Rice board head: Cuban trade
could be big for Louisiana
Posted: Monday, January 19, 2015 3:10 pm
The Advertiser |
LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — Lifting the
U.S. trade embargo against Cuba could mean the return of a major market for
Louisiana rice, Louisiana Rice Promotion Board chairman Kevin Berken says.He
said Cuba imports about 600,000 metric tons of rice a year, with Vietnam as its
biggest supplier."Prior to the embargo, Cuba was the largest importer of
Louisiana rice," he told a conference Friday at the Petroleum Club.
"So it is critically important for us to be able open trade with other
countries, Cuba being the main focus.
It has been a focus for the last 20
or 30 years."Berken was among four panelists, The Advertiser (http://bit.ly/1GfwpKt ) reported. It happened to be a day after the government announced
President Barack Obama's amendments to existing Cuban sanctions.Only Congress
can fully end the 54-year embargo."Eventually, the embargo will be lifted,
and there isn't a thing in the world that Cuba doesn't need," said Gary
LaGrange, president and CEO of the Port of New Orleans. Its location 700 miles
from Louisiana's coast makes New Orleans an especially convenient port, he
said.LaGrange said there's talk of a Cuban consulate being built in the U.S.
and New Orleans may be vying against Tampa, Florida, as a host city, he said.
"Louisiana should be next in
line," he said. "We need a consulate in New Orleans.Charles Larroque,
executive director of Council for the Development of French in Louisiana; and
Larry Sides, president of SIDES & Associates, also spoke.Sides said he has
traveled to Cuba 24 times in the last 15 year on religious missions and for
leisure."I'm simply fascinated with the country," he said.The only
way the U.S. will fully be able to establish a diplomatic relationship with the
country, and that includes tourism, is for the U.S. to completely lift the
embargo, he said.
___
Corporate corner
January 20, 2015
Soomro appointed as Matco Rice
director
KARACHI (PR): Pakistan’s largest bvasmati rice exporter, Matco Rice Processing (Pvt) Limited has appointed Iftikhar Ahmed Soomro as an independent, non-executive director to its Board of Directors.Soomro brings along his vast corporate experience of leading many prominent private and public sector companies of Pakistan.He has previously served as the chairman of APTMA and as a director of Pakistan State Oil, Pfizer Pakistan, Park-Davis, Wyeth Pakistan, SITE, KESC, Sindh Fine Textile Mills and other corporates.
KARACHI (PR): Pakistan’s largest bvasmati rice exporter, Matco Rice Processing (Pvt) Limited has appointed Iftikhar Ahmed Soomro as an independent, non-executive director to its Board of Directors.Soomro brings along his vast corporate experience of leading many prominent private and public sector companies of Pakistan.He has previously served as the chairman of APTMA and as a director of Pakistan State Oil, Pfizer Pakistan, Park-Davis, Wyeth Pakistan, SITE, KESC, Sindh Fine Textile Mills and other corporates.
Soomro has also distinguished
himself in the field of public service, previously as an elected member of the
Sindh Assembly and member of Cabinet.Currently he is the Honorary Consul
General of the Republic of Tunisia.Commenting on the appointment, Jawed Ghori,
Chairman of Matco Rice said: “We are extremely pleased that Iftikhar Ahmed
Soomro has joined the board of our company, bringing with him a unique mix of
skills and experience that will help the board to guide Matco Rice to the next
level of growth.
Rice and wrongs
The Jonathan administration’s abuse of waivers
has moved to the farm sector
Scandalously,
the country is reportedly losing N20 billion to discretionary concessions and
waivers, especially to lethargic stakeholders under the rice importation
scheme and another N20 billion to smugglers of rice through the nation’s porous
borders. The waivers/import allocation quotas impunity to favour investors who
have no investments in the industry or rice mill by government is making a
mockery of the policy.
Of the
28 beneficiaries on the list, only 16 have mills, while the other 12 that have
no mills surprisingly account for higher imports than the true millers. The
disparities in preferential import quotas, quantity of approved rice imports
and the corresponding size of performance bond to be submitted are quite
alarming. Those powerful armchair rice investors eventually trade their import
allocation quotas to interested stakeholders at between 60 to 80 per cent levy,
having got the same at 20 per cent levy, thereby short-changing the country
with ripple effects of inflation and pauperisation. This is serious
discouragement to those who remain committed to the plan.
Why
should new investors under the present regime, without milling capacity or
investments in the country, receive higher allocation quotas unlike real rice
millers that received negligible allocation or none at all? The strategy
deployed in arriving at the supply gap equally becomes questionable because
almost three million metric tonnes of rice was reportedly smuggled from Cotonou
in 2013, while an estimated 1.5 million was accounted for last year. Again, why
is it that the backward integration policy plan approved since May 2014 by the
president was delayed till December?
The
sincerity of government regarding the backward integration plan is in doubt.
