Friday, May 27, 2016

27th May,2016 daily global,regional and local rice e-newsletter by riceplus magazine



·        

Today Rice News Headlines...
Rice exporters demand inclusion in tax-free sectors



·         Reap seeks zero rated regime for rice exporters
·         New Philippine president to face early test over food security
·         05/26/2016 Farm Bureau Market Report
·         Louisiana Farmers Push Legislators on Trade with Cuba
·         AIREA All India Rice Exporters Association : Yes, Rice Has Arsenic, but Here's Why You Don't Need to Panic
·         Monsoon stuck over Andamans as heat wave shifts to east India
·         Nigeria: Customs Confiscates 575 Bags of Foreign Parboiled Rice
·         Duterte gov’t faces early test over food security; rice policy in focus
·         Yes, Rice Has Arsenic, but Here's Why You Don't Need to Panic
·         As El Nino fades, hopes increase for wet rainy 

News Detail...

Rice exporters demand inclusion in tax-free sectors


  Last Updated On 26 May,2016 01:17 pm

LAHORE (Dunya News) – Rice exporters have demanded the government to elevate the market to industry level and include it in group of the five sectors for which taxes are waived off, reported Thursday.According to the association, rice export amounts to USD 2 billion in a year and it could increase twofold if the government ends taxation and pay the pending funds under export refund.Administrator of the association, Rahim Jano said that traders face many issues despite the fact that after textile, rice export is the biggest of all products in the country. Rice export could increase twofold if government doesn't tax it, says association

http://dunyanews.tv/en/Business/338426-Rice-exporters-demand-inclusion-in-taxfree-sector

Reap seeks zero rated regime for rice exporters

May 27, 2016
Our Staff Reporter
  Lahore : The Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) has appealed to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar for the grant of zero rated regime, as granted to other five export-oriented sectors.
Abdur Raheem Janoo, Chief Patron of REAP, Ch Shafique, Chairman REAP and Nauman Ahmad Sheikh, Senior Vice Chairman REAP, also welcomed the statement of Javed Bilwani, Chief Coordinator for five Zero Rated Export Sectors, in which he had called for also including the rice sector in the zero rated regime in the upcoming budget and assured full cooperation in this regard.
REAP Chairman Ch Shafique said the rice sector was the second largest foreign exchange earner for the country, surpassing more than $2 billion annually.He also demanded the government to withdraw all duties on the import of all kinds of rice machinery in the upcoming budget.
“If rice sector is discouraged, the exporters will lose established markets and will get disheartened,” he said, adding, “If the government’s intentions are good then ‘No Payment, No Refund’ policy would curb corruption.
“If the government wants to increase exports, then why to penalise the export sector by making it to pay first and then get refunds,” he queried.
Shafique said that the working capital of the exporters had got blocked, as their refunds had been pending for many years.
Conveying gravity of the situation, he said, “People have to borrow loans to run their units or shut them down.
” He also called for merging other taxes/cess on all export items in one tax, to be collected through banks at the time of negotiating documents or on receipt of payments.
“This will increase the government’s revenues and eliminate corruption.
Besides that its calculation formula is very easy,” Shafique said.
He also demanded exemption for exporters from sales tax on packing material, local supply and electricitybills.“It will give a peace of mind to them, and their exports will increase and once the exports increase the government revenue increases,” he noted.
“If all these demands are met on war footing, REAP assures to increase rice exports to $4 billion by the end of 2018,” he concluded

http://nation.com.pk/business/27-May-2016/reap-seeks-zero-rated-regime-for-rice-exporters

New Philippine president to face early test over food security

MANILA | BY ENRICO DELA CRUZ
Different rice varieties are pictured at a food stall in the mountain resort of Baguio city in northern Philippines April 17, 2016.

