 463 contracts traded on Thursday. Open interest – the number of contracts outstanding – on Friday decreased by 50 contracts to 11,891.
Global Rice Quotes
November 10th, 2015

Long grain white rice - high quality
Thailand 100% B grade          360-370           ↔
Vietnam 5% broken    370-380           ↔
India 5% broken         345-355           ↔
Pakistan 5% broken    320-330           ↔
Myanmar 5% broken   405-415           ↔
Cambodia 5% broken             415-425           ↔
U.S. 4% broken           490-510           ↔
Uruguay 5% broken    535-545           ↔
Argentina 5% broken 530-540           ↔

Long grain white rice - low quality
Thailand 25% broken 345-355           ↔
Vietnam 25% broken 355-365           ↔
Pakistan 25% broken 290-300           ↔
Cambodia 25% broken           400-410           ↔
India 25% broken       325-335           ↔
U.S. 15% broken         500-510           ↔

Long grain parboiled rice
Thailand parboiled 100% stxd            350-360           ↔
Pakistan parboiled 5% broken stxd    405-415           ↔
India parboiled 5% broken stxd         340-350           ↔
U.S. parboiled 4% broken       590-610           ↔
Brazil parboiled 5% broken    545-555           ↔
Uruguay parboiled 5% broken            NQ      ↔

Long grain fragrant rice
Thailand Hommali 92%          785-795           ↔
Vietnam Jasmine         470-480           ↔
India basmati 2% broken        NQ      ↔
Pakistan basmati 2% broken   NQ      ↔
Cambodia Phka Mails             830-840           ↔

Brokens
Thailand A1 Super      320-330           ↔
Vietnam 100% broken            330-340           ↔
Pakistan 100% broken stxd    280-290           ↔
Cambodia A1 Super   355-365           ↔
India 100% broken stxd         285-295           ↔
Egypt medium grain brokens NQ      ↔
U.S. pet food 330-340           ↔
Brazil half grain          NQ      ↔
All prices USD per ton, FOB vessel, oryza.com       

USDA Post Forecasts Brazil MY 2015-16 Rice Production to Decline on Lower Yields

Nov 09, 2015
The USDA Post forecasts MY 2015-16 (April 2016 - March 2017) rice production to decline about 10% to around 8 million tons (basia, milled) from an estimated 8.5 million tons in MY 2014-15.The decline can be attributed to incessant rains in the country's main rice producing state of Rio Grande do Sul. Rains have reportedly delayed planting operations, and may lead to lower yields.
The Post reports that the Brazilian rice producers are more cautious about investing in inputs and
technology due to the weakening local currency against the U.S. dollar. These actions could also have an impact on yields, says the Post.
The Post estimates Brazil to export about one million tons of rice in 2015, up 18% from last year. The strong dollar is facilitating exports, says the Post. It estimates Brazil to import about 500,000 tons of rice in 2015. Mercosul partners Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina are the main suppliers of rice imports to Brazil.

South Korea Rice Stocks Increasing on Higher Production, Lower Consumption, Says Ministry

Nov 09, 2015

South Korea's government rice stocks at the end of October 2015 have reached around 1.36 million tons, up about 58% 500,000 tons from around 860,000 tons during the same time last year, and about 70% or about 560,000 tons higher than the requisite level of around 800,000 tons, local sources quoted the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
The sharp increase in the country's rice stocks is attributed to the increase in production and a decline in consumption. The Ministry and the National Statistics Office noted on November 8, 2015 that the country's rice production is expected to increase about 0.4% y/y to around 4.258 million tons despite a decline in paddy rice acreage by about 2% y/y. The increase is due to an expected increase in yield per hectare to around 5.33 tons from last year's 5.2 tons per hectare.

Meanwhile, the country's per capital rice consumption has declined about 19% to around 65.1 kilograms in 2014 from around 80.7 kilograms in 2005, according to the Ministry.The government is concerned that rising rice inventory levels may lead to higher maintenance costs. According to the Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI), it costs 31.6 billion won (around $27.36 million) annually to store and maintain 100,000 tons of rice stocks. "Although we are doing everything we can including nurturing of rice processing industries, development of export destinations, and looking for foreign assistance programs including that to North Korea, these measures are simply not enough to exhaust the huge stock of rice," a government official was quoted.The government is planning to come up with a long-term plan, by this year-end, to cut down rice output and thereby stocks from next year onwards.