Wednesday, December 23, 2015

23rd December,2015 Daily Exclusive ORYZA Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Vietnam Signs Rice Trade MoU with Timor Leste

Dec 22, 2015
Vietnam and Timor Leste have signed a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on rice trade, according to Vietnam News Agency.Vietnam Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and Timor Leste Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Environment reportedly signed the MoU on December 21, 2015.
Vietnam Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade told reporters that Vietnam would provide all possible support for Timor Leste’s business operations as part of the MoU. He said the Timor Leste government should continue refining policies that encourage investment in the country.
Timor Leste Minister of Commerce, Industry and Environment affirmed that the government has been encouraging Vietnamese firms to open business operations locally.Vietnam imported goods worth about $31 million from Timor Leste this year and exported $34 million to the south-east Asian nation, according to the Vietnam MOIT.

Chinese Research Firm to Support Nigeria Rice Production

Dec 22, 2015
A Chinese rice research and development company is planning to set up rice farms in Nigeria to help boost rice production in the country, Reuters quoted local sources.The company's Chief Executive Officer reportedly met with the Nigeria’s Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with an eight-member team, and revealed of his intention.He reportedly noted that the company is planning to acquire 500 hectares of land on an experimental basis. He noted that if they find the land suitable after four months, they would seek more land from the government.
He also told that the firm is keen on partnering with 36 states, of which the three states of Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Imo have shown interest. The official stated that the rice farms would engage local farmers in different trainings to encourage them to enhance their production capacity.The Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary noted that the Chinese delegation visit reaffirms China's commitment to engage Africa in a strategic partnership for economic development and growth.
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. The government of Nigeria is aiming to attain self-sufficiency in rice production in the next two years and stop imports.

Oryza CBOT Rough Rice Futures Recap - Chicago Rough Rice Futures Continue to Slide as Cash Market Remains Silent

Dec 23, 2015
Chicago rough rice futures for Jan delivery settled 11.5 cents per cwt (about $3 per ton) lower at $10.835 per cwt (about $239 per ton). The other grains finished the day lower; Soybeans closed about 0.7% lower at $8.8550 per bushel; wheat finished about 1.5% lower at $4.7175 per bushel, and corn finished the day about 1.6% lower at $3.6625 per bushel.
U.S. stocks closed higher Tuesday, helped by some stabilization in oil prices and recovery in hard-hit areas of the market this year. The Dow Jones industrial average closed up about 166 points after earlier gaining nearly 200 points in afternoon trade. The S&P 500 closed up nearly 0.9%, off session highs of a more than 1% rise, with consumer staples, energy, industrials and materials gaining more than 1% to lead all 10 sectors higher. Energy is the worst performer in the S&P year-to-date, off more than 20%. The Nasdaq composite closed above the psychologically key 5,000 level for the first time since last Thursday. European and Asian stocks ended mostly flat to higher. The Nikkei 225 closed mildly lower. Gold is seen trading about 0.8% lower, crude oil is seen trading about 1.6% higher, and the U.S. dollar is seen trading about 0.1% lower at about  2:45pm Chicago time.
Monday, there were 2,300 contracts traded, up from 1,394 contracts traded on Friday. Open interest – the number of contracts outstanding – on Monday decreased by 38 contracts to 15,691.

New MoU with NFA to Enhance IRRI Rice Research Activities

Dec 22, 2015
The National Food Authority (NFA) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that would fast track the rice imports by the IRRI for its research activities, according to a news release on the IRRI website.
The IRRI usually imports various rice seed activities from different countries in small quantities for research purposes. In the process, the IRRI needs to seek permits from the NFA each time it imports rice samples.
Now, under the new MoU, the NFA will soon grant a single certification, instead of multiple transport permits, for all rice varieties are needed to be imported by the IRRI for research purposes. The development will provide access to a broad range of seed varieties and help the IRRI to breed better rice varieties that have improved yields and are more tolerant of the stresses caused by climate change such as flooding, drought, and salinity.
"IRRI's rice breeding programs will benefit from a more streamlined and efficient operation with the single certification from NFA, because seeds are at the core of our research activities," IRRI's Director General for Communication and Partnerships was quoted.

South Korea Seeks to Buy 44,639 Tons of Non-Glutinous Rice in Tenders

Dec 22, 2015
South Korea's state run Agro Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (KAFTC) is seeking to buy about 44,639 tons of non-glutinous rice in tenders for delivery between March 31, 2016 and June 30, 2016, according to a statement on its website.
The details of the tonnage and timing of the rice sought:
Registration of tenders will close at 4.00 p.m on December 29, 2015. Electronic bidding will take place on December 30, 2015 between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m.

Italian Paddy Rice Quotes Mostly Remain Firm in Second Week of December 2015

Dec 22, 2015
Italian paddy rice prices remained unchanged as of December 15, 2015, from those on previous week, according to local sources.
Below are farm gate paddy quotes from the Milan grain exchange, as of December 15, 2015. Since quotes were not available on December 8, 2015 on account of a religious holiday, prices are compared to those on December 1, 2015.Arborio-Volano rice is quoted 650-675 euros (about $ 732-737) per ton, unchanged from the previous week;
Balilla, Centauro and similar paddies are out at 355-385 euros (about $ 387-420) per ton, unchanged from the previous week;
Lido, Crono, Flipper and similar varieties are out at 300-320 euros (about $ 327-349) per ton, unchanged from the previous week;
Padano, Argo is out at 385-430 euros (about $ 420-469) per ton, unchanged from the previous week;
Vialone Nano is quoted 590-630 euros (about $ 644-688) per ton, unchanged from the previous week;
Carnaroli is quoted 637-692 euros (about $ 696-756) per ton, slightly down from 645-700 euros (about $ 704-764) per ton of December, 1;
Thaibonnet and similar varieties are quoted 305-325 euros (about $ 335-355) per ton, up 10 euros (about $ 10.9) per ton from 295-315 euros (about $ 322-344) per ton of December 1;
Sant'Andrea is quoted 390-420 euros (about $ 426-458) per ton, unchanged from the previous week;
Luna Cl, Dardo and similar varieties are out at 300-320 euros (about $ 327-349) per ton, unchanged from the previous week;
Baldo is quoted 360-380 euros (about $ 393-415) per ton, unchanged from the previous week;
Roma is quoted 410-440 euros (about $ 448-480) per ton, up from 400-430 euros (about $ 437-469) per ton of December 1;
Selenio is quoted 335-385 euros (about $ 366-420) per ton, unchanged from the previous week;
Augusto is out at 345-365 euros (about $ 377-398) per ton, slightly down from 350-370 euros (about $ 382-370) per ton, of December 1;
Loto and Nembo are quoted 330-360 euros (about $ 360-393) per ton, unchanged from the previous week.

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

Dec 22, 2015

Vietnam rice sellers lowered their quotes for glutinous rice variety by about $5 per ton each to around $475 - $485 per ton today. Other Asian rice sellers have kept their quotes unchanged today from yesterday.                                  
5% Broken Rice
Thailand 5% rice is indicated at around $340 - $350 per ton about $25 per ton discount on Vietnam 5% rice shown at around $365 - $375 per ton. India 5% rice is indicated at around $355 - $365 per ton, about $25 per ton premium on Pakistan 5% rice shown at around $330 - $340 per ton.
25% Broken Rice
Thailand 25% rice is indicated at around $335 - $345 per ton, about $20 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 $25 per ton premium on Pakistan 25% rice shown at around $300 - $310 per ton.
Parboiled Rice            
Thailand parboiled rice is indicated at around $345 - $355 per ton. India parboiled rice is indicated at around $350 - $360 per ton, about $55 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 $15 per ton discount to Vietnam 100% broken rice shown at around $335 - $345 per ton. India's 100% broken rice is shown at around $280 - $290 per ton, about $5 per ton discount to Pakistan broken sortexed rice shown at around $285 - $295 per ton.

