Philippines Advises Rice Farmers
to Begin Planting, Taking Advantage of Recent Rains
Jun
26, 2015
The Philippines Department of
Agriculture (DA) has advised farmers to begin rice planting for the 2015 main
crop in order to take advantage of the current intermittent rains in the country,
according to a news release on the government website.“If you start planting
now, by July, when it is expected to rain the most, your rice crops would have
passed its flowering stage, thus there is a better chance that harvests will be
maximized,” The Agriculture Secretary was quoted as saying during a media
interaction.He noted that farmers in the rain fed areas can be benefitted from
the intermittent rains but cautioned them that the current rains may not
signify the end of El Nino weather pattern.
The Agri Secretary said the dry
spell is expected to start weak in July this year and grow moderate by August,
persist till December and again start weakening until early 2016. He said the
government is taking measures to help farmers adapt to climate changes and to
minimize the impact of adverse weather conditions on their output.“We are ready
to schedule cloud seeding operations in case there is a need to induce rains
during long dry seasons,” he was quoted. He assured that the Agriculture
Department will install water pumps and solar water pumps in some regions which
need an increase in water supplies.
Weather agencies have been warning
of a dry weather condition due to El Nino from July this year. In the second
week of June, the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) estimated
Philippines's 2015 second quarter (April - June) production to decline by about
4.3% to around 3.898 million tons from last year's 4.073 million tons due to a
decline in harvest area prompted by dry spell and insufficient water supply as
well as incidence of pests and diseases in some rice growing areas.
Oryza Afternoon Recap - Chicago
Rough Rice Futures Pull back below $10.000 per cwt despite Massive Gains in
Wheat and Corn
Jun
26, 2015
Chicago rough rice futures for Sep
delivery settled 8 cent per cwt (about $2 per ton) lower at $10.245 per cwt
(about $226 per ton). The other grains continued their rally today, led by huge
gains in wheat; Soybeans closed about 0.2% higher at $10.0200 per bushel; wheat
finished about 5.7% higher at $5.6225 per bushel, and corn finished the day
about 2.3% higher at $3.8500 per bushel.U.S. stocks traded mixed on Friday as
investors digested earnings and the latest headlines on the Greece debt crisis.
The major indices are on track for their first weekly loss in three. Greek
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called an urgent cabinet meeting on Friday
evening to discuss a bailout deal, a government minister told Reuters.
The country's finance minister Yanis
Varoufakis said in a Reuters report that Saturday's meeting with the euro group
of finance leaders will try to converge on a deal that includes debt and
funding. He added that Greece has made concessions and that Athens rejects a
5-month funding proposal from lenders. Earlier, European Commission President
Jean-Claude Juncker said in a Reuters report he was "quite optimistic but
not over-optimistic" of a deal with Greece on a cash-for-reform deal at a
crucial meeting of euro zone finance ministers on Saturday. European stocks
edged out a mostly higher close amid hopes of resolution on Greece. Chinese
stocks plunged on Friday, with the Shanghai Composite tumbling more than 7%,
its biggest one-day loss in five months.
The only U.S. economic data out
Friday was the Michigan Consumer Sentiment, which posted a final read of 96.1
for June. On Friday, the Dow Jones industrial average gained 47 points, or
0.26%, at 17,936. The S&P 500 traded 2 points lower, or 0.10%, at 2,100,
with utilities leading five sectors higher and information technology the
greatest decliner. The Nasdaq fell 35 points, or 0.70%, at 5,076. Gold is
trading about 0.1% lower, crude oil is seen trading about 0.2% lower, and the
U.S. dollar is seen trading at about 0.3% higher at about 1:00pm Chicago
time.Thursday, there were 1,703 contracts traded, down from 1,738 contracts
traded on Wednesday. Open interest – the number of contracts outstanding – on
Thursday increased by 117 contracts to 9,933.
Oryza Weekly: Thailand Prepares
for Another Rice Auction; India Monitors Potential El Nino Impact
Jun
26, 2015
The Oryza White Rice Index (WRI), a weighted average of global white rice export
quotes, ended the week at about $404 per ton, down about $6 per ton from a week
ago, down about $3 per ton from a month ago and down about $57 per ton from a
year ago.
Thailand
Thailand 5% broken rice is today shown at about $370 per ton, up about $5
per ton from a week ago, down about $5 per ton from a month ago and down about
$15 per ton from a year ago.
