Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter
19th September, 2014
Today Rice News Headlines:
S. Korean gov't sets import rice tariff rate at 513 pct India's rice output, exports to climb on revival of monsoon Adelaide researchers find rice may help in battle of bulge Don’t give up on rice, researchers say Meet a scientist: David Gealy Rice Field Day S. Korea seeks to use mandatory rice imports on foreign aid California Drought: Water a Concern as Rice Harvest Begins Cambodia misses out on rice bid Commerce Ministry to keep rice price from falling below 8,500 baht per ton India initiates work to link Northeast with Bangladesh port Top rice exporter India importing over 100,000 T on temporary supply squeeze Ghanaian Rice Farmers Offered Fresh $75m Finance September 18, 2014 Busayo AgriBusiness Basmati exports to fall as Iran raises import duty to 45% Rice, Corn Harvests in India Seen Declining on Weak Monsoon Rain Arkansas Rice Industry Donates Almost 2 Million Servings to Feed Hungry Mississippi Cooks Up a National Rice Month Celebration Congress Passes Continuing Resolution Funding Bill Rice industry donates to Arkansas Rice Depot Festival this weekend highlights region’s rice history New panel to look at rice prices [Bangkok Post, Thailand
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News Detail‌ S. Korean gov't sets import rice tariff rate at 513 pct (Globalpost/GlobalPost) By Byun Duk-kun SEJONG, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government said Thursday it will set the country's tariff rate on rice imports at 513 percent, which it said will be more than enough to protect the country's rice industry by making imports more expensive than locally produced grain.The move comes as the country is set to liberalize its rice market from next year.The proposed tariff rate will be notified to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said.The rate, once confirmed by the WTO, will go into effect on Jan. 1, although the WTO process could take months to verify whether South Korea's proposed rate is appropriate, according to the ministry. "The tariff rate must undergo a verification process by WTO member countries, and thus the government will thoroughly prepare for the WTO verification based on its logic and data," it said.Still, the move to liberalize the country's rice market through tariffication faces strong opposition from farmers who claim that the proposed tariff rate will not make imports expensive enough.A government-ruling party policy coordination meeting to discuss the rice import tariff rate earlier Thursday was briefly suspended as angry farmers tried to occupy the meeting venue, throwing eggs and red pepper powder. Agriculture Minister Lee Dong-phil said the country neither could afford to further postpone market opening nor has any reason to do so,
especially while the country's rice consumption continues to drop."Over the past 20 years, our rice industry has been improving its competitiveness in terms of productivity and quality through continuous modernization and mechanization of its production process," he told a press conference. South Korea has been allowed to delay its rice market opening under a 1993 agreement with the WTO in exchange for gradually increasing its mandatory import quota, which reached 408,700 tons this year.Lee said the country will have to continue importing the mandatory quota even after next year's market opening, at a preferential 5 percent tariff rate.The 513 percent tariff on non-mandatory imports will effectively prevent an overflow of cheap foreign rice into the local market, the minister said, calling it "the highest possible level under WTO convention in agriculture. "Japan opened its rice market through tariffication in 1999, but it only imported an average 350 tons of rice under high tariffs from 2000 to 2013, according to the ministry.Taiwan, which also liberalized its rice market in 2003, imports only about 500 tons of rice per year, in addition to 144,720 tons in mandatory import quota.Deputy Agriculture Minister Lee Joonwon explained that Japan imposes a specific tax of 139 yen ($0.13) per one kilogram of rice imports, which, at the time of its market liberalization in 1999 was equivalent to an ad valorem duty of 1,066 percent, nearly double the 513 percent that South Korea is proposing. An ad valorem duty is a tax based on the value of an article and therefore varies due to changes in the price.In addition to the high tariff rate, the government announced a set of measures aimed at protecting the country's rice market, including
banning retailers from mixing domestic and imported rice.All rice imports will be subject to a review to verify their reported price, a move aimed at exposing false prices that would lower their market price, the ministry said.The government also reaffirmed its pledge to exclude rice from market liberalization under any future trade agreements."As it is also important to maintain the country's rice import tariff rate, the government plans to continue excluding rice from the list of products to be liberalized under any free trade agreements the country seeks to take part in in the future," it said.