Global Rice Quotes

December 23rd, 2015

Long grain white rice - high quality
Thailand 100% B grade          350-360           ↔
Vietnam 5% broken    365-375           ↔
India 5% broken         355-365           ↔
Pakistan 5% broken    330-340           ↔
Myanmar 5% broken   410-420           ↔
Cambodia 5% broken             425-435           ↔
U.S. 4% broken           475-485           ↔
Uruguay 5% broken    505-515           ↔
Argentina 5% broken 500-510           ↔

Long grain white rice - low quality
Thailand 25% broken 335-345           ↔
Vietnam 25% broken 355-365           ↔
Pakistan 25% broken 300-310           ↔
Cambodia 25% broken           400-410           ↔
India 25% broken       325-335           ↔
U.S. 15% broken         500-510           ↔

Long grain parboiled rice
Thailand parboiled 100% stxd            345-355           ↔
Pakistan parboiled 5% broken stxd    405-415           ↔
India parboiled 5% broken stxd         355-365           ↑
U.S. parboiled 4% broken       500-510           ↔
Brazil parboiled 5% broken    545-555           ↔
Uruguay parboiled 5% broken            NQ      ↔
L
ong grain fragrant rice
Thailand Hommali 92%          685-695           ↔
Vietnam Jasmine         445-455           ↑
India basmati 2% broken        NQ      ↔
Pakistan basmati 2% broken   NQ      ↔
Cambodia Phka Mails             830-840           ↔

Brokens
Thailand A1 Super      320-330           ↔
Vietnam 100% broken            335-345           ↔
Pakistan 100% broken stxd    285-295           ↔
Cambodia A1 Super   355-365           ↔
India 100% broken stxd         280-290           ↔
Egypt medium grain brokens NQ      ↔
U.S. pet food 280-290           ↔
Brazil half grain          NQ      ↔

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

Philippines Rice Farmers to Boost Yields with SMS Technology

Dec 22, 2015
Philippine rice farmers can now increase their paddy yields with the new SMS technology that will be aligned with the 'Rice Crop Manager (RCM)' tool, according to a news release posted on the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) website.
According to the release, two years back, the IRRI devised the RCM decision tool, which can use mobile devices and computers to provide recommendations to rice farmers, to help them increase their yields. The RCM tool was funded by the Department of Agriculture (DA) through its Food Staples Sufficiency Program (FSSP). According to the DA research, rice farmers in Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Oriental Mindoro, and Agusan del Norte increased their average yield by 300 kilograms and average net income by about PHP 4,000 (around $85) per crop per hectare.
Now, in a latest development, the DA and the IRRI have added text messaging facility to the RCM tool to provide site-specific advice to farmers in addition to the web-based application. However, since only 20% of the farmers who are registered in RCM are using mobile technology, the remaining are unable to receive text messages sent from the RCM through the DA-Agricultural Training Institute (ATI).
Therefore, SMART Communications signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the DA-ATI and the IRRI to provide low-cost mobile package to farmers, with special call and SMS rates to the DA-ATI’s hotline center and Farmers’ Contact Center (FCC), among others, whom farmers can contact for their agri-related concerns, according to the news release.
To begin with, SMART and DA-ATI distributed mobile phones with preloaded SIM cards to small scale farmers in La Paz, Tarlac.
“This is a welcome opportunity for a public-private partnership to reach more farmers with science-based information and help them better manage their crop, increase their income, and improve their lives,” an IRRI scientist was quoted.

Oryza U.S. Rough Rice Recap - Prices Fall amid Increased Competition, Weak Demand

Dec 23, 2015
The U.S. cash market was weak today, continuing to fall amid increased competition and a lack of demand even as most farmers remain on the sidelines, hoping for a price rebound.Analysts note that the weaker Argentine Real and Brazilian Peso are making South American-origin rice more competitive relative to the U.S. even as their stocks decline.
Soft crude oil prices will also likely keep a lid on U.S. prices as Iraq and Venezuela, both key export markets, depend on oil revenue to support their purchases. 


Exclusive News have been shared with written permission of ORYZA.com with thanks

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

22nd December,2015 Daily Exclusive ORYZA Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Government of Thailand Expects 2016 Rice Exports at 9 Million Tons

Dec 21, 2015

The government of Thailand is expecting 2016 rice exports to decline to around 9 million tons from an estimated 10 million tons this year on low output due to El Niño-induced drought conditions, according to Bloomberg.
The Permanent Secretary for Commerce told reporters that they are expecting China and Indonesia to account for major share of Thai rice exports.
She noted that the rice output from the 2015-15 season is estimated at around 27 million tons, including 22.9 million tons from the main crop and the remaining 4.1 million from the dry season minor crop.
The official also stated that the National Rice Policy has approves 204 million baht (around $5.7 million) to help support interest costs for millers. The government is encouraging millers to store about 1.6 million tons of rice during December 2015 to March 2016 in order to control price falls.
Thailand exported around 9.3 million tons so far this year, according to the official.

China Rice Imports Increase Sharply in First Eleven Months of 2015

Dec 21, 2015
China has imported around 2.954 million tons of rice in the first eleven months of 2015 (January - November), up about 32% from around 2.243 million tons imported during the same period last year, according to data from China Customs General Administration.
In November 2015, China imported around 317,700 tons of rice, down about 2% from around 322,600 tons imported in October 2015, and up about 38% from around 230,000 tons imported in November 2014.
China has exported around 257,900 tons of rice in first eleven months of 2015, down about 25% from around 345,369 tons exported during the same period last year, according to data from the China Customs General Administration.
In November 2015, China exported around 28,500 tons of rice, up about 18% from around 24,200 tons exported in October 2015 and down about 74% from around 108,815 tons exported in November 2014.
China imported about 2.563 million tons of rice and exported about 419,069 tons of rice in 2014.
USDA estimates China to produce around 145.5 million tons of milled rice in MY 2015-16 (July - June). It estimates China to import around 4.7 million tons and export around 400,000 tons of rice in 2015.

Vietnam Exports About 6 Million Tons of Rice in January 1 - December 17, 2015, Down 5% from Previous Year

Dec 21, 2015
Vietnam exported about 6.007 million tons of rice in January 1 - December 17, 2015, down about 5% from about 6.33 million tons of rice exported in all the twelve 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 $410.56 per ton (FOB), down about 7% per ton from about $441.38 per ton recorded during same last year.
According to the data from the VFA, Vietnam exported about 200,053 tons of rice from December 1-17, 2015, down about 74% from about 771,312 tons of rice exported in November 2015, and down about 58% from about 472,575 tons of rice exported in December 2014. The average export price so far in October stands at about $370.26 per ton, down about 2% per ton from a month ago and down about 22% from a year ago.

Oryza CBOT Rough Rice Futures Recap - Chicago Rough Rice Futures Fall as Market Gets off to a Bearish Start for the Shortened Holiday Week

Dec 22, 2015

Chicago rough rice futures for Jan delivery settled 13 cents per cwt (about $3 per ton) lower at $10.950 per cwt (about $241 per ton). The other grains finished the day lower; Soybeans closed about 0.1% lower at $8.9150 per bushel; wheat finished about 1.6% lower at $4.7900 per bushel, and corn finished the day about 0.7% lower at $3.7200 per bushel.
U.S. stocks traded mostly higher Monday, attempting to recover from a sharp sell-off last week, as investors eyed low oil prices in a shortened trading week. U.S. equities tried to kick off the shortened holiday week with gains. The U.S. stock market closes early Thursday, Christmas Eve, and is shut on Friday for Christmas Day. No other major economic data was due Monday, while third-quarter GDP is expected Tuesday and personal income data is due Wednesday. In afternoon trade, the Dow Jones industrial average traded up 77 points, or 0.45%, at 17,206. The S&P 500 traded up 10 points, or 0.52%, at 2,015, with health care leading nine sectors higher and energy the only decliner. The Nasdaq composite gained 33 points, or 0.68%, at 4,956. Gold is seen trading about 1.3% higher, crude oil is seen trading about 0.8% lower, and the U.S. dollar is seen trading about 0.3% lower at about  2:00pm Chicago time.
Friday, there were 1,394 contracts traded, down from 1,681 contracts traded on Thursday. Open interest – the number of contracts outstanding – on Friday increased by 63 contracts to 15,729.

Pakistan Rice Export Earnings Decline Sharply in First Five Months of FY 2015-16 Despite Increase in Tonnage

Dec 21, 2015
Pakistan exported around 1.58 million tons of rice (including 149,495 tons of basmati and 1.43 tons of non-basmati) in the first five months of FY 2015-16 (July - November), up about 20% from around 1.32 million tons (216,045 tons of basmati and 1.1 million tons of non-basmati) exported during the same period in FY 2014-15, according to provisional data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
However, Pakistan's rice exports declined in terms of value during the said period. Pakistan earned around $649 million during the five months of FY 2015-16, down about 12% from around $739 million earned last year. The decline is attributed to a sharp decline in global rice prices as well as a slow demand.
In November 2015, Pakistan exported around 547,286 tons of rice, up about 47% from around 372,630 tons exported in October 2015 and up about 19% from around 459,419 tons exported in November 2014. In terms of value, Pakistan earned about $203.6 million in November 2015, up about 38% from around $147.5 million earned in October 2015 and down about 8% from their year-ago levels of around $221.2 million.
Pakistan exported around 34,600 tons of basmati rice in November 2015, up about 39% from around 24,945 tons exported in October 2015, and down about 27% from around 47,090 tons exported in November 2014. In terms of value, Pakistan's basmati rice exports earned $31 million in November 2015, up about 19% from around $26 million earned in October 2015, and down about 33% from around $46 million earned in November 2014.
Pakistan exported around 512,686 tons of non-basmati rice in November 2015, up about 47% from around 347,685 tons exported in October 2015 and up about 24% from around 412,329 tons in November 2014. In terms of value, Pakistan's non-basmati rice exports earned $172 million in November 2015, up about 42% from around $121 million earned in October 2015, and down about 2% from around $175 million earned in November 2014.

