Today Rice News Headlines...
ü
UNISAME URGES IPOP TO GIVE GI TAG TO PAKISTAN
BASMATI RICE
ü
ASIA RICE PRICES RISE IN VIETNAM, STABLE IN
THAILAND
ü
Uganda: Improved Farming Tools to Boost Rice
Production
ü
Authorities act to reduce risk for export of
rice
ü
Vietnamese rice nowhere to be found in Chinese
malls
ü
Rice distributed to one million people
ü
APEDA AgriExchange Newsletter - Volume 1421
ü
02/24/2016 Farm Bureau Market Report
ü
Rice Leadership Development Class
Graduates
ü
Heaviest bag of rice: India breaks Guinness
World Records record (VIDEO)
ü
Rice Exports Down as Fiscal Year Nears End
ü
SINAG: Govt failed to stop rice smuggling
ü
LEAD) Gov't to purchase 157,000 tons of rice
ü
Louisiana agriculture consultants honor Caffey,
Linscombe
ü
World Bank sees govt rice import monopoly a bad
idea
ü
Aceh to Produce 2.7 Million Tons of Paddy Rice
in 2016
ü
PM tells drought-stricken Thailand to cut rice
production
News Detail...
UNISAME
URGES IPOP TO GIVE GI TAG TO PAKISTAN BASMATI RICE
The Union of Small and Medium
Enterprises (UNISAME) has invited the attention of Shahid Rashid chairman of
Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan (IPOP) to the very important and
crucial matter of basmati geographical indications (GI) not being given the
seriousness it deserves by the concerned authority and trade associations.
President UNISAME Zulfikar Thaver has urged the chairman IPOP to immediately
convene a meeting of the concerned stakeholders and sort the matter in the national
interest and decide on merit. Thaver emphasized the urgency in view of the judgement of
the Indian High Court and the disappointment of the SME rice sector which is in
farming, milling,processing and exporting. e regretted that the Trade
Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), the Rice Exporters Association of
Pakistan (REAP) and the Basmati Growers Association (BGA) are apparently not on
the same page and not united in their approach and this may jeopardize matters.
The union has requested the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority
(SMEDA) to hold meetings and discussions on this crucial issue affecting the
SME rice sector and bring the applicants on the same page and take up the
matter in right earnest with the IPOP on top priority basis.
He stated with all emphasis at his command
that basmati is grown in Pakistan in the geographically indicated areas and has
inherent characteristics and features and is undoubtedly basmati rice. In fact
Pakistan is the only country which grows super basmati rice which has aroma,
elongates on cooking, it is tasty and has superb cooking ability and is reputed
the world over. He urged the chairman IPOP to personally look into the matter
as it is of prime importance and the future of the growers, millers, processor
and exporters is threatened by the adverse remarks of the judiciary. The IPOP
needs to declare immediately that Pakistan has the GI tag for its basmati grown
in the specific regions of Pakistan and enjoys the reputation by virtue of its
characteristics and features.
unisame
ASIA
RICE PRICES RISE IN VIETNAM, STABLE IN THAILAND
Wednesday,
24 February 2016 17:58
Posted by Imaduddin
HANOI: Export prices of
Vietnamese rice picked up this week on demand
from China, Indonesia and the Philippines and due to damage from dry weather,
while ample supply put pressure on Thai rice prices, traders said on
Wednesday.The price rise in Vietnam however could be short-lived, as harvesting
of the winter-spring crop, Vietnam's biggest, is expected to peak in the Mekong
Delta food basket in coming weeks, traders said.Prices of 5-percent broken rice
rose to $355-$365 a tonne, free-on-board (FOB) Saigon Port, from $350-$360 a
week ago, and the 25-percent broken rice prices advanced to $340-$350 a tonne,
from $330-$335 last week."The volume of newly harvested rice has not
picked up yet, while domestic prices are firming after some forecasts of a
serious dryness in the Mekong Delta, pulling up export prices," a trader
at a foreign firm in Ho Chi Minh City said.Salination has become a serious
issue in several Mekong Delta provinces, damaging 100,000 hectares (247,000
acres), or 6 percent of the winter-spring crop, the government said on its news
website on Wednesday. (www.baochinhphu.vn)
Loading for Indonesia and the Philippines under contracts signed
last year, and fresh enquiries from China, Vietnam's top rice buyer, also
lifted prices, traders said."But prices could weaken from mid-March at the
peak of the harvest," a Vietnamese exporter in Ho Chi Minh City said.All
winter-spring paddy now being harvested could be fully bought, keeping prices
stable, a report on a government website quoted the Vietnam Food Association as
saying.The association will not seek government-backed rice purchases for
stockpiling, the report added.Last year, China's imports of Vietnamese rice
rose 32.7 percent from 2014 to 1.79 million tonnes, making the southern
neighbour its biggest grain seller, followed by Thailand with 931,000 tonnes,
based on Customs of China data.Thailand and Vietnam are the world's second- and
third-largest rice exporters after India.
