Wednesday, October 05, 2016

5th October,2016 daily global,regional and local rice e-newsletter by riceplus magazine

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko continues official visit to Pakistan

 

5 October 2016 07:01

By Natalia Breus: Today the Belarusian leader is expected to meet with the Prime Minister, the President and Parliament speakers of Pakistan. Alexander Lukashenko is also planned to take part in the opening of a business forum in Islamabad.Belarus’ delegation has been actively working in Islamabad for the past two days, one of the key agreements being the Pakistani Government’s intension to subsidise farmers for purchasing Belarusian equipment. Besides, the parties have signed an agreement on opening a joint centre for coordinating scientific, technical and innovation cooperation in Islamabad.
Alexander Lukashenko’s visit to the capital of Pakistan in May 2015 resulted in the signing of a Belarus-Pakistan partnership declaration, which marked a new stage in the relations between the two countries. Belarus’ Embassy opened in Islamabad in 20 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the year 2014 seeing the intensification of contacts.
Last year’s Belarus-Pakistan trade turnover approached 60 million dollars. Pakistan is Belarus’ promising partner in South Asia, being a large market with a population of nearly 200 million people. Pakistan is one of key markets for Belarusian tractors outside the CIS.Belarus exports potash fertilisers, synthetic fibres, tyres, newsprint and baby food to Pakistan and imports rice, food stuffs, leather products, textiles and sporting equipment.

http://www.tvr.by/eng/news/prezident/prodolzhaetsya_ofitsialnyy_vizit_prezidenta_belarusi_aleksandra_lukashenko_v_pakistan/


SUKKUR: Farmers of the paddy crop, led by Din Muhammad and Islamuddin Shaikh, took out rallies in Badah, Dokri and other areas in protest against Sindh government’s not providing even the fixed rate of paddy which was Rs900.They said that the traders were cutting two kilograms on each maund which was illegal. They demanded Rs1,100 to Rs1,200 rate of paddy per mound, and they also demanded reduction in the price of pesticides and fertilizers.
Meanwhile, the Sindh-Balochistan Rice Millers Association announced a campaign of protests and demonstrations to be launched after Ashura. Aziz Ahmed Abro, president of the Sindh-Balochistan Rice Millers Association, had written a letter to the Chief Minister of Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah, to fix the rate of paddy at least at Rs1,200.
Siraj Rashidi, a representative of the Larkana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that paddy growers were not getting a fair price for their crops.  He said that the growers spent Rs600 to Rs650 for producing a maund of rice. In these circumstances, the government rate of paddy, which was Rs650, was not justified.
He said that the growers were incurring losses amounting to millions of rupees a year.  He said that some growers of paddy had been feeling so miserable that they were contemplating suicide

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/155017-Farmers-of-paddy-crop-stage-demonstration-in-Sukkur


 Nigeria And Self Sufficiency In Rice Production

October 5, 2016
Minster of Africulture, Chief Audu OgbehIn a bid to mitigate the effectof the ban on rice importation into Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari in June this year announced that his administration would make Nigeria self-sufficient in rice production within 18 months.

Speaking at the Ramadan breaking of fast with members of the business community, Buhari said 13 states of the federation had been identified for the production of the crop, pointing out that the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, had already been briefed on how best to achieve the target.
He decried the way and manner the nation’s scarce resources were wasted on the importation of food items by the previous regimes, saying that the nation had no option than to concentrate more on agriculture and solid mineral activities.

The Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri at a town hall meeting in Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State, said the reliance on imported food led to the astronomical rise in price of rice and other commodities, stressing that if Nigerians failed to produce some of the items being imported before December, the price of rice would skyrocket to N40,000 a bag.
According to him, Nigeria spends about $22 billion a year on importation of food, saying that a projection shows that the population of Nigeria would be 450 million by 2050 and wondered what would happen then if the people could not feed themselves now. We do not have enough dollars to fund the import because of low crude oil price and that is why you see the price of rice going up. Prices of rice was between N9,000 to N12,000 some months ago, but it is now about N26,000 and if we don’t start producing by December, it could be N40,000. Rice matures in three months, so this is a wake-up call for Bayelsa people to take the four farms we have serious. The Federal Government has four farms in the state in our records.
There is no rice farm in Rivers State and many other state. They have land to cultivate rice but no support from government. All states in the country should be encouraged to produce rice and give it priority attention. The North- West states such as Kebbi, Jigawa, Kano as well as other states like Lagos, Ebonyi, Anambra have prioritized it.
The Dangote Group of Companies is set to invest over N53 billion in the production of rice and sugar in Nasarawa State, said its President, Alhaji Aliko Dangote. He disclosed this recently in Lafia during an assessment tour of the investment potentials in the state.

Represented by Mr Abdullahi Sule, the company’s group managing director in charge of sugar production, Dangote said the company had set the machinery in motion to invest in Obi, Awe and Doma Local government areas of the state. He stated that the company would establish a rice mill and give agriculture and sugarcane outgrowers about 10,000 hectares and seed cane to enhance production, adding that the company has similar projects in Adamawa and Taraba States which had generated over 25,000 jobs, while expecting some to happen in Nasarawa.

On its part, the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) last year September completed its rice mill project in Bida and handed over same to the Federal Government. Its country Director, Mr Jung Sang-hoon told The Tide in Abuja that the project was initiated in 2007, but was halted for a while due to technical challenges the company encountered. “The company has several projects; we have rice processing centre in Bida and cassava processing centres in Kogi, Enugu and Ogun States, Sang-hoon said, adding “in case of the rice processing project, the delays came from our side; we were unable to find alternative replacement (contracting companies).

“In 2012, when I came, I made some reports. My new approach at the time was to find collective association of agriculture machinery production companies; they followed my advice and were able to resume. Now the process became very swift and prompt; virtually all the job has been completed.

Olam International, a Singaporean Company in 2012 commenced large-scale cultivation and processing of rice by the last quarter in Nasarawa State, the nation’s major rice growing state. The company announced that it invested $49.2 million in rice farming and milling in the state. Speaking to newsmen, the President of the firm, Mr Jajreev Raina said the investment established a 6,000 hectres of irrigated paddy farms and rice milling projects as the company’s first venture in rice production in the country.

Olam is a leading rice trader globally and has been working with several rice firms across the country but does not own any of them. The project provides 60,000 tones of paddy annually to the processing facility which had then been converted into 36,000 tonnes of milled rice. Industry analysts have descried the project as a big boost for the Federal Government’s drive to raise agricultural production towards food security for the rising population.

The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Buhari, Mr Femi Adesina recently confirmed that the Federal Government had in 2014 signed a one billion dollars Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for investment in integrated rice project with Dangote Industries Limited. Further to this agreement, Dangote Industries Ltd, this year cultivated over 8,000 hectares in Hadejia, Jigawa State, creating over 10,000 direct and indirect jobs for farmers who are the major beneficiaries of the scheme.

According to Adesina, the Buhari-led administration is also in partnership with the African Development Bank (ADB) and other reputable companies to tap into the vast potential in the private sector. This was aimed at broadening the economic base of the country.

“The gains of the diversification drive, especially in the agriculture sector, he said, are already yielding dividends as shown by the recent statistics in the sector published by the National Bureau of Statastics (NBS)”.
A social media report had accused the Federal Government and Dangote group of a plan to ‘flood’ the market with Genetically Modified rice (GMO). But the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity dismissed the report, describing it as the hand work of unscrupulous individuals who were bent on tarnishing the good image of the government. “It is therefore ridiculous that a government that is wholly devoted to the generation of employment for Nigerians, especially through agriculture will turn around to get involved in an activity that will reverse the gains of the same partnership”.

In a bid to stemming the tide of the effect of pests that attack cereal crops on the fields, especially rice, the federal government in 2014 approved a 50 hours serial spray of high risk areas in Kano State under attack of quelea birds. The aim was to reduce the amount of money spent by farmers employing traditional control methods. Rice farmers had lamented about the challenges the birds had posed to their farm output as a result of the attacks.