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

Dec 21, 2015

Vietnam rice sellers lowered their quotes for jasmine rice variety by about $15 per ton each to around $435 - $445 per ton today. Other Asian rice sellers have kept their quotes unchanged today from yesterday.                                 
5% Broken Rice
Thailand 5% rice is indicated at around $340 - $350 per ton about $25 per ton discount on Vietnam 5% rice shown at around $365 - $375 per ton. India 5% rice is indicated at around $355 - $365 per ton, about $25 per ton premium on Pakistan 5% rice shown at around $330 - $340 per ton.
25% Broken Rice
Thailand 25% rice is indicated at around $335 - $345 per ton, about $20 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 $25 per ton premium on Pakistan 25% rice shown at around $300 - $310 per ton.
Parboiled Rice            
Thailand parboiled rice is indicated at around $345 - $355 per ton. India parboiled rice is indicated at around $350 - $360 per ton, about $55 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 $15 per ton discount to Vietnam 100% broken rice shown at around $335 - $345 per ton. India's 100% broken rice is shown at around $280 - $290 per ton, about $5 per ton discount to Pakistan broken sortexed rice shown at around $285 - $295 per ton.
Global Rice Quotes
December 21st, 2015
Long grain white rice - high quality
Thailand 100% B grade          350-360           ↔
Vietnam 5% broken    365-375           ↔
India 5% broken         355-365           ↔
Pakistan 5% broken    330-340           ↔
Myanmar 5% broken   410-420           ↔
Cambodia 5% broken             425-435           ↔
U.S. 4% broken           475-485           ↔
Uruguay 5% broken    505-515           ↔
Argentina 5% broken 500-510           ↔
Long grain white rice - low quality
Thailand 25% broken 335-345           ↔
Vietnam 25% broken 355-365           ↔
Pakistan 25% broken 300-310           ↔
Cambodia 25% broken           400-410           ↔
India 25% broken       325-335           ↔
U.S. 15% broken         500-510           ↔
Long grain parboiled rice
Thailand parboiled 100% stxd            345-355           ↔
Pakistan parboiled 5% broken stxd    405-415           ↔
India parboiled 5% broken stxd         350-360           ↔
U.S. parboiled 4% broken       500-510           ↔
Brazil parboiled 5% broken    545-555           ↔
Uruguay parboiled 5% broken            NQ      ↔
Long grain fragrant rice
Thailand Hommali 92%          685-695           ↔
Vietnam Jasmine         435-445           ↓
India basmati 2% broken        NQ      ↔
Pakistan basmati 2% broken   NQ      ↔
Cambodia Phka Mails             830-840           ↔
Brokens
Thailand A1 Super      320-330           ↔
Vietnam 100% broken            335-345           ↔
Pakistan 100% broken stxd    285-295           ↔
Cambodia A1 Super   355-365           ↔
India 100% broken stxd         280-290           ↔
Egypt medium grain brokens NQ      ↔
U.S. pet food 280-290           ↔
Brazil half grain          NQ      ↔










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





ABARES Estimates Australia 2015-16 Paddy Rice Production to Decline Sharply on Low Acreage, Yields

Dec 21, 2015
In its December crop report, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) forecasts Australia's paddy rice production in MY 2015-16 (April 2015 - March 2016) to decline to around 305,000 tons (around 240,950 tons, basis milled), down about 58% from an estimated 724,000 tons (around 570,380 tons, basis milled) in MY 2014-15.
The ABARES attributes the decline in paddy rice production to a 56% y/y decline in planting area to around 31,000 hectares as well as a decline in average yield.
Total summer crop production is forecast to decline by 4% y/y in 2015–16 to 3.87 million tons, due to decline in production of all summer crops, including rice. The area planted to summer crops in 2015-16 is expected to decline by 12% y/y to around 1.18 million hectares due to a relatively low irrigation water availability in rice growing regions.
The start to the 2015–16 summer crop season is promising, according to the ABARES. Favourable planting conditions in the major summer cropping regions of Queensland and northern New South Wales were possible due to a widespread rainfall in late October and early November. In its latest three-month rainfall outlook (December 2015 to February 2016), issued on 19 November 2015, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) forecasts the major rice-growing regions to receive above-average summer rainfall.

The latest ENSO Wrap-Up, released by the BoM on 10 November 2015, indicates that El Niño sea surface temperatures are likely to peak before the end of the year and then gradually ease in the first quarter of 2016. As a result, the BOM expects an above average rainfall outlook in the short term.
Exclusive News have been shared with written permission of ORYZA.com with thanks

21st December 2015 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine-Latest Rice News Updates


Today Rice News Headlines...


ü  New lustre for Bengal’s golden fibre
ü  GOB No-Go On Guyanese Rice
ü  INVESTIGATION: Inside the massive fraud in Nigeria’s N117Billion rice import quota scheme
ü  West Nusa tenggara governor reject rice imports
ü  Thailand signs major rice and rubber export deals
ü  SunRice braces for crop shortages
ü  VN's rice exports may surpass 2015 target
ü  Thai rice exports expected at 9m tonnes next year
ü  Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open-Dec 21
ü  Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report
ü  Rice Prices

New lustre for Bengal’s golden fibre 

Abu Bakar Siddique

The country’s languishing jute sector is getting a boost from the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act which requires major agricultural commodities including rice, wheat, sugar and fertilisers to be packed in locally produced jute sacks.To promote the sector, the government began to implement the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act 2010 on November 30 this year. The creation of local demand by government fiat is expected to bolster the jute sector, which has taken a hit from competition from synthetic packing.Major agricultural commodities including paddy, rice, wheat, maze, fertilisers and sugar must now be packed in local jute packing. Violators face a maximum of one year in jail or a fine of Tk50,000, or both, for using non-biodegradable synthetics to pack commodities.Rice millers, considered a key element in the success of the initiative, were initially unwilling to use jute for various reasons, including an alleged shortage of jute sacks. But since November 30, most millers have started using jute packing, following pressure from the government through the mobile courts.“We have had an 80% success rate in implementing the act now that most rice millers are using jute sacks,” said Mohammad Kefaetullah, director of the government’s jute department.
. “Rice millers have long claimed that shortages are likely – even inevitable – but the claim is totally baseless.”The BJMC appointed hundreds of dealers across the country a year ago to fulfil millers’ orders. But rice millers say they do not want to deal with the sack dealers because they are not willing to supply sacks on credit.

 



















Kefaetullah said rice millers alone use around 360 million jute sacks each year. “If just jute sacks were used instead of polythene in this sector alone, the whole situation would change,” he said.Nirod Baran Saha, convener of the Naogaon Rice Millers Association, said millers had started using jute sacks as per the law, but said the price of rice had increased slightly due to higher packing costs. “Since November 30, we have been using locally produced jute sacks. I fear there could bea shortage of the material next month when the rice harvest arrives,” he said.But Humayun Khaled, chairman of the Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) told the Dhaka Tribune that the government has the capacity to meet year-round and seasonal demand for jute sacks