India's rice output, exports to climb on revival of monsoon BY RAJENDRA JADHAV AND MAYANK BHARDWAJ MUMBAI/NEW DELHI Thu Sep 18, 2014 11:54am IST
(Reuters) - India's summer-sown rice output is likely to cross the previous year's level due to a pick up in monsoon rains, raising prospects for higher overseas sales in 2015 by the world's biggest exporter of the grain, trade officials said.Robust exports from India could keep a lid on global prices that have surged 12 percent in the past three months and help cut bulging government stockpiles built as a result of bumper harvests over the past several years. "There were concerns over production due to poor rainfall in June. The pick-up in rains from mid-July changed the situation. Now, the crop is in good shape," said B.V. Krishna Rao, managing director of Pattabhi Agro Foods Pvt Ltd, a leading exporter.In June, monsoon rains were 43 percent lower than the 50-year average, raising concerns about output of the rice crop that guzzles a lot of water. But rains
picked up in the past few weeks, narrowing the rainfall deficit to 11 percent."Overall rice production will definitely be higher than last year but it is a little early to quantify by how much," said Rajen Sundareshan, executive director of the All India Rice Exporters Association.Indian farmers do the bulk of the rice planting in the rainy months of June and July, with harvests from October. The summer-sown variety accounts for the bulk of India's total rice output.Farmers harvested a record 106.54 million tonnes of rice in the 2013/14 crop year, including an output of 91.69 million tonnes from the summer-sown crop.Buoyed by attractive prices in the export market, farmers have planted more areas with aromatic basmati rice, as it needs less water and is more sturdy, said Rajeev Setia, executive director of Chaman Lal Setia Exports Ltd. India and Pakistan exclusively grow the premium long-grain, aromatic basmati in the foothills of the Himalayas. Increasingly farmers are growing it in the northern plains. The superior variety carries a premium over non-basmati, or common grades of rice. Basmati rice accounts for a tenth of India's total rice production. India toppled Thailand two years ago to become the world's top rice exporter as a government intervention scheme priced Thai rice out of the export market and as Delhi lifted a four-year ban on nonbasmati rice sales in 2011 to trim stocks.But
Indian exports slowed down from April as local prices hardened amid a cut in export rates by Thailand to trim its inventory. A bumper Indian harvest will moderate prices and make its grain competitive in the world market, exporter Rao said. CHINESE APPETITE
Indian rice exporters are lobbying the government to persuade China to import nonbasmati rice from India during the three-day visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping this week.China is the world's biggest producer of the grain, but rising demand is forcing it to ramp up imports from Asian countries such as Vietnam, Thailand and Pakistan."China has signed protocols with other rice exporters like Vietnam and Pakistan. During Chinese president's visit we could sign the protocol with China," Rao said.India had already signed a protocol with China for basmati rice export in 2006.Traders believe India can export more than 1 million tonnes of nonbasmati rice to China. "It has freight advantages over Pakistan," said an exporter, who did not wish to be identified. (Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
Adelaide researchers find rice may help in battle of bulge Don’t give up on rice, researchers say RESEARCHERS at Adelaide University are encouraging Aussies not to give up on rice and say they should look to brown and black varieties for potential weight loss benefits.Dr Zumin Shi from the University of Adelaide’s School of Medicine said while rice in recent years has fallen out of popularity — thanks to people’s penchant for low-carbohydrate, highprotein diets — it can actually aid in weight regulation.―It’s often perceived that starchy foods such as rice are associated with weight gain. However, it’s really the quality of the carbohydrate that makes the difference,‖ Dr Shi said.―There is growing evidence that whole grains are beneficial in terms of body weight regulation.―Large studies conducted over the last 10-15 years have shown that a high rice intake is associated with weight control and an overall reduced risk of high blood pressure and abnormal blood fats.‖However, he cautioned this view ―needs to be considered alongside other studies that show rice intake may increase blood sugar and the risk of diabetes‖.Dr Shi said because rice is often cooked in water, it contains a lower energy density than a staple diet based on wheat and that unrefined options such as brown or black rice really up the nutritional boost.
―It’s clear from the available evidence that substituting rice for flour will offer health benefits, even more so if brown or black
(unrefined) rice is consumed rather than white (refined) rice,‖ he said.But, the co-author of Wheat and Rice in Disease Prevention and Health added that portion sizes still need to be taken into account to glean potential weight regulation and nutritional benefits.―Portion sizes of meals are always important — eating large amounts of rice with every meal is not recommended. People should also be aware that if they eat rice with other starchy foods such as bread and potatoes, they will not gain the dietary benefits they’re looking for,‖ Dr Shi said.He also said the glycaemic index (GI) of rice can be altered to provide further potential dietary benefits.―If you cook rice, then cool it in the fridge, the glycaemic index in the cooled rice will be reduced by the time you eat it the next day. So this can be a way to help counter the increased blood glucose associated with rice,‖ he said.Originally published as Grain power — why rice may help in battle of bulge
Meet a scientist: David Gealy Editor's Note: This is the seventh in a series introducing the scientists of the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center By Dawn Teer dteer@stuttgartdailyleader.com Posted Sep. 18, 2014 @ 5:44 pm Meet David Gealy, research plant physiologist: Describe what you study and what you do at DBNRRC.
I study the physiology, genetics and agronomic characteristics of economically devastating weeds, such as red rice and barnyardgrass that infest rice fields in the southern U.S. I am interested in how the weeds interact with the rice crop, and how best to minimize their negative impacts on the crop and the environment. How did you get involved in this line of work? Originally, I became interested in weeds control after spending lots of hot summer days helping my father, brothers, and grandfather pull redroot pigweeds out of large summer-fallow fields on our wheat farm. I thought that there must be a better way to get rid of these weeds; besides I’d much rather have been swimming! Did you always love science? What was your fascination with it that made you want to do the type of work you do? I always was interested in understanding how the world worked, so I asked lots of questions of family members and teachers, and studied in school. Sure enough, it mostly made sense, and I found that science offered a great platform from which to gain insights into answering reallife questions and solving problems. In addition to family influences, I think that I became especially interested in science while taking a chemistry class from an inspiring teacher in high school. Later, I decided that weed science could be a pretty good way to combine my interests in agriculture (always a farm boy at heart) and chemistry, and I was particularly interested in understanding the
chemistry and physiology of how some herbicides could easily kill the unwanted weeds, but not harm the crop plants. What brought you to DBNRRC? In 1993 USDA-ARS transferred me to Arkansas from Pullman, Washington where I had previously conducted similar weed physiology research on wild oats, jointed goatgrass and downy brome (cheatgrass) in wheat/legume cropping systems. As you can imagine summers are a bit hotter here in Stuttgart than in Pullman!