In Thailand, ample supply from the government and an ongoing
harvest extended pressure on prices, traders said."The government sold
rice directly to private firms, so they didn't have to buy from rice
millers," a senior trader said, referring to a government auction last
week, at which more than 152,000 tonnes were sold.Quotations of Thai 5-percent
broken rice narrowed to $373-$375 a tonne, FOB basis, from $370-$375 last
Wednesday.Thailand expects to export 9.5 million tonnes of rice this year,
focusing on markets in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, a senior
commerce ministry official said on Wednesday
http://www.brecorder.com/markets/commodities/asia/280680-asia-rice-prices-rise-in-vietnam-stable-in-thailand.html
Uganda: Improved
Farming Tools to Boost Rice Production
By Chris Tusiime
Poor agricultural mechanisation is one of the biggest hindrances to
transforming Uganda's agriculture from subsistence to commercial, Dr Godfrey
Asea, the director of National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI), has
said.Asea, who recently spoke at NaCRRI during a demonstration of agricultural
machinery for small-scale farmers that have been manufactured in Uganda, said
almost all small-scale farmers in Uganda use traditional, rudimentary and
obsolete technologies in agriculture, a major contributor to low farm
output.The machinery that was displayed included a destoner (machines for
removing stones from rice), a manually-pedalled rice thresher, and a
manually-pedalled water pump, which can be used for pumping water for
irrigation.
The machinery was bought with support from the Promotion of Rice
Development (PRiDe) project, which is being implemented by Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA), ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and
Fisheries, and National Agricultural Research Organization, and National
Agricultural Advisory Services (Naads). The project is supporting Uganda to
achieve its national rice production targets.The country already has a national
rice development strategy, which aims at increasing rice production to 443,800
tonnes in 2018 from 106,700 tonnes in 2008.
Asea said demand for rice in Uganda is increasing, a shift that is
pushing for more intensive production of high-yield rice.We have achieved rice
production self-sufficiency. National rice production is 306,000 tonnes today.
But the increase in population and increasing demand, especially in urban
areas, means new farmers need to be engaged in rice production and those
farmers who are already producing rice should adopt better farming methods to
increase their rice yields," he said.Yutaka Nakamura, the deputy head of
mission at the Japanese embassy in Uganda, said efforts of promoting rice in
Uganda were paying off. He said the PRiDe project, a five-year project that
ends in 2016, which set out to increase Uganda's national rice production by
20,000 tonnes, has surpassed this target, contributing 32,000 tonnes by
December 2015.
Nakamura revealed that they are helping in the construction of a
storehouse, which will prevent farmers with limited storage capacities from
incurring post-harvest losses. The store is being constructed in Kasese
district.Asea said government is promoting the use of cost-effective farm tools
because the use of machinery will boost agricultural production.JICA Chief
Representative Kyosuke Kawazumi said mechanizing agriculture would encourage
young people to get involved in agriculture enabling Uganda to fight
unemployment.
Dr Kazuhiko Yagi, the chief advisor of PRiDe project, said broken
grains and stones in rice pose a big threat to the demand for rice produced in
Uganda. He explained that the use of affordable threshing machines will empower
small-scale farmers to avoid beating rice with sticks in order to thresh it, a
practice which causes rice grains to break
Authorities
act to reduce risk for export of rice
After analyzing the actual rice
export situation in 2015 and rice export potentiality in 2016, Mr. Huynh The
Nang, chairman of the Vietnam Food Association (VFA), said that China remains
the main rice export market this year with 54 percent of total rice exports;
the rest will be exported to Europe, the US, Japan, South Korea, Middle East,
Russia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Workers load rice onto the vessel for
exporting in the Mekong Delta. (Photo: SGGP)
However, with China still
accounting for high proportion in rice export structure, rice export potential
this year is expected to be great but contains high risks. Chinese businesses
usually imported Vietnamese rice that looks like Chinese rice variety then
polish, pack, and distribute to the market under Chinese businesses’ brand
names. This seriously affects the brand name of Vietnamese rice as well as
devalues Vietnamese rice. Vietnamese businesses also lack of information of
their Chinese partners, therefore, many of them were swindled when exporting
rice to China.
As for new market, such as
America, Europe, South Korea, Japan, and Middle East, Vietnamese rice exporters
have to face strict technical barriers. However, there has not been a quality
testing center of international standards in Vietnam that Vietnamese businesses
have to rely on foreign testing centers so risks are high.
The VFA had proposed the
ministries of Health, Agriculture and Rural Development to warn farmers against
using banned chemicals during rice cultivation. Until now, this problem has not
been solved yet as authorities are short of testing equipment. There are
harmful chemicals that authorities even do not know of. In fact, rice of some
businesses was returned because of these harmful chemicals in 2015.
In order to lessen risks for rice exporters as
well as increase sustainability of market, Mr. Tran Tuan Anh, deputy minister
of Industry and Trade, ordered commercial counselors to coordinate with the
Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency, Multilateral Trade Policy Department, and
Department of Import and Export to gather information of rice importers. Of
which, they have to evaluate and compare the advantages of Vietnamese rice over
that of competitors and propose solutions to improve export effectiveness and
add more value to rice products. Local authorities have to restructure
agriculture, ensure quality of rice, build solution to develop Vietnamese
rice’s brand name, stabilize cultivation area, and connect farmers with rice
exporters. The VFA should quickly complete strategy to develop brand name of
Vietnamese rice in order to help Vietnamese rice to infiltrate into
distribution network of rice importers.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade will carry
out a project to improve business ability of rice exporters in terms of human
resources, marketing activities, and international commercial dispute to create
most favorable conditions for them to enhance internal force and diversify export
market.The Ministry of Industry and Trade on February 22 held a conference to
appraise rice export situation in 2016.
http://www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn/Business/Economy/2016/2/117696/
Vietnamese
rice nowhere to be found in Chinese malls
TUOI TRE NEWS
UPDATED : 02/24/2016 12:01 GMT + 7
Bags of rice are loaded onto a ship
for export at the Saigon Port in Ho Chi Minh City.
Tuoi
Tre
While China has traditionally
been the main market for Vietnam’s rice exports, retail outlets across that
country fail to sell the Vietnamese produce, an official said on Monday.
