20th july ,2017 daily global regional & local rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

Daily Global Rice

E-Newsletter

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July 20,2017 Vol 8 Issue VII

Today Rice News Headlines...                            

Iran-Pakistan $5b Trade Target Optimistic Rice basmati remains weak on low demand, adequate supply Mirza Fakhrul compares ruling party with the Nazis Vietnam, Pakistan, Burma to drive 2018 global rice exports Iran-Pakistan cargo train services up as trade grows: Pakistani official Rice basmati remains weak on low demand Trade with CARs Pak-Iran FTA – an optimistic exercise Pakistan, Egypt enjoy strong relationship Sri Lanka to import 100,000 MT of rice from Thailand NDDC partners with Elephant Group to reactivate two rice mills 16 bidders to vie for NFA’s rice supply deal Vietnam Southern Food Corp. (Vinafood 2).

Researchers deliver results at Wagga rice symposium PhilRice develops first PHL heat-tolerant rice European Countries Seek Intervention On Rice Market Govt to set up 150MW power plant in Saidpur Agriculture minister says no to FTA changes on rice imports FCI asked to provide adequate storage space in godowns Preventive trade policies restrict export of key agri commodities: study Mother Sold Her Baby in Exchange for Half Bag of Rice Rice millers should not be allowed to operate like a cartel Time to focus on ‘more crop per drop’ Drop in rainfall likely to recover by next week: MFD Millers seek more time for sending milled rice Pulses drive townsvilles push into containerised grain exports PhilRice develops first PHL heat-tolerant rice U.S. Rice Exports Shine in 2017 Online Advertisement:mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 0321 369 2874 www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com www.ricepluss.com Monitor Latest Updates on www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com

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Rice basmati falls on reduced offtake Heavy rain flattens summer autumn rice in Mekong Delta Deadline nears for farm programs Govt touts success of final auction of quality rice Phoenix wins contract to supply 50,000 tonnes of rice to Bangladesh Sri Lanka purchases 100,000 MT rice from Thailand Sri Lanka offers to purchase rice from Myanmar Positive reaction to proposed rice straw fiberboard plant Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- JUL 20, 2017 Agriculture minister says no to FTA changes on rice imports U.S. Rice Exports Shine in 2017 SUN Selects Riso Scotti For Consilia Private Label Rice India Gate’ not registered; does not fall under GST ambit: KRBL State clears nearly all of rice supply

News Detail...

Iran-Pakistan $5b Trade Target Optimistic Wednesday, July 19, 2017

P

akistan is serious about its preferential and free trade agreement with Iran, in the

quest of an elusive exponential increase in exports.

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Pakistani policymakers hope for significant jumps in foreign trade, especially exports, as they enter round after round of negotiations with their international trading partners.

A report on the issue, published by Pakistan‘s biggest financial daily Business Recorder on Tuesday, follows: A case in point is the current PTA with Iran whose second phase of negotiations concluded last week. Pakistan and Iran hope to increase their $359 million trade in 2016 to $5 billion by 2021.

In 2004, Pakistan and Iran signed the PTA that came into effect in 2006. As per data from the International Trade Center‘s Trade Maps, Pakistan‘s bilateral trade with Iran increased from $622 million in 2006 to $1.2 billion in 2009, a 194% jump post-PTA implementation.

Despite the increase in trade, bilateral trade with Iran comprised just 2.5% of Pakistan‘s global bilateral trade, with exports to Iran accounting for 1.4% of Pakistan‘s total exports.

The only significant export to Iran was that of rice with 12% of Pakistan‘s exports finding a market in Iran.

In 2011, sanctions were placed on Iran and trade tapered off, not recovering even when they were lifted in 2013. For bilateral trade to increase from the current level to $5 billion in the next four years, the jump needs to be nearly 14 times!

Let us look at the exports to Iran for now. Going through the product lines, the highest potential of increase in trade is of rice exports to Iran. At the peak of Pakistan‘s exports in 2009, the top export to Iran was $200 million of rice that constituted nearly 80% of Pakistan‘s exports to Iran.

Pakistan produces roughly 700,000 tons of rice annually and is a leading producer of Basmati and non-Basmati rice regionally. While Basmati rice is considered a premium high-end rice, enabling Pakistan to earn more forex, Iran is also a market for non-basmati rice. Since the decline in non-Basmati variety has caused some concerns, the PakistanIran PTA in the works may give it the much needed boost.

Pakistan‘s top export in 2016 included $19 million worth of paper and paperboard while rice exports fell to $8.3 million due to the sanctions placed in 2011. On the other hand, Iran‘s rice imports from the world stood at $517 million, 97% of which were from India, since India circumvented the sanctions by using a barter model of trade that would not suit Pakistan.

Currently, other than rice, Pakistan has the potential to increase exports of medical instruments, since Pakistan‘s current exports to Iran are limited to $780,000 whereas Iran‘s imports globally were $147 million in 2016. As Sialkot‘s surgical goods industry is

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one of Pakistan‘s success stories, reduction in tariffs of medical instruments should be negotiated to become a part of the PTA. Another product that Pakistan has potential to export to Iran is cotton fabric. Woven fabrics of cotton are a significant export of Pakistan, but exports to Iran are non-existent, whereas Iran‘s imports from the world were $42 million in 2016.

Similarly, there is a long list of Pakistan‘s exports that the country is currently not exporting to Iran, but which Iran is importing from other countries. In the past, Pakistan‘s exports have been limited to a single top export to Iran but the PTA is an opportunity for Pakistan to increase its basket of exports.

However, if Pakistan insists on putting all its eggs in one basket as it usually does, the PTA is not likely to give a significant increase in exports, much less reach the naively optimistic goal of $5 billion of bilateral trade https://financialtribune.com/articles/economy-domestic-economy/68621/iran-pakistan-5b-tradetarget-optimistic

Rice basmati remains weak on low demand, adequate supply New Delhi, Jun 10 (PTI) Rice basmati prices drifted further lower by Rs 200 per quintal at the wholesale grains market today on fall in demand against ample stocks position.

By PTI Feeds | Published: June 10, 2017 2:22 PM ISTEmail

New Delhi, Jun 10 (PTI) Rice basmati prices drifted further lower by Rs 200 per quintal at the wholesale grains market today on fall in demand against ample stocks position.

Bajra and maize also eased on reduced of consuming industries.

Traders said easing demand from retailers and stockists against adequate stocks position mainly put pressure on rice basmati prices.

In the national capital, rice basmati common and Pusa-1121 variety fell further by Rs 200 each to Rs 7,000- 7,100 and Rs 5,700-6,000 per quintal respectively.

