Tuesday, August 27, 2019

27th August,2019 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter


Guard to launch basmati hybrid
Description: Guard to launch basmati hybrid

August 27, 2019

LAHORE - Pioneer in introducing high yielding hybrid varieties of coarse rice, Guard Agriculture Research and Services Private Ltd (GUARD) has now focused to develop a hybrid of ‘Basmati’ rice with an average per acre yield of 80 maunds and average grain length of 8mm and above.
 ‘We are very near to achieve our targets after a hard work of five to six years. Our scientists in collaboration with the Chinese partners have developed 13 CMS lines out of which one variety is giving 75 maund per acres and average grain length of 7 mm, slightly short of the target of 80 maund per acre,’ said Chief Executive Guard Agri Shahzad Ali Malik. Members of the Agriculture Journalists Association (AJA) and Lahore Economic Journalists Association (LEJA) visited Guard head office here on Monday to know the role of hybrid rice varieties in ensuring food security. SAARC Chamber of Commerce & Industry Vice President Iftikhar Ali Malik, LCCI President Syed Almas Hyder, Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan’s nominated chairman for next year Shahjahan Malik and Pir Nazim Hussein Shah were also present on this occasion.
Malik said that scientists have been given the task that the variety they develop should be heat & drought tolerant and salinity resistant. He said that Guard started working on the development of basmati hybrid in 2014 and after six years of industrious research is near its target. Established in 1989, Guard is involved in basic as well as applied research for the development of hybrid rice varieties in collaboration with Longping High-Tech Industries and have achieved full technology transfer in the field of hybrid rice with a feather, of being market a leader in hybrid rice seed, in its cap, he said.
Guard commercialized Super Basmati in 1991, which was eventually approved by government in 1997 for commercial cultivation after 40 per cent of Punjab area came under its cultivation. The Company so far has developed 08 different rice hybrids for general cultivation in Pakistan with first seed company developing such a big number of hybrids and starting local hybrid seed production.
Malik said that since the introduction of hybrid rice in Sindh, the income of rice farmers has doubled due to the double yield of hybrid rice as compared to IRRI varieties.
Due to early maturing hybrid rice crop, timely sowing of Rabi crops is ensured. Timely sown Rabi crops give positive and significantly increase in per-unit production / per acre yield which consequently increases farmer income.

Pakistan, Chinese researchers on the brink of hybrid rice breakthrough
LAHORE: Pakistani and Chinese researchers are close to developing a hybrid variety of ‘Basmati’ rice with an average per acre yield of 80 maunds (40 kilogrammes) and average grain length of 8mm and above, an industry official said on Monday.

China’s Longping High-Tech Industries and Guard Agriculture Research and Services Private Ltd (Guard Agri) have been jointly working to create a high-yield hybrid basmati rice variety for the last five years.

“We are very near to achieve the targets after a hard work of five to six years,” said Shahzad Ali Malik, Chief Executive Guard Agri, while talking to economic and agriculture journalist associations at the company’s head office.

“Our scientists in collaboration with their Chinese counterparts have developed 13 CMS (cytoplasmic male sterility) lines out of which one variety is giving 75 maunds per acres with the average grain length of 7 mm, slightly short of our targeted 80 maunds/acre.”

Malik said the scientists were given the task to develop a variety which should be heat- and drought-tolerant besides being salinity resistant and the company started working on the development of basmati hybrid in 2014.

Pioneer in introducing high yielding hybrid varieties of coarse rice, Guard established in 1989, is involved in basic as well as applied research for the development of hybrid rice varieties in collaboration with Longping High-Tech Industries and have achieved full technology transfer in the field of hybrid rice with a feather, of being market a leader in hybrid rice seed, in its cap.

The Guard official said since the introduction of hybrid rice in Sindh, the income of rice farmers had doubled because of the double yield of hybrid rice as compared to IRRI varieties.

“Due to early maturing hybrid rice crop, timely sowing of Rabi crops is ensured as crops cultivated on time result in a significant increase in per acre yield which consequently increases farmers’ income, while having a shorter maturity period, hybrid rice can be planted in late season,” he said.

Malik stressed the need to bring new hybrid rice because yields of existing rice varieties were low and stagnant. “The low rice yields do not match with the increasing cost of inputs and because of increasing cost Pakistan is becoming noncompetitive in the international market,” the official said.

He added that declining land resources and water shortages were also serious issues that could only be solved by the adoption of hybrid rice. Malik said the company was also introducing combine harvesters, rice transplanters, and other implements to promote mechanisation in this field and these will be introduced to farmers on rental basis.

To a question, he said to cash in on the opportunities existing in Iran, the second biggest market of Basmati rice after Saudi Arabia, Pakistan needs to protect the rice exporters. “Pakistan does not have any cash swap treaty with Iran, exporters have proposed barter trade with Iran,” he mentioned and hoped that soon Pakistan will have a barter agreement with Iran of importing liquefied petroleum gas against Pakistani rice.

The Guard official also urged the need for increasing production and supply and exploring new markets, stressing that hybrid seeds could boost agricultural yield that could help the country achieve the export target of $5 billion in the next five years.

Cambodia’s rice farmers in serious danger
Jason Thomas
26 August 2019
Description: https://theaseanpost.com/sites/default/files/2019-08/6PM-MON-26082019-JT.jpg
This file photo shows Cambodian farmers carrying rice bales through a field in Cambodia's Kampong Speu province, some 60 kilometres south of Phnom Penh. (AFP Photo)
Half a million Cambodian farmers could possibly be looking at empty rice bowls if the European Union (EU) pushes through with the withdrawal of its Everything But Arms (EBA) trade preference.
While the garment and footwear sectors stand to lose the most if the EBA trade scheme – which gives 49 of the world’s least developed countries tax-free access to vital EU markets for all exports except for arms and ammunition – is removed, Cambodia’s rice industry could be staring at tough times ahead.
Already forced to deal with a historic drought and the reintroduction of an EU tariff on rice which has cut exports to Europe in half, Cambodia’s rice farmers now also have to worry about the possibility that that EBA duty-free preference will be suspended following the EU’s concerns about political freedom, human rights and labour rights.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF) noted that the duties imposed on Cambodian rice in January has been “acutely felt by most of the 500,000 families in Cambodia who eke out a living farming jasmine and fragrant long grain rice”. This is in spite of the fact that these varieties are geographically specific and do not compete directly with products grown in the EU.
“As if this weren't painful enough, the EU is now considering the withdrawal of its EBA program. EU legislators are threatening to end the arrangement to press for policy reforms in Cambodia,” said the federation.
“A political thrashing could lead to a virtual threshing of an industry and a way of life (and) the CRF appeals to the EU to save the livelihood of half a million families and to save the work that we have done to earn your respect…”
EBA’s importance
The EBA has eased the movement of goods from Cambodia to Europe since 2003, providing a secure platform upon which an entire economy has been able to embrace growth and prosperity in an increasingly demanding world market.
The EU is Cambodia’s second largest trading partner after China, and Cambodia’s exports to the EU totalled €5.3 billion (US$5.47 billion) last year – more than a third of its total exports – with garment and footwear making up the majority of that sum. Crucially, over 95 percent of Cambodia’s exports to the EU took advantage of EBA preferences.
In May, the World Bank estimated that Cambodia’s exports to the European market could decline by US$654 million a year if the EBA trade preference was suspended.
The EU in February started an 18-month process that could lead to the EBA’s suspension in Cambodia. In June it (the EU) sent a monitoring mission to Cambodia which noted the steps the country was taking towards improving compliance with international standards on freedom of association and collective bargaining, as well as in addressing a number of land disputes in relation to economic land concessions. 
The EU is expected to produce a report based on its findings and conclusions this month, and Cambodia will have one month to reply.
EU tariff on rice
As it is, Cambodia’s rice farmers are already feeling the pinch from the re-introduction of EU import duties on rice in January.
Complaints from Italian and Spanish farmers that they were being undercut led to an European Commission (EC) investigation, which confirmed that increases in imports of rice from Cambodia and Myanmar were causing economic damage to European rice producers.
Description: Cambodia rice exports
Source: Cambodian Rice Federation
As a result, the EU slapped import duties on rice from both these countries. Starting from €175 (US$195) per ton this year, it will be reduced to €150 (US$167) per ton in 2020 and €125 (US$139) per ton in 2021. 
The CRF listed prices ranging from between US$475 - US$485 per ton for long grain white rice, US$790 - US$805 per ton for fragrant rice and US$1,035 - US$1,045 per ton for jasmine rice – with January’s tariffs effectively pricing Cambodian rice out of the EU market.
Cambodia exported more than 93,000 tons of rice to the EU In the first six months of 2019 – almost half the amount exported during the same period in 2018.
Chinese connection
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has assured the Cambodian public that staunch ally China would come to their aid if the EU withdraws its EBA trade scheme, declaring in March that it “won’t make us dead.”
China has already agreed to import 400,000 tons of Cambodian rice this year – up from 300,000 tons last year – and Cambodian government data shows that rice exports to China have risen 66 percent in the first half of 2019 to 118,401 tons.
It is perhaps naïve to expect China to make up for all EBA-related losses after only importing US$355 million from Cambodia’s two key export industries – garment and footwear – in 2017 according to World Bank data.
China is already Cambodia’s largest creditor and the single biggest source of foreign direct investment (FDI), and Cambodia’s overdependence on China – or any other one country for that matter – should be cast aside for a more multilateral approach to secure economic diversification. 
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Agriculture: Gambia: Promoting access to fertilizer and improved seed enhances rice productivity