Rice is one of the staple foods for Nigerians and its supply and demand trend are imbalance. The production of rice in this country is expected to be more than 100 tonnes following an increase in the demand for the commodity. Rice production can earn Nigerian high foreign exchange if its farmers in the country are supported financially and materially. “Government agricultural loans will enable rice farmers acquire modern farming equipment as well as vast land for their business.

 The provision of irrigation infrastructure for rice farmers is necessary as rice can be scorched due to the lack of rain which also providing fertilizers at the appropriate time during the farming season”.
In order to make the ban on rice importation realistic, a Port Harcourt-based large-scale rice dealer, Eugene Aririeri, urged the Federal Government to ensure that local producers of rice are adequately empowered. He advised that for the federal government’s ban on importation of rice to be realistic in 2016, local rice farmers need to be empowered and encouraged, pointing out that the idea of banning the importation of rice is good, but that concrete steps must be taken by the Federal and state governments before the implementation of the ban.

According to him, the local producers of rice should be provided with adequate and highly subsidized agricultural loans, adding that these loans should only be given to genuine farmers while that should not be politicized. “The farmers should also be provided with adequate improved seeds, genuine fertilizers and other related farm imputs”. The rice dealer explained that by statistics, Nigerians consume more than 45 million metric tonnes of rice per annum, while 21 million metric tonnes of the commodity was being imported through back-door yearly, disclosing that Nigeria was the second largest importer of rice in the world in spite of large endowment of arable land suitable for rice production.

He maintained that locally produced rice was more qualitative with more nutritional value than imported rice.
If Nigeria is really committed to an ambitious programme for growth, to consolidate and increase the present levels of profitability through international expansion, and to further develop its agricultural business activities, there should be medium plan for rice production in the country. Ebonyi State has carved a niche for itself in the area of rice production. Its production has increased in the state and if given encouragement as well as other states, the problem of rice in this country will soon be a thing of the past.

Chief Anthony Ndubuka, a major rice dealer in Umuahia in an interview expressed optimism that the price of rice would soon fall in Nigeria, saying that the grains would become affordable as soon as farmers began to harvest the grains in the next few months. “I am confident that there will be a bumper harvest this year. So, by November, the price of the commodity will definitely come down”, he said, expressing concern that the astronomical price of rice had made it unaffordable in many homes. “Rice is a staple food in many families in Nigeria, it is children’s favourite, but the commodity has become unaffordable because of its astronomical price”.

Ndubuka traced the scarcity of rice to the ban on importation of the grains by the Federal Government, saying that the inability of the local rice producers to fill the gap caused by the ban compounded the situation. According to him, the scarcity posed serious challenges to rice farmers and manufacturers in the country. “Luckily, many farmers have braced the challenges, so there will be plenty of rice this year”, he said.

The Tide reports that the scarcity of foreign rice after the government’s ban led to increased demand for local substitutes. The rice dealer, Ndubuka, said although eh ban on importation of rice was expected to boost local production, government should have taken measures to bridge the gap. He added that it was still smuggled into the country in spite the ban, to evade arrest. Urging the Federal Government to give incentives to rice farmers, he said that would boost output and quality of the grains and make them affordable.In Umuahia, a bag of local rice now sells for between N18,500 and N20,000 as against previous price of N5,000 and N6,000. The imported substitutes cost between N23,000 and N25,000 as against the previous N8,000 and N10,000 per bag

http://www.thetidenewsonline.com/2016/10/05/nigeria-and-self-sufficiency-in-rice-production/

 

Nigerians warned: 99 per cent smuggled rice not fit for consumption

 


The Comptroller-General of Customs, Hameed Ali, says 99 per cent of rice smuggled through the land borders is not fit for human consumption.
Mr. Ali, a retired Colonel, said this at a joint news conference on illegal rice importation to Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said samples of some of the rice seizures made over a period were referred to NAFDAC to ascertain their condition.
He said the test reports certified that smuggled rice through the borders was unfit for human consumption.
“Importation of rice into the country is not banned but restricted on the point of entry to seaports only.
`We remain firm in our resolve to enforce the restriction of rice imports only to our seaports.
“We have re-organised our anti-smuggling patrols to provide additional capability and bite,” Mr. Ali said.
Mr. Ali said that during his recent trip to Benin Republic to engage with colleagues in customs on effective management of the borders, some delegations from groups came giving commitments to pay all charges applicable if customs relaxed the policy on borders.

According to him, there has been a significant increase in seizures in the first three quarter of 2016.He said 117,034 (50kg) bags of rice seizures had been made at a duty paid value of N774.2 million.He said customs seizures had revealed several ingenious but devilish ways of smuggling into country what Nigerians consumed as food.“We have seen rice conveyed in open wooden canoes across our creeks and water ways with generous amount of dirty waters splashing on them.

“We have seen some mixed with other grains bags to deceive customs; some are stuffed inside any available crevice and compartments of vehicles, including the engine area.“The concealed rice is thereafter re-bagged half cooked and presented in our markets for sale as imported rice.“Bags of rice meant for Nigerians’ consumption (are) being conveyed in coffins inside make shift ambulance vehicles.

“Often time, importers in the borders have to wait for months for the green light from corrupt customs officials before they gamble their ways across the borders.“Rice being a perishable product, lose valuable shelve life in non-conducive storage conditions.“We have strong evidence linking some reputable importers to cases of re-bagging expired rice to prolong their shelve life,’’ he added.

He said that promoters of the economic subterfuge were seeking a re-introduction of quota system to import 1.5 million tonnes through the entry point.“We will be waiting for them.”Mr. Ali said that many state governments had injected massive investments in local production of rice.He added that the Federal Government, through the intervention by CBN and Bank of Industry, was also investing to give momentum to rice revolution.

Mr. Ali said Kebbi State Government, in 2016, harvested over 700,000 tonnes from irrigation farming while 800,000 tonnes were projected from rain-fed rice farming with similar projection from other states across the country.
He said that customs was inundated with periodic intelligence about ship loads of parboiled rice that offloaded regularly in the neighbouring port of Cotonou.Mr. Ali added that Benin Republic did not eat parboiled rice, adding that the imports were ultimately destined for Nigeria by smuggling through the land borders

He said that with the support of patriotic Nigerians, “we will not only achieve national self-sufficiency of rice in 2017 but be in pole position to clamp a total ban on its importation in the years ahead”.The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, recalls that in April 2016, customs re-introduced the ban on importation through the land borders.
However, the reversal of the policy introduced in October 2015, was informed by high level of non-compliance by rice importers who resorted to large scale smuggling of the product

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/212012-nigerians-warned-99-per-cent-smuggled-rice-not-fit-consumption.htmlLifting rice ban unfortunate - Importers

Rice importers adisappointed in the Ministry of Trade and Industry for lifting the ban on the inland importation of rice into the country.

Rice importers have described  as unfortunate government’s  decision to lift the ban placed on inland importation of rice.They are now urging inspection agencies to be extra-vigilant to ensure that all rice imported into the country conformed to standards.The Vice President, Ghana-Vietnam Chamber of Commerce, Mr Michael Ntim-Addo and Mr John Owusu told the GRAPHIC BUSINESS on the sidelines of the Ghana-Vietnam business forum in Accra. The forum was held as part of a trade and investment visit by a Vietnamese delegation to explore opportunities in rice farming, processing, storage, marketing and distribution.The trip was organised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Ghana-Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Treat ban with caution

Mr Ntim-Addo said inspection agencies must treat the lifting of the ban with caution to prevent unscrupulous importers from importing substandard rice onto the Ghanaian market.“The ban was put in place basically to check the quality of rice that comes into the system because of smuggling, so if the ban is lifted, then the Food and Drugs Authority, the Ghana Standard Authority and other agencies must collaborate to ensure rice imported conformed to standard,”  he said.The vice president indicated that on average, Ghana imported about 400,000 metric tonnes of rice yearly which is equivalent of US$300 million.