“We millers have run our business on cash and credit for as long as I can remember, but sack dealers want cash in advance. This is totally unacceptable for us,” Nirod said.There are 24 government-owned jute mills in Bangladesh, of which 22 spin jute while the remaining two produce machinery for the mills.Due to a shortage of funds, the BJMC has in the past been unable buy sufficient raw jute from farmers on time and on a regular basis, negatively impacting both farmers and mills.To address this, the government recently allocated Tk100 crore to procure raw jute from farmers.
Around 7 million bales of raw jute are produced annually in Bangladesh. According to the International Jute Study Group under the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), some 3.5–4 million farm families are involved in the production of jute. BJMC Chairman Humayun Khaled said the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act, if implemented properly, will boost the jute sector, with mills running around the clock. He said it would help protect 66,000 BJMC labourers’ jobs. 
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2015/dec/22/new-lustre-bengals-golden-fibre#sthash.lUOveMnv.dpuf
GOB No-Go On Guyanese Rice
posted (December 21, 2015)
It's been 5 days now since 3 containers containing 75 tonnes of Guyanese Rice landed in Independence Village at the Port of Big Creek. The owner of that rice, Importer Jack Charles, is still waiting for the Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) to explain in writing why they have seized his cargo and refused to release it to him. He was hoping that would have released it by now so that he could start selling you his Grade A Premium rice at 69 cents a pound for the Christmas holidays. But, that is not going to happen. The Government is not budging, and today 2 senior officials, namely the CEO in the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Director General of Foreign Trade, were dispatched on the Morning Talk Shows to explain why GOB is refusing to allow Jack Charles to sell Guyanese Rice in Belize.
We met them after their appearance on the WUB Morning Show, and they discussed why BAHA and the Customs Department will not release the Guyanese rice from the Port of Big Creek. Here's what they had to say:
Jose Alpuche, CEO - Ministry of Agriculture
"The question is not even about Mr. Chawla importing rice, the question is whether what is being produced in Guyana Represent fair competition on the Belize market place. The reality is that rice is Guyana is heavily subsidized and we don't offer subsidies to our large scale commercial producers here. So what would come in from Guyana would represent an unfair trading advantage."
Dr. Leroy Almendarez
"If a product enters a market or if a product that is highly subsidized, subsidy that violates a certain threshold is illegal."
Jose Alpuche, CEO - Ministry of Agriculture
"Haiti had a vibrant rice industry in the 80's. They decided to pursue cheaper rice and now Haiti is a net food importer, not only rice. There is a lot that hinges on maintaining domestic production. We've had cases on this in Jamaica with poultry and there is many cases within the region. We cannot commit those same errors. We have got to ensure that we strike a delicate balance where the consumers are actually protected, but where we can protect production here in Belize."
Daniel Ortiz
"What is the situation right now with the rice that Mr. Chawla has imported, the 3 containers? Do you have any information on that?"
Jose Alpuche, CEO - Ministry of Agriculture
"The last that I heard is exactly what you have. Is that it's still held at the port."
Daniel Ortiz
"Do you know what could happen with that rice? Is it being follow up to be sent back or actioned off or destroyed? What is the sentiment of the government at this time?"
Jose Alpuche, CEO - Ministry of Agriculture
"I've not discussed with BAHA precisely where they are with that issue. But I really don't want to comment on the details of that, because we have already been publicly threaten that the matter will go to court."
Also, on Friday, we showed you how Sergio Garcia, the Importers' technical advisor, who is a former CEO of Trade, explained that this rice fight is bad for Belize's reputation with it's fellow CARICOM countries. Well, while we had the opportunity, we asked the Director General of Foreign Trade, about that accusation. He's been meeting with the CARICOM Trade technocrats very regularly, and he's the government's authority on the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. Here's what he had to say:
Dr. Leroy Almendarez
"The treaty, the revised treaty of Chaguaramas protects all member states who have signed on to it. The major objective of this treaty is economic development for all members' states. Not for one, but for all. There are also sensitive industries and sensitive industries are protected under the revised treaty. Belize is LDC, which means Lesser Develop Country. You have MDC, of which Guyana is one. But we must understand here that Belize and Guyana has no dispute.
Because I was at COTED recently. As a matter of fact I went twice this year and we sat side by side and Guyana never mentioned, because this is where you mentioned on the agenda, I would like to export or market access for such a product into another member state. There is process that it goes through. The member state must be allowed to respond and you respond and then the discussion takes place or then you solve it bilaterally. We met with the head of Guyana Rice Development Board, we met with the minister of trade and they assured us that it would be a country - a government to government thing."
Sergio Garcia - Technical Advisor, RC Imports
"If the Guyanese to take the same approached like what we are suggesting to protecting our national industry. Let's say that all the countries in CARICOM, oh Belize want to protect, let us do the same thing. What happens? Our products will start to stay here. There is much more corn producers than rice producers in this country. This will put a black eye on our trade and sector because there are many countries who have seen this thing - CARICOM."
Dr. Leroy Almendarez
"It does not give us a black eye nor a bad reputation. Let just give you some examples; Grenada has tried to get honey into Trinidad for the longest time. Grenada's honey is still not into Trinidad, because there are talking about quality and standards etc. We have tried to get our poultry into Trinidad, we have tried to get some of our other products into other markets within CARICOM and they are still not there."
Sergio Garcia- Technical Advisor, RC Imports
"We cannot be like the spoil boy that say I will play football and because the ball belongs to me, if you don't let me play I will take home the ball. We cannot."
Dr. Leroy Almendarez
"It doesn't. Let me just say this again. Because it's handled at COTED (Council of trade and economic development), one of those major organs of the revised treaty. It's headed by ministers of trade. No other country will come to us and say oh but you did not take care of somebody's rice and so therefore we will not.... that's not how it works. Remember, it's more about collaboration. Yes there is an open market place, but we are joined and integrated, so we can compete with blocks outside of the region, not with each other."
Charles' sales pitch s that the local rice farmers have been gouging consumers with their unregulated, high prices for rice. He claims that the Government is trying to protect the profit-addicted producers, when its highest priority should be protecting the public.
Charles and his advisors were the ones who blew the whistle on the fact that about 3 million pounds of rice was brought into Belize in 2014 and sold as local produce. It was bought for the same prices that Charles paid for his containers of Guyanese Rice, and none of that benefit was passed on to you. In fact, the rice was bagged in packages from local producers and consumers were none the wise - we thought we were buying Belizean rice.
So, is this a double standard? That's what we asked the CEO in the Ministry of Agriculture. Here's how he responded:
Jose Alpuche, CEO - Ministry of Agriculture
"In 2013 we when we had tremendous rains going all the way in 2014. You will recall the unprecedented rains that we had. That led to several crop failure including a partial crop failure for rice. Rice had to then be imported. It was agreed that the BMDC would import the rice and the rice would be passed to the traditional millers so that they could retain market share. That is what happened and it was I believe somewhere in the region of about 3 million pounds. I can't remember the exact amount - about 3 million pounds of a rice industry that produces 21 million pounds annually."
Daniel Ortiz
"But sir none of those benefits of that lower price of rice from Guyana was passed on to the local consumer. The question is, do these producers, should they benefit from this protection? Do they deserve this protection when the last time this happened with this Guyanese rice, they didn't passed that on to the local consumer."
Jose Alpuche, CEO - Ministry of Agriculture
"There is no commercial or governmental system in place to compensate farmers for losses. And as you can see with the erratic weather and climate change with us, we are suffering quite a bit of losses."
Reporter
"Do you believe that the producers should have labeled that rice as Guyanese rice in terms of the packaging?"
Jose Alpuche, CEO - Ministry of Agriculture
"That I agree with yes."
Daniel Ortiz
"Isn't that an instance where the consumer was taken advantage of?"
Jose Alpuche, CEO - Ministry of Agriculture
"Those are your words. But I do agree that it should have been labeled differently."
Daniel Ortiz
"Can someone on the outside observing this situation take the position that it was wrong to allow the local producers to import Guyanese rice and sell it at their price, but now you are blocking an importer from doing the same thing. Isn't that an example of unfair treatment?"
Jose Alpuche, CEO - Ministry of Agriculture
"There was a short fall because of a natural disaster. We had to import rice. We could have imported rice from the US. We could have gone to COTED and ask for derogation to import the rice duty free from the US, because we had a natural disaster and they would understand."
Daniel Ortiz
"Sir, but you just also made the point or Mr. Almendarez also made the point that you all suspect that these are highly subsidized products. So if it was highly subsidized, then it's highly subsidized now and therefore its illegal in the trade aspect of it."
Jose Alpuche, CEO - Ministry of Agriculture
"In the case of needing to import for shortfall, we have to try to obtain the rice from somewhere."
This afternoon, when we contacted Jack Charles for comment, he told us that he is holding off on filing a lawsuit in court. He says that he is still hopeful that cooler heads will prevail, and that he will be given the Government green light to move forward with his plans. He says that he is also trying to give BAHA more time to provide him with written reasons as to why they have detained his cargo.He says he would rather give consumers the benefit of the savings, rather than spend thousands of taxpayers dollars on litigation and lawyer fees.
http://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=34671

INVESTIGATION: Inside the massive fraud in Nigeria’s N117Billion rice import quota scheme