Description: http://thepoint.gm/_library/2019/8/agriculture-s.jpgMonday, August 26, 2019
Rice production in The Gambia is characterized by low productivity and production, consequently resulting in low revenues for farmers engaged in the rice value chain. Rice yields in the country have remained extremely low over the last 2 decades. Gambia continues to rely heavily on importation to meet its national rice consumption needs, with rice imports accounting for at least 70% of total consumption.
Key factors contributing to this poor performance include low land productivity and widespread use of poor quality and low-yielding rice varieties. Over the past decade, efforts have been made to address these issues through the adaptation of improved varieties across the key rice ecologies. This includes the introduction of improved NERICA and ARICA rice varieties in partnership with Africa Rice, the key international rice research and development institution in the region. A major issue, however, relates to accessibility as well as large-scale adoption of these varieties. Although the varieties are considered suitable and adapted to various rice growing environments across the country, actual performance of most varieties have been consistently lower than the potentials. This is due in part to conditions such as the very low inherent fertility of Gambia soils.
 A holistic approach to addressing these issues will contribute significantly to improving rice productivity and increasing overall production. This will consequently, result in increased incomes for rice farmers as well reduction in rice importation.
 The National Agricultural Land and Water Management Development Project (Nema-Chosso) is enhancing rice productivity and production through increased access to fertilizers and quality rice seed.
 Since 2017, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) funded Nema-Chosso has been supporting increased access to fertilizer and rice seeds as a means of enabling rice farmers to increase their productivity, production and revenues. Targeting selected rice farmer organizations at the village level, a three-pronged approach consisting of facilitating linkages to major fertilizer suppliers, providing guarantees as well as an up-front 50% subsidy, resulted in enhancing immediate access to fertilizers for rice production.
In addition to this, the project invested in the multiplication and distribution of quality seed of farmer-selected improved rice varieties. In partnership with the National Seed Secretariat and the Directorate of Agriculture, quality seed of improved varieties were made available to producers across the Gambia.
The Nema-Chosso’s Knowledge Management and Communications Officer, Mr. Bakary Jammeh spoke on the effectively facilitated tripartite negotiations between the Gambia Groundnut Council (fertilizer source), farmer organization representatives and the project for bulk supply of fertilizer for rice production.
In his explanation on the arrangement, Nema would provide a 50% subsidy at the wholesale price as well as a guarantee to Gambia Groundnut Co-operation (GGC) for a loan of the balance 50% to the farmer organizations.
The groups, as Jammeh indicated, would in-turn make the fertilizer available to their members at agreed retail market prices. Benefits accrued by the said groups would support their operationalization and capacities to progressively take over the initiative.
The Knowledge and Communications Officer is positive that, with this initiative, immediate access to fertilizer would enable rice farmers to enhance productivity and increase their production.
“Ensuring sustainability requires that farmer organizations be in a position to progressively take over the initiative and continue facilitating access to fertilizers and seed for their members,” the Nema-Chosso official underlined.
Achievements and effects
Since the inception of this initiative in 2017, 26 rice producer groups across more than 25 villages have been supported to facilitate access to fertilizer and quality seed of improved rice varieties for their members. The groups have been clustered into 6 farmer cooperatives to facilitate coordination and enhance their collective bargaining power.
The 6 clusters are organized around communities in Boiram and Kudang in the Central River Region/South; Salikenne and Jurunku in the North Bank Region; Pakalinding in the Lower River Region; and Barajally Suba in the Central River Region/North.The six cooperatives have a collective membership of more than 12,000 women and men.
The initiative improved access to fertilizer for rice production for the more than 12,000 members of the cooperatives. In 2017, 220 and 230 tons of NPK and Urea, respectively, were made available to farmers across the 6 cooperatives. Producer members of the cooperatives also had access to tons of quality seed of selected rice varieties (Sahel134, IR19746, IET3137 and WAB 105).
The combined effect of these two initiatives was a significant increase in yields as well as the total area under rice cultivation in the targeted intervention areas. The outreach, yield and production effects of the fertilizer and quality seed initiatives are shared by cooperative members of Boiram and Jurunku, respectively.
Access to fertilizer and seed
Hawa Jange, a native of Boiram village and President of the Boiram Cluster Cooperative in the Central River Region/South, recounts how access to fertilizer and seed has improved rice yields and revenues, noting that rice production has been a key agricultural activity and source of income for basically all households in her community, for decades.
 “We cultivate about 350 hectares of rice, with women as the principal rice producers. Transformation and other post-harvest operations also provide incomes for our communities.
“Our principal challenge, however, is the low rice yields due to continuous cropping on poor soils, use of poor-quality rice seeds and very limited access to fertilizer.With support from Nema, however, communities in our cluster had access to 2000 50Kg-bags of fertilizer during our first year of participation in this initiative,” Mrs. Jagne disclosed to this medium.As she also observed, the number of members in her Cooperative has increased significantly in 2018, as “we were able to procure more than 5,700 bags to meet the increasing demand from our membership”.
Consequently, she went on, rice yields and overall production in the area have increased dramatically; and that average yields of beneficiaries increased from 1.8 t/ha traditionally to 3.5 t/haover the two-year period. Increase in yield has a direct positive relationship with incomes. “Our earnings have also more than doubled, as a result…”, she concluded.
Boiram Rice Field developed by Nema Chosso
At Jurunku in the North Bank Region, women are producing enough rice to meet their household needs, thanks to Nema-Chosso. Rice production in the Jurunku cluster is largely subsistence, and women struggle to produce enough to meet their household needs due to limited access to key inputs like fertilizer. But with support from the project, the Jurunku cluster cooperative procured 600 and 1300 bags of fertilizer in 2017 and 2018, respectively. This, it could be noted, was made available to its members at ongoing market retail prices. In addition to this, the project provided 30 bags of quality seed of improved rice varieties selected by the beneficiaries.
The effects of this initiative are highlighted by Mrs. Jija Drammeh a smallholder rice producer in the village: “With access to fertilizer and improved seed, my yields have increased from 1.5 to more than 4.0 tons per hectare. My overall production increased by 50%.
Lessons
Collective group action by farmers with otherwise low individual purchasing and bargaining powers is an effective way of facilitating access to improved inputs for small scale-farmers.
Leveraging project resources for loan guarantees as well as part-financing with a clear strategy for ownership and sustainability are key drivers of the success of this initiative
Capacity development support is essential for effective organizational management and the ability of the cooperatives to respond to the needs of their members and take appropriate measures to meet their contractual obligations with the GGC.
Perspectives
Continued capacity development support to cooperatives for effective management of resources and a business approach to agriculture
 Linking cooperatives to other actors of the rice value chain across key sites
 Supporting the development of sustainable agricultural financing strategy in partnership with the National Cooperative Credit Union of The Gambia (NACCUG).

AfricaRice, Africa Harvest In Partnership To Boost Rice Production

AfricaRice and Africa Harvest with the support of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have initiated a project in partnership with national programmes to enhance the performance of rice production.
According to AfricaRice, the project titled ‘Strengthening Rice Sector in East Africa for improved productivity and competitiveness of domestic rice’ (EARiSS) targets Kenya, Uganda and Madagascar with an aim to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production.
Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri in a speech read on his behalf by Deputy General Manager, Operations & Irrigation Management Services Daniel Atula said that IFAD-funded project seeks to boost rice output to 400, 000 tons by 2022 under food security of the ‘Big Four’ agenda.
“Rice is the third most consumed staple food in Kenya after maize and wheat. Its consumption which is estimated at 500, 000 tons continues to increase due to changing dietary preferences, higher income and urbanization. Local production estimated at 70, 000-80, 000 tons annually has not been able to meet the demand leaving a deficit of close to 400, 000 tons,” said Kiunjuri.
Kiunjuri added that rice imports have been costing Kenya Sh7 billion annually to meet the demand and that the country’s import dependency ratio remains at a high of 88 percent adding that a solution to this is increasing the land under irrigation for rice production.
The three year project will benefit about 3, 000 households that is 2, 000 from Madagascar, 500 from Kenya and 500 from Uganda. Approximately 18, 000 people are expected to benefit from this project whereby at least 40 percent will be women and 20 percent youth.
AfricaRice Director General Harold Roy-Macauley in a speech read on his behalf by AfricaRice Rice Value Chain Expert Gaudiose Mujawamariya said that this was the first project in Kenya which aims to contribute to the rice value chain in Africa.
Africa Harvest Chief Executive Officer Florence Wambugu said that the project would contribute to the nation’s rice strategies key among them ensuring rice self-sufficiency to reduce the country’s import bill which runs to millions of dollars every year. This money could be used to improve Kenya’s domestic rice production sector.
“The project is expected to contribute to the improvement of food and nutrition security, sustainable agricultural development, creation of rural employment for women and youth, reduction of import bill and economic development in the project countries,” Wambugu reiterated.
The project is linked to the national rice development strategies in the three countries and is aligned with IFAD objectives as it would promote the out scaling of innovative, pro-poor approaches and technologies through the indigenous persons to achieve greater impact, strengthen partner’s institutional capacities, enhance advocacy and policy engagement and share generated knowledge for development impact.
By Arasha Soila/Charles Kirundi