Rice Field Day Lunch for the 300 people who attended the Rice Field Day last Wednesday included tritip, sushi, salad, bread and two varieties of rice. Visitors from Kumia and Kutoku, Japan enjoyed the tours on Hamilton Road and Richvale Highway locations. Three new varieties of rice have been added at the experiment station.
What project are you working on now? We are trying to understand how much unwanted outcrossing occurs between herbicideresistant rice (i.e. commercial Clearfield types) and the weed red rice and how best to minimize it. Although herbicide-resistant rice varieties have greatly helped farmers to control red rice, occasionally, the red rice picks up the resistance trait from the crop through outcrossing. We use DNA marker methods to measure the amount of outcrossing between rice and red rice that has occurred in farm fields, and which red rice biotypes and rice varieties likely were involved. This is a crucial first step to dealing with this problem. In our most recent field tests, we are attempting to understand how this rice-red rice outcrossing problem might be affected by using an alternative reduced-irrigation system (intermittent flooding and drying) in comparison to the traditional permanently-flooded systems. We are also using a specialized gas analyzer to help us understand how the photosynthesis, water use and leaf temperatures of rice and weed plants may differ between these irrigation systems, which is very exciting. We hope to have some exciting results within the next few years.
Rice Field Day is held every year at the Rice Experiment Station in Biggs with hundreds of growers gathered to hear the latest research efforts that are key to maintaining California’s reputation as a world-class rice producer.Tours are given at the Rice Experiment Station and Hamilton Road following a business meeting of the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation (CCRRF). During this time Kent McKenzie, Ph.D. of CCRRF Rice Experiment Station gave the Directors Nomination committee report followed by Bert Manuel who presented the California Rice Industry Award.Each year a Rice Industry Award is given to a person who has contributed to this industry. This year’s winner is Ed Meyer, a grower from Butte County. His first rice crop was harvested in 1951. Ed was joined by his wife Lillian, son Kurt and his wife Patti, son
Walt and his wife Jan and their grandchildren.Field tours at the Main area included information on rice variety development and new insecticides for rice IPM. Hamilton Road tours heard about Rice Weed Control, herbicide programs, new chemicals and weed management.Lunch consisted of tri-tip, sushi, salad, bread and two varieties of rice.The over 300 people who attended included rice farmers primarily but also seed growers, representatives of Kumia and Kutoku, Japan, Case, Helena Chemical, Mid Valley Chemical, FMC, Simplot and Cal Poly.Valley Truck and Tractor and Sweco had some of the latest harvesting machines on display.For more information on the Rice Experiment Station see www.crrf.org where a video depicts the past 102 years of it's existence.
S. Korea seeks to use mandatory rice imports on foreign aid 2014/09/19 10:46
SEJONG, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to use part of its mandatory rice imports as aid to other countries, possibly including North Korea, the government said Friday.South Korea is set to liberalize its rice market through tariffication starting next year, which requires revisions to its agreement with the World Trade Organization (WTO) that prohibits rice imported under quota, known as minimum market access (MMA), from being used as aid to a third country. South Korea already struggles to find use for its MMA imports, which accounts for nearly 10 percent of its overall rice consumption, as the poor quality of the imports have long failed to attract local consumers despite their
significantly lower price than that of locally produced grains.North Korea, on the other hand, depends heavily on international handouts to feed its population of 24 million.The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Thursday it will submit its own revisions to the South KoreaWTO agreement before the end of this month as it launches negotiations on the country's tariff rates for rice imports.Even after the market opening, South Korea is required to import at least 408,700 tons of rice under the MMA. The WTO agreement bars the use of the MMA imports as part of food aid to a third country as MMA, by definition, seeks to promote foreign products in an importing country.Agriculture Minister Lee Dong-phil said the country's obligation to consume all MMA rice imports locally will be removed following its market opening next year."The government will first review the country's obligations under the agreement with the WTO as the rice market opening means the country is returning to WTO principles," he told a press conference Thursday.South Korea provided 2.5 million tons of rice to the North between 2000 and 2007. The country's humanitarian assistance to the North has since been nearly suspended after a series of provocations from the communist state, which included the North's second and third nuclear tests in 2009 and 2013. bdk@yna.co.kr
California Drought: Water a Concern as Rice Harvest Begins
Last Updated: Friday, 19 September 2014 04:23 Last Updated: Friday, 19 September 2014 04:23
September 18, 2014 - By Ching Lee - As rice harvest ramps up in the state, farmers agree their crop benefited from this year's good growing season, but impacts of the drought linger, with concerns that there won't be water available to decompose rice straw left in fields, a critical wildlife habitat during the winter for millions of birds. Sutter County grower Greg Van Dyke started harvest nearly two weeks ago on a short-grain variety that is one of the earliest to mature and expects to begin harvesting medium-grain Calrose, the predominant variety in the state, in another week.