He said government policy was to increase local production of rice and reduce importation so as to improve the country’s balance of trade.
Mr Ntim-Addo said the Ghana-Vietnam Chamber of Commerce would continue to work as the referee for businesses that would want to come together to move the rice trade and investment forward and create more jobs.

Disappointment
For his part, Mr Owusu also expressed disappointment in the Ministry of Trade and Industry for lifting the ban on the inland importation of rice into the country.He said the decision  by government was very surprising since persons who did inland importation did so illegally.According to him, those into the inland importation of rice usually used the Elubo, Sampa and Nkrankwanta borders and as such did not pay tax unlike those who used the ports and paid taxes to the government.

He said the Food and Drugs Authority would not be able to check whether the rice was of good quality and healthy for consumption since they had no personnel at the borders to do the inspection. The importer explained further that the move would also escalate  smuggling into the country since the Ivorian taxes were lower than taxes collected in Ghana.He said although some importers preferred bringing in goods through the Tema and Takoradi ports, such moves would influence such importers to use the borders.

Lifting of ban
The disagreement follows the lifting of a ban placed on inland importation of rice by the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism that importers of rice into Ghana can now do so through the land borders from August this year.The ban, which has been in force for about three years now, prevented the importation of rice into the country through the Elubo, Sampa and Nkrankwanta borders in the Wesrwen.The move was to curb the numerous unfair trade practices such as evasion of import duties and other taxes, under-invoicing, infringement of trademarks and smuggling

http://www.graphic.com.gh/business/business-news/lifting-rice-ban-unfortunate-importers.html

Swiss group opens rice machinery plant

TUE, 4 OCT, 2016 1:00 AM

Switzerland’s Buhler Group opened a factory to manufacture rice-processing machinery at the Long Hau-Hoa Binh Industrial Park in Long An province, Vietnam, last week.

The 10,000-square-metre factory employs more than 200 workers.Vietnamese milled-rice production is expected to hit 50 million tonnes this year, with more than 5,000 processors operating in the country, making it the fourth-largest rice-producing country in the world, according to Buhler's figures.

The new factory is expected to help rice processors make products of higher quality that meet export standards, strengthening Vietnam's position in the international market and enabling it to face competition from Thai and Cambodian rice producers, Buhler said in a press release.
Demand for rice-processing solutions that enable processors to improve their rice quality to meet export requirements while enhancing food safety and quality standards for domestic consumption has never been greater, said Rustom Mistry, chairman and managing director of Buhler Vietnam. -Viet Nam News

Developer set to install railway corridor posts

Giant Rail Company on Friday signed a contract with a Laotian company to install railway-route corridor posts for a planned line linking the country's central province of Savannakhet to the Vietnamese border.The move is one step closer to the start of construction of the 220-kilometre railway to be built by Malaysian investor Giant Consolidated Ltd, which is |expected to cost US$5.5 billion |to $6 billion.The installation of corridor posts along the proposed railway, which includes 11 mixed-development zones on 4,100 hectares |of land along the route in Savannakhet, is expected to |be completed within three |months from the beginning |of October.

Speaking during the signing |ceremony, Malaysian Ambassador Than Tai Hing, who is to |complete his mission in Laos in coming months, said this |project had the full support of the government of Malaysia.

He said he hoped to see physical construction of the project begin soon. - Vientiane Times

Borgward deliverscar for sale in Laos

German automaker Borgward Group on Friday launched the Borgward BX7 at the "Vientiane International Motor Expo", with Laos the first Asean country to have the new vehicle.

The company plans to expand sales of the sport-utility vehicle throughout Laos in 2018, with a focus on the main provinces, and is targeting the middle- and upper-income group of customers.

The company is offering the SUV at a special price during the promotion period and many |customers have already |made bookings, it says. |- Vientiane Times


Patanjali buys RH Agro’s Haryana rice mill for Rs 70cr


John Sarkar | TNN | Oct 4, 2016, 04.00 AM IST

New Delhi: Ramdev's Patanjali has firmed up plans to add some flavour in the rice category this Diwali. It has acquired RH Agro's rice mill in Sonipat, Haryana, for Rs 70 crore and has taken four other rice mills across the country on exclusive lease, which will help it launch 18 packaged rice brands by the end of this month.

At present, Patanjali sells three variants of packaged rice — silver, gold and diamond. It meets its procurement needs by buying finished rice and packaging it at its Haridwar facility. The new mills will not only give the FMCG company the capability of producing 3.2 lakh tonnes of finished rice a year from paddy but will also allow it to produce region-specific rice variants that it plans to sell locally and export as well.

"The acquisition will give us technical know-how in rice processing," said Acharya Balkrishna, MD of Patanjali Ayurved. "We have partnered with thousands of rice farmers in many regions of the country to produce traditional variants."


Other than the mill in Sonipat, which will process basmati, Patanjali has leased two mills in Madhya Pradesh to process the pusa variety. Another mill in Telangana will produce the lightweight aromatic sona masuri to cater to markets in the south, while a mill in Fazilka, Punjab will process rice grains that are grown in the north. Around 150 varieties of rice are currently grown in the country, industry estimates showed.


Patanjali, known for its best-selling products such as cow's ghee and ayurvedic toothpaste Dant Kanti, has drawn up an ambitious strategy to disrupt India's packaged rice market, which is currently dominated by brands such as India Gate, Kohinoor, Best Basmati and Daawat. Research firm Euromonitor has valued the market at Rs 22,000 crore and said it will grow at a CAGR of 11% till 2020.


"The rice brands will be made available in 50 SKUs (stock keeping unit) of various sizes," said Balkrishna. Prices will range between Rs 67 for one kilo of Sona Masoori Steam and Rs 2,100 for 25kg of Lashkari (kolam), the company said. Senior executives at Patanjali said its new rice variants will have a shelf life of two years, which is double that of brands available in the market. "Some of our variants will also take less time to cook than competing brands," they said.

imesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Patanjali-buys-RH-Agros-Haryana-rice-mill-for-Rs-70cr/articleshow/54664935.cms


Rice harvest proceeds as production, prices rebound

Capital Press
Published on October 3, 2016 2:08PM
Tim Hearden/Capital Press A harvester finishes dumping its load into a bankout machine on a rice farm near Willows, Calif., on Sept. 30. The harvest of rice is underway in California.
WILLOWS, Calif. — California rice production is rebounding after two drought-diminished seasons.
The Golden State’s rice crop is expected to come in at 48.6 million hundredweight, a 30 percent jump from last year, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service office in Sacramento.
With spring rains enabling many Northern California growers to get their full allotments of surface water, growers anticipate harvesting from 559,000 acres statewide, up from about 370,000 acres in 2015, NASS reports.
Willows-area grower Larry Maben has harvested about 200 of his 800 acres and the going has been smooth, he said.
“It looks like a pretty decent crop,” Maben said. “It remains to be seen what the yield is going to be, but it looks like a good crop in the field.”
Yields could vary from field to field, suggests Charley Mathews, a Marysville area grower and USA Rice Federation executive committee member.
“At first yield was down a little bit, but I’m hearing mixed results from everyone,” he said. “It’s about average.”
NASS expects yields to be 8,700 pounds per acre, down 2 percent from last year. Growers reported a near-normal planting season, and the mostly mild summer temperatures aided the crop.
Rice averaged $414.22 per metric ton in August, up from $370.48 in March but still down significantly from a peak of more than $600 per metric ton in 2011 and 2012, according to the IndexMundi online data portal.
However, the lower prices could spur increased exports to trading partners in the Middle East and northern Africa, which had bought their rice elsewhere when prices were high, and California could regain a bigger market share for medium-grain rice now that some of its competitors have decreased production, the California Farm Bureau Federation notes.
Among other field crops in California, according to NASS:
• The corn silage harvest is underway in the San Joaquin Valley. Corn for grain production statewide is forecast at 389,000 tons, up 47 percent from last year, as yields and acreage has rebounded because of last winter’s rains.
Growers are set to harvest corn from 75,000 acres and produce 5.18 tons per acre, up 25 percent and 18 percent, respectively, from the 2015 crop year.
• Cotton was past flowering stage and bolls were opening as of the end of September, and cotton defoliation began in some areas.
Growers are expected to produce 484,000 bales of American Pima cotton and 260,000 bales of Upland cotton, up 34 percent and 58 percent, respectively, from last season.
• Hay producers are still irrigating, cutting and baling alfalfa, while winter grains are being planted in the San Joaquin Valley
http://www.capitalpress.com/California/20161003/rice-harvest-proceeds-as-production-prices-rebound