Thailand exported around 945,597 tons of rice in May 2015, up about 7% from
around 883,736 tons in May 2014, according to Bloomberg.
The government of Thailand has requested farmers in the Central region to
further delay rice planting till August, when it expects rains to resume, from
the earlier set July as 22 of the 76 provinces are still fighting drought
conditions.
The government has not agreed to honor the farmers'
demands to pay a compensation of about 1,000 baht per rai (around $185 per
hectare) to suspend rice planting. But the Agriculture Minister said he would
propose a package of measures to assist farmers in the economic cabinet meeting
next week.
The Commerce Ministry plans to auction about 1.395 million tons of rice on
July 7.
The drought in Thailand and subsequent anticipated reduction in paddy
output from the 2015 main rice crop will not affect shipments to Malaysia,
according to the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Deputy Minister.
Thailand's Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is planning to improve
the output and quality of Thai sticky rice as it is plagued with inefficient
production systems and farmers lack requisite technological knowledge and
support.
India
India 5% broken rice is today shown at about $390 per ton, up about $20 per
ton from a week ago, up about $15 per ton from month ago, and down about $45
per ton from a year ago.
The pace of India's 2015-16 Kharif (main) rice crop (June - December) which
began on May 8, reached around 2.328 million hectares as of June 26,below
last year's level of around 2.5 million hectares, according to preliminary data
released by the Indian Agriculture Ministry.
El Nino and the Indian Ocean Dipole are being watched closely but so far
there has been no adverse affect on production expectations. Separately, an
Indian grains analyst has warned that India’s absence in global rice trade
could lead to extreme volatility and exorbitant prices.
A new study finds that Indian paddy yields are becoming resilient to
droughts.
The state purchasing agency in Mauritius has purchased 6,000 tons of
long-grain white rice from India in a tender that closed June 3.
The government is considering increasing production of oilseeds and pulses
in some states that are covered under the Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern
India scheme, with hopes it will reduce dependence on imports.
Vietnam
Vietnam 5% broken rice is today shown at about $350 per ton, unchanged from
a week, down $5 from a month ago and down about $60 per ton from a year ago.
Vietnam has exported around 641,000 Tons of rice in June 2015, up about 13%
from last month and about 18% from last year. Vietnam's rice export in the
first six months of this year declined about 6.2% y/y to around 3.06 million
tons, Bloomberg quoted data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development.
The paddy output from Vietnam's 2015 winter-spring crop has declined
slightly by about 0.7% to around 20.7 million tons from around 22.25 million
tons last year due to lower yields, according to Reuters.
Agricultural experts in the country have noted that various rice farming
technologies are outdated and urged the government to facilitate restructuring
of the rice industry and total agricultural mechanization in the country.
Pakistan
Pakistan 5% broken rice is today shown at about $380 per ton, unchanged
from a week ago, down about $30 per ton from a month ago and down about $65 per
ton from a year ago.
Members of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan are seeking a special
package from the government to help alleviate the problems of rice growers and
exporters.
The President of the Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) has
suggested that the government should consider the pros and cons of setting up a
Rice Board, especially how it would impact the rice industry and its
stakeholders, according to a statement by the group. He also noted that the
government should know the intentions of the stakeholders who are demanding
such as Board.
Central & South America
Brazil 5% broken rice is today shown at about $550 per ton, unchanged from
a week and a month ago and down about $115 per ton from a year ago.
The Brazilian paddy rice index maintained
by CEPEA reached around 33.69 real per 50 kilograms as of June 22, 2015, down
about 0.06% from around 33.71 real per 50 kilograms recorded on June 15, 2015.
In terms of USD per ton, the index reached around $219 per ton on June 22,
2015, up about 1% from around $217 per ton recorded on June 15, 2015.
Five percent broken rice from Uruguay and Argentina is today shown at about $565 per
ton, unchanged from a week and a month ago, and down about $10 per ton from a
year ago.
U.S.
The U.S. 4% broken rice is today shown at about $455 per ton, unchanged
from a week ago, down about $15 per ton from a month ago and down about
$120 per ton from a year ago.
Other Markets
The government of Indonesia is looking to redesign its rice-for-the-poor program after finding
irregularities in the implementation of the program.
Cambodia, which offered a relatively higher bid in the recent Filipino tender, is
working to offer a more competitive bid in the next Filipino rice tender.
Rice farmers associations in Nigeria have requested the Federal government to relax rules related to accessing
credit in order to boost rice production and ensure food security in the
country.