For example, it is bewildering that investors that merely expressed interests
enjoy higher import quotas which they trade at higher prices to other
interested importers. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development’s new rice policy is geared towards bridging the supply gap of
import-grade rice of 1.5 million metric tonnes through proper deployment of
rice import quotas as determined by the Federal Government. Invariably, the
policy was designed to ensure that existing rice millers and new investors
receive a preferential levy of 20 per cent and duty of 10 per cent while other
importers pay a higher levy of 60 per cent and duty of 10 per cent. The current
wave of indiscriminate waivers has made nonsense of this policy.
If the
nation truly wants to be self-sufficient in rice production and milling, too
much reliance on paper criteria, including theoretical Domestic Rice Production
Plan (DRPP) by prospective investors will not suffice. For example, it was
reported that last year alone, a total of 1.3 million metric tonnes of rice
import quotas was issued to 25 qualifying millers, yet 2.74 million metric
tonnes of imported rice found its way into the country in the same year through
illegal routes. his is possible because of the low tariff on rice in Nigeria’s
neighbouring countries.The nation is far from self sufficiency in rice production
contrary to the nauseating noise and rhetorical egoism of progress in the
sector by Akinwunmi Adesina, the agriculture minister. The sensible path
to toe is to jettison indiscriminate waivers while government should also allow
rice importation through our ports to augment shortfalls. This will definitely
go a long way in discouraging smuggling
http://thenationonlineng.net/new/rice-wrongs/
LSU
Rice Specialist Dr. Dustin Harrell Receives Award
When Dustin Harrell speaks,
rice farmers listen
BATON ROUGE, LA -- Dr. Dustin Harrell, LSU AgCenter rice
specialist, received the Rice Researcher of the Year award last week at the
National Conservation Systems Cotton and Rice Conference here. Harrell's agronomy research focuses on
fertility, and he also has identified the significance of zinc deficiency,
shown that seeding rates for drill-seeded rice can be reduced, and demonstrated
how nitrogen use efficiency can be improved.
When
receiving the award Harrell credited his fellow researchers for their contributions
and thanked the Louisiana rice farmers for supplying vital check-off funding
saying, "Without the check-off funds, we wouldn't be able to do the things
we do."Harrell was selected as a member of the 2015 Rice Leadership
Development Program in December at the USA Rice Outlook Conference in Little
Rock, Arkansas. The Rice Leadership
Development Program gives future leaders a comprehensive understanding of the
rice industry, with an emphasis on personal development and communication
skills.
Contact: Chuck Wilson (870) 673-7541
Rice
Featured at North Louisiana Ag Expo
Serving up rice samples at
LARC booth
WEST
MONROE, LA -- An estimated 10,000 people attended the 33nd annual North
Louisiana AgExpo on January 16-17 where they learned about the state's ag
industry, especially rice. For correctly
answering questions about rice, visitors to the Louisiana Rice Council (LARC)
booth received sample bags of Louisiana-grown rice, provided by the Louisiana
Rice Growers Association. Attendees also enjoyed a cup of red beans and rice,
courtesy of the Northeast Louisiana Rice Growers Association.
Recipe brochures, nutrition information, and
rice-facts sheets from the USA Rice Federation were distributed. LARC members,
including President Eric Unkel, Vice President Charles Precht, Jr., and Jimmy
Hoppe manned the booth with assistance from USA Rice field staff, Randy and
Mary Jemison.The Expo was established by the North Louisiana Agribusiness
Council to educate citizens about the regional and state impact of agriculture.
Contact: Randy Jemison (337) 738-7009
Japan
Announces Results of 10th Ordinary Import Tender in FY 2014
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CME
Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
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Lalin’s
Column: First 100 days -short list of priorities
Tue, 2015-01-20 06:59 — editor
By Major General (Retd.)
Lalin Fernando
Steps
to be taken towards national reconciliation should be at the top of the
President’s list of things to be done in the first 100 days. It is suggested
that the following also be accommodated under the 100 day action plan that is
meant to prepare the ground for the promised future.Reconciliation and National
Identity. There was no true reconciliation after SL’s 26 year old bitter conflict
despite the people of the North warmly welcoming those from the South ever
since it ended. Without genuine reconciliation all other efforts of the
government will be worth very little if not jeopardized.
The
2 minority communities have almost in their entirety supported the winning
Sinhalese leader in the recent Presidential elections. That was a giant step
for people power towards reconciliation. The prevailing circumstances could not
be any better for the new government to follow up and consolidate that victory.
Reconciliation should hopefully lead to a break with the unhappy, mean and
distrustful past. It must succeed to forge national unity and develop a true
Sri Lankan identity that sadly did not yet exist in 67 years after
Independence.
Remembrance
of the war dead. The most important step to achieve true reconciliation will
have to be the jettisoning of the ill advised Victory parade in May. It must be
replaced by a Remembrance ceremony to commemorate the war dead from 1971 to
2009. It will otherwise continue the (political) estrangement of the Tamils
from the Sinhalese.
All communities should be united in their
grief for the 100,000 SL lives lost and share the grief and pain of those who
bore the burden of that loss. They must promise themselves there will never
again be a replay of the tragic events that began in 1983.The ‘River for
Jaffna’ or the Arumugam Plan to bring water from the Iranamadu tank through
Elephant Pass lagoon to the Thondamannaru Barrage, on which work started in
1954, (supported ardently by DLO Mendis among others) needs to be given
priority, restarted and completed without any more delay.Rule of law. The last
regime, as it hurtled to its end, was almost completely lawless. Corruption was
not denied but excused as a global phenomenon.