While Philippine elections this month were dominated by talk about crushing crime, the next president faces another critical early test: ensuring there is enough rice for the country's more than 100 million people.
The Philippine crop is suffering mounting drought damage, just as the country's big Asian rice suppliers also suffer from an El Nino weather pattern.
In a country where rice accounts for about a quarter of the expenditure of the poor, any supply disruptions are extremely sensitive. Big purchases by the world's third-biggest importer can also send shockwaves through markets.
There are now concerns that potentially vital imports may be delayed as the incoming administration of Rodrigo Duterte, who campaigned on making food available and affordable, looks to overhaul policies and review existing state purchase plans."Now is the right time to import as prices are starting to trend up," said Bruce Tolentino, deputy director general for communication at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
In 2008, lower Asian rice output also due to an El Nino prompted India to ban exports, sparking panic measures in the Philippines - including ordering troops to supervise subsidized rice sales and asking fast food chains to serve half-portions.
Manila also had to scramble to import more rice in 2014 after prices shot up due to typhoon crop damage.On May 13, Duterte's campaign spokesman Peter Lavina said an April plan to allow the state buyer to import an additional 500,000 tonnes this year would be reviewed and the administration would immediately talk to Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia on new deals.
Lavina said the aim was to make the country self-sufficient in rice within one to two years, but would still allow imports until this was achieved.Duterte's choice for agriculture minister, Emmanuel Pinol, has said the administration will bar private traders from importing rice and put the task entirely in the hands of the state grains agency, the National Food Authority (NFA), a move that some traders say could stall imports.
"Many traders were expecting the Philippines to make the large 500,000 tonnes purchase shortly after approval was received, but no deals have happened, and this is really adding some intrigue to the market," said James Fell, an economist at the International Grains Council in London.
NFA spokesman Angel Imperial said there was no urgent need to import given ample stocks. April stocks can meet 99 days of consumption, up from March's 87 days, after the delayed arrival of some rice imported last year.
Nonetheless, there are concerns that time is running out for deals to safeguard stocks in the lean harvest season beginning in July as the new government will not officially take office until the end of June.
"It will create supply problems if they don't buy until the end of June," said a Singapore-based trader, who declined to be named as he was not authorized to speak to media.
RICE HARVEST SHRINKING
Local rice prices have largely been stable in recent months, after authorities aggressively boosted state reserves following price spikes in 2014.
But the first-quarter rice harvest shrank nearly 10 percent from a year earlier to 3.9 million tonnes.
"Some of the NFA's imported stocks are more than six months old so there's also a need for them to immediately unload and then replenish," said Jaime Magbanua, president of the Grains Retailers Confederation of the Philippines.
While an El Nino is now weakening, farm officials have warned of more crop damage later in the year when La Nina, the counterpart of El Nino, could develop and bring intense rains.
"WATCHING THE PHILIPPINES"
With no import deals yet this year, the Philippines may need to boost 2016 imports to a six-year high of 2 million tonnes, based on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecasts.
That is as much as 300,000 tonnes higher than the NFA's initial 2016 import estimate. It also comes as countries such as Indonesia and Iran are increasing purchases and world rice production is forecast to decline for the first time since 2010.
Thai rice prices hit a two-year high last week and have boosted prices in Vietnam, the main supplier to the Philippines.
"Everybody is watching the Philippines' moves in the open market, which could trigger panic among buyers," IRRI's Tolentino said.
(Additional reporting by Naveen Thukral in SINGAPORE; Editing by Ed Davies

05/26/2016 Farm Bureau Market Report

Soybeans

High
Low
Cash Bids
1086
1020
New Crop
1071
1024


Riceland Foods


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


Futures:

SOYBEANS


High
Low
Last
Change





Jul '16
1098.00
1073.25
1079.75
-5.75
Aug '16
1093.00
1070.25
1077.25
-4.50
Sep '16
1076.50
1055.50
1061.75
-3.75
Nov '16
1065.00
1044.25
1050.50
-3.75
Jan '17
1059.25
1040.50
1047.00
-1.75
Mar '17
1034.25
1020.25
1025.75
0.00
May '17
1026.50
1016.00
1021.00
+2.00
Jul '17
1025.50
1015.00
1020.50
+3.25
Aug '17
1009.50
1003.00
1009.25
+5.75


Soybean Comment
Soybeans closed slightly lower, as modest export demand was not what the market expected today. While strong product markets remain supportive of soybeans, the market continues to face ample supplies next year which may limit gains. Yesterday's rally put prices back near highs, and prices will need additional help to get soybeans much above these his.



Wheat

High
Low
Cash Bids
476
431
New Crop
476
451


Futures:

WHEAT


High
Low
Last
Change





Jul '16
482.25
465.50
481.25
+15.25
Sep '16
492.75
476.50
491.75
+14.50
Dec '16
509.00
494.50
508.50
+13.50
Mar '17
524.50
512.75
524.00
+11.75
May '17
533.50
522.75
533.75
+12.00
Jul '17
540.25
528.75
539.75
+12.50
Sep '17


546.50
+13.00
Dec '17


556.50
+13.00
Mar '18
559.25
550.00
565.50
+12.25

Wheat Comment

Wheat prices were the big leader in today's market as the current wet weather has traders worried about this years crop. Additionally, the market finally got a decent sales report for next; however, sales still remain well below levels needed to reach the current USDA forecast.