SunRice becomes sole shareholder in US firm SunFoods

By Dean Best | 4 October 2016
SunFoods markets rice under Hinode brand across US
SunRice, the Australian rice exporter, has acquired the 35% stake in US rice business SunFoods it did not already own for an undisclosed sum.SunFoods, based in California, is the owner of the Hinode brand (pronounced Hee-no-day), which is sold across 8,000 retail outlets in the US.In a stock exchange filing, SunRice said SunFoods operates "across the US mainland and Hawaiian retail, distributor and foodservice channels, as well as in international tender markets".

The company added: "This acquisition satisfies one of SunRice's six strategic priorities: to establish secure and sustainable sources of supply to complement the Australian harvest, which is becoming increasingly critical given the demand for SunRice products continues to expand and the size of Australian rice crops continue to vary."Alongside news of the SunFoods transaction, SunRice also announced it had struck a deal to buy Australian pickled onions and gherkins supplier Fehlbergs Fine Foods.The deal was made through SunRice's Riviana arm, which already supplies a range of pickled vegetables. The acquisition adds pickled onions to the Riviana stable.

http://www.just-food.com/news/sunrice-becomes-sole-shareholder-in-us-firm-sunfoods_id134589.aspx

50% tariff on rice seen when QR ends in 2017


by Cai Ordinario - October 4, 2016
THE Philippines is planning to impose a tariff of as much as 50 percent on rice imports by next year, when Manila is expected to scrap the quantitative restriction (QR) on the staple.
An official of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) told the BusinessMirror that the agency would recommend to the President a tariff ranging from 40 percent to 50 percent once the country converts the rice-import quota into tariffs.
However, experts said the Philippines could shoot for a higher tariff rate if it could justify the need to do so.
In the case of South Korea, it was able to impose a tariff rate of more than 500 percent on imported rice, using a formula approved by the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The Philippines imports more than 1 million metric tons (MMT) of rice annually to plug the shortfall in its production and beef up the National Food Authority’s (NFA) buffer stock. In recent years, the government has taken charge of rice importation, as Manila has existing rice-supply deals with the governments of Thailand and Vietnam.
Currently, the government allows rice imports within the minimum access of volume (MAV) of 805,200 metric tons (MT) to enter the country at a lower tariff of 35 percent. Imports in excess of the MAV are slapped a higher tariff of 50 percent.
The extension given to the Philippines on the use of the QR is set to expire in 2017, unless Manila bids for another reprieve and is granted by the WTO.
Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) Senior Research Fellow Roehlano Briones said the recommendation of the Neda is a good starting point.
Based on his own computation, Briones said the tariff on rice could be set at 35 percent, consistent with the Asean Free-Trade Agreement. He said this “made more sense,” given that most of the country’s rice imports come from Asean.
“There is no point in setting a higher tariff when 95 percent of your rice imports come from the region,” Briones said in a phone interview.
In his study in 2015, Briones said the removal of the QR and the imposition of a 35-percent tariff rate can generate as much as P28 billion in revenues for the government annually. This, he said, can more than cover the proposed compensatory payment for farmers.
These projected revenues are also significantly higher than the tariff revenues estimated to reach P13 billion to 14 billion if Manila would continue to implement the QR.
Winners and losers
SETTING a tariff rate on rice imports is part of the road map crafted by the Neda, which will also be presented to the President’s economic team this month. The road map first identified the provinces that will be affected by the removal of the rice-import cap. These provinces were identified based on yield and cost of production.
The Neda said the government is prepared to extend safety nets to ensure the affected farmers will be able to shift to other crops.
In terms of yield, the Neda classified the provinces according to their potential production, which should be at 10 MT per hectare. Currently, the average yield is at 4 MT per hectare.
The provinces that made the cut included Nueva Ecija, Davao del Sur, Ilocos Norte, Pampanga, Kalinga, Bataan, La Union and Biliran. Yield in these provinces range from 4.5 MT to 5.5 MT per hectare.
To be able to determine the provinces that will survive a post-QR regime, the Neda said the government would have to set a tariff rate of as low as 35 percent. This will result in a retail price of P24.10 per kilogram of milled rice.
The provinces that had among the highest production costs were La Union, at P21.67 per kilo, and Ilocos at P20.31 per kilo.
The provinces that had the lowest production cost are Pampanga, at P15.51 per kilo; Biliran, P15.76 per kilo; Nueva Ecija, P16.51 per kilo; and Bataan, P16.92 per kilo.
The Neda said it did not yet factor in transport and logistics cost in its computation.
The proceeds from the tariffication of the QR will be used to finance safety nets needed by farmers, such as to provide for mechanization needs and the provision of hybrid and/or certified seeds.
Currently, the Neda is crafting a bill that would amend Republic Act (RA) 8178, which allowed the Philippines to impose the QR on rice—a nontariff barrier.
The agency has also recommended to the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council to certify as urgent the amendment of RA 8178.
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/50-tariff-on-rice-seen-when-qr-ends-in-2017/ 

Rice Prices

as on : 05-10-2016 12:18:13 PM
Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.
Arrivals
Price
Current
%
change
Season
cumulative
Modal
Prev.
Modal
Prev.Yr
%change
Rice
Gadarpur(Utr)
2065.00
-48.5
121750.00
1781
2120
-13.33
Mathabhanga(WB)
90.00
-18.18
6070.00
2450
2450
25.64
Thodupuzha(Ker)
70.00
NC
4060.00
2900
2900
16.00
Cachar(ASM)
60.00
50
2670.00
2200
2200
-18.52
Pandua(WB)
51.00
6.25
2652.00
2800
2800
14.29
Koderma(Jha)
31.00
-16.22
618.00
3600
3600
2.86
Purulia(WB)
24.00
-20
1942.00
2400
2400
14.29
Kolaghat(WB)
18.00
5.88
1112.00
2550
2550
6.25
Tamluk (Medinipur E)(WB)
18.00
5.88
1064.00
2550
2550
6.25
Dibrugarh(ASM)
11.20
89.83
1526.80
2450
2450
-
Sheoraphuly(WB)
9.00
12.5
373.15
2850
2800
9.62
Chandoli(UP)
7.50
-6.25
53.50
2190
1890
15.87
Mirzapur(UP)
6.50
-27.78
1527.10
2175
2170
9.30
North Lakhimpur(ASM)
5.90
1.72
1739.90
1900
1900
NC
Jeypore(Kotpad)(Ori)
4.00
17.65
189.70
4100
4100
-3.53
Jeypore(Ori)
3.00
-16.67
188.10
4100
4100
26.15
Darjeeling(WB)
2.50
-16.67
103.30
2950
2900
9.26
Lakhimpur(UP)
2.10
5
175.35
2260
2350
5.12
Jambusar(Guj)
0.60
-96.18
668.40
3000
3200
-21.05