Government vows to ramp up export measures

PUBLISHED : 27 AUG 2019 AT 04:00
NEWSPAPER SECTION: BUSINESS
Description: Commerce Minister vows to ramp up export. (Bangkok Post file photo)Commerce Minister vows to ramp up export. (Bangkok Post file photo)
The government pledges to ramp up trade, particularly with Iraq, the Philippines, Japan, China, India, Turkey and New Zealand, as an urgent move to spur exports in the remaining months of the year.
Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit, who chaired the war room meeting yesterday to deal with the impact of the ongoing trade war, said to offset the trade war and baht appreciation Thailand needs to emphasise those markets.
"The government is committed to focusing not only on regular buyers but also traditional trading partners," he said. "For old markets, the government should try to revive government-to-government [G2G] rice deals with Iraq, which suspended its rice purchases from Thailand in 2016 because of concerns about quality."
Mr Jurin said the Iraqi government already informed the Thai government of its interest in buying rice under a G2G contract. He said his ministry is working with the private sector to negotiate with the Iraqis for a G2G deal with certified quality this year.
Iraq used to buy 700,000-800,000 tonnes a year during 2011-13, dropping to 111,500 in 2014 and 83,350 in 2015.
Iraq has not bought any Thai rice since 2016, as the country was concerned after finding that the 100% white rice delivered from Thailand during the Yingluck Shinawatra government was of poor quality.
In 2018, the Iraq Grain Board of the Trade Ministry imported 735,516 tonnes of rice, mainly from Vietnam, Uruguay, the US, Argentina and Paraguay.
Last year Iraq imported 320,235 tonnes from Vietnam, followed by 185,707 tonnes from Uruguay, 126,131 tonnes from the US, 63,081 tonnes from Argentina and 30,362 tonnes from Paraguay.
Mr Jurin said the government will speed up talks with the Chinese government to deliver the remaining 300,000 tonnes under the 1 million tonne G2G contract made with the previous government.
For the Philippines, the ministry pledges to hold more business matching after the Philippine government changed the means of rice purchase from auctions under the G2G deal to imports from the private sector. As well, the negotiations with Japanese buyers will continue to increase rice import quotas for Thailand, he said.
In its best bid to boost exports in the remaining months, the Commerce Ministry will also come up with proactive marketing in Southern China and new markets including India, Turkey and New Zealand.
Ghanyapad Tantipipatpong, chairwoman of the Thai National Shippers' Council, said the government needs to foster closer cooperation between the Agriculture and Industry ministries if it wants to drive shipments of agriculture, food and rubber products.
The government's price guarantee scheme for farmers is also expected to increase production costs for intermediate and downstream processors, she said.
"Exporters are still maintaining the country's export forecast at 0 to -1% this year," she said. "The forecast has already taken into account the trade war's impact.
65 homes burnt in Karaga after cattle destroyed rice farm
Police in the Northern Region have confirmed the burning down of 65 houses, three motorbikes and 10 bicycles in Bagurugu in the Karaga District. Description: http://photos.myjoyonline.com/photos/news/201908/676765144440_6762229456462.jpg
Description: Fulani Herdseman Home Burnt
According to the Public Relations Officer of Northern Region Police Command, cattle of one Tahiru Ali who lives in Bagurugu, destroyed a rice farm belonging to Alhassan Kanako, a resident of Gagurugu.

Incensed by the development, Alhassan and three others went to Bagurugu to attack Tahiru.

Not satisfied with their attacks on Tahiru, Alhassan and his goons later returned to set the community on fire.

Four people are reported injured and currently receiving treatment at the Tamalegu CHIPS compound in the district.

Police have commenced an investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice.


Commerce chief to finalise price guarantee deal for oil palm and rice
By The Nation  
The Commerce Minister has vowed to submit the price guarantee policy for oil palm and rice for cabinet approval today (August 27), the first two of five key crops that will mark the beginning of the government’s crop price guarantee scheme to help farmers nationwide.
 
Addressing participants of Monday’s “Economic Strategy under New Government” seminar, Deputy prime minister and Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanavisit said that the five key crops to receive price guarantees from the government are rice, oil palm, rubber, tapioca and corn. “Five types of rice will be guaranteed at Bt15,000-10,000 per ton under a budget of Bt21 billion, while oil palm will be guaranteed at Bt4 per kg under a budget of Bt10 billion,” he said. “I will present the scheme for these two crops to the cabinet tomorrow and hopefully the scheme for rest will follow shortly.”
 
The deputy prime minister added that other crops beside these five will receive appropriate supporting measures in due time, but most likely not the price guarantee.
 
Jurin further explained that the case of oil palm will need special attention since the market is currently tricky. “Oil palm supply is too high while the demand does not quite catch up,” he said. “To fix this, the Ministry is planning to enforce the B10 as mandatory biodiesel and push the B7 and B20 to optional alternatives instead, along with other measures such as using rubber road barriers instead of concrete ones.”
 
“We are also preparing additional measures to help expand export markets for rice,” said Jurin. “The top priority now is to restore markets that we’ve lost, such as Iraq, who has halted rice imports from us for many years due to quality issues. We must regain their confidence by improving our product quality and prove to them that we are ready to be a trade partner again.”
 

Pakistan, Chinese researchers on the brink of hybrid rice breakthrough
LAHORE: Pakistani and Chinese researchers are close to developing a hybrid variety of ‘Basmati’ rice with an average per acre yield of 80 maunds (40 kilogrammes) and average grain length of 8mm and above, an industry official said on Monday.

China’s Longping High-Tech Industries and Guard Agriculture Research and Services Private Ltd (Guard Agri) have been jointly working to create a high-yield hybrid basmati rice variety for the last five years.

“We are very near to achieve the targets after a hard work of five to six years,” said Shahzad Ali Malik, Chief Executive Guard Agri, while talking to economic and agriculture journalist associations at the company’s head office.

“Our scientists in collaboration with their Chinese counterparts have developed 13 CMS (cytoplasmic male sterility) lines out of which one variety is giving 75 maunds per acres with the average grain length of 7 mm, slightly short of our targeted 80 maunds/acre.”

Malik said the scientists were given the task to develop a variety which should be heat- and drought-tolerant besides being salinity resistant and the company started working on the development of basmati hybrid in 2014.

Pioneer in introducing high yielding hybrid varieties of coarse rice, Guard established in 1989, is involved in basic as well as applied research for the development of hybrid rice varieties in collaboration with Longping High-Tech Industries and have achieved full technology transfer in the field of hybrid rice with a feather, of being market a leader in hybrid rice seed, in its cap.

The Guard official said since the introduction of hybrid rice in Sindh, the income of rice farmers had doubled because of the double yield of hybrid rice as compared to IRRI varieties.

“Due to early maturing hybrid rice crop, timely sowing of Rabi crops is ensured as crops cultivated on time result in a significant increase in per acre yield which consequently increases farmers’ income, while having a shorter maturity period, hybrid rice can be planted in late season,” he said.

Malik stressed the need to bring new hybrid rice because yields of existing rice varieties were low and stagnant. “The low rice yields do not match with the increasing cost of inputs and because of increasing cost Pakistan is becoming noncompetitive in the international market,” the official said.

He added that declining land resources and water shortages were also serious issues that could only be solved by the adoption of hybrid rice. Malik said the company was also introducing combine harvesters, rice transplanters, and other implements to promote mechanisation in this field and these will be introduced to farmers on rental basis.

To a question, he said to cash in on the opportunities existing in Iran, the second biggest market of Basmati rice after Saudi Arabia, Pakistan needs to protect the rice exporters. “Pakistan does not have any cash swap treaty with Iran, exporters have proposed barter trade with Iran,” he mentioned and hoped that soon Pakistan will have a barter agreement with Iran of importing liquefied petroleum gas against Pakistani rice.

The Guard official also urged the need for increasing production and supply and exploring new markets, stressing that hybrid seeds could boost agricultural yield that could help the country achieve the export target of $5 billion in the next five years.

Gunmen storm Customs warehouse, loot rice-laden bus

Monday, August 26, 2019 3:46 pm
Nigerian Customsmen: warehouse in Calabar attacked by gunmen
Gunmen in the early hours of Sunday invaded the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) premises in Calabar with the intention to cart away seized food items meant for delivery to Internally Displaced Persons camp across the country.
The hoodlums, who invaded the premises at about 4 a.m shot sporadically while trying to break into the warehouse inside the premises.
Army personnel and policemen cordoned off the area on Monday.
Although the gunmen could not gain access into the warehouse, they destroyed a bus stationed in front of the warehouse carting away the bags of rice loaded in the vehicle.
They also removed one Air Conditioner at the Customs staff quarters close to the warehouse.
One of the officers said that two suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident.
“The incident happened at around 4 a.m Sunday morning. The guys were heavily armed and they shot sporadically for a long time trying to find their way into the warehouse.
“We had to quickly call on the army and police for reinforcement. As we speak, two suspects have been arrested and the search to arrest more is ongoing.’’
Movement into the Calabar Free Trade Zone where the Headquarters of the Command is located was temporarily restricted.
Spokesman for NCS, Mr Joseph Attah confirmed the incident, adding that the gunmen could not break into the warehouse.
According to him, investigation is ongoing to fish out the hoodlums.