Although over half of its rice exports were to China last year,
it remains a highly competitive market amongst other rice exporters, namely
Thailand, Pakistan, and Cambodia, said Bui Huy Hoang, Vietnam’s commercial
counselor in China.The produce is nowhere to be seen in supermarkets or other
retailers in China, Hoang said in a conference about the rice market
development organized by the Vietnamese Ministry of Trade and Industry in Ho Chi
Minh City.In the meantime, Vietnam’s rice export competitors like Thailand,
Pakistan, and Cambodia have gradually improved their standings in the Chinese
market thanks to a high quality product.“We should improve the quality of our
rice to regain our standing in China; otherwise Cambodia will pass us sooner or
later,” Hoang noted.
The amount of rice for export
could hover at about 6.5 million metric tons for 2016, Huynh The Nang, chairman
of the Vietnam Food Administration (VFA), said on January 14.In the Jan-Oct
period, the country’s rice export reached 5.03 million metric tons, according
to the VFA.
In the last two months of 2015,
1.5 million metric tons of rice was exported, which took total rice exports to
6.7 million metric tons for the year, according to the VFA
This represented a three percent
decline in total rice export value compared to that of 2014, the organization
noted.Vietnam has recently yielded huge profits from exporting its ‘herbal
variety,’ which offers a high nutrition content, to the European market, fetching up to US$800 per
metric ton.Although the Southeast Asian country has joined the Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TPP) trade deal, many Vietnamese experts are skeptical about the
economic potential of exporting rice as it could become uncompetitive when
pitted against other countries.Despite Vietnam being among the world’s top rice
exporters, many local consumers in southern markets now prefer several types ofCambodian rice to the domestically grown
produce.
http://tuoitrenews.vn/business/33385/vietnamese-rice-nowhere-to-be-found-in-chinese-malls
Rice distributed to one million
people
HA
NOI (VNS) — More than 17,000 tonnes of rice was distributed to more than 1
million poor people across the country during Lunar New Year (Tet), the General
Department of State Reserves reported.The department revealed the value of the
support at a press conference held yesterday to announce the work of
distributing reserved rice to people in need during Tet and to areas suffering
from food shortage this year.Deputy Head of the GDSR, Le Van Thoi, said the
support was undertaken in response to requests from authorities of 17 provinces
nationwide which asked the Government to provide over 17, 000 tonnes of rice
from the nation's storage for 1,145,182 people each in need of 15kg per month.
As
of February 4, the department's local chapters completed the allocation of rice
ensuring both quality and quantity in accordance with the requests, he
added.Regarding the policy to provide rice for students in disadvantaged areas,
Thoi said each student would also receive 15 kg of rice per month for a maximum
of nine months per academic year.In the first term of the 2015-2016 academic
year, about 540,000 students from 48 provinces and cities nationwide were
provided with rice.Thoi said the GDSR has received a decision from the Ministry
of Finance to distribute an additional of nearly 33,000 tonnes of rice for
those students in their second semester.He affirmed that the
policy contributes to helping students from disadvantaged and ethnic minority
areas to continue their studies uninterrupted. — VNS
Authority
distributes rice to the poor in Huong Hoa District, Central Quang Tri Province.
More than 17,000 tonnes of rice was distributed to more than 1 million poor
people across the country during Lunar New Year (Tet). — Photo VNA/VNS Photo Ho
Cau
http://vietnamnews.vn/society/282754/rice-distributed-to-one-million-people.html
APEDA AgriExchange Newsletter -
Volume 1421
|
International
Benchmark Price
|
|
Price on: 24-02-2016
|
|
Product
|
Benchmark
Indicators Name
|
Price
|
|
Garlic
|
|
1
|
Chinese first grade granules, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
|
3500
|
|
2
|
Chinese Grade A dehydrated flakes, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
|
4500
|
|
3
|
Chinese powdered, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
|
3000
|
|
Ginger
|
|
1
|
Chinese sliced, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
|
2150
|
|
2
|
Chinese whole, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
|
2300
|
|
3
|
Indian Cochin, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
|
2850
|
|
Guar
Gum Powder
|
|
1
|
Indian 100 mesh 3500 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t)
|
3660
|
|
2
|
Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps basis, FOB Kandla (USD/t)
|
1060
|
|
3
|
Indian 200 mesh 5000 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t)
|
2180
|
|
Source:agra-net
|
For more info
|
|
|
Market
Watch
|
|
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on
23-02-2016
|
|
Domestic Prices
|
Unit Price : Rs per Qty
|
|
Product
|
Market Center
|
Variety
|
Min Price
|
Max Price
|
|
Rice
|
|
1
|
Aroor (Kerala)
|
Other
|
2900
|
3100
|