It
turned out to be an act of suicide as a silent revolution took place in the
minds of the people. The impeachment of the Chief Justice showed the utter
depravity of the rulers. Beruwala was the beginning of the end. BBS unchecked
or sponsored as it appears now, was the symbol of terror that stalked the land.
Defeat was ordained. The rule of law must now be seen in the streets, public
spaces, residential areas and in Parliament. It must begin by cleaning up the
entire judicial system that includes the judiciary, the police and the prisons
for citizens to believe in the restoration of the rule of law.
Law
breakers should be punished quickly.Weapons – DangerWeapons in the hands of
private individuals are the biggest threat to the rule of law. There are
probably about 60-80,000 registered weapons with people and probably twice that
unlicensed. No one other than those in the Armed forces and the police should
be allowed to keep weapons. Weapons needed for legal purposes such as sports
competition must be stored, at a cost to the individual, at the nearest police
station. A relentless hunt for unlicensed weapons and their owners should begin
immediately.
The
police itself should not be armed, unless for special operations (e.g.;
terrorist hostage situation) and then only if approved by the Interior
(equivalent) Ministry. The army could intervene only if the Police request it
with the approval of the Interior Ministry.Any armed escorts or body guards,
should be from the police and only for VVIPs. Lesser folk should manage with
unarmed police escort, in special circumstances only, if recommended by the
police and with prior approval of the Ministry. After all, politicians often
boast they are willing to sacrifice their lives so there should be no obstacle
to prevent them from proving their noble intentions. This will save a lot of
our lives on the roads as they speed through like the clappers of hell
SL
must prevent any more police shootings in ‘self defence’ when ‘taking’ suspects
to ‘weapon caches and hidden loot’. That and the way the judiciary looks
askance when it happens makes a mockery of the existence of any idea of the
rule of law.Health. It is heartening to note that the new government will make
available all the drugs and medicines needed for patients in 
Government
hospitals. Injections and drugs for children’s illnesses and for pregnant
mothers must be given priority. Injections for those bitten by animals-dogs,
cats and rats (at least 75 people seek attention every day at the Kalubowila
Teaching Hospital) must also be made available. Mosquito nets could also be
given free to the poor.Parliamentary meals. A ‘healthy nation’ is the best
motto for the government to follow. It must start in Parliament where very
expensive and huge meals are given free. It is most disgusting to see that most
MPs are grotesquely obese in a country where malnutrition is common among many
children. These little hippos are indescribably ugly and evil looking too.
Government
hospitals. Injections and drugs for children’s illnesses and for pregnant
mothers must be given priority. Injections for those bitten by animals-dogs,
cats and rats (at least 75 people seek attention every day at the Kalubowila
Teaching Hospital) must also be made available. Mosquito nets could also be
given free to the poor.Parliamentary meals. A ‘healthy nation’ is the best
motto for the government to follow. It must start in Parliament where very
expensive and huge meals are given free. It is most disgusting to see that most
MPs are grotesquely obese in a country where malnutrition is common among many
children. These little hippos are indescribably ugly and evil looking too.
As
they believe only they can save the nation and so qualify for most things free,
an expert dietician should prescribe their meals-which should then be given
free if they insisted upon it, - to make or keep them healthy. Anything else,
(basmati rice, mutton, chicken, seer fish, prawns etc and desserts must be paid
for at the market rate. This will help protect the MPs health, especially those
who said they are willing to sacrifice their lives for SL but never at the time
of the country’s greatest need joined the Army.
Sewerage.
The most important requirement for the nation’s health is the need for modern
sewerage systems in the towns and villages. Outside of Colombo, the Galle road
sea side part of Dehiwala and parts of Ratmalana, there are no proper town, city
and village sewerage systems. As a result sewerage tank over flows go not so
surreptitiously into the road side drains. This is an utter and absolute well
known disgrace and a looming danger that has been shamelessly ignored -even
when SL was the miracle of Asia. Open drains, seen all over in towns and
villages alike, must also be covered.Laboratory tests. Laboratory testing
should be done in the government hospitals itself. Curiously it is the
government hospital laboratory staff in any case that do the testing (even when
the hospital staff are on strike) at private hospitals for patients in
government hospitals for a big fee.
Maybe
giving these Lab technicians better pay could help.Schools. The education
budget has thankfully been increased. How soon will the schools infra structure
include sufficient rest rooms (lavatories) for the student and staff together
with running water? Let all students who find it difficult to afford a good
meal be given a good quality, free lunch also. Private tuition should be
curtailed and soon prevented. Weak students should be coached in school by the
very teacher who judges them weak.Public Transport-Air Conditioned. Now that
the price of petrol has come down drastically, it is time that public transport
be air conditioned as running costs will be at an all time low.