Non-basmati rice permal raw, wand, sela and IR-8 also slipped to Rs 2,225-2,250, Rs 2,2752,300, Rs 2,500-2,600 and Rs 1,850-1,900 as compared to previous levels of Rs 2,250- 2,275,Rs 2,300-2,350, Rs 2,700-2,800 and Rs 1,875-2,000 per quintal respectively in line with rice basmati trend.

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Other bold grains like, bajra and maize too declined by Rs 20 and Rs 50 to Rs 1,330-1,340 and Rs 1,360-1,370 per quintal respectively.

Following are today‘s quotations (in Rs per quintal): Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,100-2,345, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs 1,755-1,760, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,760-1,765, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs 255-290, Shakti Bhog (10 kg) Rs 255-290, Roller flour mill Rs 950-960 (50 kg), Maida Rs 960970 (50 kg) and Sooji Rs 1,040-1,050 (50 kg).

Basmati rice (Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300, Super Basmati Rice Rs 9,800, Basmati common new Rs 7,000-7,100, Rice Pusa (1121) Rs 5,700-6,000, Permal raw Rs 2,2252,250, Permal wand Rs 2,275-2,300, Sela Rs 2,500-2,600 and Rice IR-8 Rs 1,850-1,900, Bajra Rs 1,330-1,340, Jowar yellow Rs 1,550-1,600, white Rs 3,100-3,300, Maize Rs 1,360-1,370, Barley Rs 1,610-1,630. http://www.india.com/news/agencies/rice-basmati-remains-weak-on-low-demand-adequatesupply-2221178/

Mirza Fakhrul compares ruling party with the Nazis

Tribune Desk

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BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, centre, addresses a programme at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh in Dhaka‟s Ramna arranged by Jatiyatabadi Help Cell to provide financial assistance among the family members of those were “disappeared, killed and repressed by Awami League enforcers and law enforcers” Collected from BNP's official Facebook page Criticising Awami League leaders for their remarks that Khaleda Zia fled the country in fear of facing possible prison time in the cases filed against her, Fakhrul said even a dull-witted person won‘t believe it.

Accusing the government of continuing its repressive acts to eliminate its opponents, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday said the ruling party has even ―outshined German dictator Adolf Hitler‘s Nazi Party in carrying out brutalities.‖ ―The ruling party men often say Bangladesh is a role model in the world. Yes, it‘s role model but for repressive acts, suppressing political dissent and killing innocent people,‖ UNB reported quoting him as saying during a programme in Dhaka.

He criticised the Awami League leaders for their remarks that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia fled the country in fear of facing possible prison time in the cases filed against her, saying even a dull-witted person won‘t believe it. ―It was Khaleda Zia who played the most important role without any compromise in the country‘s democratic movements…those who‘re making such unguarded remarks should take a look at themselves in the mirror.‖ The BNP leader came up with the remarks while speaking at a programme at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh in Dhaka‘s Ramna arranged by Jatiyatabadi Help Cell to provide financial assistance among the family members of those were ―disappeared, killed and repressed

by Awami League enforcers and law enforcers.‖ Fakhrul said the entire nation is now passing very hard days due to misrule by the Awami League government. ―We must free the country from their grasp (Awami League) through the next national election.

We‘ll have to make people aware so that the ruling party can‘t return to power through deception.‖About the next polls, the BNP leader said it is not possible to hold a fair and credible general election under incumbent government.

He called upon the government to engage in talks with political parties for holding a neutral and acceptable election ensuring people‘s right to franchise. http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/politics/2017/07/20/fakhrul-awami-league-nazi/

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Vietnam, Pakistan, Burma to drive 2018 global rice exports

07/20/2017, 12:32 VOV.VN - Global rice trade has been projected to increase 1% to 42.3 million metric tons in 2018, the third highest on record and the second consecutive year of expanded trade, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

The USDA Economic Research Service noted that a major factor behind the enlarged trade in 2018 is projected increased exports from three of the top six global exporters—Vietnam, Pakistan, and Burma.

Exports of Vietnam for 2018 are expected to increase 400,000 metric tons, to 6 million, due to increased demand from Southeast Asia, especially the Philippines. China is again forecasted to be the country‘s largest export market.

Pakistan is projected to export 4.1 million metric tons of rice in 2018, up 100,000 metric tons from a year earlier, a result of a slightly larger crop, the USDA said.

Burma is expected to export 1.7 million metric tons of rice in 2018, up 100,000 metric tons from 2017, primarily due to stronger demand from regional buyers and the EU. In contrast, exports for India are projected to drop 500,000 metric tons in 2018 due to a smaller crop and stronger domestic use.

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According to the USDA, Thailand exports are expected to be flat in 2018, while US rice exports are projected to decline 50,000 metric tons because of higher prices and tighter supplies http://english.vov.vn/economy/vietnam-pakistan-burma-to-drive-2018-global-rice-exports354972.vov

Iran-Pakistan cargo train services up as trade grows: Pakistani official

Trade between Iran and Pakistan has increased with more cargo trains plying between the two neighboring states, said a Pakistani railway official from Baluchistan Province.Station Master of Quetta Railway Station, Muhammad Zafar Iqbal told IRNA that right now there are seven scheduled cargo trains between Iran and Pakistan in a month.

Compared to past years, there is a big increase in the number of cargo trains operating between the two countries which also means that bilateral trade is growing rapidly, he said.

Last year, trade between Iran and Pakistan increased to more than $1 billion indicating a growing trend after the JCPOA.

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He added that rail track between Quetta to Taftan border point is damaged and needs urgent repairs.

The official said that Iran sends mostly chemicals and cement while rice and other agricultural goods are transported from Pakistan through the rail road.

Zafar Iqbal said that Pakistan is interested in upgrading the railway track on its side but it would need the support of Iranian railways in this respect.

He said that if the track is upgraded, the two countries can also operate passenger train services for Pakistani pilgrims and other tourists going to Iran.

The official noted that there is absolutely no security problem along Quetta-Zahedan rail track and the trains run on this track even during nighttime.

He said that due to the slow train service, people prefer road trips between Iran and Pakistan. "In past we used to run three passenger trains between the two countries in a month," he said.

Last week an Iranian railways delegation visited Pakistan to participate in the 9th high level working group meeting of ECO Container Train on Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul route.

In a meeting with Pakistan's Secretary of Railways Parveen Agha, the Iranian delegation also urged Pakistan to give extra attention to Quetta-Taftan railway line which is an important section of Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul Container Train Corridor project.

There are only 14 railway stations in the last 553km section of the track. The total length of track from Quetta to Zahedan is 732km with the last 100km section being in Iran.

Earlier Pakistan's Minister for Railways had said that Pakistan Railway is working on a master plan to upgrade its three main arteries including Quetta to Taftan railway line which will improve connectivity among ECO states.