|
2
|
Jorhat (Assam)
|
Common
|
2000
|
3000
|
|
3
|
Samsi (West Bengal)
|
Fine
|
2890
|
2920
|
|
Wheat
|
|
1
|
Cherthala (Kerala)
|
Other
|
2300
|
2500
|
|
2
|
Sangli (Maharashtra)
|
Other
|
2100
|
2800
|
|
3
|
Bonai (Orissa)
|
Other
|
1525
|
1600
|
|
Orange
|
|
1
|
Manjeri (Kerala)
|
Other
|
3500
|
3700
|
|
2
|
Taura (Haryana)
|
Other
|
2300
|
2600
|
|
3
|
Rajpura (Punjab)
|
Other
|
1800
|
2200
|
|
Brinjal
|
|
1
|
Aroor (Kerala)
|
Other
|
2400
|
2600
|
|
2
|
Bargarh (Orissa)
|
Other
|
500
|
700
|
|
3
|
Sirhind (Punjab)
|
Other
|
400
|
900
|
|
|
For more info
|
|
|
Egg
|
Rs per 100 No
|
|
Price on 24-02-2016
|
|
Product
|
Market Center
|
Price
|
|
1
|
Ahmedabad
|
360
|
|
2
|
Nagapur
|
322
|
|
3
|
Namakkal
|
372
|
|
|
|
|
Other
International Prices
|
Unit Price : US$ per package
|
|
Price on 24-02-2016
|
|
Product
|
Market Center
|
Origin
|
Variety
|
Low
|
High
|
|
Onions
Dry
|
Package: 40 lb cartons
|
|
1
|
Atlanta
|
Mexico
|
Yellow
|
22.25
|
22.75
|
|
2
|
Baltimore
|
Peru
|
Yellow
|
22
|
23
|
|
3
|
Chicago
|
Nevada
|
Yellow
|
34.50
|
34.50
|
|
Cabbage
|
Package: 50 lb cartons
|
|
1
|
Atlanta
|
Georgia
|
Round Green Type
|
12
|
14
|
|
2
|
Chicago
|
Texas
|
Round Green Type
|
13
|
14.50
|
|
3
|
Detroit
|
Canada
|
Round Green Type
|
15
|
15.50
|
|
Grapefruit
|
Package: 4/5 bushel cartons
|
|
1
|
Atlanta
|
Florida
|
Red
|
21
|
21.50
|
|
2
|
Chicago
|
Florida
|
Red
|
24
|
24
|
|
3
|
Miami
|
Florida
|
Red
|
17
|
20
|
|
Source:USDA
|
|
02/24/2016 Farm Bureau Market Report
Rice
|
High
|
Low
|
|
Long Grain Cash Bids
|
- - -
|
- - -
|
|
Long Grain New Crop
|
- - -
|
- - -
|
|
|
|
Futures:
|
|
|
ROUGH RICE
|
|
|
High
|
Low
|
Last
|
Change
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mar '16
|
1071.0
|
1045.0
|
1066.0
|
+6.5
|
|
May '16
|
1098.5
|
1071.5
|
1094.0
|
+7.5
|
|
Jul '16
|
|
|
1122.0
|
+7.5
|
|
Sep '16
|
1136.5
|
1135.0
|
1139.5
|
+10.5
|
|
Nov '16
|
|
|
1159.0
|
+12.0
|
|
Jan '17
|
|
|
1172.0
|
+12.0
|
|
Mar '17
|
|
|
1172.0
|
+12.0
|
|
|
Rice Comment
Rice futures ended the day a bit
higher, but didn't undo much of the damage seen earlier this week. The losses
were attributed to the disappointing results of the Iraqi tender. The tender
had originally been for 90,000 tons US origin rice only, the top bidder only
offered 30,000 tons of US rice and the rest was much cheaper rice from
Argentina and Uruguay, and word is now that the entire tender has been rejected
due to price. Exports have been slow and the industry had higher hopes for the
Iraqi market
Rice Leadership Development Class Graduates
WASHINGTON, DC -- The Rice Leadership Development
Program's Class of 2014-16 graduated from the prestigious program during a
special ceremony at the USA Rice Federation's 2016 Government Affairs
Conference this week. Rice Foundation Chairman Todd Burich and USA Rice
Chairman Dow Brantley presided over the ceremony, congratulating the graduates
and thanking program sponsors, John Deere, RiceTec, Inc., and American
Commodity Company.
The
class is made up of five rice producers: Derek Haigwood, Newport, AR;
Jeremy Jones, England, AR; Jon Munger, Yuba City, CA; Will Reneau, Beaumont,
TX; Clay Schaefer, Hunter, AR; and two industry representatives: Jonathan
Hobbs, Russell Marine Group, Jefferson, LA; and A.J. Sabine, Louisiana Farm
Bureau, Baton Rouge, LA.Jonathan Hobbs served as class spokesperson. He
expressed his appreciation to the many people the class met who are involved
"in helping execute the bigger picture of putting U.S. rice on the table
for millions of families around the world."
Hobbs
concluded his commencement speech with a rallying cry to his fellow classmates
saying, "Let's put our heads together and help these committees develop
strategies to win back markets we've lost. Let's take back Nicaragua, the
EU, and Iraq. Let's go get Cuba. As far as U.S. rice demand goes,
those things are game changers for everyone here. Let's listen to our
markets and learn from our past mistakes. Let's be active
leaders."The class was immediately put to work representing the rice
industry during the conference, participating in multiple meetings with Members
of Congress, staff from key Congressional Committees, and agency
representatives.
They
also met with officials at CropLife America to discuss the responsible use of
environmentally sound crop protection products, and got a lesson in high tech
agriculture from the FAS/USDA Global Analysis, International Production
Assessment Division where they observed how crop assessments around the world
are made using satellites. While in Washington, the group is also scheduled to
meet Ambassador José Ramón Cabañas of the Cuban Embassy to discuss the
potential for rice trade between the two countries as well as attend the USA
Rice World Market Price Subcommittee meetings.
The
Rice Leadership Development Program gives young men and women a comprehensive
understanding of the U.S. rice industry, with an emphasis on personal
development and communication training. During a two-year period, class
members attend four one-week sessions that are designed to strengthen their
leadership skills. If you have interest in applying for the 2017 Rice
Leadership Development Program, contact Chuck Wilson at cwilson@usarice.com.