APEDA AgriExchange Newsletter - Volume 1570



               
Market Watch
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 30-09-2016
Domestic Prices
Unit Price : Rs per Qty
Product
Market Center
Variety
Min Price
Max Price
Rice
1
Aroor (Kerala)
Other
3100
3300
2
Dhekiajuli (Assam)
Common
2100
2300
3
Khatra (West Bengal)
Other
2450
2550
Wheat
1
Dehgam (Gujarat)
Other
1690
1750
2
Satna (Madhya Pradesh)
Other
1550
1680
3
Sangli (Maharashtra)
Other
2000
2800
Papaya
1
Jagraon (Punjab)
Other
2100
2500
2
Jalore (Rajasthan)
Other
1500
2000
3
Jajpur (Orissa)
Other
800
1000
Cabbage
1
Chala (Kerala)
Other
2200
2254
2
Panposh (Orissa)
Other
1200
1600
3
Taura (Haryana)
Other
1000
1300
Floriculture
Unit Price : US$ per package
Price on 27-09-2016
Product
Market Center
Origin
Variety
Low
High
Rose Flower
Package: bunched 10s
1
Boston
Colombia
Assorted Colors
10
10
Orchid Flower
Package: bunched 10s
1
Boston
Thailand
Dendrobium    
18
18
Lilies Flower
Package: per bunch
1
Boston
California
Asiatic  Type
13.50
15
Sunflower
Package: per stem
1
Boston
Ecuador
Large Head
1.00
1.25
Source:USDA
APEDA AgriExchange Newsletter



10/04/2016 Farm Bureau Market Repor




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


Futures:
ROUGH RICE
High
Low
Last
Change
Nov '16
1014.0
1001.0
1009.5
+3.0
Jan '17
1036.0
1024.5
1033.5
+3.0
Mar '17
1061.0
1060.0
1057.0
+3.0
May '17
1086.0
1086.0
1077.0
+3.5
Jul '17
1095.5
+3.0
Sep '17
1100.5
+3.0
Nov '17
1100.5
+3.0
   

Rice Comment

Rice futures ended higher, but traded in a relatively narrow range within Monday’s huge range. 82% of the crop has been harvested nation-wide, well ahead of the 5 year average of 69%. In Arkansas, 91% of the crop was in the bins as of Sunday, compared with a 5 year average of 74%. Export sales were 46,800 tons for the week. November's close above $10 brings resistance around $10.50 back into play.





USA Rice Featured in Taste of America 2016 in Toyko 


Taste of America in Toyko 
TOKYO, JAPAN -- USA Rice is participating in "Taste of America 2016" (TOA), a food event here conducted by the U.S Embassy's Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) that highlights American food culture.  This is the sixth such event this year where participating restaurants introduce special menus using U.S. food ingredients.  
Last month, the ATO held several press events to promote TOA that included tasting contests featuring two menu ideas made with U.S.-grown rice -"Gumbo" and "Slider"- and cooking demonstrations by two chefs, one from California and one from Louisiana, using U.S. medium grain to make rice fritters and rice salad.  
Out of 50 restaurants scheduled to participate in TOA, approximately 20 will use U.S. medium grain rice, and half of those will feature gumbo on their menu.  To further promote the event, the ATO opened a "TOA Café" in the "Tourist EXPO JAPAN 2016" on September 23.  Visitors dined on many American foods, including gumbo and rice salad and American chefs conducted a show-and-tell event and a gumbo contest at the Café.
USA Rice's Japan website has been updated with TOA information and a video (above) produced by the ATO that introduces five chefs who participated in the gumbo contest



Rice harvest proceeds as production, prices rebound

Capital Press
Published on October 3, 2016 2:08PM
Tim Hearden/Capital Press A harvester finishes dumping its load into a bankout machine on a rice farm near Willows, Calif., on Sept. 30. The harvest of rice is underway in California.
WILLOWS, Calif. — California rice production is rebounding after two drought-diminished seasons.
The Golden State’s rice crop is expected to come in at 48.6 million hundredweight, a 30 percent jump from last year, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service office in Sacramento.
With spring rains enabling many Northern California growers to get their full allotments of surface water, growers anticipate harvesting from 559,000 acres statewide, up from about 370,000 acres in 2015, NASS reports.
Willows-area grower Larry Maben has harvested about 200 of his 800 acres and the going has been smooth, he said.
“It looks like a pretty decent crop,” Maben said. “It remains to be seen what the yield is going to be, but it looks like a good crop in the field.”
Yields could vary from field to field, suggests Charley Mathews, a Marysville area grower and USA Rice Federation executive committee member.
“At first yield was down a little bit, but I’m hearing mixed results from everyone,” he said. “It’s about average.”
NASS expects yields to be 8,700 pounds per acre, down 2 percent from last year. Growers reported a near-normal planting season, and the mostly mild summer temperatures aided the crop.
Rice averaged $414.22 per metric ton in August, up from $370.48 in March but still down significantly from a peak of more than $600 per metric ton in 2011 and 2012, according to the IndexMundi online data portal.
However, the lower prices could spur increased exports to trading partners in the Middle East and northern Africa, which had bought their rice elsewhere when prices were high, and California could regain a bigger market share for medium-grain rice now that some of its competitors have decreased production, the California Farm Bureau Federation notes.
Among other field crops in California, according to NASS:
• The corn silage harvest is underway in the San Joaquin Valley. Corn for grain production statewide is forecast at 389,000 tons, up 47 percent from last year, as yields and acreage has rebounded because of last winter’s rains.
Growers are set to harvest corn from 75,000 acres and produce 5.18 tons per acre, up 25 percent and 18 percent, respectively, from the 2015 crop year.
• Cotton was past flowering stage and bolls were opening as of the end of September, and cotton defoliation began in some areas.
Growers are expected to produce 484,000 bales of American Pima cotton and 260,000 bales of Upland cotton, up 34 percent and 58 percent, respectively, from last season.
• Hay producers are still irrigating, cutting and baling alfalfa, while winter grains are being planted in the San Joaquin Valley

Vietnam suspends rice exports to US after pesticide violations

By Toan Dao   October 1, 2016 | 01:00 am GMT+7
Photo by Vietnam News Agency

The U.S. rejected 1,700 tons of rice from Vietnam during January-April.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has decided to temporarily put on hold exports of rice to the U.S. due to pesticide residue issues.The decision was made after the U.S. discovered high levels of pesticide residue in shipments of Vietnamese rice, the Cong an nhan dan (People's Police) news site reported on Friday, quoting Vo Thanh Do, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture-Forestry-Fisheries Processing.
The suspension is made as the ministry needs time to handle the issue to avoid a ban on Vietnamese rice imports from the U.S., Do told a seminar in the southern city of Can Tho on Friday.
The Vietnam Food Association cited information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as saying that in the first four months of this year, the U.S. rejected 94 rice containers from Vietnam, which are equivalent to around 1,700 tons of rice.
In the first eight months of this year, Vietnam exported 22,084 tons of rice to the U.S., falling almost 33 percent from the same period last year, according to Vietnam Customs.

http://e.vnexpress.net/news/business/vietnam-suspends-rice-exports-to-us-after-pesticide-violations-3476874.html

Suriname rice origins traced to Africa by Dutch researchers

AFRICA



THE HAGUE  — The black rice grown by the Maroons, or descendants of escaped African slaves who live in the interior of Suriname today, is similar to a specific type of black rice that derived from western Cote d’Ivoire, scientists said Monday.Several Suriname black rice grains were cultivated into fully grown plants in the Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam. An international team of scientists led by Wageningen University compared the DNA of these plants grown in Amsterdam with over 100 varieties of black grains from across West Africa, from Senegal to Chad.
The Suriname black rice was shown to be similar to a specific type of black rice that derived from the fields of Mande-speaking farmers in western Cote d’Ivoire, said Wageningen in its press release.Maroons in Surinam cultivate a species of rice with black grains but they rarely eat them but instead offer them to ancestors and used them in spiritual herb baths.
Historical documents suggest that the black grains originate from African rice, once bought by slave traders along the coast of West Africa to feed their slaves. For centuries, the liberated Maroons cherished the African crop as a tangible reminder of their past. But it was not known from which African country the rice originated.
Although Dutch slave traders bought most of their African slaves from Ghana, Benin and Central Africa, the recently digitised log of the Zeeland vessel D’Eenigheid indicates that rice and slaves were also occasionally purchased along the coast of Liberia, the country west of Cote d’Ivoire. At the time, Mande speakers were known as good rice farmers and highly sought after by slave traders.
Wageningen hailed this “combination of ethno botanic, historic and genetic research”that established the link between Suriname black rice and the fields in western Ivory Coast because “this can help trace the unwritten migration history of people and crops.”The scientists believe that the white rice, bananas, beans and tubers grown on thesefarmlands today still have many more stories to tell.

https://www.enca.com/africa/suriname-rice-origins-traced-to-africa-by-dutch-researchers


Dutch research traces Suriname rice to its African origin


Source:Xinhua Published: 2016/10/4 9:51:59
_____________________________________
The black rice grown by the Maroons, or descendants of escaped African slaves who live in the interior of Suriname today, is similar to a specific type of black rice that derived from western Cote d'Ivoire, scientists said Monday.