The fuel subsidy scam probably broke the ceiling in a room crammed with some of the worst corporate perfidy. Nothing could more sabotage the economic interest of a nation, many Nigerians thought.But then came the rice import quota scheme, an unholy romance between politicians and businessmen, at the moment stretching corporate bad practices in Nigeria to an incredulous length.About N117 Billion is there for the pick. A total of 26 companies are involved; two of which are owned by a former Attorney General of the Federation and a former civilian governor of Kebbi State respectively. Predictably, in the all-too-familiar Nigerian fashion, not all of the 26 companies selected for the scheme made the list on merit.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 2014 disclosed that Nigeria spent an average of N800 Billion annually on the importation of rice. Unofficial import receipts through the Cotonou corridor was not captured in the CBN figure.But the business of importing rice, a staple in Africa’s most popular nation, is so huge and attractive that four neighbouring countries of Benin, Togo, Cameroon and even landlocked Niger Republic have technically factored transhipment or smuggling of rice and allied commodities into Nigeria in their national economic plan.
A recent figure from the CBN indicated that Benin Republic imports almost as much rice as China and nearly as much frozen chicken as the UK. Most of the commodities are smuggled into Nigeria.Disturbed by the nation’s huge import bill, the President Goodluck Jonathan administration in 2014 came up with a new rice policy to fast-track national self-sufficiency in rice production.The policy specified that owners of existing rice mills and new investors with verifiable backward integration in the rice value chain will be allowed to import rice at10 per cent duty and 20 per cent levy (30 per cent); while merchants who have nothing to contribute to local production in the form of rice farms or mills will be charged 10 per cent duty and 60 per cent levy (70 per cent).
Technically, it was a subsidy aimed at building local capacity in rice production.Subsequently, an inter-ministerial committee was set up to work out the national rice supply gap and allocate import licenses with appropriate quotas in order to bridge this gap, same time advancing the objectives of the national rice policy.On paper, this committee was to determine beneficiaries and allocate quotas based on four key criteria that assess investment of individual companies into local rice production.The criteria included a Domestic Rice Production Plan (DRPP) that demonstrate evidence of current or planned investment in domestic rice production over a three-year period. The DRPP was also expected to show the size of investment, proof of land acquisition and establishment of rice fields and paddy production.
The second criterion was called paddy purchase outlook from Paddy Aggregation Centres (PAC). This should demonstrate a clear plan of purchase of paddy from PACs, location of the PACs and volumes of paddy to be purchased.The third criterion was paddy purchase outlook from outgrower farmers and farmer cooperatives. This should include location of farms, volumes of paddy to be purchased, etc.The last criterion was proof of ownership of integrated rice milling facility with par boilers and dehuskers.
This should include size of planned installed capacity and evidence of acquisition of integrated rice milling equipment.Sources within the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment told this reporter that the then Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, by-passed the inter-ministerial committee in the selection of beneficiaries and commensurate import quota. Mr. Akinwunmi, now President of the African Development Bank (ADB), was Chairman of the inter-ministerial committee and took key decisions as the arrowhead of President Jonathan’s much-vaunted Agriculture Transformation Agenda.Mr. Akinwunmi was easily outwitted by merchants and politicians who did not want a change in status quo, and were known to have resisted such in the past, industry insiders said.
Although the turf is different, the strategy is the same. The same way Nigeria’s oil refineries were put in comatose to pave way for massive and lucrative import of refined petroleum products, the same way entrenched interests known in the industry as Rice Mafia, are sabotaging local rice production to sustain the rice import business.In the final analysis, the rice policy was scuttled to serve everything but national interest. Companies who have no investment in the rice value chain were granted quota. These companies in turn sold the quota to other importers who already had vessels on the sea.The sellers of quota made huge profits without any investments in Nigeria’s local rice production and indeed did so without taking risk or lifting a finger.The same sellers have been working hard to get more quotas in the bid to get more money from the scheme without any investments, thus holding the domestic rice policy to ransom.
Who got what
 Investigations by PREMIUM TIMES revealed that the 26 companies that benefitted from the rice import quota scheme included Milan, Bua, AA Ibrahim, Stine Rice Mills, JMK Foods, Labana Rice Mill, Elephant Group, Honeywell, Kerksuk Farms, Wacot, Mikap Rice, Golden Penny, Stallion, Umza International Farms Limited, Dangote and Olam. Others were Tara Agro, Ebony Agro, Atari Rice Industry, Ashi Foods, JAI, Arewa Rice Mill, Onyx Rice Mill, Bansara Rice, Danmodi and Klysat.Investigations revealed that Mikap Rice is owned by a former Attorney General of the Federation, Michael Aondoakaa, while Ebony Agro is owned by Charles Ugwu, a former minister of commerce and industry.Ashi Foods is owned by the immediate past governor of Benue State Gabriel Suswam.
Milan Group is a business interest that also owns Intercontinental Hotels while Bua is owned by billionaire Ishaku Rabiu. Honeywell is owned by Oba Otudeko while Elephant Group is owned by Tunji Owoye. Labana Rice is owned by former Kebi State governor Adamu Aliero while Keresuk is owned by one Rotimi Williams.Investigations revealed that for instance, Umza Internationa Farms Limited has a rice mill in Kano with a capacity of 30,000 MT. Beyond this mill, Umza has no other investment in local rice production. However, the company was given import allocations in two categories: 36,000 MT under existing miller allocation and also got 49,207 MT under investor allocation.
Dangote and Golden Penny have no existing mills but got 115.204 MT and 91,887 MT respectively. Stallion got a total allocation of 89,989 MT; that was 59,989 MT under investor allocation and 30,000 MT under existing miller allocation. It has two mills – one in Kano and another in Markurdi.Investigations further revealed that Mikap Rice, owned by Michael Aondoakaa, has a very small scale mill of between 15,000 to 20,000 MT. The mill itself is government-funded. Mr. Aondoakaa got 82,897 MT of import quota.Wacot is in seeds business only while Labana has two mills in Kebbi State. Many of the beneficiaries were found to have no investment in the rice value chain.
They include Wacot, Honeywell, Elephant Group, AA Ibrahim, Milan, among others. Kersuk Farms has no mill. Stine Rice has a mill but it is not in working condition. Bua has only brown rice mill. It does not have parboiling capacity; the mill is defunct. However Bua received a total import allocation of 109,448 MT.Ebony Agro owned by Charles Ugwu made wrong investment decision. It built rice mill in a place where there is no paddy. The same wrong investment decision of building a mill where there is no paddy was also made by Tara Agro. Many of the quota beneficiaries sold their allocations to importers. Mikap sold its quota to Elephant Group. Stine Rice sold its quota to a company called PJS. Elephant Group in May 2015 also received through the Jama’tul Nasril Islam (JNI) waiver to import 100,000 MT of rice. The religious organisation had applied for and was granted waiver by President Goodluck Jonathan to import the said metric tonnes of rice and 25,000 metric tonnes of cooking oil described in a letter from the Budget Office of the Federation as ‘donated foodstuff’.
One smoking gun on sale of import quota is found with Umza International Farm Ltd. Shipping documents obtained by this newspaper showed that shortly after the release of quota allocations and Umza was named one of the beneficiaries, a letter dated December 20, 2014 instructed Marietta Bolten (owners of a ship MV Marietta) to divert a cargo of rice originally meant for delivery at Cotonou Port to Lagos Port. The cargo in question was a 15,500 MT Thai Parboiled Rice 100PCT Sortexed of Thailand Origin. The letter reads in part: “The above cargo was shipped on the above vessel … for delivery at the port of Cotonou – Benin but we, Navision Shipping A/S, hereby request you to order the vessel to proceed to and deliver the said cargo at Port Lagos – Nigeria to Pearl Universal Impex Ltd, 7A Asa Afariogun Street, Off Osolo Way, Ajao Estate, Isolo, Lagos, Nigeria.The same Navision Shipping on the same day gave two more instructions to Marietta ordering it to divert another cargo of 3900.650 MT Thai Parboiled rice to Port Harcourt for Pearl Universal Impex.
This second cargo, originally meant for Cotonou Port was originally consigned to STE Premiere Sarl, Niamey, Niger Republic. The third cargo, 18,500MT Thai Parboiled rice, originally destined for Cotonou Port was diverted on instruction to Port Harcourt.A visit to Pearl Universal Impex in Ajao Estate, Lagos, showed that the company is no more at No, 7A Asa Afariogun Street, the land address used for the shipping transaction. There was no forwarding address. Pearl Universal Impex is a major rice importer owned by a group of foreign businessmen that include the Chairman Pulkit Jain, Nimit Jain, Pranshu Goel and Ramanathan Srinivasan. Pulkit Jain was quoted in a recent media report that his company “has been a major importer of rice in the country with imports of 350,000 metric tonnes of rice annually in the past”.Given that Nigeria is the only country that consumes parboiled rice, any cargo of parboiled rice going to Cotonou is in the first place is meant to come into Nigeria through land borders.