Thailand morning news for August 27

Description: Thailand morning news for August 27
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John is an Australian national with more than 35 years experience as a journalist, photographer, videographer and copy editor.
He has spent extensive periods of time working in Africa and throughout Southeast Asia.
He has covered major world events including the 1991 pillage riots in Zaire, the 1994 Rwanda genocide, the 1999 East Timor independence unrest, the 2004 Asian tsunami, and the 2009, 2010 and 2014 Bangkok political protests.
In 1995 he was a Walkley Award finalist, the highest awards in Australian journalism, for his coverage of the 1995 Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) Ebola outbreak.
Prior to AEC News Today he was the deputy editor and Thailand and Greater Mekong Sub-region editor for The Establishment Post, predecessor of Asean Today.

Hoarding Sticky Rice in Thailand Could Land You in Jail

By Anuchit Nguyen
August 27, 2019, 7:15 AM GMT+5
Thailand has issued a warning against sticky rice hoarders who are looking to take advantage of a recent surge in prices: Do so and risk jail time.
The country is taking steps to stem the shortage of glutinous rice after prices surged to a more than five-year high. Anyone involved in the rice business, including millers and traders, must report their stockpiles to officials, according to a notice by the Department of Internal Trade.
Any party found attempting to push up the price of sticky rice or failing to report inventories will be fined 5,000 baht ($164) or face up to five years in jail, the ministry said. Those found selling rice at excessive prices will be fined 100,000 baht or face up to seven years in jail.
“Currently, the supply of sticky rice has dropped sharply because of drought and a late harvest period,” the Department of Internal Trade said in a statement. “That has caused the sharp increase in the price of the commodity.”
Thailand has been hit by the worst drought in decade, with the dry weather shriveling crops in the farming heartlands in the northeastern region. That helped exacerbate an economic slowdown, which led the central bank to cut the policy interest rate for the first time in more than four years. The government plans to start a $683 million program to help rice farmers by supporting incomes.
Thailand is one of the world’s biggest exporters of rice, and also one of the largest consumers of the grain, with about 3.7 million households depending on the commodity for their income. While they have the lowest income among farmers, they play an important role in the country’s political and social stability, according to the Rice Department.

Prayut wants rising sticky rice price to be urgently curbed
By THE NATION
 
Description: 800_757f558d715d766.jpg
 
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha called on the Commerce Ministry to urgently find a way of controlling the rising price of sticky rice, government spokesperson Narumon Pinyosinwat said on August 26.
 
She said that in response, Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanavisit ordered the Department of Internal Trade to see if sticky rice is being hoarded and to prevent such action right away. 
 
Jurin has also told the department to talk to rice traders, millers and related parties and have them package sticky rice and sell it at an especially low price to the public.
 
The price of sticky rice has jumped due to drought, which has affected both in-season and off-season planting. The situation is expected to improve after the latest crop is harvested in October. 
 
Meanwhile, one rice vendor in Phayao province lamented that she has had to purchase sticky rice at Bt1,950 per sack, compared to Bt800 per sack over the past few months. She said this high price is forcing her to sell the rice at a high price of Bt35 per kilogram, adding that other vendors are selling the rice for as much as Bt40 to Bt45 per kilo.
 
As of August 16, the price of paddy sticky rice stood at between Bt13,900 and Bt17,600 per tonne, up from Bt9,549 per tonne late last year, while white sticky rice was between Bt38,500 and Bt38,600 per tonne, up from Bt19,610 per tonne.
 
India’s rice export prices drop to 7-week low
A depreciating rupee pushed export prices of rice from India to their lowest in seven weeks on Thursday despite healthy demand from African countries, while lower purchases from Philippines weighed on rates for the Vietnamese grain. Top exporter India's 5 percent broken parboiled variety was quoted around $372-$375 per tonne this week, down from $374-$377 a week ago. "A falling rupee has been allowing us to lower export prices. Demand has also been improving," said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. The Indian rupee on Thursday fell to its lowest in over eight months, raising exporters' margins. Farmers have planted rice on 30.14 million hectares as of August 16, against 33.84 million hectares at the same time last year, government data showed. India's rice exports in April-June dived 28.2% from a year ago to 2.35 million tonnes. In Vietnam, rates for 5% broken rice eased to $335-$340 a tonne from $335-$345 last week on weak demand. Buyers from Philippines have reduced their purchases from Vietnam while awaiting a possible curb on rice imports to support local farmers, a Ho Chi Minh City-based trader said. Preliminary data showed only 23,000 tonnes of rice is scheduled to be loaded at Ho Chi Minh City ports during September 1-10, bound for West Africa. Meanwhile, Thailand's benchmark 5-percent broken rice prices were quoted at $415-$430 a tonne on Thursday, slightly higher than $415-$425 last week. Concern over shrinking supply due to the worst drought in a decade, has pushed up Thai prices and prompted the government to introduce new subsidies to help farmers during the main harvest seasons for the remainder of this year. "The new subsidies will drive the export prices up in the medium term because the market will now gain confidence that domestic price will not go down since the prices are now guaranteed by the government," a Bangkok-based trader said. Overseas demand for Thai rice is expected to remain unchanged with prices affected by fluctuations in the exchange rate between the US dollar and baht, Asia's best performing currency so far this year. Bangladesh, still recovering from a crop-damaging flood in July, will have its government help affected farmers and provide free fertilizers and seeds for the next crop season, the country's Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque said. Floods washed away crops that would have yielded nearly 400,000 tonnes of rice, agriculture ministry estimates show.


China early rice output down in 2019
China produced less rice in the first harvest period of 2019 due to decreases in sown areas and per unit yield, official data showed Monday. The country produced 26.27 million tonnes of early rice, planted in spring and harvested in early summer, down 8.1 percent from a year earlier, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Early rice planting area dropped 7.1 percent to 4.45 million hectares, and the yield per hectare edged down 1.1 percent to 5.9 tonnes. NBS statistician Huang Bingxin attributed the planting area drop to an improved crop structure amid deepening agricultural supply-side structural reform, with less low-quality early rice and more high-quality and efficient single cropping rice and other cash crops. Insufficient rural labor force and poor weather also led to the drop in sown areas, while the adverse weather this year also contributed to the fall in per unit output. "The decline will have a very limited impact on the country's grain output as early rice accounts for only about 4 percent of the annual grain output," Huang said. China's total grain output consists of three parts -- early rice, summer grain, and autumn production. Autumn grain crops, which include corn and middle- and late-season rice, account for the bulk of the total.

Rice traders blame strength of Thai baht for hurting exports
Published
 9 hours ago
on
 August 27, 2019
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PHOTO: Wikipedia
The president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, Charoen Laothamtas, is concerned that the strong Thai baht is having a negative impact on rice exports.
He notes that the baht has risen about 6% against the US dollar since January, whereas the Vietnam dong has held steady and the Indian rupee has even weakened.
“The stronger baht has largely made Thai rice more expensive than those of our competitors. Homali fragrant rice, for example, currently costs $1,200 per metric tonne, while Vietnam jasmine is only $520.”
He adds that total rice exports are expected to reach 9 million tonnes this year, down from 11.2 million in 2018. Water shortages are not helping matters, with so little water in reserve at dams.
Meanwhile, rice vendors are complaining about the rising cost of glutinous rice, but Charoen points out that glutinous rice is for domestic consumption rather than export, and its price is quite sensitive to local demand and supply.
Farmers in the northeast have given up growing it, as preferences shift to fragrant rice, resulting in a diminished supply.
SOURCE: The Nation
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Rice traders blame strength of Thai baht for hurting exports
Published
 August 27, 2019

The president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, Charoen Laothamtas, is concerned that the strong Thai baht is having a negative impact on rice exports.
He notes that the baht has risen about 6% against the US dollar since January, whereas the Vietnam dong has held steady and the Indian rupee has even weakened.
“The stronger baht has largely made Thai rice more expensive than those of our competitors. Homali fragrant rice, for example, currently costs $1,200 per metric tonne, while Vietnam jasmine is only $520.”
He adds that total rice exports are expected to reach 9 million tonnes this year, down from 11.2 million in 2018. Water shortages are not helping matters, with so little water in reserve at dams.
Meanwhile, rice vendors are complaining about the rising cost of glutinous rice, but Charoen points out that glutinous rice is for domestic consumption rather than export, and its price is quite sensitive to local demand and supply.
Farmers in the northeast have given up growing it, as preferences shift to fragrant rice, resulting in a diminished supply.