Several Suriname black rice grains were cultivated into fully grown plants in the Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam. An international team of scientists led by Wageningen University compared the DNA of these plants grown in Amsterdam with over 100 varieties of black grains from across West Africa, from Senegal to Chad.

The Suriname black rice was shown to be similar to a specific type of black rice that derived from the fields of Mande-speaking farmers in western Cote d'Ivoire, said Wageningen in its press release.

Maroons in Surinam cultivate a species of rice with black grains but they rarely eat them but instead offer them to ancestors and used them in spiritual herb baths.

Historical documents suggest that the black grains originate from African rice, once bought by slave traders along the coast of West Africa to feed their slaves. For centuries, the liberated Maroons cherished the African crop as a tangible reminder of their past. But it was not known from which African country the rice originated.

Although Dutch slave traders bought most of their African slaves from Ghana, Benin and Central Africa, the recently digitized log of the Zeeland vessel D'Eenigheid indicates that rice and slaves were also occasionally purchased along the coast of Liberia, the country west of Cote d'Ivoire. At the time, Mande speakers were known as good rice farmers and highly sought after by slave traders.

Wageningen hailed this "combination of ethno botanic, historic and genetic research" that established the link between Suriname black rice and the fields in western Ivory Coast because "this can help trace the unwritten migration history of people and crops." The scientists believe that the white rice, bananas, beans and tubers grown on these farmlands today still have many more stories to tell.


http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1009595.shtml


CRF Wants to Track Rice Loans


Rice farmers waiting to sell their paddy rice in polythene sacks to millers. KT/Mai Vireak

The Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) has submitted a proposal to the government for the setting up of a joint executive financial committee to ensure that the $27 million emergency loan to rice millers to purchase paddy rice from farmers, in a bid to prevent rice prices from falling further, is not misused.In an interview with Khmer Times, CRF Secretary-General Moul Sarith said the federation’s plan would involve the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC), Rural Development Bank (RDB), commercial banks and all relevant stakeholders.

“The purpose of this joint executive financial committee is to keep track of the disbursement of the loans to rice millers and also to ensure that farmers are the real beneficiaries of the government’s emergency intervention,” said Mr. Sarith.On the disbursement of loans to rice millers, Mr. Sarith said the prerequisite format will be in the form of checks.

“We propose not to give them [rice millers] cash as it could be misused and difficult to track. The rice millers would be given checks instead and they will use this financial instrument to pay for the paddy rice that they are going to buy from farmers. The farmers, in turn, would be able to cash these checks at the nearest bank, that is a member of the joint executive financial committee,” he added.Mr. Sarith said the CRF is keen to get a quick response from the government on the joint executive financial committee proposal.

“If the government gives the green light fast, relevant stakeholders such as the NBC, RDB, commercial banks and the private sector will join this committee.”In a bid to stabilize falling prices, the Cambodian government late last month gave the green light to the RDB to disburse loans totaling $27 million to millers to buy paddy rice from farmers at 840 riel ($0.21) per kilogram.

Phou Poy, president of the Green Rice Miller in Battambang province and also chairman of the Rice Bank, told Khmer Times that the RDB intervention was necessary to prevent rice prices from tumbling further.“Without the 840 riel per kilogram government price, the price of rice might go into a free fall,” he warned.Kao Thach, CEO of RDB, told Khmer Times yesterday that the bank welcomed the CRF’s proposal.However, he said, at this juncture it would be difficult to include the NBC as they are a central bank with a regulatory function, and should not be treated as a commercial bank.

“Nonetheless, the RDB will cooperate with any government directive,” stressed Mr. Thach.

The RDB said in a media statement Monday that the majority of rice millers were still using their own funds to purchase paddy rice from farmers.

“The next harvest season will be soon and the RDB is prepared to disburse loans to rice millers at an interest rate of seven percent a year or 0.583 percent per month, if they need them,” added the statement.
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/30381/crf-wants-to-track-rice-loans/




Ilonggo farmers assured of market


BY LYDIA C. PENDON, TMT ON
   Tweet
ILOILO CITY: Two farmers’ groups in the province of Iloilo are assured of market with fair value of their palay (unhusked rice) produce with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) facilitated by the Department of Agriculture (DA) with local millers and traders in ensuring long-term marketing agreement with the farmers.
The MOA signing was held last September 29 after Iloilo was identified as a site in the country for implementation of Better Rice Initiatives Asia-Fostering Agriculture and Rice Marketing by Improved Education and Rural Advisory Services project supported by the Agriculture department, Agricultural Training Institute, Philippine Rice Research Institute and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit.|

Six towns–Leganes, Mina, Oton, Pototan, Santa Barbara and Zarraga–in Iloilo are covered by the agreement.
Farmer Lupo Señolay, Lapayon Farmers’ Association chairman, signed the MOA with Glicerio Gallos Jr., rice miller and trader based in Guihaman, Leganes, while Inocencio Santa Cruz, Bangga Dawis Farmers’ Association chairman, inked the same deal with DA 6 Regional Technical Director Manuel Olanday as the chairman of the Iloilo Rice Processing Complex Management Board.

The parties agreed on set quality control standards of palay with 28 percent moisture content during wet cropping season, and 25 percent moisture content during the dry season, guaranteed price of at least 50 centavos per kilogram higher than the prevailing market price, as well as others beneficial to the members of the farmers’ associations and the rice millers and traders
http://www.manilatimes.net/ilonggo-farmers-assured-of-market/289432/




Soaring rice prices hit poor in Lalmonirhat

Our Correspondent, Lalmonirhat
Rice prices have marked an unusual rise during the last two weeks in Lalmonirhat markets, forcing many people of the low income group to pass their days half-fed.Due to the situation, a growing number of people to line up for the government subsidised rice.Under the government programme, 56,386 benificiries of 45 unions in five upazilas of Lalmonirhat will receive 30 kilograms of rice at Tk 10 per kilogram.
During a visit to different rice markets in the town, this correspondent found that the lowest-grade rice sells at Tk 32-34 per kilogram and the fine rice is priced at up to Tk  44-46 while it was between Tk 22-24 and Tk 34-36 respectively just two weeks back.
"The price of rice has gone up so high that I can't feed my family with my daily income of Tk 200-250 by puling rickshaw," said Shamsul Islam, 45, of Kalmati village in Sadar upazila.Farm labourer Abdul Gafur, 50, of Etapota village, also a beneficiary under the rationing programme, said although he had received the allocated 30 kilograms of rice but the quantity is barely enough to feed a family of five. 
Rusel Islam, a rice trader at Goshala Bazar, said sales of rice have dropped in the last couple of days due to the unusual hike of its prices.
Abdul Hamid, president of Lalmonirhat Rice Mills Owners Association, said about 465 rice mills in the district are facing a setback due to a rough weather in the last couple of weeks.The millers could not produce enough rice due to adverse weather during the last two weeks, he added.District Food Controller Golam Mawla said they have already started selling rice at Tk 10 per kilogram among the ration card holders.
Beneficiaries can buy their allocated rice from government recruited 125 dealers in 45 unions of the district, Mawla added.a crisis of doctor. Amena said she could not afford to go to another hospital for treatment as she is very poor.
 http://www.thedailystar.net/country/soaring-rice-prices-hit-poor-lalmonirhat-1294282