In 2004, Pakistan and Iran signed the preferential trade agreement (PTA) which came into effect in 2006. As per data from International Trade Center, Trade Maps, Pakistan's trade with Iran increased from $622 million in 2006 to $1.2 billion in 2009, a 194 percent jump post FTA implementation.

Despite the increase in trade, bilateral trade with Iran composed of just 2.5 percent of Pakistan's global trade, with exports to Iran constituting just 1.4 percent of Pakistan's total exports. The

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only significant export to Iran was that of rice with 12 percent of Pakistan's exports finding a market in Iran.

The highest potential of increase in trade is rice exports to Iran. At the peak of Pakistan's exports in 2009, the top export to Iran was $200 million of rice which made up nearly 80 percent of Pakistan's exports to Iran.

Pakistan produces roughly 700,000 tons of rice annually and is a leading producer of Basmati and non-Basmati rice regionally. While Basmati rice is considered a premium high-end rice thereby enabling Pakistan to earn more forex, Iran is also a market for non-Basmati rice. Since the decline in non-Basmati variety has caused some concerned, the Pakistan-Iran FTA in the works may give it the much needed boost

http://www.iran-daily.com/News/196903.html

Rice basmati remains weak on low demand PTI | Jul 19, 2017, 02:42 PM IST New Delhi, Jul 19 () Rice basmati drifted further lower by up to Rs 200 per quintal at the wholesale grains market today owing to slackened demand against adequate stocks position.

Other grains held steady in thin trade.

Traders said muted domestic and exports demand against adequate stocks position mainly kept pressure on rice basmati prices.

In the national capital, rice basmati common and Pusa- 1121 variety settled lower at Rs 6,5006,700 and Rs 5,250- 5,300 from previous levels of Rs 6,600-6,900 and Rs 5,300- 5,350 per quintal, respectively.

Permal raw, wand and sela also eased to Rs 2,200-2,225, Rs 2,250-2,275 and Rs 2,400-2,500 against last close of Rs 2,225-2,250, Rs 2,275-2,300 and Rs 2,500-2,600 per quintal, respectively in line with bamati trend.

Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal): Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,100-2,345, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs 1,770-1,775, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,775-1,780, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs 260-300, Shakti Bhog (10 kg) Rs 255-290, Roller flour mill Rs 975-980 (50 kg), Maida Rs 1,010-1,020 (50 kg) and Sooji Rs 1,035-1,040 (50 kg).

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Basmati rice (Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300, Super Basmati Rice Rs 9,800, Basmati common new Rs 6,500-6,700, Rice Pusa (1121) Rs 5,250-5,300, Permal raw Rs 2,2002,225, Permal wand Rs 2,250-2,275, Sela Rs 2,400-2,500 and Rice IR-8 Rs 1,850-1,900, Bajra Rs 1,190-1,200, Jowar yellow Rs 1,450-1,500, white Rs 2,900-3,100, Maize Rs 1,340-1,345, Barley Rs 1,500-1,510. SUN KPS SRK http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/rice-basmati-remains-weak-onlow-demand/articleshow/59664533.cms

Trade with CARs BR R E S E AR C H

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Earlier this month, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif left on a two-day visit to Tajikistan to discuss trade cooperation among other issues. In CPEC‘s backdrop, his visit to Tajikistan understandably

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laid stress on promoting and expanding connectivity to spur socio-economic growth and trade.

The Central Asian Republics consist of 5 countries: Kazakhstan, Krygstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Together, they provide a market of $251 billion with a population of $70 million. On average, their per capita income is $3,577 with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan providing the biggest markets.

Pakistan‘s $37.4 million exports to CAR in 2016 were less than 1 percent of CAR‘s total imports which amounted to $46 billion. India‘s exports to CAR were nearly 9 times more than Pakistan‘s exports. Among India‘s top exports to Central Asian states in 2016 were medicaments (HS Code 300490) worth $9.8 billion, rice (HS Code 100630) worth $ 5.2 billion, and cotton (520100) worth $1.34 billion.

Rice, medicaments, cotton, along with wheat, medical instruments, sugar, and cement are some of the top exports of Pakistan, in terms or quality and/or volume, which are in demand by the CARs. Given the scope of trade available with CARs, to see Pakistan‘s total export at $37.4 million to CARs is lamentable. Pakistan can access CAR markets from three sides: Afghanistan, Iran and China. While Pakistan is touting war in Afghanistan the biggest hurdle to trade with CARs, India has made its own routes.

India is a big driver of enhancements to Iran‘s Chabahar port which is expected to see its cargo volume increase fivefold to 12.5 million tons per year. India is also backing the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project that will connect Afghanistan through their neighbouring country Myanmar. Furthermore, India is working towards developing the 7,200km multimodal North-South Transport Corridor (NSTC) that will link India with Iran, Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia.

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India‘s bilateral trade with Central Asian states is a small percentage of its trade with the world, but it is investing not only to improve connectivity for trade but also to gain better access to natural resources of energy that the mineral rich region possesses. Projects such as NSTC will allow it to completely bypass Pakistan to tap new markets for trade, energy and investment.

On the other hand, Pakistan‘s rhetoric seems to concentrate on stability with Afghanistan for CAR access, which though important, is by no means the only way of accessing those markets.

China‘s Belt and Road Initiative would in the long term enable it to be better connected for access but so far little of the project has been completed outside of China.

In the short term, trade with CARs would rise if Chinese use Gwadar port to trade with Central Asia states and Pakistan uses road links with China to access CARs markets. Iranian free trade zone of Chabahar can be used to reach Central Asia as well. Playing a pro-active role in regional forums like Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation could also help expand trade volume with Central Asian states http://www.brecorder.com/2017/07/19/360038/trade-with-cars/

Pak-Iran FTA – an optimistic exercise BR R E S E AR C H

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Pakistan is fond of its Preferential Trade Agreements (PTA) and Free Trade Agreements (FTA) all in the quest of the as yet elusive exponential increase in exports. Not ones for shying away from chasing big numbers, in eternal optimism our policymakers hope for significant jumps in bilateral trade, especially exports, as they enter round after round of negotiations with our international trading partners.

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Case in point is the current FTA with Iran whose second phase of negotiations concluded last week. Pakistan and Iran hope to increase the 2016‘s $359 million trade to $5 billion by 2021.

In 2004, Pakistan and Iran signed the PTA which came into effect in 2006. As per data from International Trade Centre, Trade Maps, Pakistan‘s bilateral trade with Iran increased from $622 million in 2006 to $1.2 billion in 2009, a 194 percent jump post FTA implementation.

Despite the increase in trade, bilateral trade with Iran composed of just 2.5 percent of Pakistan‘s global bilateral trade, with exports to Iran being 1.4 percent of Pakistan‘s total exports. The only significant export to Iran was that of rice with 12 percent of Pakistan‘s exports finding a market in Iran.