Arkansas Taps Teens’ Social Media Savvy to Advocate for $6 Billion Rice Industry

AUG 25, 2019
The Rice Reps Program teaches Arkansas students how to be socially conscience, engaged -- and how to boost the state’s biggest commodity.
Description: https://modernfarmer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/shutterstock_1298112061.jpg
Teens, smartphones and rice are a natural fit, we suppose.
Photography Jaruwan Jaiyangyuen/Shutterstock
Seventeen-year-old Belle Richardson has spent her summer visiting rice farms, taking rice-centric cooking classes and learning everything she can about about growing and producing the grain — and, she is sharing it all on social media.
The high school senior from Bluffton, Arkansas, is one of about 40 students in the Arkansas Rice Reps Program, a newly created initiative by the Arkansas Rice Federation to raise awareness about the state’s rice industry and educate the next generation about the value of agriculture.
Rice is a big deal in Arkansas, the top rice producer in the United States, according to the Arkansas Farm Bureau. The rice industry is estimated to contribute more than $6 billion annually to the state’s economy.
More than 200 students applied for the inaugural Rice Reps Program, which aims to educate young people on various aspects of rice production, including environmental, trade, policy and economic issues, says Lauren Waldrip Ward, executive director of the Arkansas Rice Federation. Students also learn about its role as a global commodity and an inexpensive food source, with the hope that they will pursue careers in agriculture or become better-informed consumers, she explains. “The cool thing about agriculture, specifically rice, is that we have such an attractive story to tell,” says Ward, who grew up on a rice farm in eastern Arkansas.
“With people becoming more interested in where their food comes from, we want to make sure our story is told specifically to the next generation of consumers,” says Ward. “We want them to know the quality that goes into that process and the role our farmers play on not just a local level but also a global level.”
Students of Rice Reps have met rice growers, visited farms, learned to cook rice and volunteered at a local food bank. They are also encouraged to post about rice on social media using the hashtag#ARRiceReps19 and tagging the federation.
Ward says that the program is flexible so that teens have fun while learning and spreading the word about Arkansas rice. There are no attendance or social media posting requirements. However, some reps participate more than others and earn points for taking part in program experiences. The number, creativity and engagement of their social media posts can also help them earn scholarships.
A $5,000 scholarship will be awarded at a reception in September, which is National Rice Month. Reps can also win $1,000 scholarships via monthly social media contests on Instagram and Facebook.
Richardson, who plans to attend Southern Arkansas University next year and major in agriculture business, says that the scholarship opportunities attracted her to the program, but she also has an agricultural background. Her extended family works in the poultry industry, and she raises show sheep.
Richardson says she enjoyed making new friends and sharing what she learned about on Instagram and Twitter. Her posts have garnered positive comments and dozens of likes and new followers.
Teens are the best messengers for encouraging young people to pay attention to agriculture, says Richardson. “I feel like young people are more likely to listen to other young people,” she says. “They don’t want to hear from a man with a beard and bolo tie.”

Africa Rice Center launches new project to improve food security

Source: Xinhua| 2019-08-27 01:06:23|Editor: yan
NAIROBI, Aug. 26 (Xinhua)-- An African research center said Monday it has launched a new rice project that targets to benefit 300,000 households in Kenya, Uganda and Madagascar.
Africa Rice Center said the project which is expected to enhance income and food security will adapt appropriate rice technologies and innovations to address emerging rice value chain constraints.
The project which will improve productivity and competitiveness of domestic rice will run for three years, said Paul Kiepe, head of research planning and coordination with the Africa Rice Center.
"The project is aimed at contributing to the development of the rice value chain in East Africa with focus to women and youths," Kiepe said during the launch in Nairobi.
He added that the project will involve multi stakeholders' innovation platforms in strengthening functional linkages among rice value chain actors and to improve capacity of farmers.
Kiepe observed that since Kenya has risen to be the newest middle income country in the region, the country must seriously act to increasing its production and reduce the huge import dependency.
"The project will generate ample cross country learning cases, and indicate forms of collaboration that will effectively and sustainably contribute to each country's growth and the rice development in the region," he added.
The researcher said that the private sector will be involved in the production and dissemination of new varieties to be widely adopted by the farming community.
The project that is funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development is meant at improving the local supply of rice since the East African region imports the commodity amounting to 500 million U.S. dollars annually.
"The project will help Kenya achieve 100 percent food and nutrition security of populations, create employment and wealth to many stakeholders," Mwangi Kiunjuri, cabinet secretary for agriculture, livestock and fisheries.
Kiunjuri noted that it is expected that the project will help Kenya meet the deficit that stands at 400,000 metric tons annually since farmers locally produce 70,000-80,000 metric tons annually.
He noted that Kenya has the potential and capacity if harnessed to not only be self sufficient in rice but to also be an exporter.

Farmers converge in the first IA Day in Maguindanao

Philippine Information Agency
27 Aug 2019, 16:38 GMT+10
Description: https://cdn.bignewsnetwork.com/pia1566887923.jpg
COTABATO CITY, Aug. 23 (PIA) -- Around 71 farmers from the different municipalities of Maguindanao participated in the first Irrigators Associations (IA) Day on Tuesday, August 20, here.
The activity was spearheaded by the National Irrigation Administration- Maguindanao Irrigation Management Office (NIA-MIMO) in coordination with the Maguindanao Federation of Autonomous Irrigators Association (MAFAIA), Incorporated.
It aimed at updating the farmers of the various rice-sufficiency program of the national government and inform them on the agricultural program of the present Bangsamoro government.
During his opening message, NIA XII Regional Manager Engr. Diosdado Rosales explained to the farmers the components of the P10 billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).
"The P10 billion fund is from the tax of imported rice that aims to protect the small farmers," he said adding that the tax will fund trainings for farmers on how to mechanize and produce good seeds as well as provide them with good machinery.
Of the said amount, P5 billion will be given to the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech), which will give farmers machines for training. The P3 billion will be allotted to the Philippine Rice Research Institute that will teach farmers to become growers of quality seeds.
"Let's strive to use good quality of seeds, so that our production will increase and decrease the production costs," Rosales stated.
Meanwhile, the P1 billion fund allocation was intended for farmers' loan from the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP).
Rosales also encouraged the farmers to avail of the trainings from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), which will educate the farmers on farm mechanization.
"A P1 billion funding was given to TESDA. I encourage the IAs to cooperate with TESDA for you to become one training school. This is a huge opportunity, once our farmers are well trained, we can decrease more the production costs, by that time we can already compete with other countries' produce," he said.
Rosales is hoping that with the event, everyone could help support the goal of the Bangsamoro government in providing the needs of the people especially the farmers.
On the other hand, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MAFAR-BARMM) Minister Mohammad Yacob cited the objective of the present Bangsamoro government.
"Our objective is to make the government closer to the communities. We will make our farmers and fisher folks proud of themselves because they are the source of our production and they are the ones who should enjoy our resources," he said. (PIA Cotabato City)

Rice farmers urged to avail early of one-time loan program
By Che Palicte  August 25, 2019, 4:37 pmDescription: https://files.pna.gov.ph/category-list/2019/07/22/farmers.jpg
DAVAO CITY -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) encouraged the rice farmers to avail of the government’s one-time loan assistance as they have only until December this year to submit their applications.
Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the government will start receiving applications for one-time, zero-interest loans on Sept. 1, 2019.
“Their application should not go beyond this year, they have to access it within a year,” Dar stressed.
He said each farmer affected by the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) due to the influx of cheaper rice imports can avail of the PHP1.5 billion one-time loan assistance program.
Dar said rice farmers who are tilling one-hectare land and below may avail of the PHP15,000 loan payable up to eight years through the Expanded Survival and Recovery Assistance Program for Rice Farmers (SURE Aid).
The DA chief clarified that other agricultural loan windows being offered by the department through the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) would still be accessible for those who cannot avail of the one-time loan program.
He said individual farmer borrowers can get as high as PHP1 million loan while the cooperatives can borrow up to PHP5 million at a 2 percent interest rate.
Dar, also board of director of LBP, assured strategies are being prepared to simplify the loan and approval processes of the applications.
“Red tape and voluminous requirements will shy away the farmers in going to the banks. One request we made to the leadership of LBP is to bring to the board next week the ease of doing business by simplifying the loan process and approval process as soon as possible,” he stressed.
Apart from the one-time loan program, DA also allotted PHP7 billion to the National Food Authority (NFA) for the procurement of ‘palay’ from the local producers.
“One way for them to buy more is what we called accelerated roll-over scheme. They can buy lots of it over a period of time,” Dar explained.
Dar said DA is now working with local officials to encourage them to provide a ‘bagsakan’ (whole sale market) for the farmers to send their farm produce.
“We are putting up this measure para maibsan ang kahirapan nila (to ease their burden),” Dar said.
Dar, meanwhile, promised to accelerate the rolling out of the RTL’s Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).
“Tariffication is already there, the RCEF is the program to make it possible for the rice farmers to be more productive competitive and prosperous,” he said.
The PHP10-billion RCEF aims to also help the farmers and to finance agricultural modernization programs which seen to address the negative impact of RTL. (PNA)