Grain Sorghum

High
Low
Cash Bids
370
364
New Crop
350
327




Corn

High
Low
Cash Bids
410
383
New Crop
410
400


Futures:

CORN


High
Low
Last
Change





Jul '16
409.25
400.00
408.25
+3.50
Sep '16
411.25
402.50
410.50
+3.25
Dec '16
411.00
403.75
409.75
+1.25
Mar '17
417.25
410.50
416.50
+1.25
May '17
420.25
413.50
419.75
+2.00
Jul '17
423.25
416.25
422.25
+1.75
Sep '17
412.00
407.25
412.00
+1.75
Dec '17
412.00
406.00
411.75
+1.50
Mar '18


419.25
+1.25

Corn Comment

Corn prices continue to climb today as good export demand is providing support for prices. With prices putting in new highs and further weakness in soybeans today could mean corn could see profit taking tomorrow. The market is close to oversold territory and could see a correction as we head into the long weekend.



Cotton
Futures:

COTTON


High
Low
Last
Change





Jul '16
64.55
62.85
64.33
1.43
Oct '16
64.63
63.23
64.63
1.52
Dec '16
63.95
62.47
63.94
1.4

Cotton Comment

Cotton futures were sharply higher today. July is now testing resistance at the recent high of 64.75 cents while December shattered previous resistance and set a new high for the move. The next resistance for December is the January chart gap between 64 cents and 64.08 cents. Export commitments reached 99% of USDA's projection for the marketing year, and shipments now total 77%. Of course, USDA projects total exports to be down 20% from the previous marketing year. Reports indicate that China's daily auctions are slowing down. Cumulative sales are reportedly over 500,000 metric tons, or about 2.3 million bales. Planting progress is now running behind the 5 year average at 46% planted. Arkansas farmers are ahead of their usual pace, though, with 94% of the crop in the ground, compared with a 5 year average of 84%.



Rice

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


Futures:

ROUGH RICE


High
Low
Last
Change





Jul '16
1145.0
1100.0
1106.0
-17.5
Sep '16
1166.0
1126.5
1130.0
-18.0
Nov '16
1178.0
1152.5
1155.0
-16.5
Jan '17
1211.0
1211.0
1175.0
-16.0
Mar '17


1191.0
-18.0
May '17


1208.0
-18.0
Jul '17


1208.0
-18.0

Rice Comment

The selloff continued in the rice pit today. Arkansas farmers have now planted 98% of their intended acres. The question remains, though, will they stop there? The five year average for this date is 89%, so if conditions remain favorable, the crop might get bigger, at least 1.6 million acres are likely. This large crop could limit the upside potential of the market, however, dry conditions in other rice growing regions of the world could provide support. July continues to trend higher, but the chart has taken on a negative appearance. The uptrend in July has been broken and futures could be headed for a retest of the recent low of $10.76.



Cattle
Futures:

Live Cattle:

LIVE CATTLE


High
Low
Last
Change





Jun '16
119.500
116.450
118.925
+0.775
Aug '16
115.700
111.450
115.350
+1.950
Oct '16
115.125
111.450
114.825
+1.675
Dec '16
115.325
112.275
115.125
+1.225
Feb '17
114.700
111.975
114.575
+1.075
Apr '17
113.875
111.250
113.825
+1.175
Jun '17
107.150
104.975
107.250
+1.225
Aug '17
105.700
103.250
105.575
+1.175

Feeders:

FEEDER CATTLE


High
Low
Last
Change





May '16
145.950
145.300
145.900
+0.425
Aug '16
145.625
140.325
145.400
+2.725
Sep '16
144.150
139.275
143.950
+2.400
Oct '16
142.625
138.000
142.475
+2.300
Nov '16
138.950
134.950
138.775
+1.700
Jan '17
134.175
130.600
134.000
+1.875
Mar '17
131.500
128.000
131.400
+2.100
Apr '17
130.250
129.050
131.325
+1.825
May '17


131.250




Cattle Comment

Cattle prices reversed early losses to end higher again today. While beef prices were sharply lower again today, markets were able to bounce off of lows and close higher again today. The bearish cattle on feed report, will likely continue to limit upside potential in the market.