The National Food Authority of the Philippines will meet in the first week of July
to discuss supply and the import of an additional 250,000 tons.
The Philippines weather agency anticipates the onset of the rainy season
within the next few days. The Philippines Department of Agriculture (DA) has
advised farmers to begin rice planting for the 2015 main crop in order to take
advantage of the current intermittent rains in the country
The Philippines Rice Research Institute, along with the Department of
Agriculture and the International Rice Research Institute, are developing rice
varieties that can withstand adverse weather conditions and are resistant to
pests and diseases. The Philippines hopes to achieve rice sufficiency
with NextGen varieties.
The EU farm Ministers Council has reached an understanding over the EU
organic legislation.
Basmati rice imports by EU nations declined to around 223,549 tons during
the period of September 1-June 18, a decrease of about 27% from the same period
last year.
The government of Liberia needs to empower rice farmers to increase production, according to the
Chairperson of the House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, Forestry,
and Fisheries.
Bangladesh rice farmers are looking forward to using new saline-tolerant rice
varieties, as salinity in recent years has left some rice acreage to lie fallow.
Bangladesh rice science researcher Dr.Md.Nazmul Haque has developed 850 new
high-yielding rice varieties with a new method called "Transgressive
Sagreegant Breeding" (TSB), according to local sources.TSB produces rice
varieties that are superior in characters to the parent plants.
The researcher used a local rice variety called 'Dola Aman Dhan' to create
several hybrid varieties with various indica rice varieties that have life span
of about 105-145 days and are suitable to grow in adverse climate and yield
about 33-40 maund per bigha (around 8.25 - 10 tons per hectare).
Myanmar currently exports milled rice to the EU at zero percent duty under the
Everything But Arms agreement, but Myanmar exporters are struggling to meet
European rice standards.
The chairman of the Rice Council of Tanzania has urged the government to settle
the rice export issue with the East African Community, as Kenya and Uganda have
banned rice imports from Tanzania due to its rice shipments being mixed up with
low quality Indian and Pakistani rice.
The government of Togo has distributed 300 tons of improved rice seeds to farmers in efforts to
increase rice production in the country.
The Central Bank of Nigeria has stopped the sale of U.S. dollars to importers of 40 items, including
rice, as part of its efforts to protect foreign reserves, which have declined
significantly, and to reduce pressure on the naira.
The Country Program Manager of Eastern Africa Grain Council has warned that
Rwanda and Uganda have decided to levy a 75% tax on Tanzania
rice imports mixed with cheap Asian rice.
South Korea’s state-run Agro Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation is looking to buy
about 59,104 tons of non-glutinous rice in international tenders for delivery
between October 15 and December 15.
Nepal Tries Integrating Duck and
Rice Production
Jun
26, 2015
Breeding ducks in rice farms has proved useful in increasing productivity,
reducing pests and diseases and reducing fertilizers in countries such as Japan
and China. Rice-Duck farming, as it is called, is based on the symbiotic
relationship between paddy fields and ducks.
As ducks eat weeds, insects and other pests and their droppings serve as
organic fertilizers and their swimming oxygenates the water and mixes the soil
without hurting the rice plants. Pesticides and insects such as mosquito and
drosophila are consumed by ducks easily.
Taking a cue from the countries, which are successfully using this method,
rice farmers in Nepal began an integrated rice-duck farming and showed a
significant increase in rice productivity and farmers' net income. Also farmers
who have adopted this method in Nepal have stopped the use of chemical
fertilizers and avoided expenses on pests. On the contrary, neighboring farmers
cultivating by traditional method had used three times of fertilizers.
It is an appropriate technology to address the food insecurity and climate
change as well.
India Rice Planting Slightly
Behind Last Year While Monsoon Rains Remain Above Normal
Jun
26, 2015
The pace of India's 2015-16 Kharif
(main) rice crop (June - December) which began on May 8, has been pretty good
in the week June 19 – 26 due to above-average rainfall in most of the rice
growing areas.However, as of June 26, the total area planted at around 2.328
million hectares is below last year's level of around 2.5 million hectares,
according to preliminary data released by the Indian Agriculture
Ministry.According to the Indian Meteorological Department, India received 28%
above normal rainfall since June 1, providing required support to the kharif
rice and other crop plantings.