North Korea’s Rason area suffers significant damage from flooding

Description: https://www.dailynk.com/english/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/%E1%84%83%E1%85%AE%E1%84%86%E1%85%A1%E1%86%AB%E1%84%80%E1%85%A1%E1%86%BC.jpgHigh levels of water in the downstream area of the Tumen River. Image: Daily NK
The Tumen River has flooded due to intense rains in the Rajin-Sonbong area in north-eastern North Hamgyong Province, submerging houses in the area, according to local sources.
Around 500 houses in the area near Wonjong Village have been submerged and there are also reports of fatalities, although the exact number has not been ascertained.
“Intense rains have caused a lot of damage in North Hamgyong Province,” a source in North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK. “Lots of houses in the Rason area have been damaged significantly, and most of the farm fields are submerged, so it’s not clear whether the farmers will be able to harvest in the fall.”
An additional source in the region also noted that he had seen submerged farm land and that a lot of the barley stalks were strewn on the ground. “Other areas are in a similar condition, I’ve heard,” he said. “Farmers are saying that the barley harvest this year is ruined.”
Most residents of Songbon County are farmers. If the damage from the intense rains persist, this could cause significant issues.
Korea Central TV (KCTV) reported on the morning of August 17 that a special flood warning had been issued from Namyang Workers Zone in Onsong County and the downstream area of the Tumen River. The warning was expanded and upgraded to a ‘Level One Flood Warning’ issued for the same area on August 16.
On August 16, KCTV reported that if the water levels in Wonjong exceed 5.5 meters, 198,000 square meters of farm land on the Uam Farm at the mouth of the Tumen River would become submerged. On August 17, KCTV upgraded the warning to a “special warning” and said that the water level at Wonjong at 7 AM was 7.73 meters.
The downstream area of the Tumen River experienced significant rainfall from tropical storms Francisco, Lekima, and Krosa. According to North Korean climate data from South Korea’s meteorological agency, 331 mm of rain fell in Sonbong County from August 7 to August 16, a period of nine days.
Around 100 rescue workers from China were deployed to North Korea to help clear the damage to homes in the area, a separate source in North Hamgyong Province reported.
“The Chinese gave us electricity and a lot of rice,” he said. “Officials from the Wonjong-ri Customs office are crossing back and forth into China freely and there are still provisions flowing in from China. It looks like they’re providing aid to us.”
The price of rice in Songbon on August 19 was 4,300 KPW, which has remained unchanged despite the flooding. As of August 20, rice in the area is even cheaper than rice in Pyongyang (4,550 KPW), Sinuiju (4,690 KPW), Hyesan (5,000 KPW).
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping may have had discussions over civilian aid over the past six months during their meetings. The flooding in North Korea appears to be a pretext for China to send massive amounts of humanitarian aid to North Korea.
Japan’s Asahi Shimbun reported through a South Korean government source and the North Korea and Chinese trade ministries on August 20 that the Chinese government had decided to send 800,000 tons of rice to North Korea following Xi’s visit to North Korea in June and that the rice would soon arrive by boat.


No flooding of imported rice in PH market, Villar claims
posted August 25, 2019 at 10:00 pm by Macon Ramos-Araneta
Senator Cynthia A. Villar on Sunday belied reports that imported rice are flooding the local market which is being blamed for adversely affected the income of Filipino farmers.
“That is a misconception,” said Villar, who chairs the Senate committee on food and agriculture, in a radio interview.
Villar, however, admitted that the price of rice is still high despite a lower inflation rate.
“Bumaba  na ang inflation natin, imposibleng di bumaba ang presyo ng bigas,” said Villar as she also attributed the high cost of rice to the cartels.
She added that it was not the government which decided to liberalize the  importation of rice,  since the country signed an agreement in 1995 with World Trade Organization.
“They will allow us to control the importation of rice for 22 years to prepare our farmers to become competitive to the imported rice and this expired in 2017,” Villar said.
She said the agreement was with the WTO.
She added that since the president cannot but conform with the agreement, he sent a Rice Tariff bill to Congress, certifying it as urgent.”
She noted that the President does not want rice importation without tariff so the small farmers will not be hit.
She added that there is a need to help the farmers to become competitive with imported rice.
‘Unfortunately, the senator said, we failed to do, so we have to accept the importation of rice with tarriff.”
Meanwhile,  Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan seeks to stop the unbridled conversion of agricultural land into residential, commercial, industrial, and other non-agricultural uses to ensure that Filipino farmers are able to produce food for the country,
Since agrarian reform was implemented in 1988 up to 2016, he said that almost 100,000 hectares of agricultural land (97,592.5 hectares) -- or the combined size of Metro Manila and Cebu City -- have not produced food, said Pangilinan in the explanatory note of his Senate Bill 256, or the Agricultural Land Conversion Ban Act.
“We need farmers to feed the country. Farmers need farm lands to feed the country,” he said.
Pangilinan said the rapid urbanization and population growth have contributed to the problem of shrinking agricultural lands.
“This measure aims to protect farm lands for which government already spent to irrigate,” he said, adding that his proposed bill seeks to preserve irrigated and irrigable lands for the country’s food security.
Data shows that Luzon suffers most from massive land conversion, making up 80.6% of the entire country’s approved land conversions; Visayas, 7.8%; and Mindanao, 11.6%.
The bill amends Section 20 of the Local Government Code, requiring additional approval from the Departments of Agriculture, Agrarian Reform, and Environment and Natural Resources, as well as local government units before land reclassification and conversion.
“This additional requirement before the grant of a conversion permit is to ensure the suitability of the conversion of an agriculture lot. This is timely due to the unbridled land conversion, legal or otherwise),” said the senator, who owns a small vegetable farm in Cavite.
He noted that studies show agriculture takes a back seat among other land development projects as it has the smallest return on investment.

SunRice paying growers big money to secure export supplies

Description: Andrew Marshall
26 Aug 2019, 6:45 a.m.
Description: https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/32XghFRykTWK8psrWNhdBMC/827aaff0-ae28-4aeb-a192-4a94b4e659b5.JPG/r0_224_2016_1736_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
SunRice has fired the first shot in the battle for irrigated cropping space in thirsty southern NSW this summer, offering farmers big prices of up to $1500 a tonne to plant rice instead of cotton, corn or sorghum.
Hungry for grain to fill gilt-edged orders in Japan, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Middle East, the national rice exporter and processor wants to lock in forward contracts worth almost double the special contract price it paid this year, or recent season pool price values.
Farmer-controlled SunRice, which listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in April, also wants to ensure sufficient fresh seed is produced for planting needs in 2021.
The limited hectare-based deals promise to pay $750/t for medium grain variety, Reiziq; $950/t for long grain, Koshihakari, and $1500/t for organic rice.
Growers who planted rice last year get first choice of 2020 contracts.
We hope we can mop up quite a bit of the available water for rice ahead of cotton or cereals this year- Laurie Arthur, SunRice
While drought is likely to cut general security water allocations in the Murray and Murrumbidgee valleys to almost nothing for the 2019-20 summer, SunRice is still confident it can lure farmers to grow paddy rice with bore water or carryover allocation entitlements from past seasons.
In recent years other summer cropping options, particularly attractively-priced cotton, have absorbed significant water volumes previously destined for the rice industry.
"We hope we can mop up quite a bit of the available water for rice ahead of cotton or cereals this year," said chairman, Laurie Arthur.

Less risk to returns

"Last summer's extreme heat produced some disappointment in corn and cotton yields, but rice has proven a pretty solid and consistent crop as far as production risk goes."
However, the drought had shackled SunRice's plans to double its revenue by 2022.
Despite making several acquisitions in 2018-19 and using its expanding international processing and trading business to back fill the gap left by the Riverina's second smallest crop on record, Mr Arthur told last week's Jerilderie annual general meeting, tough domestic production conditions had restrained revenue growth.
The SunRice group, which includes Australian and overseas milling and trading businesses, several domestic food brands and the CopRice stockfeed division, had total revenue of $1.2 billion last financial year - up just 1.3 per cent on 2017-18.
Group profits after tax fell 27.3pc to $32.8m after drought cut last summer's harvest to just 54,000 tonnes in Australia's rice growing heartland in the Murrumbidgee and Murray valleys.
During the previous six years Riverina yields ranged from 244,000t to 1.1m tonnes, but global demand for the SunRice brand is now closer to 1.4m tonnes a year.
Managing director, Rob Gordon, confirmed while doubling revenue growth remained the company goal, a "normal" crop in southern NSW would generally contribute about $400m towards that target.

Growth plan slows

"It is unlikely we will be able to close this gap in the time frame available, unless we see a return to more normal seasonal conditions," he said.
Description: Rob Gordon
 Rob Gordon
However, given the strong global demand being encountered, even a return to normal Australian conditions would be insufficient to meet SunRice's rising buying orders, including new markets opening up in Europe and revived business opportunities in the Middle East.
Mergers and acquisitions have been a key focus for our company and will be in the year ahead- Rob Gordon, SunRice
"New supply chains will still be required to service this increased demand," Mr Gordon said.
"We continue to evaluate further acquisition opportunities.
"Mergers and acquisitions have been a key focus for our company in the past 12 months and will be in the year ahead."

Vietnam model success

The company's new milling operations and contract growing arrangements in Vietnam had set a new standard for rice processing in that country and the model could be replicated internationally.
"The model we built there is one which SunRice is looking to explore in other countries to build stronger market positions for our company," Mr Gordon said
Chairman, Mr Arthur, said the company was open to opportunities to raise extra capital from the share market to fund any expansion.
We could do more to outsource our production needs to meet our strict Australian quality and export market requirements- Laurie Arthur
However, while the big dry had eroded revenue, there was no current need to raise fresh capital.
Description: Laurie Arthur
 Laurie Arthur
The balance sheet was strong and year-end gearing (debt to equity) was 19pc, compared to a peak around 300pc a decade ago.
"Our five-year growth plan has a clear merger and acquisition agenda, but the opportunities must fit well with our business - and we still have a couple of years to fulfill our current growth agenda.
"There's quite a lot happening in Vietnam and we're looking at replicating what we've achieved there.
"We could do more to outsource our production needs to meet our strict Australian quality and export market requirements.
"We know a lot about where rice is grown around the world and its quality, and we know world markets.
"Some markets, particularly in Asia, are very tough to break into from Australia - even when we have trade agreements with these countries."
On the domestic front SunRice's Riviana consumer foods division recently acquired the Roza's Gourmet, giving it access to chilled food channels, while stockfeed business, CopRice, bought Feedrite, re-purposed the former Coleambally rice mill as a big ruminant feed plant, and reported a 61pc profit lift to $8.5m.