All
senior government servants and their masters in Parliament and various
Councils, travel free in comfortable, luxury air conditioned comfort. They do
not pay a cent for it. The public that travels in the sweltering heat or wet of
the monsoon pay the government for their rides. The cost of travel keeps on
increasing but not the comfort of the passengers. Now that Sri Lankans are the
wonder of Asia if not democracies (by the way SL changes rulers at elections)
the people in this 21st century, must be rewarded with air conditioned public
transport, both road and rail, whatever happens to the price of oil.Temple
Trees. Since the Prime Minister is not going to occupy Temple Trees but only
use it as an office, maybe he could, as a gesture to those who have borne the
burden of war, convert it to a home for seriously disabled servicemen.
Some
other 100 days.
USA.
The best known 100 days action plan was that of Franklyn D Roosevelt who took
over as American President during the time of USA’s Great Depression of the
1930s when America faced its biggest challenge including bankruptcy. It was
called the first 100 days. He pushed through 15 Bills in Congress in that
period and brought quick relief to the millions who were homeless, hungry and
jobless.
It
was no surprise that he turned out to be possibly the most loved President of
the USA. However the Republicans vilified him in the crudest possible way. He
closed banks on 5 Mar 1933, sent teams to inspect them and on 9 Mar, 5,000
banks opened. He had 4 priorities: protect the people’s savings, get people
back to work and create prosperity, provide relief for sick and elderly and get
industry and agriculture back on their feet. He spoke to the people on radio
every Sunday (when most would be at home) to explain everything he was trying
to do. It was believed that at least 60 million people out of a population at
that time of 200 million listened in.
France.
Napoleon returned from exile in Elba on 10 March 1815 and marched on Paris on
20 March with 1,500 soldiers. King Louis XVIII bolted. Napoleon then engaged
the combined armies of Prussia, Britain and Russia and after a series of
battles was finally defeated at Waterloo (18-22 June).He then abdicated. Louis
XVIII was restored on 8 July ending the 100 days since he bugged out. On 15
July 1815 Napoleon boarded RNS Rochefort for final exile at St Helena. Please
note it will soon be 200 years since this momentous episode in history
happened.Rwanda. The worst 100 days was in Rwanda when about 800,000 people,
20% of the population, were slaughtered between 7 April and 4 July 1994.
Asian Tribune –
Poo and paws help in tiger count
While paw prints can identify individuals, scientists
say the method is unreliable for assessing numbers
A system that uses paw prints and faeces offers scientists a
fresh way to determine how many tigers are left in the wild, a study has
suggested.Scientists hope the new technique
will provide a low-cost and reliable way to accurately assess big cat
numbers.Fewer than 3,500 tigers remain in the wild, with more than half found
in India where the population is spread over more than 100,000 sq km of
forest.The findings appear in the Journal of Applied Ecology."Tigers are cryptic, nocturnal and occur at low densities
so they are extremely difficult to monitor," said lead author Yadvendradev
Jhala from the Wildlife Institute of India.
"Unless we know how many tigers are left in the wild, and
whether their numbers are increasing or decreasing, we will not be able to
conserve them," he added.Current monitoring methods include using camera
traps or looking for paw prints."In the absence of abundance information,
conservation management decisions are often based on crude estimates, expert
opinion or educated guesses - which may result in erroneous decisions that can
be counterproductive," the India-based team observed.While paw prints,
otherwise known as pugmarks, allow individual tigers to be identified,
scientists say they are not a reliable way to estimate a region's overall
population.Camera traps offer a much more accurate assessment of an area's
tiger density, but the technique is expensive and labour intensive, resulting
in its deployment being limited to places that have a relatively high number of
the big cats.
'Basmati rice'
"By showing that it is possible to accurately estimate
tiger numbers from their paw prints and faeces, we have opened up a new way of
cost-effectively keeping our finger on the pulse of the tiger population and
gauging the success of conservation programmes," explained Dr Jhala.
Fresh tiger faeces are normally accompanied by urine sprays that
smell like well-cooked basmati rice”
Dr Yadvendradev JhalaWildlife Intitute of India
"This approach could be applied to monitoring other
endangered species across vast landscapes," he added.Between 2006 and
2007, Dr Jhala and his team gathered samples from 18 tiger populations at 21
locations across central and northern India, recording the occurrence of
pugmarks and faeces."Tiger faeces are the size of large beetroots and have
a characteristic pungent, musky odour," he explained."Fresh tiger
faeces are normally accompanied by urine sprays that smell like well-cooked
basmati rice.
"Tigers are solitary animals, and use the spray to mark
their territory - hence the presence of scat offered an insight into the
species density in the area.When the team compared its findings with data from
camera traps, the group found the new system provided similar results but for
just 7% of the cost.Writing in the British Ecology Society journal, the team
concluded: "The approach and models... permit rapid and cost-effective
assessments of abundance to monitor the status of tigers at landscape
scales."This information is vital for conservation investment, habitat
management, planning development projects, formulation of policy and for law
enforcement."
BBC
News
Credit Suisse Sues REI Agro in
Singapore Over Alleged Fraud
(Updates share price in eighth
paragraph.)