Hogs
Futures:

LEAN HOGS


High
Low
Last
Change





Jun '16
81.000
79.975
80.550
+0.375
Jul '16
81.675
79.875
81.275
+1.450
Aug '16
80.875
79.175
80.750
+1.575
Oct '16
68.625
67.375
68.400
+1.100
Dec '16
63.925
62.775
63.575
+0.825
Feb '17
67.025
66.100
66.750
+0.675
Apr '17
69.775
69.075
69.750
+0.675
May '17


73.825
+0.525
Jun '17
76.900
76.900
77.350
+0.350


Louisiana Farmers Push Legislators on Trade with Cuba
By Peter Bachmann
 WASHINGTON, DC -- Yesterday, Louisiana rice farmers and USA Rice members Eric Unkel and Jeffrey Sylvester spent the day here visiting their Members of Congress and participating in the White House briefing on "Business Opportunities in Cuba."
 The duo arrived in the capital just in time for the first sunshine in weeks and began their busy day with Cuba-related visits with Senators Bill Cassidy and David Vitter and a stop in Rayburn House Office Building to see Representative John Fleming.
 The general request was for support on existing legislation that would lift the regulations blocking U.S. financial institutions from providing credit to Cuban buyers for agricultural commodities, such as rice.  They pointed to an economic analysis put together by the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba and Engage Cuba and approved by the USDA that outlines the potential market for rice and soybeans in Cuba, Louisiana's top agricultural exports.  Representatives Ralph Abraham and Charles Boustany of Louisiana have already openly supported legislation and other efforts to open the Cuban market for agriculture.
 

The afternoon was consumed by the White House Business Council's briefing on Cuba with the two Administration panels with representatives from the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, State, Treasury and Commerce.  The audience of more than 160 participants from all sectors and from all over the United States participated through a question-and-answer process.  At least one of the panelists indicated Cuba's strong desire to purchase U.S.-grown rice and the need for Congressional action to remove the financing barriers preventing agricultural exports.


You are here   
"It's a rare feeling to leave Washington optimistically but after meeting with Senator Cassidy and getting Senator Vitter's commitment to cosponsor the legislation that would allow U.S. financing to Cuba for ag commodities, I'm feeling pretty good," said Unkel, president of the Louisiana Rice Council (LARC).

Sylvester, president of the Evangeline Parish Rice Growers Association, said, "Hearing questions and comments coming from other industries was helpful to me because we're so focused on the impacts to and by the rice industry that we forget about all of the other businesses that would benefit from normalized trade with Cuba.  There was an overwhelming excitement in the room and the Administration representatives seemed like they really want to be helpful in making business with Cuba a reality
AIREA All India Rice Exporters Association : Yes, Rice Has Arsenic, but Here's Why You Don't Need to Panic                
05/25/2016 | 04:06am EDT
The report late last month that babies fed heavily on rice have higher concentrations of arsenic in their bodies sent shivers through parents worldwide. It is true that rice naturally contains high concentrations of arsenic relative to other grains, but overall, rice is not the new cigarette and an easy cooking tip can minimize the amount of arsenic in grains generally and rice in particular.
And one can feed the kids rice, as long as one feeds the kids other things too.It is true that arsenic is not benign.
A Dartmouth study earlier this year found that eating even low levels of the mineral by overweight women can reduce the birth weight and length of baby girls, though their baby boys may be longer. Also, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that exposure to arsenic during pregnancy and in infancy can impair a child's performance on certain developmental tests. The FDA doesn't suggest that people forgo rice, but is belatedly proposing to cap the amount of inorganic arsenic that rice-based baby food may contain. In contrast to organic arsenic (often found in seafood, for instance), inorganic arsenic is not easily flushed from the body.
The Israeli consumption directives are broken down by inorganic (the more hazardous type) and organic. In Israel, the Health Ministry has published detailed directives regarding maximal permissible amounts of most heavy metals in different foods, including for babies and children. Their directives cover inorganic arsenic in various categories of food and were most recently updated this very month (the last update had been in 2009), the ministry told Haaretz.
Basically, the Israeli directives are the same as Europe's, it says. Arsenic, arsenic everywhere Arsenic is a common mineral in the soil and water. Some take up less, some take up more. Rice takes up more, relative to, for instance, millet and quinoa. Consumer Reports found measurable levels of arsenic in almost all the 60 rice types it checked, noting that the mineral is also found in rice pasta, drinks and cereals.
The worst offender is brown rice, which has the highest values of 'good' minerals of all the rices but also the highest concentration of inorganic arsenic.(Organic rice is supposed to have lesser amounts of pesticides, not natural toxins like arsenic, by the way.) Processed foods made from rice, including baby food, also contain arsenic, which has long been associated with heightened risk of bladder, lung, and skin cancer, as well as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. A rice vendor in Thailand, selling different species of rice, each of which commands a different price.
And each of which would have a different endemic concentration of arsenic.Reuters But how serious is the danger? Should we forgo our biriyani and rice cakes? Not so fast. Cooking it away 'It's easy to deal with arsenic. It's soluble in water,' points out Mariana Urbach, head dietitian at Clalit Health Services. Whatever rice you're preparing, be it high-arsenic brown or low-arsenic basmati, to minimize arsenic content, wash the rice first, Urbach says.