Heaviest
bag of rice: India breaks Guinness World Records record (VIDEO)
DUBAI, UAE -- A bag of rice weighing 550
kilograms has entered the Book of World Records for being the heaviest bag of
rice; the rice bag of India Gate Classic Basmati Rice brand has achieved the
feat at the annual 4-day food and hospitality trade show being held in Dubai,
according to the World
Record Academy.
Photo: KRBL director Priyanka Mittal. KRBL
Limited, the world's largest rice millers and Basmati rice exporters, has
successfully entered the Book of World Records with a bag of rice from its
acclaimed India Gate Classic Basmati Rice brand weighing 550kg, a combined
weight of two adult Royal Bengal Tigers.(enlarge photo)
The Guinness World Records world record for the
largest display of rice dumplings contained 34,056 dumplings and was made by
Towngas Rice Dumplings for the Community (China) at Hong Kong International
Trade & Exhibition Centre in Hong Kong on 10 June 2007.
Guinness
World Records also recognized the world record for the largest rice mosaic; it
is 1,798 sq.m (19364.14 sq. ft) and was achieved by Chinese Taoism Folk Culture
Association (Chinese Taipei) at Changhua City, Chinese Taipei on 8 November
2014.
The rice bag of India Gate Classic Basmati Rice
brand has achieved the feat at the annual 4-day food and hospitality trade show
being held in Dubai from February 21-25.
KRBL Limited, the world's largest rice millers and Basmati
rice exporters, has successfully entered the Book of World Records with a bag
of rice from its acclaimed India Gate Classic Basmati Rice brand weighing
550kg, a combined weight of two adult Royal Bengal Tigers.
The new record by India-based Basmati rice exporter, KRBL
Ltd was achieved when the bag was filled in a single day by a team at KRBL
DMCC's Al Quoz warehouse before being driven on a truck to Gulfood. KRBL director Priyanka Mittal said:
"This is a very important region for us, 85% of India's exports in Basmati
rice comes to the Middle East, so this is our biggest market after India;
naturally being at Gulfood is important to our continued progress."
Gulfood 2016 is hosting the show's largest contingent to date
of national and industry pavilions having lined up a total of 117 – five more
than last year – with first-time group participation from Russia, Costa Rica,
Belarus, Mauritius and New Zealand returning after a six-year break.
Related world records:
Longest
Cold Meat Platter: Culinary Academy of India sets world record (VIDEO)
Longest rice flour pancake (dosa):
Vijayawada hoteliers (Video)
Largest
serving of fried rice: China breaks Guinness World Records record (VIDEO)
http://www.worldrecordacademy.com/food/heaviest_bag_of_rice_India_breaks_Guinness_World_Records_record_216153.html
Rice Exports Down as Fiscal Year Nears End
RANGOON — Due to the lingering effects of torrential flooding and
El Niño, Burma’s rice export volume is expected to dip in the 2015-16 fiscal
year, industry experts said.With just one month left in the fiscal year, which
began in April 2015, rice export volume has reached only 1 million tons,
according to figures from the Ministry of Commerce.Myint Cho, director of the
Ministry of Commerce, said that he expects rice exports to fall short by more
than 200,000 tons, with the exact figure currently at 1.037 million tons,
compared to the 1.255 tons that had been exported over the same period last
year.
“We won’t match last year’s record,
with the major reasons being the floods last year [in July and August] and the
fact that some rice exporters and traders are concerned about not having rice
for the summer [because of El Niño], so they’re storing rice,” Myint Cho
said.“Rice prices increased last year because of these floods, so traders are
preparing for prices to remain the same this time. There’s also less production
here,” he added.By the end of the 2014-15 fiscal year, Burma exported a total
of 1.84 million tons of rice, including broken rice. Of this, 1.3 million tons
went to China. Besides China, Burma also exports rice to Germany, Indonesia,
Poland, Singapore and Thailand.In recent weeks the Myanmar Rice Federation
(MRF) has been urging the government to prepare rice reserves for a potentially
extreme El Niño period in the months ahead.
Ye Min Aung, MRF secretary, said
that the public sector should also prepare rice reserves because of the
potentially severe weather on the horizon.“I’m not concerned about summer
paddies but about rain paddies, because it [El Niño] may delay rain for the
harvest season later. We should keep an eye on this,” Ye Min Aung said.“We’ll
also have to be careful about market speculation, because if some traders try
to speculate how the market will move, the price of rice could
increase.”Despite an official Chinese ban on Burmese rice imports, traders in
Burma have recently been focusing on trade across the Sino-Burmese border.
Moreover, domestic prices have
increased compared to normal trade prices in the world market, Myint Cho
explained.“The world price is less than US$400 per ton, while the Chinese price
is over $400, so most [of Burma’s] rice is going to China,” he said.Ministry
figures estimate that Burma produced more than 13 million tons of rice over 23
million acres of paddy during the fiscal year 2014-15. At least 9 million tons
were used for local consumption, while about 1.8 million tons went to the
export market
A worker unloads rice from a boat a jetty on the Rangoon river,
October 23, 2015. (Photo: Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters)
http://www.irrawaddy.com/burma/rice-exports-down-as-fiscal-year-nears-end.html
SINAG: Govt failed to stop rice smuggling
February 24, 2016 11:08 pm
by James Konstantin Galvez
The seizure of P118 million worth of smuggled rice from Thailand
is proof that the illegal importation of the staple continues unchallenged
under the Aquino government, a lobby group of agricultural workers said
Wednesday.“After five years and four Customs’ chief, there is no doubt that
this administration has failed the agriculture sector in this regard,” said
Rosendo So, chairperson of Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura
(SINAG).“Smuggling has prospered and continues to thrive under this
government,” So said in reaction to the agriculture officials’ inability to
adequately respond to questions during a Senate hearing investigating the
issue.SINAG earlier discovered that close to P200 billion worth of agricultural
goods were smuggled into the country since 2010, the year Aquino assumed the
presidency.