Rain and rice make a muddy mix



Under a cloudy sky with rain looming, the annual rice harvest was on hold Monday. Manuel Perex, foreman on Tennis Lance Inc. rice farm and Alfredo Gonzales use the time to put a new engine on the fuel tank along Aguas Frias Road in Butte County.
POSTED:  | 
Under a cloudy sky with rain looming, the annual rice harvest was on hold Monday. Manuel Perex, foreman on Tennis Lance Inc. rice farm and Alfredo Gonzales use the time to put a new engine on the fuel tank along Aguas Frias Road in Butte County.Emily Bertolino — Enterprise-Record


Many farmers in the Sacramento Valley took a “rain day” Monday, idling their harvesters after a quick, cold storm blew through the valley.Before the rains, rice harvest had been in “full tilt” and buzzing along since mid September, said Cass Mutters, farm adviser for the University of California Cooperative Extension.When storms move across the land, one storm cell could dump a large amount of rain in an isolated area, but land a mile away could be dry. Chico residents near the North Valley Plaza Mall had thumbnail-sized hail bang onto their rooftops Sunday evening. Just a few miles away the storm brought only a drizzle.
The same hit-and-miss also applies to farmers.Lundberg Farms, based in Richvale, did not fire up the harvesters Monday, said Mike Denny, vice president of farm operations. He stopped due to rain and is thankful his fields did not receive hail.Chunks of ice, or even wind and rain, can cause tall rice to flop over. Farmers call this “lodging.” If the rice is flat, its much more difficult to harvest. The matted straw will clog the harvesting spikes of the machinery.
A hard hail can strip the rice from the plants, and ruin the entire year of work, Denny explained. He’s witnessed this on field twice in the past seven or eight years, he said.Other farmers contacted Monday said they were waiting for the gray clouds to go away.
Southwest Butte County received only a few sprinkles, said Gridley farmer Ryan Schohr, but that was enough to stop harvest for the day. In his case, the rice was still standing tall, which means less wear and tear on the machinery than rice that flopped over in the storm.He considered Monday a nice break for employees. He planned to have a nice day with his young son, Brock.Out near Nelson, the rice combines were also parked, said Anjanette Shadley, whose office building overlooks the Gorrill Ranch.
Western Canal Water District has a webcam that points out into rice land. In the winter, viewers can watch birds frolic in the flooded fields.Monday, the webcam was pointed at a machine that crisscrossed a field that had already been harvested. The machine was shredding the rice stubble before the fields are flooded for the winter. The winter rains help the rice straw decompose.If the skies clear today, farmers will be back in their harvesters by midweek, said Gorrill Ranch office manager Michelle Pisenti.
The Durham area received about half an hour of heavy rains, said Butte County Agricultural Commissioner Louie Mendoza.
RAIN AND OTHER CROPS
Just south of Durham, the soil is heavy clay and suitable for rice farming. Closer to Durham, farmers grow walnuts and almonds.Rain can help in the walnut harvest because moisture helps the outer walnut hull to split, Mendoza explained. This “allows for a better shake.” Growers will harvest later-season Chandler walnuts through the end of October, he said.A few almond orchards still remain to be harvested, he said. Rain can cause more headaches for almond growers if the nuts are already on the ground. Wet nuts need to dry, and farmers will turn the rows for a few days before collection.
This year, the estimate for rice planted in California is 550,000 aces, which is up about 50,000 acres from last year, Mutters said.Rice has been grown in Butte County for more than 100 years, and about 88,000 acres were planted in the county in 2015, for a total of $139 million on sales.

WEATHER FORECAST
As for the weather, the National Weather Servicepredicts today will be mostly sunny, with a high of 71 degrees. More sun, mostly, is predicted for Wednesday through Saturday.
Contact reporter Heather Hacking at 896-7758.
Reporter Heather Hacking focuses on water and agriculture, as well as many other community topics. Her column, which is mostly about gardening, appears on Fridays. She has been writing for the Enterprise-Record since 1992. Reach the author athhacking@chicoer.com or follow Heather on Twitter:@HeatherHacking.
http://www.chicoer.com/article/NA/20161003/NEWS/161009923




Wildflowers adjacent to fields support bee health

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Planting strips of wildflowers alongside fields contributes to both honey and native bee health, according to a recent study at UC Riverside and a blog post by the UC Farm Advisor, Rachael Freeman Long.Wildflowers provide bees with a habitat and food, in the form of pollen and nectar. Bees also acquire bacteria from the flowers. UC Riverside assistant professor Quinn McFrederick says that these bacteria may help bees preserve food for their larvae.This is especially good news for native bees, which are important crop pollinators because they are able to withstand cooler and windier conditions compared to honey bees.Wildflowers have the added advantage of not needing irrigation in the summer.
 Sarah McQuate
Rice research gets a boost
A $1 million Presidential Chair for California Grown Rice has been created, according to the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources News Releases.
This position is funded by a public-private partnership between the UC system and the California Rice Research Board.
The endowed chair will provide a UC Cooperative Extension scientist with money to work on enhancing rice production and quality in California. These scientists study water conservation; new varieties of rice; and management of weeds, diseases, pests, and nutrition.
This position is intended to help California maintain its status as a leading rice supplier both in the U.S. and abroad.
 Sarah McQuate
‘Roof-breaking’ event on Monday
Join the California Conservation Corps (CCC) at a “roof-breaking” event at the Former National Guard Armory at 30 Aviation Way in Watsonville on Monday at 1 p.m.
This location will be the new base of operations for the CCC program that teaches students about conservation and service.
To RSVP for this event, please contact Kathy Vincent at 831-768-0150 or atKathy.vincent@ccc.ca.gov. Please RSVP as soon as possible.
 Sarah McQuate
Canned food recall
Sager Creek Foods Inc. of Walnut Creek, a subsidiary of Del Monte Foods Inc., has announced a recall of 15,000 cases of canned beans and peas on the basis that they may contain trace amounts of shellfish contamination, according to the Food Safety News Desk.
These cases were shipped to 22 states across the U.S, and 98.5 percent of them were distributed to foodservice customers. The company stated the only health risk in connection with this issue is for people with a shellfish allergy. The contaminated products in question are sold in 106-ounce metal cans with Best By Dates of “JUN 01 19” printed on the top, and photos of all of the recalled product labels are posted on the Food and Drug Administration website at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm522341.htm.
Costumers with questions can contact the company by calling 1-800-543-3090, or visit www.delmontefoods.com.
 Aylin Woodward
http://www.thecalifornian.com/story/news/local/2016/10/04/wildflowers-adjacent-fields-support-bee-health/91582884/