All the cargoes diverted belonged to Umza International Farm Ltd, one of the companies that benefitted from government subsidy.Shipping documents show that diverted rice cargoes with the following bill of lading: MRT1409-01(10,000 MT), MRT1409-03(1,000 MT), MRT1409-04(1,000 MT), MRT1409-05(1,000 MT), MRT1409-09(1494.650 MT) and MRT1409-20(806.000MT) were consigned to Umza International Farm.Yet another document showed that Umza International Farm Ltd has been importing rice from Thailand purportedly to be transhipped to Niger Republic. In October 2014 Umza, using the same ship MV Marietta imported 1,000 MT of Golden Standard brand of parboiled rice to Cotonou for ‘transit to Niger’. The Umza cargo has bill of lading MRT1409-03.
The same 1000 MT of same bill of lading MRT1409-03 is named in the instruction letter to the ship owners Marietta Bolten on 20th December 2014 to be diverted to Port Harcourt shortly after Umza was named as a beneficiary of Federal Government rice import quota. So also was another cargo of bill of lading MRT1409-04 with Niger Republic as its original destination.Industry stakeholders are confused as to how consignments of parboiled rice are transhipped to a country that does not consume parboiled rice. Maritime experts say this is another red flag of irregularities and sabotage of the rice value chain adding that parboiled rice is not the only item ‘officially smuggled into Nigeria’ in the guise the goods were meant for Niger Republic.
Phoney milling capacities
There are also discrepancies in milling capacities and the local rice production capacity. Under Minister Akinwunmi, the agric ministry claimed Nigeria was producing 2.2 million MT of paddy.However, investigations by this reporter revealed that all the rice mills in Nigeria have a combined annual capacity to mill only 600,000 MT of paddy. The question that naturally arises is: where are the remaining 1.6 million MT milled if indeed domestic production was 2.2 million MT? Yet, allocations of rice import quota were based on these phoney capacities of rice millers and investors, many of whom at the end sold off their quotas to the detriment of the rice subsidy goals.Investigations revealed that some of the rice merchants that benefited from government subsidy through proxies are known for patronising the Cotonou Port.
The story of smuggling of rice and other items from Cotonou is almost hackneyed and indeed is the mainstay of that country’s economy. In 2013 the government of Benin Republic slashed its tariff on rice the moment Nigeria hiked its to keep alive transhipment, which actually is a fancy name for smuggling. Cameroon joined the rice smuggling business into Nigeria by crashing its tariff to zero percent.In April and May 2014 a frightening dimension was recorded in the rice import business. Eleven ships, all carrying rice, sailed into Nigeria’s territorial waters but instead of berthing at Apapa Port, they all chose to stop nearby and wait. Their positions were so close they could be sighted from the Lagos Bar Beach. There were no engine failures, no congestion at the destination port and no internal crisis in the host country to warrant the sudden refusals of the ship captains and crew to complete their journeys. The names of the ships were MV Hector, MV Star Capella, MV Wariya Naree, MV Aqua Runner, MV Silvretta and MV Eternity. C. Others were MV Aeolos, MV Lake Hakone, MV Mraki, MV Atlantic Trade and MV Quest.
But why would 11 ships sail all the way from Thailand into Lagos but refuse to berth at the port? Port workers knowledgeable about official corruption proffered that the ships were negotiating tariffs before they could enter Apapa.In the complex and dodgy multi-billion dollars rice import racket that employs top figures in the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigeria Navy, officials of the Ministry of Finance and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), calculations had suddenly gone wrong somewhere, hence the ships were told to halt sail. Had they sailed further into Apapa port, then the rice merchants must pay the 110 per cent tariff on rice import imposed early 2013 by the Federal Government to discourage import dependency and support local production.
The 11 ships were expected to pay a total tariff of N16.5 billion to the Nigerian government. This, the rice mafia were determined to evade. Should negotiations fail to go their way in such a situation, the ships would proceed to Cotonou from where the cargoes would one way or the other find their way into the Nigerian market.A maritime security expert, Patrick Keku, asked the question: “Can a ship sail into Ghana, South Africa, USA, or even Benin Republic and that ship is allowed to loiter around while it perfect ways of breaking the laws of the host country? It can only happen in Nigeria.”
Senate committee and conflict of interests
Like the fuel subsidy scam of 2012, the scale of economic sabotage arising from the sale of rice import quota is such that it has attracted the attention of the National Assembly.Stakeholders and ordinary Nigerians alike desirous of seeing the President Buhari administration transform the national economy using agriculture, must have expected to see another season of name and shame.If the purpose of the National Assembly inquiry was to ensure that, like in Brazil and Malaysia, agriculture was turned into a high revenue earner, confidence level soon dropped the moment the committees’ chairmen were named.On Thursday, July 30, the Senate announced membership of the ad-hoc committee on waivers, concessions and grants.
The committee’s mandate was populist: to investigate the indiscriminate use and abuse of waivers for rice importation. The committee was to carry out a holistic review to determine the full recovery of all government revenue related to the rice policy.But the inquiry was abinitio tainted with conflict of interest. The Chairman of the Senate Committee is Senator Muhammad Adamu Aliero, the former governor of Kebbi State who himself is the Chairman of Labana, one of the rice subsidy beneficiaries

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/195509-investigation-inside-the-massive-fraud-in-nigerias-n117billion-rice-import-quota-scheme.html

West Nusa tenggara governor reject rice imports


Senin, 21 Desember 2015 23:33 WIB
Mataram, W Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA News) - West Nusa Tenggara Governor TGH M Zainul Majdi has rejected rice imports from Vietnam."I will not allow imported rice to enter West Nusa Tenggara," he said here on Monday. If imported rice is allowed to enter the province it will harm local farmers because it will discourage them to plant rice, he said.
"If our farmers know that imported rice enters West Nusa Tenggara they will be reluctant to grow rice," he said.Therefore, he also turned down a request from the state logistics board (Bulog) to designate Lembar port in West Lombok district as a transit point for 30 thousand tons of rice from Vietnam. "I stress that I will not allow the unloading of imported rice from Vietnam at Lembar port, West Lombok," he said. He said he was surprised at the Bulogs decision to designate the port as a transit point for ships carrying imported rice from Vietnam.(*)
http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/102146/west-nusa-tenggara-governor-reject-rice-imports

Thailand signs major rice and rubber export deals

Monday, 21 December 2015 05:22

Thailand has signed deals with China to supply rice and rubber, alongside a major railway deal 

Thailand’s rubber market is one of the country’s most lucrative, and it enjoys patronage from outside Thailand as well. (Image source: CIFOR/Flickr)
Thailand will supply China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation (Cofco) with 100,000 tonnes of rice per month starting January, stated the nation’s commerce minister Apiradi Tantraporn. Meanwhile, the Rubber Authority of Thailand has agreed to sell 200,000 tonnes of rubber to Chinese state-owned entity Sinochem. The deals have been signed at the Joint Committee on Railway Cooperation in Bangkok. Thai agriculture officials are concerned with the effects of El Nino that has lead to reduced global production, leading to importers stocking up on reserves.

 The Thai Rice Exporters Association honorary president Chookiat Ophaswongse estimated that Thailand’s rice production would be reduced to half of the country’s off-season output to around four million tonnes. Due to this, the ministry is open to signing government-to-government rice export deals with many countries, including Iran. Meanwhile, the Thai Rubber Association statistics (as of September 2015), show that the country produced 3.12mn MT of rubber while it exported 2.7mn MT, with around 392,661 MT for local consumption and 489,052 MT as stock reserve. 