He said while the growing season "went fine," limited water allocation from the South Sutter Water District presented some challenges, including the need to reduce 25 percent of his acreage and having to upgrade two pumps on his wells, which has increased his production costs.Some 140,000 acres of rice went unplanted this year due to water shortfalls, according to the California Rice
Commission. That's a 25 percent decrease from last year's crop.Van Dyke said because he planted fewer acres this year, he also hired 15 percent less seasonal labor and didn't buy as much fertilizer, herbicide, fuel and other inputs."It just trickles down throughout the entire economy," he added.To reduce demand on water and thereby lower his cost, Van Dyke said he did more dry-seeding this year. While the cultural practice is not widely used in the state, he said it cut his water use by 15 percent to 20 percent an acre without sacrificing yield. Because dry-seeded fields are not under water early on, there's less aquatic weed growth, reducing herbicide cost.Glenn County grower Larry Maben said his planting was delayed because the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District didn't deliver water to growers until May, but the rice caught up "fairly well" and he expects to start harvest the first week of October. He said his wells got him through the season and he was able to plant all his normal acreage. But he said his irrigation district has informed growers there won't be any water for rice-straw decomposition, and without the ability to burn the straw, farmers will need to find other ways to remove it."The only thing we can do is try to incorporate it and just hope there's enough moisture in the soil to break it down," he said, noting he will probably need to pump some water to wet his fields after harvest if there is not enough rainfall to properly decompose the straw. "But if we don't get some rain this winter, it's going to be a moot point, because we're not going to be raising any rice next year.
"Luis Espino, a rice farm advisor for the University of California Cooperative Extension, said decent winter rains will help with decomposition, if fields become well soaked and the straw is worked into the soil. But if the straw doesn't completely decompose by spring, growers will have to do more field work before they can plant. Too much organic matter in the field will produce gasses that can hurt the rice, he added. Yuba County grower Paul Baggett said if there is not enough winter water for ricestraw decomposition, some growers may end up baling it, which he did on 300 acres last year and then sold it to a company that used it for erosion control. But he said he doesn't know how viable the option is if there's no demand for the straw, as baling can be costly. Espino said some straw may be baled for cattle feed, but to do that, it has to be baled immediately following harvest when the straw is still moist. Baling has its drawbacks, as farmers won't be putting back nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous from the straw into the soil, and that means they may need to use more fertilizer in the spring, he said.Another concern with having a lack of water for winter flooding is the loss of winter habitat for waterfowl and other birds that use rice fields for food and as a resting place, said Paul Buttner, environmental affairs manager for the California Rice Commission. Normally, about 80 percent of the state's rice straw is decomposed in the field, or some 425,000 acres, and of that, 250,000 to 300,000 acres are winter flooded. But this
year, winter-flooded fields could be as low as 50,000 acres, Buttner said."These acres are critically important, because there's only a couple of thousand acres of wetlands in the Central Valley and those numbers will be down, so there's a huge concern over the amount of food available for these wintering birds, as well as concerns over disease if they're too concentrated in the small habitat that is available to them," he said.Not all growers will have access to groundwater for the purpose of rice-straw decomposition because there is a limited number of wells in the Sacramento Valley region, Buttner added.
The cost to pump water also is generally significantly more expensive than using surface water unless the farm can generate extra revenue, such as by having a duckhunting operation, he noted.Butte County grower Rocky Donati, who buys water from the Richvale Irrigation District, said he fallowed 25 percent of his acreage in order to sell water to farmers in other parts of the state who are in more-dire need of it.But Ralph Cassady, another Butte County grower who also had the option to participate in the water transfer, said he decided to plant all his ground, in part because of the promising market outlook.Baggett said he is optimistic about the market because he thinks the reduced plantings this year will drive a higher price for rice, although higher yields could offset some of the unplanted acreage.Southern rice-growing states also have planted more medium-grain rice this year in reaction to the shorter California crop. While that rice
cannot compete with the Golden State on quality, Baggett said, "it still does fill some markets that we will be unable to fill."
Commerce Ministry to keep rice price from falling below 8,500 baht per ton
(Ching Lee is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at clee@cfbf.com.) Reprinted with permission: California Farm Bureau Federation
Thursday, 18 September 2014By NNT
Cambodia misses out on rice bid Fri, 19 September 2014 Eddie Morton Cambodia has missed out on the Philippine government’s latest rice import tender for not being able to meet the delivery date.The Philippines’ National Food Authority (NFA) declared the results of its 500,000-tonne offer on Monday.Under the government-to-government agreement, the NFA has granted Thailand a 300,000-tonne import deal and Vietnam the remaining 200,000 tonnes, both at a rate of $475 per tonne. David Van, executive director of rice-exporting firm Boost Riche Cambodia, was not surprised at the result and said further expertise in largescale international commodity trades was needed before the Kingdom could cater to such an order.―Vessel chartering is a tricky business as any wrong calculation in loading or discharging rates for any given type of vessel . . . could ruin all your margins and even bankrupt a company if the vessel is stuck at the discharge port longer than anticipated,‖ he said.