Cook six cups of water to one cup of rice, discard all the water during the process and replace it with two cups of fresh water. Finish cooking. Rinse the finished product in yet more water. Ta da. This cooking method will also discard some nutrients, but you can't have it all. And if you can't be bothered to monkey with your rice? Putting things into proportion, the FDA estimates that exposure to arsenic in rice and rice products causes about four cases of lung and bladder cancer over the lifetime for every 100,000 Americans. In other words, the rice habit is responsible for a fraction of 1% of America's lung and bladder cancer cases. Meanwhile, in a draft guidance to baby cereal manufacturers, the FDA recommends equating American restrictions on inorganic arsenic to European levels: no more than 100 parts per billion. Should pregnant women abstain from rice, especially brown rice, despite its nutritional kick?
'I think that rice can be part of a healthy diet,' Diane Gilbert-Diamond, assistant professor of epidemiology at Dartmouth and lead author of 'Relation Between in Utero Arsenic Exposure and Birth Outcomes in a Cohort of Mothers and Their Newborns from New Hampshire', published in Environmental Health Perspectives, told Haaretz. 'But I think it's important to eat a varied diet. Rather than only eating rice as a grain, pregnant women should eat a variety of grains and foods, which can help minimize their health risk. It's the best way to get a combination of nutrients as well.' For baby: Once a day Harvesting rice in Thailand: People love rice but rice loves arsenic.
It now turns out that even low amounts of arsenic can affect birth weight.Bloomberg The FDA stresses that it isn't suggesting people change their rice consumption habits. It is, the organization says, just providing 'targeted information for pregnant women and infants to help reduce exposure'. Note however, that feeding rice cereal to babies can be proportionally different than feeding it to adults. Relative to body weight, rice consumption for infants in a meal - mainly in rice porridges, drinks and cereal - can be about three times greater than for adults, the FDA explains.
Consumer Reports for recommends that babies average no more than one serving of rice porridge a day, and that parents be diligent about giving them variety in their grains. Question of origin You might prefer to buy a type of rice with lesser arsenic content. Good luck figuring out which it is. First of all, bags of rice don't come with little DIY testing kits for toxins. Secondly, in today's globalized world, we may not know where the bag came from. Under Israeli law, a food importer must cite the country of origin on labeling.
But we still can't know in what part of that country the rice was grown or where the irrigation water comes from. Is the water laden with arsenic? Does the land have other toxins, like Chernobyl has radioactive ions in the soil, as Urbach points out? 'The source of rice imported to Israel is the same countries that export rice to all the world markets,' the Health Ministry told Haaretz. 'Food products imported to Israel are sampled and checked randomly for various contaminants, including heavy metals, before their arrival in Israel.' So wash your rice first and cook it with lots of water. And stay in proportion. Almonds are chock full of cyanide but Israelis eat them by the ton and death by macaroon is not an issue.
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-05-26/north-korea-begins-instructing-students-to-work-harder-on-rice-fields

Monsoon stuck over Andamans as heat wave shifts to east India

VINSON KURIAN
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MAY 26:  
The South-West monsoon has remained stuck over the Andaman and Nicobar islands even as heat wave conditions over the mainland shifted from North-West India to the eastern parts of the country.
Maximum and minimum temperatures over North-West and adjoining Central India may however start gradually rising over the next two days, an India Met Department update said.
Rain scale-up
According to the US Climate Prediction Centre, the thundershowers lining up over South India will scale up during the week beginning June 1.
Western parts of Sri Lanka, parts of Kerala and north Coastal Tamil Nadu (Puducherry-Chennai belt) are expected to witness moderate to heavy rain during this period.
According to the US National Centre for Environment Prediction, moderate to heavy rain is forecast over the seas (Arabian Sea) off the Kerala coast during the current week ending on June 3.
The following week (June 3-11) would see heavy to very heavy rain lash the Kerala and Karnataka coasts as also South Interior Karnataka, Rayalaseema and Telangana.
This more or less corroborates the India Met outlook for heavy rain associated with the delayed onset of the monsoon this year.
Heating under check
Dust storms or thunderstorms being triggered by a passing western disturbance would keep the temperatures under check in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
Thunderstorms have also been forecast for Bihar, Gangetic West Bengal, Assam and Meghalaya while heavy rain will lash parts of Kerala as well as Assam and Meghalaya.
There is no heat wave warning for Saturday but heavy rain has been forecast at isolated places over Kerala, Assam and Meghalaya.
Thunderstorms accompanied by squall will continue to put a cap on the heat in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
This would be the likely weather pattern for Sunday as well, the Met forecast says.
(This article was published on May 26, 2016)
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/monsoon-stuck-over-andamans-as-heat-wave-shifts-to-east-india/article8650910.ece