A likely drought-inducing El Nino
this year is expected to lower production prospects this year. In its second
forecast for 2015, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has its estimate
for this year's monsoon rains to 88% of normal, from a previous estimate of 93%
due to reports of a strengthening El Nino. It is expecting rainfall to be 85%
of the normal in the states of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
The IMD expects the El Nino pattern to reach to moderate to a strong one during
the monsoon season (June – September).The government of India, in its third
advance estimates for major crops, has estimated India's rice production for
2014-15 marketing year (October 2014 - September 2015) at around 102.54 million
tons, down about 4% from an estimated 106.65 million tons in 2013-14, according
to a statement from the agriculture Ministry.
The total Kharif crop sown area
stands at 16.6 million hectares as on June 26, 2015, up about 24% from around
13.4 million hectares during the same period last year, according to the
Agriculture Ministry.
Indian Basmati Rice Exporters
Foresee Bleak Year Ahead; Seek Export Subsidy from Government
Jun
26, 2015
Indian basmati rice exporters are
foreseeing a bleak year ahead as export deal with Iran, India's biggest basmati
buyer, getting delayed as well as low international rice prices, according to
local sources.The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development
Authority (APEDA) data shows that India's basmati rice exports have declined
marginally to around 3.7 million tons in FY 2014-15 (April - March) from around
3.76 million tons exported during the same period in FY 2013-14. The decline is
largely attributed to fall in basmati rice shipments to Iran.
Iran, which accounts for more than a
third of India's basmati rice exports temporarily banned rice imports in
November 2014 citing excess stocks. India’s basmati rice exports to the Middle
East nation in FY 2014-15declined about 35% to around 935,568 tons from around
1.44 million tons last year, according to APEDA.So far, there is no clue about
the resumption of rice imports by Iran. Visit by a delegation from the Commerce
Ministry did not yield any positive results. “The government of Iran takes
a rice import decision based on the current paddy crop. Since September is the
normal harvesting season, any decision on bilateral rice import will be taken
only around that time. Normally, they reduce customs duty on import from the
Most Favoured Nation. So, we will have to wait a couple of months for any
purchase agreement to get signed with India,” the Director General of
Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO) was quoted as saying. He
noted that demand for basmati also declined this year due to emergence of some
competitors as well as some buyers using last year's stocks without ordering
for new stocks.
Demand from other countries such as
Saudi Arabia and the European markets supported India's basmati rice sales this
year. Saudi Arabia remained largest buyer of India's basmati rice in 2014-15
with 966,931 tons, up about 17% from 2013-14. Global prices of rice have
declined significantly and basmati rice prices are currently ruling near $1,000
per ton from around $1,400 - $1,500 per ton during the same time last
year. The All India Rice Exporters Association (AIREA) President noted
that basmati rice exporters had witnessed a loss of about 30% in 2014-15 due to
increased production costs as well fall in prices. He noted that considering
total production, procurement, storage and export costs of basmati rice, a sale
price of about $1,800 per ton would help exporters breakeven, he says. But
prices are currently much lower than this figure, leading to concerns that
exporters may face losses for a second consecutive year.He urged the government
to protect the interest of India's basmati exporters through some form of
export subsidy.
Don't Just Eat Rice; Eat With
Rice
Jun
26, 2015
A U.K.-based camping and outdoor
equipment manufacturer is planning to launch a new range of eco-friendly
tableware and kitchenware made with rice husk, according to a U.K. magazine.The
range of products will include mugs, tumblers, plates cutlery, bowls, set of
round or rectangular storage containers as well as other kitchen accessories.
Items can be purchased as a set or individually.
The rice husk ware is made of
discarded rice husk and are extremely eco-friendly and biodegradable as well as
be safely be used in microwave also. The material looks like plastic but uses
up to 70% less CO2 to make than conventional plastic. The products are
certified by the German Institute of Standardization (DIN).The company is
planning to release the rice husk ware in September 2015. The price would be in
the range of £2.99 (around $3.15) for a tumbler, £34.99 (around $55) for a set
of storage boxes and £58.99 (around $93) for a complete set.
Bangladesh Researcher Develops
850 High-Yielding Hybrid Rice Lines
Jun
26, 2015
Bangladesh rice science researcher
Dr.Md.Nazmul Haque has developed 850 new high-yielding rice varieties with a
new method called "Transgressive Sagreegant Breeding" (TSB),
according to local sources.TSB produces rice varieties that are superior in
characters to the parent plants.The researcher used a local rice variety called
'Dola Aman Dhan' to create several hybrid varieties with various indica rice
varieties that have life span of about 105-145 days and are suitable to grow in
adverse climate and yield about 33-40 maund per bigha (around 8.25 - 10 tons
per hectare).