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In 2011, sanctions were placed on Iran and trade tapered off, not recovering even when they were lifted in 2013. For bilateral trade to increase to increase from current levels to $5 billion in the next 4 years, the jump needs to be nearly 14 times!

Let us look at the exports to Iran for now. Going through the product lines, the highest potential of increase in trade is of rice exports to Iran. At the peak of Pakistan‘s exports in 2009, the top export to Iran was $200 million of rice which comprised of nearly 80 percent of Pakistan‘s exports to Iran.

Pakistan produces roughly 700,000 tonnes of rice annually and is a leading producer of Basmati and non-Basmati rice regionally. While Basmati rice is considered a premium high-end rice thereby enabling Pakistan to earn more forex, Iran is also a market for non-basmati rice. Since the decline in non-Basmati variety has caused some concerned, the Pakistan-Iran FTA in the works may give it the much needed boost.

Pakistan‘s top export in 2016 was $19 million of paper and paperboard while rice exports have fallen to $8.3 million due to the sanctions placed in 2011. On the other hand, Iran‘s rice imports from the world are $517 million, 97% of which were from India, since India circumvented the sanctions by using a barter model of trade that would not suit Pakistan.

Currently, other than rice, we have potential to increase exports of medical instruments (HS Code 901890) since Pakistan‘s current exports to Iran are limited to $780 thousand whereas

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Iran‘s imports globally were $147 million in 2016. Given that Sialkot‘s surgical good industry is one of Pakistan‘s success stories, reduction in tariffs of medical instruments should be negotiated to become a part of the FTA.

Another product that we have potential to export to Iran is cotton fabric. Woven fabrics of cotton (HS Code 520819) are a significant export of Pakistan but exports to Iran are non-existent, whereas Iran‘s imports from the world were $42 million in 2016.

Similarly, there is a long list of Pakistan‘s exports that we are currently not exporting to Iran but which Iran is importing from other countries. In the past, Pakistan‘s exports have been limited to a single top export to Iran but the FTA is an opportunity to increase our basket of exports.

However, if we insist on putting all our eggs in one basket as we usually do, the FTA is not likely to give a significant increase in exports, much less reach the naively optimistic goal of $5 billion of bilateral trade. http://www.brecorder.com/2017/07/18/359846/pak-iran-fta-an-optimistic-exercise/

Pakistan, Egypt enjoy strong relationship Egypt Ambassador Sherif Mohamed Kamaleldin Shaheen talks to Pakistan Observer Interview Zubair Qureshi Q: Pakistan and Egypt enjoy exemplary bilateral relations in education, health and trade and Egypt is one of the great host nations for the Pakistani workforce. Which cementing factor in your opinion is binding the two coun-tries together in friendly relations?

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A: The two countries have enjoyed a strong and supportive relationship since Pakistan‘s independence in 1947, as Egypt was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with Pakistan in 1948.

Therefore, historically our relation with Pakistan was based on our support for its‘ independence as a strong Muslim nation, and this was further strengthen as Pakistan‘s role in the Arab-Israeli conflict was highlighted through its support to the Arab cause.

Q: What is the commonly shared vision of the leadership of the two countries?

A: We take pride that the two countries are considered to be two of the most powerful armies in the Muslim Umma, and we both opt to improve the wellbeing of Muslims around the world, and

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cooperate to enhance the interests and shed light on important issues of concern to the developing nations.

Q: Which particular areas of bilateral relations are the hallmarks of the two countries‘ strong cooperation?

A: We have strived to strengthen various aspects of our bilateral relations, and in this regard the military and security cooperation is deemed one of the most successful aspects of bilateral relations. Both countries have witnessed exchange of high level visits in these fields, and there is constant developments to further enhance such cooperation.

Q: Which areas of bilateral cooperation in your opinion can be further improved?

A: The economic and trade cooperation between the two countries is not at its optimal level, and there is a lot of potential that has unfortunately not been explored, and both sides are encouraged to put forward initiatives to enhance trade cooperation. There were several visits concluded to Egypt this year by a couple of senior members of several chambers of commerce in Pakistan, to jump start this process, and we expect further discussions as the joint commission between the two countries is convened by this year.

Q: What is the current trade volume between Pakistan and Egypt?A: The bilateral trade volume has reached USD$ 280 million.

Q: What does Egypt import from Pakistan and what does Pakistan import from Egypt? How can the trade imbalance be addressed?

A: Egypt attaches great importance to importing the following products from Pakistan: rice, sports equipment, surgical instruments, fabrics, grains, tires, mechanical spare parts,matches, office supplies, leather and fertilizers. Whereas Pakistan imports petrochemicals, fruits, vegetables, electronics, linen, fabrics, construction material, pharmaceuticals, and office supplies.

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Q: On international front Pakistan is active supporter of Arab countries‘ unity, solidarity and stability, how does the Arab nations particularly Egypt can help Pakistan out in resolving sevendecade old Kashmir dispute with India?

A: Egypt has always supported the Kashmiri people‘s struggle for their freedom, and this is reflected in our sup-port to all resolutions adopted by the United Nations in this regard and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The Kashmiri struggle needs to be promoted in the international arena and the plight of the Kashmiris‘ has to be objectified to the international public opinion in order to push with the implementation of the UN resolutions.

Q: How can the organizations like OIC and Arab League be made true representative of over 1 billion Muslim population of the world?

A: These organizations are governmental mechanisms and therefore it up to the political will of the leaders of the member countries to promote the issues of concern to the Muslim Umma, especially that we should all be unified towards the betterment of our peoples and their interests.

Q: With regard to situation in Syria and Yemen, what role does Egypt play to restore peace in the region and what is its stance on the situation?

A: Egypt has always called for peaceful resolution of all disputes, and rejects any foreign intervention in order to preserve the sovereignty and unity of all countries. Egypt has sought to mediate between disputing parties through regional and international mechanisms, and was host to some of the peace talks with regards to the Syrian issue.

Q: Recently, another crisis has raised its head in the Gulf vis-à-vis Qatar and the rest of the Arab countries, what is the Egyptian government‘s stand on this crisis and why the ME countries have cornered Qatar?

A: Qatar has unfortunately harboured extremely hostile policies towards Egypt for the last 20 years, and has inter-fered in our domestic affairs to the extent of funding and supporting dissent which threatens Egypt‘s stability and security. Egypt has strived to resolve such issues amicably,

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but Qatar refuses to refrain from such aggression which will not be tolerated anymore.Q: How the crisis can be resolved amicably?

A: Through on going mediation of the state of Kuwait.

Q: Is there any remote possibility of Egypt closing down border with Qatar?A: We don‘t have any common borders with Qatar, but we have closed our air space and denied access to our sea ports as part of our sovereign rights.

Q: What is the Egyptian government‘s role in restoring peace and stability in neighbouring Iraq?