Mekong Delta expects 150,000 more tonnes from summer-autumn rice crop

Monday, 08/26/2019, 11:23
This summer-autumn crop, the Mekong Delta – Vietnam’s biggest rice granary – expects to harvest 150,000 tonnes of paddy more than last year, according to an official from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
Description: mekong delta expects 150,000 more tonnes from summer-autumn rice crop hinh 0
Illustrative image. (Source: VNA)
The Mekong Delta has so far harvested about two-thirds of its 1.57 million hectares of rice with an average yield of 5.7 tonnes per hectare, up 100 kg compared to last year’s same crop, said Le Thanh Tung, deputy head of the MARD’s Department of Crop Production.

The growth is more than enough to offset the falling output of the last summer-autumn harvest, estimated at around 50,000 tonnes, he added.

The harvest of this season’s entire rice area is expected to be completed in early September and to date, there has been no report on effects of drought or saline intrusion.

Tung noted that the harvest work of the summer-autumn crop is being favoured by low water and rainfall levels which pose no threat of flooding.

As the country struggles to secure orders for the grain in the second half of the year due to a drop in demand from major importers, rice is being sold 200 VND per kg higher than the last winter-spring crop but 1,000 – 1,200 VND per kg lower than the price of the same period last year.

This price gives farmers a profit margin of 30 percent which is still much lower than that of 2018.

To keep this year’s output stable or higher than last year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development have recommended the Mekong Delta cities and provinces to expand the next autumn-winter crop by 4,000 hectares to about 750,000 hectares.

According to the General Department of Customs, Vietnam’s rice exports reached 2.76 million tonnes in the first five months of this year, down 6.3 percent from a year earlier. The country earned 1.18 billion USD worth of exports in the period, a decline of 20.4 percent over the same period last year.

Vietnamese rice products, the country’s key export item, are shipped to 150 countries and territories, including the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, mainland China, Cuba, Hong Kong, Singapore, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Mozambique


Commerce Ministry sets up ‘war room’ to boost exports
By snoop1130, Yesterday at 04:12 PM in Thailand News 
Commerce Ministry sets up ‘war room’ to boost exports
By THE NATION

Description: 800_e338636aa1b9b00.jpgDescription: 800_e338636aa1b9b00.jpg
Deputy prime minister and Commerce Minister Jurin Press conference after the metting in the morning./Photo by Commerce Ministry

The Commerce Ministry has joined the private sector in setting up a “war room” to work on boosting the export of rice and cassava, Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanavisit said on August 26.

The move is to boost Thailand’s annual shipments and maintain the export level at 4.28 per cent, which was achieved in July.

“Apart from the income guarantee scheme for farmers, for which the government has allocated Bt21 billion, we will also look for ways to boost the export of rice and cassava because shipments have dropped in the first half due to the stronger baht,” Jurin, who is also deputy PM, said. 

The key target markets for rice export include Iraq, China, the Philippines and Japan. 

Iraq has historically been a market for Thai goods, but it was recently affected by the poor quality rice that was exported, which also damaged bilateral ties. However, he said, the government is working on restoring ties by working closely with Iraqi government agencies and boosting government-to-government trade in agricultural products, he said. 

As for China, a memorandum of understanding has been signed for Thailand to export a million tonnes of rice to China per year. For this year, 300,000 tonnes still remains to be shipped. The Commerce Ministry is also preparing to negotiate a new deal, urging China to purchase more Thai jasmine rice in the future. 

The Philippines, meanwhile, has recently started a quota system for private companies in the Philippines to purchase rice from overseas. The Commerce Ministry will act as a medium for the private sector of both countries to engage in business deals and boost Thai exports to the Philippines. 

As for the Japanese market, the ministry has already called on Japan to boost its quota for Thai rice. 

Meanwhile, the issue on top of the agenda at the war room was cassava, and the participants studied the potential of China and India. 

The mainland is a good potential market for cassava, especially since the vegetable is widely consumed in the south of China. 

India too is a largely untapped market, he said, adding that the ministry will actively meet with importers and pair them up with exporters to boost the Kingdom’s shipments in the future.


Iraq has historically been a market for Thai goods, but it was recently affected by the poor quality rice that was exported, which also damaged bilateral ties.
Trying to make a quick buck seems to have backfired!Yeah good onya.


Stronger baht pounding rice exports, say traders
By snoop1130, Yesterday at 04:41 PM in Thailand News 
By Wichit Chaitrong
The Nation

Description: 800_e89c1c4f5d473a0.jpg

Charoen Laothamatas, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, has expressed concern over the impact the baht’s appreciation is having on his sector.

The baht has risen about 6 per cent against the US dollar since January, whereas the Vietnam dong has held study and the Indian rupee has even weakened, Charoen noted, citing Thailand’s chief competitors in the global rice trade.

“The stronger baht has largely made Thai rice more expensive than those of our competitors,” he said. “Homali fragrant rice, for example, currently cost $1,200 per metric tonne, while Vietnam jasmine is only $520.” 

The association puts the price of Indian basmati at between $1,030 and $1,140 per tonne and Cambodia’s pkha malis at $935.

Thailand exported 4.4 million tonnes between January and June, down 19.6 per cent year on year, and the value plunged 17 per cent to Bt72.2 billion.

Charoen said total rice exports this year are expected to reach 9 million tonnes, down from 11.2 million last year.

Severe drought this past season might not greatly affect the first crop now that rain has appeared, he said, but the second crop will be hit because there’s so little water in reserve at the dams.

Rice vendors have meanwhile been complaining about the rising cost of glutinous rice. 

Charoen pointed out, though, that glutinous rice is for domestic consumption rather than export and its price is quite sensitive to local demand and supply. 

Farmers in the Northeast  have given up growing it as preferences shift to fragrant rice, he said, resulting in a diminished supply.

Bottom of Form

Domestic rice production increases big time in Kurdistan Region

By Rawa Abdulla yesterday at 12:59
Farmers growing rice in the Zrebar river in Iran in June 2016. Photo: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The amount of domestically-produced rice is increasing as demand rises in the Kurdistan Region.

According to data from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Agriculture and Water Resources Ministry, domestic rice production has nearly tripled over the past two years reaching 13.485 tons 2018, up from 2016's 4.939 tons.

"Due to a growing demand for domestic rice, farmers have turned to plowing their lands with rice," Ahmed Kamiran, the head of Agricultural Services at the ministry, told Rudaw. "In the past, only six to eight thousand dunams of lands were used to be planted with rice, but the plantations have doubled in size over the past two years.”

A dunam is a measuring unit used in the Middle East that equals 2,500 square meters.

Kurdistan Region’s weather and land are suitable for growing rice, which allows the land allotted for planting the grain to increase. The ministry estimates that each individual consumes 38.5 kilos of rice a year.

The population of the Kurdistan Region reached 5,800,000 in 2018, according to the Kurdistan Regional Statistics Office.

Excluding displaced people and refugees, the Kurdistan Region needs 227,000 tons of rice a year, six percent of which could be covered by the domestic product, per the ministry’s data.

The bulk of rice planted in Kurdistan are of the round, short-grain variety.

In terms of output and size of farmlands that have rice, Duhok comes in first. Last year, rice farmers in the province planted 11.726 dunams of lands with rice, with their output reaching 9.382 tons, amounting to 69.5 percent of the overall product in Kurdistan.


The five locations of Duhok which are suitable for planting rice include Akre, Bardarash, Sheikhan, and Amedi.

"In 2017, Duhok farmers had planted 9.764 dunams of lands with rice, having had output of 7,811 tons of rice, while in 2018 they cultivated 11.726 dunams of land with rice with an output of 9.382 tons," Khidir Dewali Abdulla, the head of the planning and follow-up department at the Ministry of Agriculture, told Rudaw.

Abdulla is optimistic that the total output of Duhok province will reach 15,800 tons in 2019.

"Our target for the next four years is to double in size what we have now through finding market for our domestic rice in and outside Kurdistan," he said.

Translated by Zhelwan Z. Wali

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- August 27, 2019

* * * * * *
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-August 27, 2019 Nagpur, Aug 27 (Reuters) – Gram and tuar prices declined in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) here on poor buying support from local millers amid release of stock from stockists. Easy condition on NCDEX in gram, fresh fall in Madhya Pradesh pulses and high moisture content arrival also pushed down prices in limited trading activity. About 300 bags of gram and 200 bags of tuar reported for auction, according to sources.

GRAM
* Gram varieties ruled steady in open market here on subdued demand from local

traders amid ample stock in ready position.

TUAR
* Tuar gavarani and tuar Karnataka quoted weak in open market here on lack of demand

from local traders.

* Udid varieties and watana dal recovered in open market here on good demand from

local traders amid tight supply from producing regions.