Smuggled rice makes up about P94
billion, making the grain the single biggest agricultural commodity being
smuggled into the country. Smuggled pork comes at a far second at P40 billion
and then sugar at close to P25 billion.Other commodities being smuggled include
chicken, garlic, onion and carrots.In terms of volume, 2,772,142 metric tons of
rice was smuggled from 2010 to 2014, double the volume of 1,066,021 metric tons
smuggled from 2005 to 2009.SINAG had proposed making the National Food
Authority (NFA) the lone importer of rice and for government to reconsider the
implementation of government-to-government (G2G) scheme as the sole mode of
importing rice.
Permits are supposedly allocated
to farmer cooperatives.However, these permits are being bought by unscrupulous
traders. The scheme is similar to the one allegedly employed by businessman
Davidson Bangayan and other similar consolidators of import permits as exposed
in previous Senate investigations.SINAG said the market value of the smuggled
rice in this last case translates to a loss of P60-P80 billion in revenues for
government. Rice is a highly sensitive commodity that is protected so imports
are levied a higher tariff of 30 percent to 40 percent.“Sa halip na pangalagaan
at tulungan ang lokal na industriya ng agrikultura na tanging ikinabubuhay ng
milyon-milyong pamilyang Pilipino, tila wala nang intensyon ang pamahalaang ito
na masabat ang smuggling,” (Instead of helping the local agricultural sector
that millions of Filipinos depend on for livelihood, it appears that government
has no intention to stop smuggling,) So said.
LEAD) Gov't to purchase 157,000 tons of rice
2016/02/24 12:09
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- The government plans to spend 140
billion won (US$113.6 million) to buy 157,000 tons of rice in the latest effort
to stabilize rice prices, a ruling party lawmaker said Wednesday.The decision
was made in a policy coordination meeting between the government and the ruling
Saenuri Party at the National Assembly, ruling lawmaker Ahn Hyo-dae told
reporters after attending the closed-door session.
Last year South Korea produced 4.32 million tons of rice,
exceeding its earlier projection by 360,000 tons. The bumper crop has led to a
fall in rice prices by 12.8 percent as of Feb. 15, compared to the same period
during an average year.The government is set to buy 157,000 tons next month to
take them out of the market following its previous purchase of 200,000 tons of
rice in October."Though we have made the inevitable decision to make an
additional rice purchase, the government will continue to push for long-term
measures such as keeping moderate rice production and encouraging the expansion
of domestic consumption," said Agricultural Minister Lee Dong-phil during
the meeting.The government is also pushing to reduce the size of rice paddies
by 10 percent in the long term to reduce an excess in crop harvests.
Last year, the government spent 81.2 billion won on keeping rice
stocks in surplus at more than 4,100 storage facilities throughout the
country.South Korea used to send rice to aid North Korea when inter-Korean
relations were on good terms.Rice is a key staple food for both South and North
Koreans.South Korea last provided rice to North Korea in 2007, giving 151,000
tons of it when liberal President Roh Moo-hyun sought reconciliation with North
Korea and met with then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang in the
second summit between the two Koreas."It is hard to pinpoint how much
impact the delivery of rice to the North had in stabilizing rice prices back
then," an official of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
said. The official asked not to be identified, citing policy.
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2016/02/24/0200000000AEN20160224004351315.html?060b5be8
Louisiana agriculture consultants
honor Caffey, Linscombe
Induction at the 2016 LACA annual meeting
Feb 24, 2016Bruce Schultz, LSU
AgCenter
Belle Caffey Chatelain represents her father, the late H. Rouse
Caffey, who was selected for the Louisiana Agricultural Consultants Association
Hall of Fame at the LACA annual conference in Marksville on Feb. 17. Steve
Linscombe, director of the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station
at Crowley, was also inducted into the LACA hall. Photo by Bruce Schultz, LSU AgCenter.
The late H. Rouse Caffey, former LSU AgCenter chancellor, and
Steve Linscombe, rice breeder and director of the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey
Rice Research Station, have been honored as the newest selections for the
Louisiana Agricultural Consultants Association Hall of Fame.
The honors were made the first day, Feb. 17, of the LACA’s
annual three-day Agricultural Technology and Management Conference. Consultants
hear updates on management for Louisiana’s major crops.Linscombe remembered
Caffey as a mentor who often gave advice.
“He understood the importance of keeping research and extension
on the cutting edge,” Linscombe said.
Caffey, director of Rice Research Station from 1962 until 1970,
was credited by Linscombe for the station’s success. “The station has become
the nation’s premier rice research station,” Linscombe said.Caffey was LSU
AgCenter chancellor from 1984 until 1997.“Because of his efforts, the LSU
AgCenter was a leader to many developing nations,” Linscombe said.Belle Caffey
Chatelain, Caffey’s daughter, said her father grew up in the Mississippi Delta
on a cotton farm, and his family didn’t get electricity until he was in the
third grade.In high school, Caffey’s 2-acre cotton crop won a 4-H competition,
and he won the prize of a trip to Chicago. “That was the start of his travels,”
Chatelain said.Caffey enjoyed traveling around the globe to educate farmers,
she said. “I know it was his heart’s desire that no one would go hungry.”