How can the world be saved from the menace of Daesh?

A: We have always been supportive of restoring peace and stability in Iraq, and the Egyptian Government has given military assistance to the Iraqi forces in terms of training their forces in order to enhance their combat capa-bilities. And as for the DAESH phenomena, it requires coordination and cooperation of international and regional powers, as it can‘t be faced unilaterally, it‘s a war that needs all countries to unite. There has to be an international unified front against the DAESH ideology.

Q: How many Egyptian students are enrolled in Pakistani institutions and what does Egypt plan to promote education diplomacy between the two countries?

A: Egypt already offers around 30 scholarships to Pakistani students to study at AL-Azhar University, also some scholarship programs are offered to officials in the field of Agriculture, where they attend a 3 month course in the Egyptian International Center for Agriculture. The Embassy will most certainly try to increase the number of scholarships according to the needs of the Pakistani government. http://pakobserver.net/pakistan-egypt-enjoy-strong-relationship/

Sri Lanka to import 100,000 MT of rice from Thailand

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another shipment of white raw rice owing to its high price.The Ministry of Industry and Commerce said the total amount of rice to be imported from Thailand, Pakistan, Myanmar and India now stands at 255,000 MT, from deals with both foreign governments and private sector suppliers.

Letters of Agreement for the 100000 MT of par boiled rice from Bangkok are to be issued by Colombo this week and shipping for it from Bangkok is to commence as soon as Thai Attorney General‘s office issues the go-ahead, a statement said.

The Thai supplier‘s price before shipping for a kilo of rice is Sri Lankan Rs65.31 as of July 18 rates. ―Another 100,000 MT order of white raw rice from Thailand was held back for the time being by Sri Lankan officials due to comparatively higher Bangkok price viz-a-viz Myanmar‘s quote for the same,‖ the ministry said.

It said Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen had also ordered rice from Pakistan and Myanmar to make up for a shortfall in the island.

Myanmar government agreed to supply 30,000 MT white raw rice immediately at prices ranging from US$ 290 per MT to $350 per MT. The supplier‘s price before shipping for a kilo of rice ranges from Rs 44.57 to Rs 53.80, as of July 18 rates, the ministry said.

Myanmar also agreed to supply another tranche of par boiled rice in September with the amount and price yet to be agreed.

Pakistan‘s government is supplying 25,000 MT of white raw rice immediately, subject to a final price quote and to supply another 100,000 MT of par boiled rice in September with the final price to be agreed on.

Another 100,000 MT rice is to be purchased by the government of Sri Lanka from India‘s private sector suppliers immediately and Ministry of Industry and Commerce officials are now in the process of collecting tender bids for it.

(COLOMBO, July 18, 2017) http://www.economynext.com/Sri_Lanka_to_import_100,000_MT_of_rice_from_Thailand-38345-9.html

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NDDC partners with Elephant Group to reactivate two rice mills Author: Buchi Obichie UPDATED: A DAY AGO VIEWS: 4752 Category: Local news SHARE ON FACEBOOK SEND VIA EMAIL SHARE ON FACEBOOK SEND VIA EMAIL - The 2 rice mills built with technical support from Thailand had become rusty after 10 years of lying fallow - The minister of state for agriculture, Heineken Lokpobori, disclosed that with the reactivation project, the federal government aimed to integrate the Niger Delta region into its food security project - Pending the signing of a final agreement, the Elephant Group is set to begin a reactivation scheme, starting with the mill in Rivers state The N1.5 billion rice mills built by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) 10 years ago are set to become operational, thus creating 1,000 jobs via a mass rice production scheme, Business Day reports.

In addition, in a deal brokered by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture between the NDDC and the Elephant group - which will act as an operator- the region is also set to become part of the rice-growers scheme. READ ALSO: How Godwin Obaseki won the Edo Gubernatorial Election The two rice mills built by the NDDC in Rivers and Akwa-Ibom states 10 years ago had remained fallow through successive managements. As a result, they had become rusty, with various compartments missing. The mills had been built with technical support from Thailand. Heineken Lokpobori, the minister of state for agriculture, while speaking at the NDDC conference room in Port Harcourt on Monday, July 17, stated that the federal government aimed to integrate the Niger Delta region into its food security project, hence it orchestrated the reactivation project.

As soon as a final agreement is signed and both mills handed over, the Elephant Group is set to begin the reactivation scheme beginning with the mill in Elele, Rivers state. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigeria‘s #1 news app Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that the federal government has acquired 110 rice milling machines to be installed in different parts of the country, between now and July, to boost rice production across the country. Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, confirmed this development. The presidential aide had previously stated that Nigeria is the second largest producer of rice in the world.

Watch this NAIJ.com TV video about Sunny Ofehe, the new face of Niger Delta development: READ MORE THINK IT IS IMPORTANT? SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS! SHARE ON FACEBOOK SEND VIA EMAIL Advertise with us RECOMMENDED NEWS The Islamists are bent on islamising Nigeria - Pastor David Oyedepo (Video) Ex-Niger Delta agitators, youths pledge to support Buhari‘s government United Nations assesses Osinbajo, scores acting president after death of 97 fishermen in Bakassi Peninsula OPINION: Why Nigerians should leave Buhari alone to address his health challenges SUBSCRIBE NOW TO GET NEWS EVERY DAY FROM NAIJ.COM TAGS: Rice Nddc News Ministry Of Agriculture And Rural Development Rice Mills HOT: Adesua Etomi husband Jamb 2017 closing date Richest black woman in the world Jamb mock exam Nigerian Police Force RELATED NEWS How I treated Buhari on the day of his arrest in 1985 - Sambo Dasuki How I treated Buhari on the day of his arrest in 1985 - Sambo Dasuki Alleged plot by CABAL to return Buhari to Nigeria on July 27 exposed by popular media Alleged plot by CABAL to return Buhari to Nigeria on July 27 exposed by popular media What Makarfi, Fayose, other

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23 PDP chieftains discussed at Abuja (Photo) What Makarfi, Fayose, other PDP chieftains discussed at Abuja (Photo) There is a new plot to assassinate Sheikh Zakzaky - IMN members raise alarm Some people want to kill our leader - IMN members cry out BREAKING: Violent protest in Apapa as policeman shoots tanker driver dead (photo) BREAKING: Violent protest in Apapa as policeman shoots tanker driver dead (photo) See what a scammer has been doing with Dolapo Osinbajo's name (photos) Scammer impersonates wife of Acting President Osinbajo on Facebook (photos) NAIJ EXCLUSIVE: We are suffering - PDP women vow to vote APC out in 2019 (photos, video) NAIJ EXCLUSIVE: We are suffering - PDP women vow to vote APC out in 2019 (photos, video) Advertise with us Advertise with us Submit your story Contact us info@naij.com Tags Categories Feedback Mail on NAIJ.com Privacy policy We are hiring DMCA Removal Nigerian newspapers SOCIAL Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube APPLICATION ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. © 2011-2017 NAIJ.COM NIGERIA BREAKING NEWS https://www.naij.com/1115599-nddc-partners-elephant-group-reactivate-rice-mills.html

16 bidders to vie for NFA‟s rice supply deal

By Jasper Y. Arcalas JULY 18, 2017

State-run National Food Authority (NFA) on Tuesday said there are already 16 foreign suppliers that are keen on selling rice to the Philippines for its buffer-stocking needs.