BANGKOK, 18 September 2014 – The Ministry of Commerce has agreed to meet with rice growers' representatives every two weeks to ensure stability of rice price is achieved and to address the demands of rice growers. Commerce Minister Chatchai Sarikanlaya yesterday met with representatives from five rice growers' organizations to discuss measures to aid rice growers, the appropriate price of rice and the marketing of rice. It was agreed at the meeting that the government would work to keep the rice price from falling below 8,500 baht per ton. Measures to ensure this price level would vary according to circumstances. For the long run, cost of producing rice would be reduced and improvement made to the yield per rai of paddy.The representatives of rice growers and Commerce Ministry officials will meet every two weeks to follow up on these drives, with the first meeting set to take place next week, said the Commerce Minister.The Ministry of Commerce is also looking to implement the same model to oversee issues of other crops.
India initiates work to link Northeast with Bangladesh port By Indo-Asian News Service @indiacom | September 19, 2014 5:37 PM | comment Tags: Agartala, Andhra Pradesh, bangladesh, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Guwahat
Contact author: Eddie Morton Agartala, Sep 19 : India has taken the first steps to construct a Rs.70 crore ($11.5 million) bridge over the Feni river in Tripura to access Bangladeshi ports for transporting goods and
heavy machinery from other parts of the country to the landlocked and mountainous northeast and to boost trade and tourism, officials said.―The Tripura government has asked a New Delhi-based private company to prepare the detailed project report (DPR). We expect that the DPR would be ready by December this year and the actual work to construct the bridge would start after that,‖ Tripura Public Works Department engineer-inchief Sunil Bhowmik told IANS.
Once the 150-metre reinforced cement concrete (RCC) bridge is constructed, India’s mountainous northeastern states would be able to access Chittagong international port and other ports inBangladesh to ferry heavy equipment, foodgrain and other essentials from various parts of the country and abroad. The Bangladesh government has already agreed to allow India to use Chittagong port, about 75 km from Tripura’s southern border town of Sabroom.India is already using Ashuganj port on the river Meghna in eastern Bangladesh, which is around 40 km from Tripura, for transhipments. The Indian government has spent several millions of rupees to develop the port and its related infrastructure. ―The Tripura government would be spending Rs 60 lakh on preparing the DPR. Tripura’s industry and commerce department is the nodal department to build the bridge,‖ Bhowmik said. ‖The site, alignment and other technical details were finalised after a series of joint visits by officials of the Indian and Bangladeshi governments,‖ he added.Officials of the industry and commerce department said the Indian government would provide funds from the Assistance to States for Developing Export Infrastructure and Allied Activities (ASIDE) scheme to construct the bridge at
par with international standards. The Indian and Bangladesh governments agreed to construct the bridge after Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar urged both New Delhi and Dhaka to do so to resolve the decades-old problem of transporting goods from different parts of India and abroad to the northeastern states. This transportation via Bangladesh is much easier as surface connectivity is a key factor for the northeastern region, which is surrounded by Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan and China. There is only a narrow land corridor to the northeastern states from India through Assam and West Bengal but this route passes through hilly terrain with steep gradients and multiple hairpin bends.For instance, Agartala via Guwahati is 1,650 km from Kolkata and 2,637 km from New Delhi, while the distance between Agartala and Kolkata via Bangladesh is just about 350 km. ‖The proposed bridge over the river Feni would not only be easier to ferry goods and heavy machinery to the region, it would also greatly boost the trade between Bangladesh and northeastern states,‖ Tripura industry and commerce department special secretary Pravin L. Agrawal told IANS.―Bangladesh has long ago announced it would provide India access to all its ports. Bangladesh would also benefit if its ports are used by India,‖ he added. Agrawal said that tourism of the two countries would also be boosted once easier connectivity was established between them. Tripura, Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram have undertaken to develop various tourism-related amenities and infrastructure along their bordering areas. The four states share a 1,880-km border with Bangladesh.On an average, the distance between important cities of Bangladesh and northeastern India is 5 km to 50 km.
Meanwhile, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has started preliminary work to extend its network up to the Bangladeshi border town and railway station of Akhaurah, just six km from the Agartala railway station.In a first, a 5,000 tonne consignment of rice, of a total of 10,000 tonnes, carried in small ships from Kakinada port in Andhra Pradesh reached Ashuganj port in eastern Bangladesh via Kolkata Aug 5. From Ashuganj, Bangladeshi trucks carried the rice to Food Corporation of India warehouses in Nandannagar near Agartala. In 2012, Bangladesh had allowed India’s state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) to ferry heavy machinery, turbines and cargo through Ashuganj for the 726 MW Palatana mega power project in southern Tripura
Top rice exporter India importing over 100,000 T on temporary supply squeeze BY MAYANK BHARDWAJ NEW DELHI Fri Sep 19, 2014 3:21pm IST
A labourer speaks on a mobile phone while lying on sacks filled with rice at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) market yard, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad July 29, 2014. (Reuters) - India, the world's top rice exporter, is preparing to import the grain for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century to feed its remote and hilly northeastern region where rail freight is being disrupted due to a track overhaul.The country will import more than 100,000 tonnes of rice from neighbouring Myanmar over the next several months, likely spread out across 10,000-30,000 tonne tenders, government officials said.The
imported rice and grain from domestic stocks will be distributed to the northeast region through Bangladesh's Ashuganj port, the officials said.The imports and the distribution arrangement underscore the extensive challenges India faces as it tries to become a regional agricultural powerhouse. But the quantities are too small to shake up the rice market.India took the crown as the world's top rice exporter in 2012, with nearly 10 million tonnes of annual overseas sales since then. It last imported rice in the early 1990s.The country is undertaking the first major overhaul of the region's rail infrastructure since the British laid tracks there nearly 100 years ago. The broadening of the railway gauge will start in October and is likely to be completed in April 2015.The states of Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, and parts of Assam state, which normally receive their grain supplies from the northern plains of India, look set to be impacted the most by the work, the officials said. Rice is the staple food of the region, with consumption estimated at 80,000 tonnes a month. Bringing in the grain via Bangladesh, which is only a few hundred kilometers from the cut-off locations, is expected to be cost effective and less susceptible to delays than hauling it by truck across more than 1,000 km (621 miles) of mountain roads from traditional supply centers.State-run Food Corporation of India
(FCI), the main grains procurement agency,
of rice from Myanmar before the normal rail
uses railway wagons to supply rice and other grains to the northeastern states. But in the absence of modern broad gauge railway tracks, supplies beyond Silchar in Assam
route is ready in six months' time," said a second official.