Eric Webster, LSU AgCenter weed scientist, said Linscombe has
secured $17 million in grants for the AgCenter during his 34-year career. He
has developed 32 of the 52 rice varieties released from the station, and many
of those varieties have dominated acreage in the southern U.S. rice-growing
states.Webster said yields have increased to 7,500 pounds an acre -- a
1,900-pound jump since 2002.Webster met the late Nobel Prize laureate Norman
Borlaug, who is the father of the Green Revolution and was considered the No. 1
plant breeder worldwide. “I know who No. 2 is,” Webster said of
Linscombe.Linscombe credited his co-workers and his wife, Judy, for his
success.
“This is one of the more significant honors,” he said. “I like
to think of this group as real people.”Also at the conference, Diane Schuster,
LSU AgCenter and LSU College of Agriculture development director, said efforts
are close to securing all of the funding for the $300,000 Dorothy and Ray Young
Fellowship to help graduate students in agriculture with their education.
Rogers Leonard, LSU AgCenter vice president, said it’s not clear
how the state’s current budget problems will affect research and Extension
efforts for the AgCenter.“The problem is, the numbers keep changing,” he said.
“We really don’t know what we’re going to end up with.”He said the dairy
research programs at the AgCenter Southeast Research Station are being
significantly reduced, and restructuring of several other stations is
inevitable to increase efficiency.Several members of the LSU AgCenter faculty
were among the presenters at the conference.
AgCenter pesticide safety education coordinator Kim Pope
detailed worker protection standards for pesticide applicators that will go
into effect in January 2017. She said new training requirements effective in
January 2018 will require annual training for pesticide handling. Currently,
training is required every three years.New workers will have to be trained
immediately, and the five-day grace period will be eliminated, she said. No minimum
age currently is in place for pesticide handlers, but that will change to age
18. In addition, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration
standards will become effective for respirators.
Exemptions will apply for family members, and the definition of
who is a family member will be expanded.
AgCenter entomologist Jeff Davis said the soybean looper is a
difficult-to-control insect pest that will cause a loss of six bushels an acre
with just 10 percent defoliation.The spinosyn insecticides are still effective.
“That’s the only thing I have that I know will work, at least for this year,”
Davis said.He said it’s not known where the insects that migrate into Louisiana
are coming from.
AgCenter entomologist David Kerns said controlling Johnsongrass
is a good control measure for sugarcane aphids that overwinter in the
weed.Scouting grain sorghum for sugarcane aphids is essential because of the
threat they pose to a crop, and they can double in population in three days, he
said. “If you miss five days with this pest and you’ve got high numbers, you’re
finished.”
Choosing a grain sorghum hybrid with resistance is the best
answer, Kerns said. But even the selection of a resistant hybrid doesn’t mean
it won’t be necessary to spray an insecticide for the aphids, he cautioned.
Seed treatments also provide some protection.AgCenter rice specialist Dustin
Harrell said nutrient uptake by rice plants is affected by soil pH.Harrell said
phosphorous is best applied at planting. When soil test values fall in the
“very low” category, 60 pounds per acre is recommended, but an additional 30
pounds are needed if a field will be second-cropped.
Harrell said nitrogen should be applied to dry ground before
permanent flood establishment. But in years like 2015, when soil was slow to
dry, preflood applications may have to be split into multiple applications. He
said it is a waste of money to use a urease inhibitor with fertilizer applied
in a flood.
AgCenter cotton specialist Dan Fromme said farmers may be
tempted to use conventional seed because of its cheaper price. “If you’re going
to try it, try a little,” he said.Two to three plants per foot of row is the
optimum plant population, he said. Nitrogen at 80 pounds per acre is best, but
too much nitrogen will hurt yields.Fromme said total defoliation is not
required before harvest. “You don’t have to have every leaf off.”AgCenter
nematologist Charles Overstreet said the 2015 cotton crop had the highest
nematode population he’s ever seen during his 37-year career.Rotating cotton
with corn and grain sorghum can help control nematodes in Louisiana. Some
soybean varieties have nematode resistance, he said.
AgCenter sugarcane specialist Kenneth Gravois said the variety
HoCP96-540 continues to prove its value as the leading choice, with LO1-299
increasing.Sugarcane yields have continued to increase since 1963, but the
biggest upturn started in the 1980s with better quality seed cane. In the early
1990s, he said, the release of LCP 85-384 resulted in a yield increase.At one
time, he said, more than 200 pounds of sugar out of a ton of cane was
exceptional, but that has now become the rule.
http://deltafarmpress.com/rice/louisiana-agriculture-consultants-honor-caffey-linscombe
World
Bank sees govt rice import monopoly a bad idea
February 24, 2016 11:08 pm
by
JOEL M. SY EGCO
THE GOVERNMENT’S policy of
“monopolizing” the importation of rice is not helping poor farmers, thus, it
does not bode well for the overall objective of achieving rice self-sufficiency
and inclusive economic growth, according to World Bank lead economist Rogier
Van den Brink.Van den Brink, one of the resource speakers at The Manila Times’
3rd Business Forum held at the New World Manila Bay Hotel, said the existing
strict government policy on rice importation “affects the entire country.”“The
Philippines can be (rice) self-sufficient (but because of) monopolizing rice
importation… it has failed,” the Bank executive claimed as he fielded questions
from forum participants.