NFA Spokesman Marietta Ablaza told the BusinessMirror that as of July 17, there are an additional five importers from the initial 11 foreign rice exporters who joined the prebid conference for the food agency‘s importation of 250,000 metric tons (MT) of rice through an open tender. ―Sixteen bidders have already bought bid documents as of yesterday [July 17],‖ Ablaza said in a text message. ―[These are] Phan Min Investment Production Trading Services, Hiep Loi Food [Joint Stock Co.], Thuan Minh Import Export Corp., Wilman Trading—all from Vietnam—and Thai Capital Crops Co. Ltd.‖

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There have already been 11 interested private exporters that bought bidding documents costing P75,000 on July 13 for the food agency‘s importation of rice under a government-to-private (G2P) procurement scheme.

The 11 interested foreign suppliers include five Thailand-based companies, namely, Ponglarp Co. Ltd., Thai Hua Co., Capital Cereals Co. Ltd., Asia Golden Rice Co. Ltd. and Thai Granlux International Inc. Meanwhile, four rice-exporting companies from Vietnam will participate in the bidding process: Gentraco, Gia International Corp. and state-owned Vietnam Northern Food Corp. (Vinafood I) and Vietnam Southern Food Corp. (Vinafood 2).

Also keen on supplying the country‘s rice requirement are Singaporean Olam International Ltd. and Dutch company Louis Dreyfus Co. Ablaza said they are welcoming all interested exporters until 30 minutes before the proper bidding conference on July 25. The NFA said exporters that bought bid documents from them could participate in the bidding process.

The NFA has scheduled the proper bidding process on July 25. The NFA is spending P5.637 billion for the importation of the 250,000 MT of rice to prop up its dwindling buffer stock during the lean months, when rice harvest goes down significantly.

On July 6 the NFA published the terms of reference (TOR) for the purchase and supply of 250,000 MT of 25-percent broken well-milled long grain white rice of omnibus origin under G2P. Under the TOR, the NFA said prospective bidders will bid for the imported volume on a lot basis. ―Prospective bidders may bid for any of the lots, provided that the bid must be the minimum/maximum of the imported rice allocated per lot, but the maximum quantity to be awarded per supplier must not be higher than 50,000 MT,‖ it read.

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The NFA divided the delivery of the 250,000 MT of rice into two periods: August and September. The NFA said 120,000 MT of rice should arrive within August, while the remaining 130,000 MT should arrive by September. http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/16-bidders-to-vie-for-nfas-rice-supply-deal/

Researchers deliver results at Wagga rice symposium Nikki Reynolds@nikkireynolds1

19 Jul 2017, 3:30 p.m.

Chris Blanchard BOOSTING profits by enhancing rice quality was at the centre of a rice industry symposium in Wagga this week. It was a chance for those at the coalface of the industry to learn about the latest developments in scientific research.

Rice cracking – or breaking down of the grain – is one of the banes of the industry and can reduce returns to the grower.

New work outlined by NSW Department of Primary Industries researcher Dr Mark Talbot of Yanco promises to help growers identify a percentage of ―cracked‖ rice.

He said the automation of this was needed specifically for rice destined for ―puffing‖ which is used in breakfast cereals or sushi rice. ―If you have a cracked grain of rice it doesn‘t puff properly … this is potentially a problem that affects the whole supply chain.‖ The event was hosted by the Functional Grains Centre and the centre‘s director, Professor Chris Blanchard said it was an opportunity to bring members of the industry together to learn about new research. ―This is the first time we have got all of the industry players together in a grain-quality space, we quite often bring people together in the production space,‖ Professor Blanchard said.

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He said there was a surprising amount of research related to the rice industry being conducted in the southern NSW region. The symposium highlighted a number of rice industry inroads including research into coloured rice and also the health benefits of the grain. ―The aim was to bring together stakeholders including growers, processors and scientists to highlight current projects to improve rice quality and to develop a plan for future investment in research and development,‖ he said.

The symposium also heard from the Australian Farm Institute‘s general manager research Richard Heath and NSW Trade and Investment senior export adviser Mr Wayne Murphy http://www.therural.com.au/story/4799943/researchers-deliver-results-at-wagga-rice-symposium/

PhilRice develops first PHL heat-tolerant rice

By Jasper Y. Arcalas JULY 19, 2017 The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) is currently developing the country‘s first series of heat-tolerant rice varieties as an answer to the ill effects of climate change.

In a study, titled ―Quantitative Trait Loci [QTL] for high-temperature tolerance in rice [Oryza sativa L.]‖, PhilRice researchers Norvie L. Manigbas, Jupier L. Gorospe and Evaristo A. Abella of the Central Luzon State University has found a way to produce the first heat-tolerant rice variety in the Philippines. ―As of now, we do not have any heat-tolerant rice varieties released in the country. Through this study, we‘ve learned that the heat-tolerant trait is associated to the plants‘ heading days, time of flowering, fertility and dehiscent temperature—most of which are found in the nine QTLs,‖ Manigbas added in a news statement on July 18.

Manigbas added they found out nine QTLs containing the genes that can counter the ill effects of high temperature. QTLs are sections of DNA containing the genes that control the trait.

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―These QTLs were found through the backcrossing of Dular and NSIC Rc150 [Tubigan 9]. Dular is an Indian heat-tolerant rice variety that has low yield potential,‖ Manigbas said. ―Tubigan 9, on the other hand, is a Philippine rice variety with an average yield of 8.5 tons per hectare but not resistant to high temperature,‖ Manigbas added.

Backcrossing is an effective method to transfer one or a few genes controlling a specific trait from one line into a second—usually elite—breeding line.

The researchers identified six major QTLs—qHTfert1, qHTfert3 qHTfert4, qHTtof10, qHTdht3, and qHThd3—and three minor QTLs, namely, qHTdht4, qHTdht10 and qHTdht5.

Manigbas said these QTLs will be used in mapping genes using molecular markers and incorporating the genes into high-yielding cultivars through marker-assisted breeding. ―Through this process, breeding new cultivars becomes faster,‖ Manigbas said.