SunRice braces for crop shortages

ANDREW MARSHALL
21 Dec, 2015 01:00 AM
RICE farmers are reaping the farmgate price rewards of a lower Australian dollar, but their farmer-owned business SunRice is being buffeted by low exchange rate headwinds as earnings from its overseas divisions and food import businesses are squeezed.A much-reduced Australian rice crop isn't helping the company, either.Yet SunRice has still managed to make the most of sales into premium markets and solid global prices to compensate for lower export volumes, ending the first half of its 2015-16 trading year with a net profit after tax of $23.9 million.
The result for the six months to October 30 was a 5.4 per cent rise on the same period last year.Consolidated revenue for the SunRice Group also rose 5.8pc to $642m.First-half financial results were in line with expectations according to chief executive officer Rob Gordon, who pointed to continued growth of domestic and overseas branded sales and improved operational efficiency as underpinning business performance.SunRice is bracing for almost a 50pc cut to the size of next year's NSW Riverina rice harvest to about 300,000 tonnes as water storage inflows drop to near 10-year lows and competition from other irrigated crops sends water costs soaring.The autumn 2015 rice crop, at 690,000t, was down on the previous harvest of about 830,000t, impacting on SunRice's grain pool margins.
Mr Gordon said the company was now developing well established contingency plans based on greater use of rice acquired overseas (some of which is blended with local product) to satisfy the company's 1m tonne-plus annual global market.However, while the low dollar and good international prices helped bolster paddy rice pool returns to growers, the international purchases made to compensate for declining Australian exports had to be made in costly US dollars.After a 25pc increase in the exchange rate against the US currency in the past two years, the cost of global trading activities had jumped and earnings had been eroded for the Riviana Foods division, which imports rice into Australia.
http://www.farmweekly.com.au/news/agriculture/agribusiness/general-news/sunrice-braces-for-crop-shortages/2749810.aspx

VN's rice exports may surpass 2015 target

Viet Nam News December 21, 2015 7:50 pm
HANOI - Vietnam's rice exports are likely to exceed the target set for 2015 by 200,000 tonnes to 300,000 tonnes, hitting around 6.5 million tonnes for the year.A strong end to the year has been attributed to the sector’s success.According to the Vietnam Food Association, the country had shipped 5.807 million tonnes of rice as of November this year, and the figure for December is forecast to reach about 700,000 tonnes.Additionally, rice exported through unofficial channels across the borders is estimated to be between 1.6 million tonnes to 1.8 million tonnes, which is expected to lift the yearly exports through both official and unofficial channels to about 8 million tonnes.
Vietnamese rice exporters have recently won bids to supply 450,000 tonnes of rice to the Philippines and one million tonnes of rice to Indonesia, helping raise the price of rice in the domestic market.Vietnam has around 4.1 million ha of paddy fields, 53 per cent of which are concentrated across the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta.In 2014, the country exported 6.3 million tonnes of the 45 million tonnes it produced, making it the world’s third largest rice exporter after India and Thailand.In the first ten months of this year, Asia maintained its position as Viet Nam’s biggest rice importer, despite an annual decline of 11.2 per cent in the market share to 71.58 per cent. Africa, Australia, and Europe showed greater demand for Vietnamese rice with higher imports recorded during the period.
 http://www.nationmultimedia.com/aec/VNs-rice-exports-may-surpass-2015-target-30275401.html

Thai rice exports expected at 9m tonnes next year

PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI
THE NATION December 22, 2015 1:00 am
THAILAND will strive to ship out 9 million tonnes of rice worth US$4.78 billion (Bt172 billion) next year, versus the almost 10 million tonnes expected this year, according to the Thai Rice Policy and Management Committee.From January to the first week of this month, Thailand managed to sell 9.3 million tonnes of rice on the global market, reclaiming its crown as the world's top rice exporter, ahead of India and Vietnam.Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn said yesterday that next year, rice exports should continue to enjoy a bright future, as global rice production is expected to fall because of climate change, while demand will increase.According to rice traders and the US Agriculture Department, global rice production will drop 1 per cent from this year's 478.1 million tonnes to 469.3 million tonnes next year.
Global demand for rice will rise from 471 million tonnes to 486.4 million tonnes, sending global stocks down by about 14 per cent.Thailand is expected to produce 27 million tonnes of paddy rice next year, off 11 per cent from this year's volume.Many rice-buying countries, including China, Indonesia and the Philippines, will also need more imports as domestic supply is inadequate for their consumption.To promote Thai rice next year, the government will go on roadshows to major markets such as Iran, Oman, the Philippines and Russia.The government will also encourage the cultivation of value-added rice, mainly organic, speciality and Geographic Indication products.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Thai-rice-exports-expected-at-9m-tonnes-next-year-30275411.html

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open-Dec 21


Nagpur Foodgrain Prices - APMC & Open Market-December 21
 
Nagpur, Dec 21 Gram prices showed weak tendency in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and
Marketing Committee (APMC) here on poor buying support from local traders amid high moisturecontent arrival. Downward trend in Madhya Pradesh gram prices and increased overseas supply alsopulled down prices, according to sources. 
 
               *            *              *              *
 
    FOODGRAINS & PULSES
    GRAM
   * Gram varieties reported down in open market here on subdued demand from local 
     traders amid ample stock in ready position.
 
     TUAR
   * Tuar varieties showed weak tendency in open market in absence of buyers amid good 
     supply from producing regions. Good overseas arrival also pulled down prices.  
 
   * Watana varieties and Batri dal reported strong in open market on good marriage 
     season demand from local traders amid tight supply from producing regions.
 
   * Wheat Lokwan and wheat Sharabati recovered strongly in open market on increased 
     seasonal demand from local traders amid weak arrival from producing belts.    
    
   * In Akola, Tuar - 9,000-9,6300, Tuar dal - 15,300-15,700, Udid - 
     13,600-13,900, Udid Mogar (clean) - 17,000-17,600, Moong - 
     9,100-9,400, Moong Mogar (clean) 10,500-10,700, Gram - 4,200-4,400, 
     Gram Super best bold - 6,000-6,200 for 100 kg.
 
   * Other varieties of wheat, rice and other commodities remained steady in open market 
     in dull trading activity. 
       
 Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
 
     FOODGRAINS                 Available prices     Previous close   
     Gram Auction                3,900-4,400         4,000-4,470
     Gram Pink Auction            n.a.           2,100-2,600
     Tuar Auction                n.a.                7,300-9,800
     Moong Auction                n.a.                6,000-6,400
     Udid Auction                n.a.           4,300-4,500
     Masoor Auction                n.a.              2,600-2,800
     Gram Super Best Bold            6,000-6,500        6,200-6,800
     Gram Super Best            n.a.            n.a.
     Gram Medium Best            5,800-5,900        6,000-6,100
     Gram Dal Medium            n.a.            n.a
     Gram Mill Quality            4,700-4,900        5,000-5,100
     Desi gram Raw                4,500-4,600         4,650-4,750
     Gram Filter new            5,100-5,300        5,400-5,600
     Gram Kabuli                5,900-7,900        5,900-7,900
     Gram Pink                        6,400-7,300        6,400-7,300
     Tuar Fataka Best             15,500-16,000        16,000-16,300
     Tuar Fataka Medium             13,000-14,000        13,300-14,200
     Tuar Dal Best Phod            12,500-13,000        13,000-13,300
     Tuar Dal Medium phod            11,800-12,000        12,100-12,300
     Tuar Gavarani New             8,200-9,200        8,400-9,500
     Tuar Karnataka             10,000-10,500        10,300-10,800
     Tuar Black                 16,200-16,600        16,500-17,000 
     Masoor dal best            7,200-7,600        7,200-7,600
     Masoor dal medium            6,600-7,200        6,600-7,200
     Masoor                    n.a.            n.a.
     Moong Mogar bold            10,200-10,500       10,200-10,500
     Moong Mogar Med            9,300-9,500        9,300-9,500
     Moong dal Chilka            8,800-9,600        8,800-9,600
     Moong Mill quality            n.a.            n.a.
     Moong Chamki best            8,800-8,700        8,800-8,700
     Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG)    16,700-18,000       16,700-18,000     
     Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG)    14,200-16,000        14,200-16,000    
     Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG)        10,000-11,200        10,000-11,200     
     Batri dal (100 INR/KG)        5,600-6,000        5,300-5,700
     Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg)          4,600-4,800         4,600-4,800
     Watana Dal (100 INR/KG)            3,100-3,300        3,000-3,200
     Watana White (100 INR/KG)              3,200-3,400           3,000-3,200
     Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG)    3,300-3,800        3,200-3,700   
     Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG)        1,600-1,700        1,600-1,700
     Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG)    1,850-1,900        1,850-1,900   
     Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG)         1,600-1,800        1,600-1,800
     Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG)    2,100-2,300        2,000-2,300    
     Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG)   1,950-2,150        1,950-2,100
     Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG)    n.a.            n.a.
     MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG)    3,400-4,000        3,200-3,800    
     MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG)    2,700-3,000        2,400-2,900           
     Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG)        3,000-3,300        3,000-3,300    
     Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG)        2,600-2,800        2,600-2,800    
     Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG)         1,800-2,000        1,800-2,000
     Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG)      2,200-2,550        2,200-2,550   
     Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG)      1,900-2,300        1,900-2,300   
     Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG)        3,600-3,900        3,600-3,900    
     Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG)        3,200-3,400        3,200-3,400    
     Rice HMT Shriram best(100 INR/KG)    4,400-4,900        4,400-4,900    
     Rice HMT Shriram med.(100 INR/KG)    3,900-4,300        3,900-4,300    
     Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG)    9,800-11,900        9,800-11,900     
     Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG)    7,800-8,100        7,800-8,100    
     Rice Chinnor best(100 INR/KG)    5,400-5,900        5,400-5,900    
     Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG)    4,800-5,500        4,800-5,500    
     Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG)        1,800-2,200        1,800-2,200    
     Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG)         1,700-1,800        1,700-1,800
 
WEATHER (NAGPUR)  
Maximum temp. 30.0 degree Celsius (86.0 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.
17.0 degree Celsius (62.6 degree Fahrenheit)
Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.
Rainfall : n.a.
FORECAST: Mainly clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 31 and 11 degree Celsius respectively.
 