REI Agro founders Sandip and Sanjay Jhunjhunwala used a web of
sham rice-trading companies in Singapore and Hong Kong to support a 2012 $115.5
million loan agreement by REI Agro’s Dubai-based Ammalay Commoditiess JLT,
according to a lawsuit in the Singapore High Court.Credit Suisse, leading a
group of lenders who are seeking at least $80 million in damages, said in the
October suit that the loan agreement was breached when Ammalay failed to
provide audited accounts and defaulted on a $20 million payment.
Sanjay Jhunjhunwala said in November court filings that trades
by his two companies being sued were genuine and denied involvement in any
fraud. The next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 26.New Delhi-based REI Agro,
which guaranteed the loan, and Ammalay haven’t filed their defenses and didn’t
respond to e- mails seeking comment. Eugene Thuraisingam and Muralli Rajaram,
lawyers for eight other companies being sued, declined to comment, as did
Credit Suisse.
The lenders have an “overly suspicious approach” and
misunderstood the trades, Sanjay, who was succeeded as REI Agro chairman last
year by his younger brother Sandip, said in his court filing.The Jhunjhunwalas
are Marawari Indians who are known to be risk takers and sometimes adopt
unconventional business practices, he said.REI Agro has the equivalent of $318
million of debt due by the end of 2017, of which 80 percent comprises loans,
data complied by Bloomberg shows. Both Fitch and Standard & Poor’s withdrew
their ratings on REI Agro’s debt last year.REI Agro fell 3.7 percent to 1.30
rupees as of 12:13 p.m. in Mumbai. The stock has slumped 82 percent in the past
12 months.The case is Credit Suisse AG, Singapore branch v Ammalay Commoditiess
JLT, S840/2014. Singapore High Court.
The
Washington Post
Butte County rice growers do it
again, topping charts on production
Heather
Hacking-Enterprise-Record A rice field along the Midway, July 26.
Rice fields near Gridley Aug. 20.Heather Hacking-Enterprise-Record
By Heather Hacking, Chico
Enterprise-Record
POSTED: 01/17/15, 7:45 PM PST |
UPDATED: 29 SECS AGO
If you’re rooting for your home team
in the race for agricultural production, it’s easy to be a fair weather fan of
Butte County Rice.
In Butte County, rice growers can
consistently chant “We’re No. 1.”
In 2013, the
average Butte County rice grower produced 8,830 sacs per acre, with each bag at
100 pounds. The next highest average produce was neighboring Glenn County with
8,680 sacs to the acre.The numbers have been similar for the past dozen years,
with a few anomalies that can’t be blamed on anyone who grows rice in the
county.Every hot spot has a hottest spot, and rice farm adviser Cass Mutters
said many factors come together in Butte County.
The
University of California Cooperative Extension adviser said Butte County is
slightly warmer than just an hour’s drive south and has “nice, uniform
soils.”Adobe soil holds water. In fact, for the past 100 years these same soils
have proved difficult for growing anything else.
Rice farms sit
side-by side, which also makes it easier for growers to move from one place to
another without machinery from other crops hogging the roads.He said it might
also make a difference that families have farmed the land for generations,
which means a higher percentage of farmers own the land and have been making
continuous improvements to infrastructure.Carl Hoff, president of the Butte
County Rice Growers Association, noted that farmers near Richvale were among
the first to laser-level their field and “routinely touch them up,” to make
sure the fields are efficient for irrigation.
Then
again, Butte County growers also have excellent water rights and water delivery
infrastructure. Fields can be flooded quickly, Hoff noted.The Richvale area
seems to be an especially fertilie area for rice. When people hear the Butte
County Rice Growers Association average yield they figure the state average
will be 4-5 sacs lower per acre.This year, a few Butte County Rice Growers
Association members had record yields, some topping 100 bags an acre, which is
worth bragging about.
The
average announced at a recent BUCRA annual meeting was 96.7 100-pound bags per
acre.Perhaps some of the story is because the Rice Experiment station is
located in Biggs.When higher-yielding varieties are developed and tested,
they’re tested in the heart of Butte County.Whatever the factors, they simply
add up. The yield per acre has gone up consistently over the past decades, from
an average of under 7,000 100-pound sacs in 1998, statistic show,
http://goo.gl/K8dIjB
The
state average over the past few years has been about 87 sacs per acre, said
rice marketer Mark Kimmelshue, at ARMCO. Part of Butte County’s prowess may be
due to a greater percentage of medium-grain, CalRose rice being grown locally.
The varieties grown here tend to have higher yield, he said.
All
of this said, that doesn’t mean it will be a bonanza year for rice.
RICE
CROP DOWN OVERALL
Many
growers grew nothing at all.Farm adviser Mutters pointed out that the drought
resulted in about 20 percent fewer acres planted in rice, which is 100,000
acres fewer than 2013, for a total of 425,000 acres statewide.However, on land
that was planted yields per acre this year may be extremely high because
farmers chose their best fields when water was limited.Glenn-Colusa Irrigation
District, for example, received only 75 percent of its surface water
allocation, Mutters said.The Rice Experiment Station noted that this year was
especially good for those who were able to grow rice because there was a long
growing season, which allows more starch to slowly fill the rice kernels.