The attached agency of the Department of Agriculture said earlier studies have confirmed that high temperature affects all growth stages of rice.―However, it is from the booting to flowering stage that rice is most sensitive to high temperature,‖ PhilRice said. ―Moreover, temperature exceeding 35 degrees at flowering stage can cause high pollen and grain sterility in rice. This leads to serious yield loss, low grain quality and low harvest index,‖ it added.

At present, six advanced promising lines are currently being tested for multilocation trials in the National Cooperative Test under high temperature environments, according to PhilRice.

Manigbas and company‘s study won the Outstanding Scientific Paper Award during the 39th National Academy of Science and Technology Annual Scientific Meeting recently held at the Manila http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/philrice-develops-first-phl-heat-tolerant-rice/

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European Countries Seek Intervention On Rice Market Jul 19 2017 4:08 PM in Supply Chain tagged: Rice / Italy / EU Italy, together with seven other countries, has requested urgent measures by the European Commission to support the European rice market.

Italy‘s Ministry of Food and Forestry Policies stated that it launched the initiative together with other leading rice European producing countries - France, Spain, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Portugal and Romania.

The agriculture ministers signed a strategic document with four fundamental demands. These include the activation of the safeguard clause for imports from less developed countries; the recognition of the specificity of the sector in the new Common Agricultural Policy; enhancing labelling models through initiatives to increase the consumption of rice produced in the EU; and conducting in-depth studies to assess the effects that these systems have on less-developed countries.

Industry Priorities According to Italy‘s Minister of Food and Forestry Policies, Maurizio Martina, preserving the income of Italian producers is the top priority, adding that Italy and Europe ―can no longer afford a market imbalance caused by agreements that put our farmers at a disadvantage and are in danger of resetting European production‖.

A recent market analysis since 1 September 2009, when full liberalisation of imports from the less-developed countries began, shows a progressive increase of rice imports to the EU (+65% since the season 2008/2009), reaching a record 1.34 million tonnes in 2015/2016.

Over the same period there has also been a 45% increase in imports of rice in small packages, while European stocks have reached record levels (586,000 tonnes, 30% of the EU production).

Italy‘s Ministry of Food and Forestry Policies has warned that, if these trends continue, there is a real risk that EU will become completely dependent on rice imports. https://www.esmmagazine.com/eu-countries-intervention-rice-market/46491

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Govt to set up 150MW power plant in Saidpur 12:00 AM, July 20, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 12:00 AM, July 20, 2017 Rejaul Karim Byron The government is set to build a diesel-fired 150 megawatt power plant in Saidpur, the fuel for which will be imported from India.

The cabinet committee on economic affairs yesterday approved the proposal for setting up the power plant through financing under an export credit agency.

This means the power division will invite tenders and the successful bidder will arrange the financing for the power plant.

Fuel for the proposed power plant will be imported from Numaligarh in India through a 10-inch wide pipeline, according to the power division proposal.

Bangladesh and India formally launched the commercial supply of high speed diesel (HSD) during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's New Delhi visit in April. India plans to build a pipeline to carry HSD to Bangladesh.

Until the project is completed, HSD will be transported from Assam's Numaligarh refinery to Bangladesh via rail and one such consignment was flagged off by the two prime ministers.

The construction of a friendship pipeline to supply gasoil from Siliguri to Parbatipur will be financed by grant-in-aid, said Indian High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Tuesday while delivering a lecture at National Defence College in Dhaka.

Meanwhile, the cabinet committee on purchase yesterday extended the tenure for importing 250MW power from India by another six months.

The price of electricity during this extended tenure will be Tk 6.06 per kW/h, down from the existing price of Tk 6.14.

Cooperation in the power and energy sectors has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years, Shringla said. ―We are looking at a supply of close to 5,000MW of power to Bangladesh through various kinds of cooperation both in the public and private sectors,‖ he said, adding that 660MW of power is already flowing in from India.

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He said India is looking at: supplying liquefied natural gas, gas grid interconnectivity between India and Jhenaidah-Khulna pipeline in Bangladesh, setting up a liquefied petroleum gas terminal by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd at Kutubdia; and construction of an LPG pipeline.

Also at yesterday's meeting, the cabinet committee on purchase approved a proposal for importing 50,000 tonnes of rice to increase the government's food stock.

The import price of rice per tonne would be $430, which will be supplied by Dubai-based Phoenix Global DMCC. Six companies participated in the bidding: Singapore Food Corporation offered $465, Amir Chand Jagadish Kumar (Exports) Ltd $454, Desh Trading Co $453, Agrocorp International Pte Ltd $447.

On July 12, the total food stock in the government silos was 3.29 lakh tonnes, 1.62 lakh tonnes of which are rice, according to the food ministry proposal.

http://www.thedailystar.net/business/govt-set-150mw-power-plant-saidpur-

Agriculture minister says no to FTA changes on rice imports Published : 2017-07-20 16:42 Updated : 2017-07-20 17:29

South Korean Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Kim Yung-rok said Thursday he would not concede to any demand for an increase in rice imports from the US when talks begin regarding modifications to the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement.

The agriculture minister said the farming industry had been struggling since the FTA came into effect five years ago, as Korea‘s rice prices continue to plunge, with farmers blaming an increase in rice imports. ―It is not a simple task, but I will do what I can to reduce rice imports,‖ Kim said, during an interview with Yonhap News Agency. ―The farming industry has already been damaged by US imports of fruits and other products, so it is not logical for the US to put pressure on our agricultural sector to further open up.‖ South Korean Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Kim Yung-rok. (Yonhap)

Amid increased production coupled with falling consumption, the Korea Rural Economic

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Institute predicts the country‘s per capita rice consumption will hit a new low of 59.6 kilograms this year. This would mark the first time Korea‘s per capita rice consumption falls below 60 kilograms. Korean‘s annual rice consumption has halved over the past three decades.

At the beginning of this year, the country‘s rice inventory reached 1.83 million tons, far exceeding the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization recommended 800,000 tons. ―On the contrary, I will try to find out if there is anything that we can demand from the US,‖ Kim said, adding that rice represents a cultural identity and sense of pride for Korea and therefore should not be seen as a bargaining chip. US President Donald Trump has blamed the Korea-US FTA for the US‘ deepening trade deficit and vowed to modify or terminate the trade deal under his ―America First‖ policy.

US Trade Rep. Robert Lighthizer recently sent Korea‘s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy a formal request to hold a joint meeting to begin discussions on revising the FTA within 30 days.

The Korean government responded by saying the timeline may not be realistic, as the country has not yet appointed its new trade minister. An official date for the FTA revision meeting has not been set.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com) http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170720000851

FCI asked to provide adequate storage space in godowns THE HANS INDIA | Jul 19,2017 , 06:32 PM IST

Telangana‘s Commissioner of Civil Supplies C.V. Anand

Telangana‘s Commissioner of Civil Supplies C.V. Anand has requested Food Corporation of India (FCI) to provide adequate storage space in the godowns in accordance with the demand.