frequently get delayed and disrupted. POT-HOLED ROADS
(Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
Ghanaian Rice Farmers Offered Fresh $75m Finance September 18, 2014 Busayo AgriBusiness
Dependence on the region's road network is also tricky.Road blockades are almost a regular feature in the militancy-hit region, where a long-running ethnic insurgency often leads to strikes and protests. The condition of the roads are also far from ideal."There are two highways - No.54 and No.40 - but the latter is in a bad shape because of pot-holes, leaving us with only one highway. For food supplies, it is always too risky to rely only on one highway," said a government official directly involved in organising grain supplies to the region.For a dry run, the FCI has started moving grains in ships from the eastern Kolkata port to Karimganj in Assam state. It is also testing an alternative route - shipping grains in barges to the Ashuganj port in Bangladesh for supplies to Tripura state.Earlier this month, state-run trader MMTC Ltd (MMTC.NS) floated a tender to import 10,000 tonnes of rice for delivery in Mizoram. Separately, the State Trading Corp (STCI.NS) has floated a similar tender to import 25 percent broken rice for delivery in Manipur."These are exploratory tenders. Let's see what sort of response we get but we do see the need to import more than 100,000 tonnes
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VENTURES AFRICA – Rice farmers in three northern regions of Ghana will now have access to additional funding, thanks to the newly launched $75 million fund secured by the SNV Netherland Development Organisation.The $75million fund which SNV acquired from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Financing Ghanaian Agriculture Project (FinGAP) will help to boost commercial rice production locally.FinGAP is a five-year funding intervention programme set up by the USAID to facilitate support for rice, maize and soya production. It was created to address constraints that restrict the development of commercial agriculture.Since it launched, it has provided funding for 1,700 farmers and processors, with rice manufacturers the major benefactors.
Basmati exports to fall as Iran raises import duty to 45% Sandip Das | New Delhi | Published: Sep 19 2014, 02:44 IST SUMMARYIn April-July 2014, Basmati rice exports have declined 12% to 1.19 million tonne, mainly due to slow down in the shipment to Iran. India’s Basmati rice exports to Iran, the biggest market for the country's long-grain aromatic rice shipment, are expected to fall this fiscal due to a hefty 45% duty on imports, imposed three months ago.Besides the Iranian government's insistence on certification on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and ISO 2200, which deals with food-safety management and packaging protocols have also slowed down the exports.As per the latest data, in the first four months of current fiscal (April-July 2014), Basmati rice exports have declined 12% to 1.19 million tonne, mainly due to slow down in the shipment to Iran. Sources said earlier Iran used to impose only 10% duty on rice import. However, it hiked the import duty a couple of months ago to protect its domestic farmers. The Iranian rice produce enters the market by July and August.―Last fiscal, the exports of Basmati rice to Iran had reached the highest level at 1.4 million tonne and this year, the shipment is expected to be around one million tonne,‖
said a commerce ministry official.The official said that depending on the domestic production in Iran, it would review the import duty structure in the next couple of months. Iran imports about 40% of rice requirement and around 80% of the imports is sourced from India. The commerce ministry official also said an Indian delegation will visit Iran in October to discuss rice export issues. ―We need a single-window clearance system for our rice exports to Iran so that shipment is streamlined and remains sustainable,‖ said All India Rice Exporters’ Association (AIREA) president MP Jindal,Meanwhile, Iran has also revised the 'accepted level' of arsenic in basmati rice from 150 ppm (parts per million) to 120 ppm and asked Indian exporters to put a tag on each pack of consignment ensuring traceability in case aresenic level is found more than the specified limit. Apart from Iran, other key destinations for Indian basmati rice are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Iraq. Non-basmati rice is exported mainly to African countries, including Benin, Nigeria, South Africa and Senegal.The value of Basmati rice exports in 2013-14 was at Rs 28,187 crore. The country exported 3.7 million tonne of Basmati rice last fiscal.India had launched a rupee-settlement mechanism from April 2012 with Iran to avoid sanctions from the US and the European Union.As part of this initiative, state-owned UCO Bank has tied up with four Iranian lenders — Parsian, Pasargad,
Rice, Corn Harvests in India Seen Declining on Weak Monsoon Rain By Pratik Parija and Prabhudatta Mishra Sep 19, 2014 5:20 PM GMT+0500 India’s monsoon-sown food grain production is poised to drop to the lowest in five years after a weak start to the rainy season curbed planting and cut yields, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said.Production of rice, corn and other grains will total 120.3 million metric tons this year, compared with 129.2 million tons a year earlier, Singh said. Production of rice, the biggest crop sown during the JuneSeptember monsoon period, is seen falling 4 percent to 88.02 million tons, he said. ―Erratic rainfall and dry spells in several parts of the country have impacted productivity of crops,‖ Singh told reporters in New Delhi today. ―However, this estimate doesn’t take into account the positive impact of rainfall this month.‖Planting of crops from rice to soybeans and lentils were delayed this year as about 90 percent of India received below normal rainfall in June. An estimated 833 million people out of the 1.2 billion population depend on agriculture for their livelihood and the sector accounts for 14 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product.