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices.)
http://in.reuters.com/article/nagpur-foodgrain-idINL3N14A2RX20151221

Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report

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


Futures:
High
Low
Last
Change
Jan '16
1112.5
1091.0
1095.0
-13.0
Mar '16
1139.0
1118.0
1120.5
-14.5
May '16
1159.0
1159.0
1150.0
-14.5
Jul '16
1176.5
-14.5
Sep '16
1176.5
-11.0
Nov '16
1178.5
-11.0
Jan '17
1178.5
-11.0

Rice Comment

Rice futures were lower, following the general negative tone of all the commodity markets. January needs to break through resistance at last week's high of $11.22 1/2, while $11.50 is the target for March. Weekly export sales were uninspiring at 37,000 metric tons, which is down 29% from the prior four week average. Shipments were 55,700 metric tons, down 20% from the prior four-week average.
http://www.arfb.com/ag-markets-statistics/report/

Rice Prices

as on : 21-12-2015 08:10:48 PM

Arrivals
Price
Current
%
change
Season 
cumulative
Modal
Prev.
Modal
Prev.Yr
%change
Rice
Bangalore(Kar)
2448.00
5.02
173265.00
4150
4200
-1.19
Shahjahanpur(UP)
1973.20
159.32
83668.50
2150
2150
7.23
Etawah(UP)
650.00
-38.1
21720.00
2255
2265
3.92
Mathura(UP)
650.00
85.71
5740.00
1990
2010
-3.40
Samsi(WB)
500.00
-50
29720.00
2800
2800
-9.68
Pilibhit(UP)
400.00
-50
29650.50
2195
2185
-4.36
Achalda(UP)
360.00
NC
3605.00
2240
2245
2.52
Bareilly(UP)
356.00
114.46
24869.00
2200
2175
8.91
Manjeri(Ker)
290.00
NC
14790.00
3000
3000
-9.09
Gadarpur(Utr)
280.00
-65.85
226106.00
1900
2114
-16.67
Ballia(UP)
250.00
NC
19630.00
1975
1980
0.77
Sitapur(UP)
155.00
10.71
5330.50
2230
2200
5.74
Faizabad(UP)
120.00
20
1778.00
2085
2100
3.22
Dahod(Guj)
95.30
1571.93
3923.00
4000
4000
NC
Chandabali(Ori)
85.00
NC
3578.00
1800
1800
12.50
Saharanpur(UP)
80.00
-15.79
10355.50
2040
2060
-2.39
Lanka(ASM)
75.00
50
665.00
1725
1725
-9.21
P.O. Uparhali Guwahati(ASM)
69.00
-4.17
5802.50
2100
2100
-19.23
Barasat(WB)
65.00
NC
2560.00
2200
2200
-10.20
Howly(ASM)
63.00
-37.62
3908.10
1300
1450
-23.53
Karimganj(ASM)
60.00
50
2370.00
2050
2050
-16.33
Ghaziabad(UP)
60.00
NC
5710.00
2065
2070
-3.05
Goalpara(ASM)
59.70
14.37
4778.00
3200
3200
NC
Junagarh(Ori)
50.42
-32.01
2533.82
2100
2100
-4.55
Kalahandi(Dharamagarh)(Ori)
50.12
155.32
1592.90
2100
2100
-4.55
Jorhat(ASM)
50.00
NC
678.80
2800
2800
3.70
Dadri(UP)
50.00
92.31
4278.00
2070
2080
-0.48
Pandua(WB)
48.00
-11.11
3605.00
2250
2250
-13.46
Udala(Ori)
42.00
16.67
2057.00
2800
2800
16.67
Muzzafarnagar(UP)
40.00
-27.27
1363.00
2060
2050
-
Purulia(WB)
40.00
-20
5074.00
2260
2320
-8.13
Koderma(Jha)
36.00
-14.29
1762.00
3400
3500
NC
Balurghat(WB)
35.00
9.38
1854.00
1900
1900
-9.52
Siliguri(WB)
32.00
220
84.00
2600
2300
-
Dibrugarh(ASM)
30.00
150
84.00
2550
2550
2.00
Tilhar(UP)
28.20
-11.6
2239.90
2180
2170
7.65
Kolhapur(Laxmipuri)(Mah)
25.00
-16.67
252.00
3000
3000
-19.46
Partaval(UP)
25.00
-50
2054.50
2025
2025
6.02
Yusufpur(UP)
25.00
108.33
1873.50
1935
1965
3.20
Jalpaiguri Sadar(WB)
25.00
-3.85
1531.00
2775
2775
-0.18
Lohardaga(Jha)
24.00
-4
1971.60
1740
1750
-0.57
Silapathar(ASM)
22.00
633.33
612.20
3000
3000
NC
Chhibramau(Kannuj)(UP)
21.00
5
771.00
2190
2225
4.29
Raiganj(WB)
21.00
5
1981.00
2600
2650
-
Diamond Harbour(South 24-pgs)(WB)
20.00
-28.57
224.50
1850
2000
-17.78
Falakata(WB)
17.50
4.17
809.50
1930
1925
-
Ichapuram(AP)
16.00
NC
602.00
2200
2800
-
Kaliaganj(WB)
16.00
6.67
1737.50
2550
2600
-5.56
Balugaon(Ori)
15.00
-25
479.00
3000
3100
7.14
Nilagiri(Ori)
15.00
NC
2931.00
2300
2400
9.52
Ramkrishanpur(Howrah)(WB)
14.40
-35.43
1884.40
2300
2500
-25.81
Divai(UP)
14.00
NC
589.90
2050
2075
2.50
Buland Shahr(UP)
12.00
20
1111.50
2040
2040
-0.49
Mirzapur(UP)
11.00
29.41
1226.50
1945
1975
6.87
Kottayam(Ker)
10.00
NC
230.00
3300
3400
10.00
Mannargudi(Ker)
10.00
100
830.00
3600
2600
-
Chorichora(UP)
10.00
-83.33
1248.50
2100
2005
8.53
Sheoraphuly(WB)
10.00
-23.08
859.50
2500
2500
-14.38
Kolaghat(WB)
10.00
NC
757.00
2300
2300
-
Tamluk (Medinipur E)(WB)
10.00
NC
823.00
2300
2300
9.52
Muradabad(UP)
9.00
NC
901.60
2240
2240
12.00
Baraut(UP)
9.00
-50
780.50
2085
2060
-0.71
Khair(UP)
8.00
14.29
116.00
2150
2160
9.14
Katwa(WB)
8.00
-11.11
309.30
2000
2100
-13.04
North Lakhimpur(ASM)
7.00
-11.39
547.10
1900
1900
-
Chengannur(Ker)
7.00
NC
921.00
2500
2500
-10.71
Fatehpur(UP)
7.00
100
2271.50
2125
2220
1.92
Jhansi(UP)
7.00
NC
522.50
2100
2100
13.51
Mohanpur(Tri)
6.00
20
112.60
2800
2800
-
Karanjia(Ori)
5.00
-16.67
522.60
2900
2900
16.00
Khairagarh(UP)
5.00
-50
777.00
2100
2040
3.45
Thoubal(Man)
4.70
4.44
98.50
2600
2500
NC
Imphal(Man)
4.60
-4.17
232.70
2700
2700
-15.63
Ramnagar(Utr)
4.50
-91.98
657.60
2225
2100
-
Nimapara(Ori)
4.00
-38.46
362.30
2200
2200
NC
Islampur(WB)
4.00
NC
373.70
2150
2150
-14.00
Bishenpur(Man)
3.90
-4.88
74.10
2400
2400
-22.58
Alibagh(Mah)
3.00
-25
142.00
3750
3500
134.38
Murud(Mah)
3.00
NC
39.00
2750
2750
-
Melaghar(Tri)
3.00
-25
120.10
2350
2400
-11.32
Lamlong Bazaar(Man)
2.60
73.33
50.60
2500
2700
-21.88
Karsiyang(Matigara)(WB)
1.60
6.67
48.90
2600
2300
-
Sardhana(UP)
1.50
NC
109.90
2065
2050
-0.48
Thirthahalli(Kar)
1.00
NC
6.00
2540
2690
4.10
Mangaon(Mah)
1.00
NC
37.00
2800
2800
-6.67
Shillong(Meh)
1.00
25
70.50
3500
3500
NC

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/article8014248.ece

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