Nigeria: Customs Confiscates 575 Bags of Foreign Parboiled Rice


The anti-smuggling campaign of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has yielded more results as its officers and men in the Western Marine Command (WMC), Ibafon, Apapa, Lagos have seized about 575 bags of foreign parboiled rice.
The commodity was intercepted by men and officers of the NCS, who were on a joint patrol with their Nigerian Navy counterparts at the Badagry axis of the Lagos waterways.
Customs Area Controller (CAC), WMC, Comptroller Yusuf Umar, who disclosed this in Lagos, said the officers intercepted two wooden boats loaded with foreign parboiled rice but on sighting the patrol officers, the smugglers escaped into a creek at Itonhu jetty in a bid to escape arrest. According to him, the boat hit a hard surface that broke it and high tidal wave, which resulted in it being sunk with a large quantity of the bags of rice.
Umar explained that the patrol team was able to salvage the remaining bags of rice totaling 575 with a duty paid value (DPV) of N4, 447,625 valued at N2, 616,250 and brought them to the command headquarters.
Though no suspect was arrested in connection with the seizure, the CAC stated that WMC will continue to fight smuggling activities as long as the smugglers refused to turn away from their nefarious activities.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201605260289.html

Duterte gov’t faces early test over food security; rice policy in focus


WHILE Philippine elections this month were dominated by talk about crushing crime, the next president faces another critical early test: ensuring there is enough rice for the country’s more than 100 million people.

The Philippine crop is suffering mounting drought damage, just as the country’s big Asian rice suppliers also suffer from an El Niño weather pattern.

In a country where rice accounts for about a quarter of the expenditure of the poor, any supply disruptions are extremely sensitive. Big purchases by the world’s third-biggest importer can also send shockwaves through markets.

There are now concerns that potentially vital imports may be delayed as the incoming administration of Rodrigo R. Duterte, who campaigned on making food available and affordable, looks to overhaul policies and review existing state purchase plans.

“Now is the right time to import as prices are starting to trend up,” said Bruce J. Tolentino, deputy director general for communication at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

In 2008, lower Asian rice output also due to an El Nino prompted India to ban exports, sparking panic measures in the Philippines -- including ordering troops to supervise subsidized rice sales and asking fast food chains to serve half-portions.

Manila also had to scramble to import more rice in 2014 after prices shot up due to typhoon crop damage.

On May 13, Mr. Duterte’s campaign spokesman Peter T. Laviña said an April plan to allow the state buyer to import an additional 500,000 tons this year would be reviewed and the administration would immediately talk to Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia on new deals.

Mr. Lavina said the aim was to make the country self-sufficient in rice within one to two years, but would still allow imports until this was achieved.

Mr. Duterte’s choice for agriculture minister, Emmanuel F. Piñol, has said the administration will bar private traders from importing rice and put the task entirely in the hands of the state grains agency, the National Food Authority (NFA), a move that some traders say could stall imports.

“Many traders were expecting the Philippines to make the large 500,000 tons purchase shortly after approval was received, but no deals have happened, and this is really adding some intrigue to the market,” said James Fell, an economist at the International Grains Council in London.

NFA spokesman Angel G. Imperial Jr. said there was no urgent need to import given ample stocks. April stocks can meet 99 days of consumption, up from March’s 87 days, after the delayed arrival of some rice imported last year.

Nonetheless, there are concerns that time is running out for deals to safeguard stocks in the lean harvest season beginning in July as the new government will not officially take office until the end of June.

“It will create supply problems if they don’t buy until the end of June,” said a Singapore-based trader, who declined to be named as he was not authorized to speak to media.

RICE HARVEST SHRINKING
Local rice prices have largely been stable in recent months, after authorities aggressively boosted state reserves following price spikes in 2014.

But the first-quarter rice harvest shrank nearly 10% from a year earlier to 3.9 million tons.

“Some of the NFA’s imported stocks are more than six months old so there’s also a need for them to immediately unload and then replenish,” said Jaime Magbanua, president of the Grains Retailers Confederation of the Philippines.