* In Akola, Tuar New – 5,600-5,800, Tuar dal (clean) – 8,100-8,200, Udid Mogar (clean)

– 7,200-7,800, Moong Mogar (clean) 7,900-8,700, Gram – 4,000-4,200, Gram Super best

– 5,600-6,000 * Wheat, rice and other foodgrain items moved in a narrow range in

scattered deals and settled at last levels in thin trading activity.

Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg

FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close

Gram Auction 3,710-4,090 3,775-4,200

Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600

Tuar Auction 5,200-5,620 5,200-5,740

Moong Auction n.a. 3,950-4,200

Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500

Masoor Auction n.a. 2,200-2,500

Wheat Lokwan Auction 2,000-2,110 1,990-2,120

Wheat Sharbati Auction n.a. 2,900-3,000

Gram Super Best Bold 6,000-6,300 6,000-6,300

Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.

Gram Medium Best 5,600-5,800 5,600-5,800

Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a

Gram Mill Quality 4,350-4,450 4,350-4,450

Desi gram Raw 4,200-4,300 4,200-4,300

Gram Kabuli 8,300-10,000 8,300-10,000

Tuar Fataka Best-New 8,400-8,500 8,400-8,500

Tuar Fataka Medium-New 8,000-8,200 8,000-8,200

Tuar Dal Best Phod-New 7,600-7,800 7,600-7,800

Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 7,000-7,500 7,000-7,500

Tuar Gavarani New 5,850-5,950 5,850-5,950

Tuar Karnataka 6,200-6,300 6,200-6,300

Masoor dal best 5,600-5,700 5,600-5,700

Masoor dal medium 5,100-5,300 5,100-5,300

Masoor n.a. n.a.

Moong Mogar bold (New) 8,200-8,800 8,200-8,800

Moong Mogar Medium 7,000-7,500 7,000-7,500

Moong dal Chilka New 6,500-7,600 6,500-7,600

Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.

Moong Chamki best 8,500-8,900 8,500-8,900

Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 7,500-8,200 7,200-8,000

Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,600-6,200 5,500-6,200

Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 4,400-4,800 4,300-4,700

Mot (100 INR/KG) 5,500-6,500 5,500-6,500

Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 4,800-5,000 4,800-5,000

Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 5,800-6,000 5,700-5,900

Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 7,500-8,000 7,500-8,000

Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,300 2,200-2,300

Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,200 2,100-2,200

Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,700 2,600-2,700

Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,650 2,500-2,650

Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400

Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.

MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-4,000 3,200-4,000

MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,700-3,000 2,700-3,000

Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,300 2,200-2,300

Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,800 3,200-3,800

Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,200 2,800-3,200

Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG) 2,900-3,000 2,900-3,000

Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,750 2,600-2,750

Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400

Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,600 2,400-2,600

Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,400 3,800-4,400

Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,600 3,400-3,600

Rice HMT new (100 INR/KG) 3,600-4,000 3,600-4,000

Rice Shriram best(100 INR/KG) 5,500-5,800 5,500-5,800

Rice Shriram med (100 INR/KG) 4,500-4,800 4,500-4,800

Rice Shriram new (100 INR/KG) 4,400-5,000 4,400-5,000

Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,500-13,500 8,500-13,500

Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,000-7,500 5,000-7,500

Rice Chinnor best 100 INR/KG) 6,500-7,200 6,500-7,200

Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) 6,200-6,400 6,200-6,400

Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 5,300-5,600 5,200-5,600

Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,350-2,550 2,350-2,550

Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 2,050-2,250 2,050-2,250 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 28.2.0 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 23.3 degree Celsius Rainfall : 1.4 mm FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky with light rains. Maximum and minimum temperature likely to be around 28 degree Celsius and 23 degree Celsius respectively. Note: n.a.—not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices)

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- August 26, 2019
AUGUST 26, 2019 / 1:39 PM
* * * * * *
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-August 26, 2019 Nagpur, Aug 26 (Reuters) – Gram and tuar prices showed weak tendency in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) on lack of demand from local millers amid high moisture content arrival. Fresh fall on NCDEX in gram, weak trend in Madhya Pradesh pulses and release of stock from stockists also pulled down prices in thin trading activity. About 300 bags of gram and 100 bags of tuar reported for auction, according to sources.

GRAM
* Gram varieties declined sharply in open market here on lack of demand from local

traders. Government likely move to release of stock also pushed down prices and

traders adopted wait and watch policy.

TUAR
* Tuar gavarani and tuar Karnataka quoted weak in open market here on lack of demand

from local traders.

* Moong prices declined sharply in open market here on poor demand from local traders

amid good supply from producing regions.

* In Akola, Tuar New – 5,600-5,800, Tuar dal (clean) – 8,100-8,200, Udid Mogar (clean)

– 7,200-7,800, Moong Mogar (clean) 7,900-8,700, Gram – 4,000-4,200, Gram Super best

– 5,600-6,000 * Wheat, rice and other foodgrain items moved in a narrow range in

scattered deals and settled at last levels in thin trading activity.

Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg

FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close

Gram Auction 3,775-4,240 3,820-4,260

Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600

Tuar Auction 5,200-5,740 5,200-5,800

Moong Auction n.a. 3,950-4,200

Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500

Masoor Auction n.a. 2,200-2,500

Wheat Lokwan Auction 1,990-2,120 2,000-2,120

Wheat Sharbati Auction n.a. 2,900-3,000

Gram Super Best Bold 6,000-6,300 6,200-6,500

Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.

Gram Medium Best 5,600-5,800 5,800-6,000

Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a

Gram Mill Quality 4,350-4,450 4,500-4,600

Desi gram Raw 4,200-4,300 4,300-4,400

Gram Kabuli 8,300-10,000 8,300-10,000

Tuar Fataka Best-New 8,400-8,500 8,600-8,700

Tuar Fataka Medium-New 8,000-8,200 8,100-8,300

Tuar Dal Best Phod-New 7,600-7,800 7,800-8,000

Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 7,000-7,500 7,200-7,600

Tuar Gavarani New 5,850-5,950 6,000-6,100

Tuar Karnataka 6,200-6,300 6,400-6,500

Masoor dal best 5,600-5,700 5,600-5,700

Masoor dal medium 5,100-5,300 5,100-5,300

Masoor n.a. n.a.

Moong Mogar bold (New) 8,200-8,800 8,500-9,000

Moong Mogar Medium 7,000-7,500 7,200-7,800

Moong dal Chilka New 6,500-7,600 6,600-7,800

Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.

Moong Chamki best 8,500-8,900 8,800-9,100

Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 7,000-7,800 7,000-7,800

Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,500-6,200 5,500-6,200

Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 4,300-4,700 4,300-4,700

Mot (100 INR/KG) 5,600-6,600 5,500-6,500

Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 4,800-5,000 4,800-5,000

Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 5,700-5,900 5,700-5,900

Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 7,500-8,000 7,500-8,000

Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,300 2,200-2,300

Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,200 2,100-2,200

Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,700 2,600-2,700

Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,650 2,500-2,650

Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400

Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.

MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-4,000 3,200-4,000

MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,700-3,000 2,700-3,000

Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,300 2,200-2,300

Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,800 3,200-3,800

Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,200 2,800-3,200

Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG) 2,900-3,000 2,900-3,000

Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,750 2,600-2,750

Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400

Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,600 2,400-2,600

Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,400 3,800-4,400

Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,600 3,400-3,600

Rice HMT new (100 INR/KG) 3,600-4,000 3,600-4,000

Rice Shriram best(100 INR/KG) 5,500-5,800 5,500-5,800

Rice Shriram med (100 INR/KG) 4,500-4,800 4,500-4,800

Rice Shriram new (100 INR/KG) 4,400-5,000 4,400-5,000

Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,500-13,500 8,500-13,500

Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,000-7,500 5,000-7,500

Rice Chinnor best 100 INR/KG) 6,500-7,200 6,500-7,200

Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) 6,200-6,400 6,200-6,400

Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 5,300-5,600 5,200-5,600

Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,350-2,550 2,350-2,550

Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 2,050-2,250 2,050-2,250 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 37.0 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 23.7 degree Celsius Rainfall : 6.0 mm FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky with moderate rains. Maximum and minimum temperature likely to be around 27 degree Celsius and 23 degree Celsius respectively. Note: n.a.—not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices)

China early rice output down in 2019
Source: Xinhua| 2019-08-26 21:00:19|Editor: Li Xia
BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- China produced less rice in the first harvest period of 2019 due to decreases in sown areas and per unit yield, official data showed Monday.
The country produced 26.27 million tonnes of early rice, planted in spring and harvested in early summer, down 8.1 percent from a year earlier, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Early rice planting area dropped 7.1 percent to 4.45 million hectares, and the yield per hectare edged down 1.1 percent to 5.9 tonnes.
NBS statistician Huang Bingxin attributed the planting area drop to an improved crop structure amid deepening agricultural supply-side structural reform, with less low-quality early rice and more high-quality and efficient single cropping rice and other cash crops.
Insufficient rural labor force and poor weather also led to the drop in sown areas, while the adverse weather this year also contributed to the fall in per unit output.
"The decline will have a very limited impact on the country's grain output as early rice accounts for only about 4 percent of the annual grain output," Huang said.
China's total grain output consists of three parts -- early rice, summer grain, and autumn production. Autumn grain crops, which include corn and middle- and late-season rice, account for the bulk of the total.