50% tariff on rice seen when QR ends in 2017


by  - 

THE Philippines is planning to impose a tariff of as much as 50 percent on rice imports by next year, when Manila is expected to scrap the quantitative restriction (QR) on the staple.An official of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) told the BusinessMirror that the agency would recommend to the President a tariff ranging from 40 percent to 50 percent once the country converts the rice-import quota into tariffs.
However, experts said the Philippines could shoot for a higher tariff rate if it could justify the need to do so.In the case of South Korea, it was able to impose a tariff rate of more than 500 percent on imported rice, using a formula approved by the World Trade Organization (WTO).The Philippines imports more than 1 million metric tons (MMT) of rice annually to plug the shortfall in its production and beef up the National Food Authority’s (NFA) buffer stock. In recent years, the government has taken charge of rice importation, as Manila has existing rice-supply deals with the governments of Thailand and Vietnam.
Currently, the government allows rice imports within the minimum access of volume (MAV) of 805,200 metric tons (MT) to enter the country at a lower tariff of 35 percent. Imports in excess of the MAV are slapped a higher tariff of 50 percent.The extension given to the Philippines on the use of the QR is set to expire in 2017, unless Manila bids for another reprieve and is granted by the WTO.
Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) Senior Research Fellow Roehlano Briones said the recommendation of the Neda is a good starting point.Based on his own computation, Briones said the tariff on rice could be set at 35 percent, consistent with the Asean Free-Trade Agreement. He said this “made more sense,” given that most of the country’s rice imports come from Asean.“There is no point in setting a higher tariff when 95 percent of your rice imports come from the region,” Briones said in a phone interview.
In his study in 2015, Briones said the removal of the QR and the imposition of a 35-percent tariff rate can generate as much as P28 billion in revenues for the government annually. This, he said, can more than cover the proposed compensatory payment for farmers.These projected revenues are also significantly higher than the tariff revenues estimated to reach P13 billion to 14 billion if Manila would continue to implement the QR.
Winners and losers
SETTING a tariff rate on rice imports is part of the road map crafted by the Neda, which will also be presented to the President’s economic team this month. The road map first identified the provinces that will be affected by the removal of the rice-import cap. These provinces were identified based on yield and cost of production.
The Neda said the government is prepared to extend safety nets to ensure the affected farmers will be able to shift to other crops.In terms of yield, the Neda classified the provinces according to their potential production, which should be at 10 MT per hectare. Currently, the average yield is at 4 MT per hectare.The provinces that made the cut included Nueva Ecija, Davao del Sur, Ilocos Norte, Pampanga, Kalinga, Bataan, La Union and Biliran. Yield in these provinces range from 4.5 MT to 5.5 MT per hectare.
To be able to determine the provinces that will survive a post-QR regime, the Neda said the government would have to set a tariff rate of as low as 35 percent. This will result in a retail price of P24.10 per kilogram of milled rice.The provinces that had among the highest production costs were La Union, at P21.67 per kilo, and Ilocos at P20.31 per kilo.The provinces that had the lowest production cost are Pampanga, at P15.51 per kilo; Biliran, P15.76 per kilo; Nueva Ecija, P16.51 per kilo; and Bataan, P16.92 per kilo.
The Neda said it did not yet factor in transport and logistics cost in its computation.
The proceeds from the tariffication of the QR will be used to finance safety nets needed by farmers, such as to provide for mechanization needs and the provision of hybrid and/or certified seeds.Currently, the Neda is crafting a bill that would amend Republic Act (RA) 8178, which allowed the Philippines to impose the QR on rice—a nontariff barrier.The agency has also recommended to the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council to certify as urgent the amendment of RA 8178.
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/50-tariff-on-rice-seen-when-qr-ends-in-2017/




Researchers Trace ‘New World’ Rice Back to Africa

Oct 3, 2016 | Brain & Behavior, Earth, Energy & Environment

A team of researchers has traced a type of rice grown in the South American country of Suriname to a similar type found in the fields of Ivory Coast, revealing additional linkages between “New World” and “Old World” crops that likely resulted from the slave trade.“This evidence is an incentive to re-examine historical sources to trace the way African rice ended up in the New World and why it was cultivated by enslaved Africans and their descendants,” write the authors of the study, which was led by researchers at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.The work, which appears in the journal Nature Plants, also included NYU Biology Professor Michael Purugganan.


The slave trade’s role in bringing African crops, including rice, to the Americas has long been documented.For example, the records of slave ship captains reveal that rice was frequently bought in West Africa to feed their captives. A recently
digitized logbook of the Dutch slave ship D’Eenigheid (the Unity), sailing in 1761 from the Netherlands, reports purchases of rice in West Africa. Before leaving from Ghana with 319 enslaved Africans destined for Dutch plantations in Guyana, the crew of D’Eenigheid bought slaves and provisions along the coast of Liberia and Ivory Coast.However, the specifics of many of these crop connections remain unknown. This is partly due to the difficulty of understanding the level of impact of African rice practices on other continents—primarily due to limited written or botanical records.In the Nature Plants study, the research team focused on Suriname black rice. Its work centered on Maroons, the descendants of escaped African slaves who live in the interior of Suriname today and who grow their own rice. In addition to many types of Asian white rice (Oryza sativa), they also cultivate a variety with black grains (Oryza glaberrima).

To explore the connection between the crops in South America and Africa, the scientists collected African rice from a Maroon market in Paramaribo, Suriname. These grains were cultivated into fully grown plants in the Hortus Botanicus, a botanic garden in Amsterdam.The international team of scientists, led by Wageningen University’s Tinde van Andel and Eric Schranz, compared the DNA of these plants grown in Amsterdam with over 100 varieties of Oryza glaberrima from across West Africa, from Senegal to Chad. Their analysis found the Suriname black rice was shown to be similar to a specific type of black rice that derived from the fields of Mande-speaking farmers in western Ivory Coast.The research was supported, in part, by grants from the National Science Foundation (IOS-1202803, IOS-1126971).


https://scienceblog.com/488366/researchers-trace-new-world-rice-back-africa/

Scientists blaming pesticides for bee deaths may be biased, entomologist says



Scientists reporting on the increased rate of honey bee deaths are approaching studies with preconceived ideas that particular pesticides are to blame for colony collapses, according to an entomologist who carried out a number of surveys in the Mid-South.Gus Lorenz, associate head of entomology at the University of Arkansas, said his research shows there is little risk to pollinators from neonicotinoid insecticides, including one of its class, the commonly used imidacloprids.

Lorenz said he backs the view of Henry Miller, a biomedical scientists and fellow at the Hoover Institution who argued that the number of commercial bee colonies - and the number of bees - has increased over the last decade since colony collapse disorder was first identified. .“All the studies show steady increase in bee numbers, here, in Canada and across the world,” Lorenz told Crop Protection News.Figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) indicate an increase in bee colonies since colony collapse disorder appeared on the radar in 2006. That year, there were 2.4 million colonies, compared to 2.7 million in 2014. These numbers come despite a reported winter death rate of 30 to 40 percent, including 45 percent in 2013, well above the historic rate of around 15 percent.

Researchers at the USDA and elsewhere said the reason the numbers are keeping steady is that beekeepers are working harder, and smarter.While some studies have blame neonicotinoids for the increased rate in bee deaths, there is an growing body of work that argues the varroa mite, which likely migrated to the United States in the 1980s, is the key culprit.Dr. Dennis vanEngelsdorp, a University of Maryland entomologist and one of country’s leading experts on honey bees and colony collapses, said the varroa mite is the largest threat to bees.
“We don’t find levels of neonicotinoids that are indicative of widespread exposure or harm,” vanEngelsdorp told Time magazine in April.

Lorenz said he and others began studying the potential effect of the pesticides on honey bees because of the importance of neonicotonoids to farmers and to corn, soy bean and rice, in the Mid-South. Pests such as the extremely hard to control rice water weevil are best managed by the neonocotonoids.“People started questioning the negative effect of neonicotonoids and we were concerned,” Lorenz said. “We were concerned about this impact and wanted to know the truth, so initiated this study.“A two-year study of hives in a 2.5-mile radius of acreage treated with neonicotonoids revealed the bees were fine, that the pesticides had little effect. Lorenz conceded crops such as corn, soy bean and rice do not depend on the honey bees for pollination. 

A second study introduced sugar water laced with imidacloprids into hives in amounts that should have been lethal. Again, this had little effect on the bees, Lorenz said.Lorenz believes that some scientists approach the study of honey bees and colony collapse with preconceived notions that pesticides are largely to blame and different studies give different reasons for why that might be the case.Chronic toxicity was blamed, then it was neonicotonoids that caused the bees to lose their way back to the hive, Lorenz said, adding that the latest study claims the pesticides have impacted reproductive behavior.A study in Europe, where neonicotonoids are banned, found that male bees, or drones, produced 39 percent less sperm than those not exposed to the pesticides

http://cropprotectionnews.com/stories/511014651-scientists-blaming-pesticides-for-bee-deaths-may-be-biased-entomologist-says