Rains revived in August, improving crop prospects.Production of oilseeds including soybean may fall to 19.7 million tons from 22.4 million tons, theAgriculture Ministry said. Sugar cane production may fall to 342.8 million tons from 350 million tons, while cotton crop is seen at 34.6 million bales of 170 kilograms each, compared with 36.6 million bales in 2013, it said.Monsoon rains rains will be 87 percent of a 50-year average of 89 centimeters (35 inches) this year, the weakest since 2009, the India Meteorological Department said last month. Showers have been 12 percent below average since the start of the season, the agency estimates. To contact the reporters on this story: Pratik Parija in New Delhi at pparija@bloomberg.net; Prabhudatta Mishra in New Delhi at pmishra8@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jake Lloyd-Smith at jlloydsmith@bloomberg.netThomas Kutty Abraham
Arkansas Rice Industry Donates Almost 2 Million Servings to Feed Hungry Rice indsutry donations to the Depot Helping neighbors in need
said Kim Aaron, President and CEO of Arkansas Rice Depot. "They continue to play an important role in our efforts to combat hunger here in Arkansas. The support of the growers and mills will make an immediate difference to thousands of hungry children, families and seniors served by our programs." LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS - Today the Arkansas rice industry donated more than 128,000 pounds of rice to the Arkansas Rice Depot to help feed hungry Arkansans. Participating rice processors were Riceland Foods, Inc., Windmill Rice Company, Cormier Rice Milling, Producers Rice Mill, Riviana Foods, and Specialty Rice, Inc. "The Arkansas rice industry is pleased to partner with the Arkansas Rice Depot to fight hunger in Arkansas," said Steve Orlicek, president of the Arkansas Rice Council. "We are proud that today's donation will provide 1.9 million servings of healthy and nutritious rice to hungry families across Arkansas." Arkansas Rice Depot is the only statewide, faith-based food bank in Arkansas and one of only a handful of food banks in the nation that do not charge a fee for the food provided. In 2013, Arkansas Rice Depot distributed approximately 9 million pounds of food and supplies, working with 300 food pantries and soup kitchens, more than 600 public schools, 70 Central Arkansas senior citizens, and in any community where a disaster strikes. Governor's Proclamation Governor Beebe (4th from right) declared it a very rice month in Arkansas! "I can't express how grateful we are for the Arkansas rice industry's generous donation,"
Arkansas is the largest rice-growing state in the nation and Arkansas rice farmers and millers contribute over $6 billion each year to the state's economy, employing nearly 25,000 Arkansans. Earlier Friday, Governor Mike Beebe issued a proclamation declaring September "Rice Month" in Arkansas.
Mississippi Cooks Up a National Rice Month Celebration Rice Luncheon So many choices!
CLEVELAND, MS - Today, Delta Rice Promotions, Inc. sponsored the 24th Annual RiceTasting Luncheon, in honor of National Rice Month (NRM). Nearly 1,500 people from across Mississippi joined the festivities to support local agriculture, and visit a variety of educational exhibits. More than 300 rice dishes, made by community members and local
restaurants, were donated for the rice tasting lunch. "It is great to see the community come out to support the Mississippi Delta farmers," said Laura Giaccaglia, Mississippi State University Extension Service Coordinator. "We look forward to celebrating National Rice Month each year because it allows us to educate the public about rice production and enjoy delicious rice dishes." USA Rice participated in the event as an exhibitor and provided attendees with rice information, recipes, and NRM promotional gifts.
"An omnibus bill could contain some adjustments in spending levels and could include some policy related items as well," explained USA Rice president and CEO Betsy Ward. "We'll remain very engaged with Congress to ensure there are no surprises come November." Contact: Reece Langley (703) 236-1472
Rice industry donates to Arkansas Rice Depot Updated 12:21 pm, Friday, September 19, 2014
Contact: Katie Maher (703) 236-1453
Congress Passes Continuing Resolution Funding Bill Here come your lawmakers... WASHINGTON, DC - This week, the House and Senate approved a continuing resolution (CR) that will fund the Federal government at existing levels through December 11of this year, including important USDA programs such as the Market Access Program and Foreign Market Development program. The CR also extends authorization for the Export-Import Bank until June 30, 2015.The CR was necessary as none of the individual appropriations bills have been approved by Congress, and the new fiscal year begins on October 1.