While an El Niño is now weakening, farm officials have warned of more crop damage later in the year when La Niña, the counterpart of El Niño, could develop and bring intense rains.

“WATCHING THE PHILIPPINES”
With no import deals yet this year, the Philippines may need to boost 2016 imports to a six-year high of 2 million tons, based on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecasts.

That is as much as 300,000 tons higher than the NFA’s initial 2016 import estimate. It also comes as countries such as Indonesia and Iran are increasing purchases and world rice production is forecast to decline for the first time since 2010.

Thai rice prices hit a two-year high last week and have boosted prices in Vietnam, the main supplier to the Philippines.

“Everybody is watching the Philippines’ moves in the open market, which could trigger panic among buyers,” IRRI’s Mr. Tolentino said. -- Reuters
http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=TopStory&title=duterte-gov&8217t-faces-early-test-over-food-security-rice-policy-in-focus&id=128157

Yes, Rice Has Arsenic, but Here's Why You Don't Need to Panic

May 25, 2016
The report late last month that babies fed heavily on rice have higher concentrations of arsenic in their bodies sent shivers through parents worldwide. It is true that rice naturally contains high concentrations of arsenic relative to other grains, but overall, rice is not the new cigarette and an easy cooking tip can minimize the amount of arsenic in grains generally and rice in particular.
And one can feed the kids rice, as long as one feeds the kids other things too.It is true that arsenic is not benign. A Dartmouth study earlier this year found that eating even low levels of the mineral by overweight women can reduce the birth weight and length of baby girls, though their baby boys may be longer. Also, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that exposure to arsenic during pregnancy and in infancy can impair a child’s performance on certain developmental tests. The FDA doesn't suggest that people forgo rice, but is belatedly proposing to cap the amount of inorganic arsenic that rice-based baby food may contain. In contrast to organic arsenic (often found in seafood, for instance), inorganic arsenic is not easily flushed from the body.
The Israeli consumption directives are broken down by inorganic (the more hazardous type) and organic. In Israel, the Health Ministry has published detailed directives regarding maximal permissible amounts of most heavy metals in different foods, including for babies and children. Their directives cover inorganic arsenic in various categories of food and were most recently updated this very month (the last update had been in 2009), the ministry told Haaretz.
Basically, the Israeli directives are the same as Europe's, it says. Arsenic, arsenic everywhere Arsenic is a common mineral in the soil and water. Some take up less, some take up more. Rice takes up more, relative to, for instance, millet and quinoa. Consumer Reports found measurable levels of arsenic in almost all the 60 rice types it checked, noting that the mineral is also found in rice pasta, drinks and cereals.  
The worst offender is brown rice, which has the highest values of "good" minerals of all the rices but also the highest concentration of inorganic arsenic.(Organic rice is supposed to have lesser amounts of pesticides, not natural toxins like arsenic, by the way.) Processed foods made from rice, including baby food, also contain arsenic, which has long been associated with heightened risk of bladder, lung, and skin cancer, as well as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. A rice vendor in Thailand, selling different species of rice, each of which commands a different price. And each of which would have a different endemic concentration of arsenic.Reuters But how serious is the danger? Should we forgo our biriyani and rice cakes? Not so fast.