LOCAL PRIDE
With
all the factors people threw into the equation, rice farmer Stacy Gore summed
it up fairly simply.“It’s not terribly hot. It’s not terribly cold.”It’s the
“Goldilocks land for growing rice.”Clearly, it’s because Butte County growers
are the best, he said, only partly joking.“You can’t help but feel prideful
about where you are,” and what growers are able to do, Gore said. He said its
similar to rooting for your home team.
Contact reporter Heather Hacking at
896-7758.
Rice Farmers set state meeting
(Photo: Submitted photo)
The Louisiana Rice Council and the Louisiana Rice Growers
Association, Louisiana's two largest grower organizations, have scheduled their
annual joint membership meeting for Feb. 10 in Jennings.Rice is an important
agricultural product in St. Landry Parish, second only to soybeans, and
Parish’s County Agent Vince Deshotel urges local rice producers to attend.
“Prices on rice have fallen. They
are lower than they have been in recent years. Any marketing information our
rice producers can get is important,” Deshotel said.This year’s meeting will be
held at a new location, the Grande Marais Center, and will open with a trade
show and reception at 4 p.m. followed by the program at 5:45. Dinner will be
served.“This meeting provides an annual report to rice farmers on programs
funded by the Louisiana rice promotion check-off as well as timely information
on other important issues,” said Eric Unkel, a rice farmer from Allen Parish
and LARC president.
“I encourage all rice industry
stakeholders to attend.”The featured speaker will be Kevin Norton, state
conservationist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources
Conservation Service, who will discuss conservation opportunities for rice
farmers through Farm Bill programs. USA Rice Federation staff will report on
the Federation’s activities and promotional achievements. Louisiana Department
of Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain will address issues of
concern to the Louisiana rice industry.“This is the largest gathering of rice
farmers in the state each year,” said Jeffery Sylvester, an Evangeline Parish
rice farmer and LARGA president. “It’s what makes this event the perfect place
to display rice-related equipment, technology, products and services and show
support for the Louisiana rice industry.
”USA Rice also will participate
in the Central Louisiana Rice Growers Association Annual Membership meeting
that begins at 11 a.m. Feb. 11 at the Dean Lee Experiment station in Alexandria
and the Northeast Louisiana Rice Growers Association Rice Forum that begins at
9 a.m. Feb. 12 at the Delhi Civic Center in Delhi.For information on the
meetings, including sponsorship and exhibit opportunities, contact Randy
Jemison at 337-738-7009.
WANT TO GO?
Rice Producers Meeting
4 p.m. Feb. 10
Grande Marais Center
919 N. Lake Arthur Ave., Jennings
Call 337-738-7009 for more information
Thai
rice exports to dominate
Shipments pegged at 10-11 million
tonnes
Published: 20 Jan 2015 at 06.00
Newspaper section: Business
Thailand is
expected to return to dominate global rice exports, with shipments estimated at
10-11 million tonnes this year. In a statement Monday, the Commerce Ministry
said Thailand exported 10.8 million tonnes of rice last year, a rise of 63.6%
from 2013.Export value rose by 22% to US$5.37 billion from $4.42 billion in
2013.Commerce Minister Chatchai Sarikulya attributed the surge mainly to the
joint effort by the private and public sectors to rev up selling annual produce
and the government's rice stocks.The Commerce Ministry forecasts global rice
production will fall slightly by 0.3% this year to 475 million tonnes due to
lower production anticipated in India, Japan, Pakistan, Egypt, Sri Lanka and
Nigeria.The world's rice consumption, meanwhile, is estimated at 483 million
tonnes, about 7.7 million tonnes higher than global output.
The
global rice trade is expected to hit 41.9 million tonnes this year, up slightly
from 41.88 million tonnes last year.Strong import demand is anticipated,
particularly for China (4 million tonnes), Nigeria (3.5 million tonnes), Iran
and the Philippines (1.7 million tonnes each).Gen Chatchai said the government
was committed to working closely with the private sector to both expand the
market and retain market share with rice importers worldwide.The government
will also place equal focus on potential buyers in each region including Asia,
Africa, the Middle East, the EU and the US.The Office of Agriculture and
Economics (OAE) estimates Thailand's rice production from the main crop of
2014-15 at 27.1 million tonnes, a slight increase of 0.06% from the previous
season.
Overall,
rice planting in the season was on the decline following the state's policy to
discourage farmers from growing several crops a year for fear of water shortages,
especially in irrigated areas.The falling rice price was another factor that
turned farmers to other crops, OAE secretary-general Lersak Riewtrakulpaibul
said.Farmers earned an average 7,862 and 7,878 baht a tonne of paddy in
November and December, respectively, when a large volume of paddy entered the
market.
The figures were lower than the 8,130 baht
farmers received from selling paddy last year. The OAE reported that since the
start of the season last October, 25.5 million tonnes of paddy were harvested,
accounting for 94% of total production.Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president
of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said the global rice market would be
challenging this year, as higher supplies were anticipated from other
rice-producing nations, particularly Vietnam and India.Higher supplies and
exports from small rice-producing countries such as Myanmar and Cambodia are
also likely, he said.