He said the policy will not work
to increase the net income of farmers or to reduce the retail prices of the
commodity. What the government should do, he explained, is to embark on
programs that will modernize the agriculture sector.In his presentation, Van
den Brink noted that the current rice policy of self-sufficiency is not
achieved because a “significant gap remains between production and
consumption.” Likewise, the policy of “buying high” from farmers and “selling
low to the poor” is far-fetched from the actual performance.“Purchases are too
small scale to make a significant impact and only 11.5 percent of rice
purchases by the poor was NFA (National Food Authority) rice,” he pointed
out.The World Bank expert, a lead economist in the poverty reduction and
economic management department of the East Asia and Pacific Region, also noted
that the rice marketing system is underdeveloped.
“The widening gap between farm
gate prices and retail prices suggests increasing inefficiency,” Van den Brink
stressed.To correct these flaws, he suggested that government “open the import
regime of food commodities, in particular rice” by removing the “quantitative
rice import restrictions and its licensing system.”“Urgently, so that traders
have sufficient time to import, to avoid domestic food price increases,” he
further explained, adding that retail food prices can be monitored throughout
the country through “crowd sourcing.”Van den Brink pointed that in January
2015, a kilogram of rice in the Philippines was worth P35 while the Thais and
Vietnamese paid only the equivalent of P15 per kilo.For the medium term, he
suggested that after the removal of the quantitative import restrictions and
the tarification of the quotas, tariffs should be “progressively reduced over
time.”The WB official said there should be more investments in agricultural
productivity, specifically on research and development, agricultural extension,
rural infrastructure such as roads irrigation and electrification; secure
property rights; and farmers’ health and education.
FROM THE EXPERT
World Bank’s lead economist Rogier Van Den Brink (second, left) fields
questions during the 3rd business forum of The Manila Times . With him are
Eduardo Francisco, president of BDO Capital, Investment Corp, Alexander
Cabrera, chairman and senior partner of PWC Philippines and Nerilyn Tenorio,
editor-in-chief of The Manila Times. PHOTO BY DJ DIOSINA
Aceh to Produce 2.7
Million Tons of Paddy Rice in 2016
WEDNESDAY,
24 FEBRUARY, 2016 | 11:34 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Aceh Government is targeting
for 2.7 million tons of paddy production in 2016. The message was conveyed by Vice
Governor of Aceh Muzakir Manaf in a seminar held in Malikussaleh University,
Tuesday, February 23, 2016.According to Muzakir, Aceh Government is focusing on
three plants, namely paddy, soybean and maize. In 2016, apart from paddy, Aceh
Government is also targeting 131 thousand tons of soybean and 237 thousand tons
of maize productions.Based on last year’s data, paddy production in Aceh is
around 2.32 million tons, almost reached the 2015 production target of 2.4
tons.
According to Muzakir, production
target is more likely to be achieved with a hope that Village Law could
strengthen Aceh’s agricultural sector.“With the support of village fund, we
could develop a wide range of agricultural potentials in villages to improve
agricultural sector,” he said.To develop crop productivity, Aceh Government has
encouraged villagers to improve their agricultural activities through village
program as mandated by Law No. 6/2015 on Villages. Aceh Government also hopes
for agricultural sector to absorb greater number of workforce.In the seminar,
Dr. Iskandar, an academician, explained that the main problem faced by farmers
lies at the downstream, i.e. poor marketing. Farmers are unable to sell their
agricultural products with suitable prices. In fact, market prices drop as they
enter harvest period.“Students must be able to address the problem by creating
effective marketing mechanisms to maximize agricultural products marketing,”
Iskandar said
PM tells
drought-stricken Thailand to cut rice production
© AFP/File | Thailand is one of the world's top rice exporters, but
four consecutive years of below-average rainfall has drained water reserves and
left irrigation channels in the heart of the country dry
BANGKOK (AFP) -
Thailand's prime minister on Wednesday told
farmers to cultivate less rice to help the country manage its intensifying
water crisis, as experts called this year's drought the worst in decades.
Prayut Chan-O-Cha, the junta leader who
grabbed power in a military coup two years ago, said his administration was
working on a 20-year strategy to diversify the country's agricultural sector,
which has long relied on irrigation-intensive rice production.Thailand is one
of the world's top rice exporters, but four consecutive years of below-average
rainfall has drained water reserves and left irrigation channels in the heart
of the country dry.Many rice farmers are currently unable to muster enough
water to plant second crops, shaving their incomes and plunging many into
debt."We have to find measures to motivate rice farmers to change to other
crops (than rice)," Prayut told reporters on Wednesday, adding that
management of Thailand's "limited" water resources must be at the
core of agricultural planning.Thailand is expected to produce around 25 million
tonnes of rice this year, he added, without revealing how much less rice will
be grown in the coming years.
Water reserves across the country have
dipped below last year's levels, which were already considered a record low,
according to the irrigation department.Anond Sanidvongs, a Thailand-based
climate expert, said 2016 is shaping up to be the driest in decades."The
drought problem this year is probably the worst in 40 to 50 years," he
told AFP.Agricultural policies are often divisive in Thailand, with rice and
rubber farmers pushing hard for subsidies.The country's vast network of rice
farmers in the north and northeast form a political bloc that has voted for
governments led by, or aligned to, billionaire ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra
for more than a decade.His sister Yingluck was ousted by the 2014 coup but is
still wildly popular among rice farmers.She faces a decade in prison over a
rice subsidy scheme derided by critics as a populist handout to her support
base.Yingluck insists her subsidy was an effort to assist poor farmers
long-ignored by Bangkok's arch-royalist elite.They draw support from southern rubber
farmers who have taken a hit as global commodity prices plunge
http://www.france24.com/en/20160224-pm-tells-drought-stricken-thailand-cut-rice-production