Cooking it away "It's easy to deal with arsenic. It's soluble in water," points out Mariana Urbach, head dietitian at Clalit Health Services. Whatever rice you're preparing, be it high-arsenic brown or low-arsenic basmati, to minimize arsenic content, wash the rice first, Urbach says.
Cook six cups of water to one cup of rice, discard all the water during the process and replace it with two cups of fresh water. Finish cooking. Rinse the finished product in yet more water. Ta da. This cooking method will also discard some nutrients, but you can't have it all. And if you can't be bothered to monkey with your rice? Putting things into proportion, the FDA estimates that exposure to arsenic in rice and rice products causes about four cases of lung and bladder cancer over the lifetime for every 100,000 Americans.
 In other words, the rice habit is responsible for a fraction of 1% of America's lung and bladder cancer cases. Meanwhile, in a draft guidance to baby cereal manufacturers, the FDA recommends equating American restrictions on inorganic arsenic to European levels: no more than 100 parts per billion. Should pregnant women abstain from rice, especially brown rice, despite its nutritional kick? "I think that rice can be part of a healthy diet," Diane Gilbert-Diamond, assistant professor of epidemiology at Dartmouth and lead author of "Relation Between in Utero Arsenic Exposure and Birth Outcomes in a Cohort of Mothers and Their Newborns from New Hampshire", published in Environmental Health Perspectives, told Haaretz. "But I think it's important to eat a varied diet. Rather than only eating rice as a grain, pregnant women should eat a variety of grains and foods, which can help minimize their health risk. It's the best way to get a combination of nutrients as well." For baby: Once a day Harvesting rice in Thailand: People love rice but rice loves arsenic.
 It now turns out that even low amounts of arsenic can affect birth weight.Bloomberg The FDA stresses that it isn't suggesting people change their rice consumption habits. It is, the organization says, just providing "targeted information for pregnant women and infants to help reduce exposure". Note however, that feeding rice cereal to babies can be proportionally different than feeding it to adults.  Relative to body weight, rice consumption for infants in a meal – mainly in rice porridges, drinks and cereal – can be about three times greater than for adults, the FDA explains. Consumer Reports for recommends that babies average no more than one serving of rice porridge a day, and that parents be diligent about giving them variety in their grains. Question of origin You might prefer to buy a type of rice with lesser arsenic content. Good luck figuring out which it is. First of all, bags of rice don't come with little DIY testing kits for toxins. Secondly, in today's globalized world, we may not know where the bag came from. Under Israeli law, a food importer must cite the country of origin on labeling. But we still can't know in what part of that country the rice was grown or where the irrigation water comes from. Is the water laden with arsenic?
Does the land have other toxins, like Chernobyl has radioactive ions in the soil, as Urbach points out? "The source of rice imported to Israel is the same countries that export rice to all the world markets," the Health Ministry told Haaretz. "Food products imported to Israel are sampled and checked randomly for various contaminants, including heavy metals, before their arrival in Israel." So wash your rice first and cook it with lots of water. And stay in proportion. Almonds are chock full of cyanide but Israelis eat them by the ton and death by macaroon is not an issue
http://www.airea.net/article-detail/344/breaking-news/Yes-Rice-Has-Arsenic-but-Heres-Why-You-Dont-Need-to-Panic

As El Nino fades, hopes increase for wet rainy season

Optimistic farmers in Nonthaburi’s Pak Kret district plough a field for their new rice crop after recent rains brought relief from the drought. The Meteorological Department recently declared the rainy season started on May 18. It is likely to last until mid-October. TAWATCHAI KEMGUMNERD
The drought is still with us, but forecasters are optimistic this year's rains will be above normal, in part because of the end of the unusually severe El Nino.

As El Nino fades, hopes increase for wet rainy season

It's official the Thai Meteorological Department says. The rainy season has begun. It began on May 18 when southwesterly winds began to dominate weather patterns throughout the country, bringing moisture from the Andaman Sea,  Meteorological Department chief Wanchai Sak-udomchai said on Monday. This doesn't mean, however, that the severe drought affecting much of the country will soon be broken. Mr Wanchai said that the rain in the beginning of the season will be intermittent. Rain intensity will increase in the second half of the season, he said.Water levels at Lam Takhong and four other reservoirs in Nakhon Ratchasima remain at only around 20% of their capacity despite heavy rain from a summer thunderstorm. SOMCHAI POOMLARD
Meanwhile, the situation is still dire in and around Thailand's biggest dam. The Bangkok Post's Apinya Wipatayotin reported yesterday that the Bhumibol dam has not received any water since the rainy season started. Reports say it has only two percent of usable water remaining. Elsewhere, reports are more favourable, however. Royal Irrigation Department chief Suthep Noipairoj said although the Bhumibol dam has not yet received water, three other major dams – the Sirikit in Uttaradit, the Kwae Noi in Phitsanulok, and the Pasak Jolasid in Lop Buri – have been blessed with rainwater flowing downstream from the North. Over the last week 57.8 million cubic metres flowed into Sirikit dam, 7.66 million cubic metres went into Kwae Noi dam, and 6.62 million cubic metres boosted supplies in Pasak Jolasid dam. Combined, the three dams have received a total of 72.08 million cubic metres of water.

El Nino ending, La Nina looking likely

Forecasters are optimistic that this year's rainfall will be above normal. One key reason behind their optimism is the end of the severe El Nino phenomenon in place throughout the past year. The abnormally warm surface waters flowing from the western Pacific into tropical areas have been gradually cooling since November and are approaching normal temperatures. A severe El Nino changes weather patterns around the world and here in Thailand unusually dry conditions can result as the heavy rains shift eastward, largely missing the country.  When ocean temperatures return to normal, wetter conditions should prevail. Climate scientists at the US-based national Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration now say there is a 75 percent chance that the surface temperatures will actually be below normal late this year if not sooner. This condition is known as La Nina and, for our part of the world, that would certainly mean more rain than El Nino conditions.