Despite
a sharp drop, the price of Thai rice remains relatively high, notably against
grains from Vietnam."We expect the country to ship at best 10 million
tonnes this year," Mr Chookiat said.The Office of Agriculture and
Economics estimates Thailand's rice production from the main crop of the
2014-15 season at 27.1 million tonnes, a slight increase of 0.06% from last
year. (Photo by Kitja Apichonrojarek)
Bangkok Post
NACC
targets Boonsong, others in rice deals
Published: 20 Jan 2015 at 18.42
Online news: Politics
Writer: Online Reporters
The National
Anti-Corruption Commission has passed a resolution to take legal action against
former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom, his ex-deputy Poom Sarapol and
19 others for graft in government-to-government rice sales which might have
incurred a loss of over 600 billion baht, NACC member Vicha Mahakhun said at a
press conference on Tuesday. Former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom and
20 other officials would be charged with collusion to benefit companies on the
rice-pledging scheme. (Photo by Pattanapong Hirunard)
The
NACC's action came two days before former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra
delivers a closing defence statement to the National Legislative Assembly in
the rice-pledging scheme on Thursday and three days before the NLA votes on an
impeachment motion against her the next day. Mr
Vicha, who leads an NACC subcommittee investigating the G-to-G rice deals, said
the decision was reached at Tuesday's meeting of the anti-graft agency.He said
more than 100 rice trading companies involved would be investigated in order to
complete the investigation report before the case is filed with the Office of
the Attorney General.Mr Boonsong, Mr Poom and 19 others, including high-level
Commerce Ministry officials and businessmen, would be charged with
collaborating to allow companies not authorised by China to enter into G-to-G
deals, causing severe damage to the country and the monetary system, he said.
Mr
Vicha said the NACC also made a resolution for the Finance Ministry and the
Commerce Ministry's International Trade Department to demand compensation from
the companies accused of involvement for the damages which might amount to more
than 600 billion baht.Asked whether the NACC's decision was intentional as the
NLA is scheduled to vote on an impeachment motion against former prime minister
Yingluck Shinwatra over the rice-pledging scheme on Friday, Mr Vicha said this
was a coincident.He said the NACC was investigating this matter long before the
NLA scheduled the impeachment vote. Every step had been carried out in normal
proceedings, he added.
Mr
Boonsong, meanwhile, said he had learned of the NACC's decision."Although
the the NACC has decided to take action against me, the legal proceedings have
not ended. The NACC still has to forward the case to the Office of the Attorney
General for consideration. It is still not known whether the OAG will go ahead
with the indictment."Even if the OAG decides to indict me in court, I
believe the court will give me justice because I did not do anything wrong as
accused," Mr Boonsong said.Mr Boonsong said the NACC, in deciding against
him today, was likely to have a hidden agenda."The decision against me was
made only two days before Ms Yingluck was to deliver her closing defence
statement to the NLA. I'm only a political bait. They hope my case will add
weight to Ms Yingluck's impeachment. In fact, these are two separate
cases," Mr Boonsong said.
Rice
prices drop by P1
By
Reuel John F. Lumawag
Tuesday,
January 20, 2015
THE National Food Authority (NFA)-Davao City said reported P1
decrease in the price of regular and well-milled rice brought by the end of the
final cropping season last year.Based on the agency's monitoring, the retail
price of regular milled rice is from P31 to P35 per kilograms (kg) with a
prevailing price of P34/kg as of yesterday as compared to P32 to P35/kg last
month.Well-milled rice is at P34 to P38/kg with a prevailing price of P37/kg as
compared to P35 to P39/kg last month.
However,
in earlier interviews last December 2014, NFA-Davao City also reported that
regular milled rice ranged from P31 to P39 per kilograms (kg) with a prevailing
price of P35/kg while well-milled rice was at P35 to P42/kg with a prevailing
price of P38.50/kg.NFA-Davao City provincial manager Virgilio B. Alerta, in a
phone interview with Sun.Star Davao yesterday, said the decrease in the price
of rice was due to an increase in the supply and availability of rice brought
by the harvest during the final cropping season of 2014.He said the rice in the
city is being sourced from Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, and
Compostela Valley.
Alerta
also said surplus coming from the rice producing provinces of North Cotabato
and Sultan Kudarat are also being sold to the city thus lowering the prices of
rice.He said consumers can expect a stable and low price of rice up until
March, the end of the summer cropping.Beginning April until July, consumers can
expect an increase in the prices of rice since it will be the months wherein
there will be little to no harvest of rice.Alerta said the prices are expected
to stabilize and go down beginning August or September, which are the beginning
of the final cropping season.
Commerce Minister visits Hong Kong for cooperation
Tuesday, 20 January 2015
HONG KONG, 18 January 2015 – The
Thai Minster of Commerce is on a business trip visiting Hong Kong to enhance
the trade cooperation and push forward the ASEAN - Hong Kong FTA framework to
be completed by 2016.The Minster of Commerce Gen. Chatchai Sarikulya has
revealed his official meeting with the Secretary for Commerce and Economic
Development of Hong Kong Gregory So, that he is satisfied with the meeting’s
outcome.