The new varieties consist of longer
stem and biomass that give the rice plants additional strength during storms
and strong winds. These varieties can be cultivated both at high and low lands
and are suited to grow in areas with low temperature, saline soil, and water
logged conditions throughout the year in Aus, Aman and Boro seasons. Also these
varieties require less fertilizer and are highly pest and disease resistant.He
also told that the new varieties contain high zinc and iron content than the
traditional varieties. Zinc content can be increased up to 46.38 parts per
million (ppm) in these varieties, while the highest content so far in
Bangladesh in only 22 ppm (in BRRI Dhan 64).
The Dr.Haque has tried these
varieties with some farmers in his district Bogra and obtained good results but
the research needs to be promoted at the larger scale and rechecked before
extension of the newly developed rice varieties, said the Deputy Director of
the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Bogra.The DAE Extension in Bogra
found some promising rice lines which are suitable to release across the
country.Dr.Haque urged the government to include the rice varieties to the
national resource after patenting by genome sequencing. He expressed confidence
that the research would help to promote future rice research in the country.
Vietnam Rice Exports Recover in
June 2015, Reports MARD
Jun
26, 2015
Vietnam has exported around 641,000
Tons of rice in June 2015, up about 13% from last month and about 18% from last
year. Vietnam's rice exports in the first six months of this year declined
about 6.2% y/y to around 3.06 million tons, Bloomberg quoted data from the
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.Meanwhile, the paddy output from
Vietnam's 2015 winter-spring crop has declined slightly by about 0.7% to around
20.7 million tons from around 22.25 million tons last year due to lower yields,
according to Reuters.Paddy output in the Mekong River Delta (MRD) accounted for
around 13.48 million tons, while the northern region accounted for around 7.22
million tons. Most of the rice produced in MRD is exported.
Pakistan Rice Sellers Lower Some
of Their Quotes; Other Asia Rice Quotes Unchanged Today
Jun
26, 2015
Pakistan rice sellers lowered their quotes for 25% broken rice by
about a $5 per ton to about $335-$345 per ton today. Other Asia rice
sellers kept their quotes mostly unchanged
today.
5% Broken Rice
Thailand 5% rice is indicated at around $365 - $375 per ton, about a $20
per ton premium on Vietnam 5% rice shown at around $345 - $355 per ton.
India 5% rice is indicated at around $385 - $395 per ton, about $10 per ton
premium on Pakistan 5% rice shown at around $375 - $385 per ton.
25% Broken Rice
Thailand 25% rice is shown at around $345 - $3505 per ton, about a $20 per
ton premium on Vietnam 25% rice shown at around $325- $335 per ton.
India 25% rice is indicated at around $350 - $360, about $15 per ton
premium on Pakistan 25% rice shown at around $335 - $345per ton, down about $5
per ton from yesterday.
Parboiled Rice
Thailand parboiled rice is indicated at around $365 - $375 per ton.
India parboiled rice is indicated at around $365 - $375 per ton, about a
$30 per ton discount to Pakistan parboiled rice shown at around $395 - $405 per
ton.
100% Broken Rice
Thailand broken rice, A1 Super, is indicated at around $315 - $325 per ton,
about $5 per ton premium on Vietnam 100% broken rice shown at around $310 -
$320 per ton.
India's 100% broken rice is shown at around $280 - $290 per ton, about a
$15 per ton discount to Pakistan broken sortexed rice shown at around
$295 - $305per ton.
Thailand Agriculture Ministry
Plans to Improve Sticky Rice Output, Quality
Jun
26, 2015
Thailand's Ministry of Agriculture
and Cooperatives is planning to improve the output and quality of Thai sticky
rice, according to local sources.The Deputy Minister for Agriculture and
Cooperatives told local sources that there is a need to overhaul the Thai
sticky rice sector as it is plagued with inefficient production systems and
farmers lack requisite technological knowledge and support.He noted that the
government has assigned the Rice Department to introduce new technology to
farmers under its Smart Farmer campaign in order to reduce their production
costs and reduce dependency on chemical fertilizers.The Minister added that the
campaign will be initiated in the provinces of Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Udon
Thani and Khon Kaen during the rice farming season, then in 15 other provinces
during the off-season farming period.
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