Congress has now adjourned, and will not return until after the November 4 elections. At that time, one of the "must do" items will be to address federal funding for the remainder of the fiscal year. Expectations are that an omnibus appropriations bill (all spending bills grouped together) will be passed prior to December 11.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Several rice producers in Arkansas have donated 128,500 pounds of rice to the Arkansas Rice Depot.The donation was made Friday morning at the Arkansas Rice Depot in Little Rock with the food to help feed hungry families in Arkansas.Rice producers participating in the donation are Riceland Foods, Inc., Windmill Rice Company, Cormier Rice Milling, Producers Rice Mill, Riviana Foods, and Specialty Rice, Inc. The Arkansas Rice Council also presented a $2,500 check to the Rice Depot. The Arkansas Rice Depot is a statewide food bank that works with 600 Arkansas hunger relief programs, including food pantries, school food programs, disaster relief organizations, and a statewide hunger hotline.Arkansas is the largest rice-growing state in the nation with production of nearly 9 billion pounds annually.
Festival this weekend highlights region’s rice history September 19, 2014 By Jonathan Spiers
PortCityDaily.com is your source for free news and information in the Wilmington area.The inaugural North Carolina Rice Festival is scheduled Saturday and Sunday at Brunswick Riverwalk at Belville. Image courtesy Town of Belville
A celebration of the region’s rice history and culture will fill the former Brunswick River Park in Belville this weekend.Now called the Brunswick Riverwalk at Belville, the park will play host to the inaugural North Carolina Rice Festival, a first-of-its-kind event intended to highlight the history and influence of rice growing, as well as its continued production in the state. Presented by the North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce, the two-day event will feature vendors and exhibitors, a rice-cooking contest, live music and other activities. Among the exhibitors will be a representative with the USA Rice
Federation, an advocacy group for the country’s rice industry. The fest will also feature a youth art show, food vendors, a beer garden and a kids’ play area. More information about events is available on the festival’s website, ncricefestival.com.Rice plantations were plentiful in the Lower Cape Fear dating back to the 18th century. The Woodburn plantation, in what is now Leland, was among those that dotted the banks of the Brunswick River, along with Clarendon and Orton farther south toward Southport. At Orton, efforts are currently underway to restore the plantation’s neglected rice fields. Owner Louis Moore Bacon, who purchased the property in 2010, intends to return Orton to its roots as a working rice plantation, following decades of use as a botanical garden and tourist attraction. Festival organizer W.C. Lanier, a Scotts Hill resident who has promoted events including the Cape Fear Wildlife Expo, said the activity at Orton was one of the motivations for holding a festival focused on rice. When he learned of a rice festival held in Arkansas, Lanier said he started researching this area’s history. ―I didn’t realize how much was grown. There were actually, in the late 1700s/early1800s, 64 rice plantations in the Cape Fear region,‖ Lanier said. ―And in 1860, I think there were eight million bushels shipped that year overseas, just from the Cape Fear region. We ought to play on that history.‖ Lanier said response to the festival has been positive, and he intends to make the festival an annual event. He said the Town of Belville, which is also a sponsor, is happy the event will also highlight its riverwalk—
an in-the-works project that will incorporate the park site on River Road, located across from Belville Elementary School. ―Of all the things I’ve done, we’ve probably got more excitement about this,‖ he said, ―because people start looking it up, and there’s actually several books been written right recently about the rice fields. Orton is starting to put their plantation back to its original state and actually is going to plant some rice fields and will be in production.‖ The festival is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5, free for children under 12, with proceeds benefiting the North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce and other nonprofits in the Wilmington area. Attendees should park across the street at Belville Elementary School, 575 River Road SE. jonathan.s@portcitydaily.com Image: The festival will be held at the Brunswick Riverwalk at Belville, located across N.C. 133 from Belville Elementary School. Photo courtesy Brunswick County.
New panel to look at rice prices [Bangkok Post, Thailand 09/18/2014 10:21 AM ET Sept. 18--A panel that includes representatives from the Commerce Ministry and farmers will be set up to address low paddy prices and work out strategies to handle rice issues.Boonyarit Kalayanamit, inspector-general of the Commerce Ministry and spokesman for Commerce Minister Chatchai Sarikulya, said the panel would meet every two weeks starting from next week to discuss rice prices and how to stabilise them, with a goal of shoring them up at a minimum of 8,500 baht a tonne.The minister called a meeting yesterday with five
farmer groups ? the Thai Farmers Association, the Thai Agriculturists Association, the Thai Farmer Support Association, a network of Thai farmers, and the Community Rice Center. They all agreed the new panel would play a vital role in sorting out farmers' problems.Mr Boonyarit said the ministry pledged to work closer with the state-owned Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives to offer soft loans to farmers in the Northeast and Upper North, where rice barn owners have delayed rice sales.The ministry is also committed to working out ways to improve the grains' quality, cutting production costs and raising productivity.The ministry will also establish "Mr Rice", a new unit to coordinate with other rice-related agencies and monitor the industry and related issues.Internal Trade Department figures show as of Tuesday, paddy prices this year with moisture of less than 15% were quoted at 7,500 to 8,200 baht a tonne.In related news, Mr Boonyarit said the ministry had been accelerating sales of state rice stocks but noted a key stumbling block was rice quality inspections, which took time. Rawee Rungruang, who leads a network of farmers, hailed the new panel.It will allow the government and state authorities to hear and see their real problems so they could work out accurate measures demanded by farmers, he said.Mr Rawee urged authorities to monitor paddy prices closely, saying the market was expected to feel the pinch in November and December, when the new harvest from the main crop would be churned out.
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