He has said that both sides have
agreed to extend the trade cooperation and exchanged beneficial comments for
trade developments in the future, especially for the ASEAN - Hong Kong Free
Trade Area (FTA) agreement, which Thailand is appointed as the coordinating
country to push the FTA framework forward towards the targeted time in the year
2016.The ASEAN - Hong Kong FTA will benefit ASEAN countries in the inclusion of
utilizing the trade gateway of Hong Kong to mainland China free of tax, while
Hong Kong can extend its trade and investment to the ASEAN market that houses
600 million residents.
The Thai Minister has said that the
Ministry of Commerce has settled the strategies and plans to extend the Thai
rice exports to the Hong Kong market through various strains of rice to comply
with the individual demands in Hong Kong.For example, the Hom Mali Rice is
aimed for the domestic consumption market through modern trade, and the Hom
Patum Rice is aimed for restaurants and hotels market, while the organic rice
will be introduced to the younger generations.In this occasion, the Minster of
Commerce has given the Best Friend of Thai Rice Award to the seven Hong Kong
rice importers that have imported Thai rice in the past ten years.He has also
stressed that the Thai government is aware of the Hong Kong market's importance
to Thai rice, and will control the quality of rice exports to be high in
accordance with demand of consumers in Hong Kong.
Thai anti-graft body charges
ex-commerce minister over rice deal
BANGKOK
(Reuters) - A
former commerce minister and 20 state officials and employees of private firms
will be charged for alleged graft related to rice export deals with two Chinese
firms, Thailand's anti-corruption commission said on Tuesday.Boonsong Teriyapirom, a former commerce minister, and his deputy
in the government of ousted Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, are accused of
falsifying government-to-government rice deals between Thailand and China in 2013.
The Thai government said at the
time it had sold 1.2 million tonnes of rice from its stockpiles to China to reduce stocks."The accused
colluded to violate criminal law. The deal never happened. There was no
government-to-government deal," said Wicha Mahakun, a member of Thailand's
National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC)."The NACC has resolved to
charge former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom and Poom Sarapol, former
deputy commerce minister, a total of 21 ministers and private sector employees,"
Wicha said.
The decision comes as Thailand's
legislature prepares to vote this week in a case against Yingluck over her role
in a rice buying scheme that lost the state $15 billion, according to the
latest finance ministry estimates.Yingluck faces a separate criminal case over
the scheme. Public prosecutors and the NACC said on Tuesday they would forward
the case against her to the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political
Office Holders for deliberation.
NACC member Wicha said the government-to-government deal announced
by Boonsong and Pool had caused "huge losses" and that this case
would also be forwarded to the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political
Office Holders.The NACC said the rice was sold locally and not exported, as
claimed by the then-government. It said it was sold to China-based Guandong
Stationery & Sporting Goods Imp. & Exp. Corp. and Hainan Grain and Oil
Industrial Trading Company, who in turn sold it back to Thailand's Siam Indica,
a rice trading company.None of the companies could immediately be reached for
comment.The two Chinese firms were in no way acting on behalf of the Chinese
government, the NACC said in its statement.
Wicha did not give any indication of the price of the rice deals,
nor how much money was lost, but said the NACC would ask the commerce ministry
to investigate the alleged losses.Yingluck's government built up huge
stockpiles under the rice buying scheme, in which it bought the grain from
farmers at prices way above the market level, making exports uncompetitive.Opponents
of the scheme, which ended in February 2014, say it was riddled with corruption
and led to smuggling of rice from neighboring countries to take advantage of
the prices on offer.(Reporting by Aukkarapon Niyomyat and Panarat Thepgumpanat;
writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; editing by David Clarke)
Prices of vegetables and rice dip
As the chilly winter is on, it’s
not just temperature alone that has dipped. The prices of vegetables and rice
have also seen a considerable drop, much to the relief of consumers.The
Koyambedu wholesale market has been witnessing 10 per cent hike in sales as
winter crops arrive.Traders say the prices of most vegetables have come down by
10 per cent as the market gets more produce.S. Chandran, a wholesale merchant,
said several vegetables like broad beans, carrots and beans have become
affordable compared to last month. Green peas, a seasonal vegetable, is priced
at Rs.40 a kg in wholesale market.
However, retail prices vary according to the
area as vendors also include transportation and labour charges.P. Selvakumar, a
retailer in Adyar, said: “Only drumsticks are sold for Rs.200 a kg. If a
customer spent Rs.300 to purchase few vegetables last month, the bill has
reduced to Rs.200 now.”An increase in arrivals due to the harvest season is
also the reason for a fall in prices of rice.
According to D. Thulasingam,
president of Federation of Tamil Nadu Rice Mill Owners and Paddy – Rice Dealers
Association, both wholesale and retail prices have come down and these prices
are likely to stay till April.D. Mohan of Saravana Rice Mandy, Adyar depot,
said many customers prefer par boiled rice ( venn
puzhungal arisi ) that does
not become sticky.“Unusually, this year the prices started reducing 15 days
ago. Many hoteliers buy Sona Massuri rice from Karnataka. A 25-kg bag used to
cost Rs.1050. Now it is Rs. 875,” he explained
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/prices-of-vegetables-and-rice-dip/article6803687.ece
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