Anand said rice millers were ready to surrender the Custom Milling Rice (CMR). However, the FCI is not providing required storage space in district godowns. In this Rabi season Civil Supplies Department purchased 37.15 Lakh Metric Tons of paddy from farmers and handed over to the rice millers for milling. For this millers should surrender 26 LMTs rice to the government

by August 31st. Till now 8.76 LMTs Boiled, 0.44 LMTs Raw Rice is surrendered to FCI. The Commissioner held joint meeting with FCI representatives and Rice millers at Civil Supplies Bhavan on Wednesday to discuss the problems pertaining lack of godowns, and delay in submission of rice to FCI. During the meeting rice millers took to the notice of Commissioner that, they are ready to surrender the rice, but FCI is not providing required enough space to store it. They were worried by this delay, as the rice is stocked in lorry for days laying outside FCI

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godowns and getting wet due to rains. They requested Commissioner to postpone the surrender date to September 30th, as the FCI is delaying in providing storage space.

Anand requested FCI officials to assign needed storage space to the millers. The storage complaints are coming mainly from Peddapalli, Jagityal, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Nalgonda districts. He appealed to the FCI to take steps to solve the storage issue. If storage space is provided according to the demand the millers will surrender rice quickly, if not so, they will delay in surrendering rice to government for which Civil Supplies Department will face financial loss if there is delay in CMR submission before due date i.e. August 31st.

The Commissioner has requested the FCI to take the issue seriously and take necessary arrangements to support the state government. For the first time in Telangana history Civil Supplies Department has purchased paddy from farmers without troubling them on Minimum Support Price (MSP). But due to FCI attitude, Civil Supplies department is facing problems. Due to lack of storage spac http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Telangana/2017-07-19/FCI-asked-to-provide-adequate-storagespace-in-godowns-/313331

Preventive trade policies restrict export of key agri commodities: study The study analysed global and domestic prices of 15 commodities between 2004-05 and 2013-14.

The Dollar Business Bureau The trade policy of India on agriculture has a pro-customer prejudice which indirectly taxes farmers by putting export curbs on different crops, according to a study.

The domestic prices of major agricultural items were below that of export prices in most of the years during the period 2004-2014, a joint study by The World Bank and Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) on Tuesday revealed.

Policy makers have used preventive trade policies to maintain the domestic prices low in most of the years, the study found after an analysis of domestic prices deviation from global prices.

The study on ‗Price Distortions in Indian Agriculture‘, analysed global and domestic prices of 15 agri commodities for a 10-year period between 2004-05 and 2013-14. ―Our trade policies are inadvertently anti-farmer with a consumer bias,‖ said ICRIER‘s Agriculture Chair Professor Ashok Gulati while releasing the study.

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During the given decade, 72% of the time the domestic prices of commodities including rice, wheat, maize, mango, banana, potato and buffalo meat were below export parity prices, indicating that farmers would have been benefited significantly from exports. The domestic prices were on an average only 11% of the time beyond the import parity prices, it found. ―Indian farmers are not getting access to global markets and the government tries to redress this via higher support prices. This is an implicit tax on farmers,‖ said Shweta Saini, co-author of the report.

However, the import/export opportunities were not every time, used as restrictive trade policies, created a negative impact. In the global food crisis of 2007-08, rising international prices made several Indian commodities export-competitive, but the exports of rice and wheat, among others, were restricted to fully exploit the trade opportunity. ―In case of rice and wheat, the restrictive trade policy prohibited the exporters from fully exploiting the trade opportunity, but for other agri-commodities like buffalo meat, onion and groundnut, the crisis translated into greater export opportunities,‖ said the study.

The study also stated that the declining value of the Indian currency against the dollar during the given decade also played a vital role in making agricultural commodities exports competitive.

The study suggested a number of policy reforms like phasing out of the built-in consumer bias, creating space for the private players giving access to integrated markets, and utilising income transfers to safeguard poor consumers as well as small farmers. It also recommended creating a stable and predictable trade policy https://www.thedollarbusiness.com/news/preventive-trade-policies-restrict-export-of-key-agricommodities-study/50815

Mother Sold Her Baby in Exchange for Half Bag of Rice AUTHOR:

By Bukola Christiana Adeoye UPDATED: JULY 19, 2017 SHARE ON FACEBOOKSHARE ON TWITTER A 20-year-old mother, Chioma Fidelis from Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo state, yesterday, said after selling her baby, Favour Fedelis, not upto a year old, she was given a half bag of rice, chairs and provisions as well as bags of cement to build a house in return.

Naija News gathered that Chioma revealed this, while being paraded along side with 40 suspects of other offences by the Imo state commissioner of police, Mr Chris Ezike, at the police headquarters in Owerri.

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Vanguard reports that Ezike said the arrest of the child traffickers was made on the 10th of July, 2017 by the surveillance team of the command. He said further that it was as a result of the whistle blowing policy of the command as well as community policing methods.

Chioma, in her confession said she got pregnant by mistake and didn‘t have money to take care of the child after she delivered.

From right, mother of the sold child, Mrs. Chioma Fidelis, Mr. Jonas and Mrs. Salomey carrying the sold child. Photo: Vanguard She said, ―so I decided to sell the child. They told me that they sold the child for Seven hundred thousand naira. I did not collect any money from them. They gave me half bag of rice, chairs, provisions and bags of cement which I used to repair my house.‖ While Mrs. Chidimma Unakala Mgba, age 34, from Mbomiri in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo state, who facilitated the role of the baby, said that the mother of the child complained that she could no longer take care of the baby.

She said: ―when the mother brought the baby to me and I took the baby to the hospital and the hospital confirmed that the baby was suffering from kwashioko. ―From there, I started taking him to various churches to get healing and I succeeded. I spent one hundred and thirty seven thousand naira. I spent two hundred thousand naira on the mother.‖ Vanguard reports that, the buyers of the child, a man and his wife, Mr. Jonas and Salomi Anyanwu, from Umunakanu in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo state.

According to Salomi, ―It is true that my husband brought the money that we use in buying the child. Let me tell you, because we need the child my husband had to borrow money, 700,000 and give it to Chidimma, and collect the child. ―I wanted to reject the child but because of God I collected the child and started training him.‖ A prison officer, Mr Emmanuel Anyadike, working with Owerri prisons suspected to be coordinating crimes with eight gang of kidnapers was also arrested at a hotel at night while trying to pay for a hotel room for a member of the gang.

One of the suspected members of the gang, Mr Abuchi Vincent, 28, from Mbutu in Abia state, said: ―Mr. Anyadike, was coming to give me the money to lodge in a hotel.‖ According to the Imo state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Chris Ezike, said that three out of the eight syndicate members were gunned down while exchanging gunfire with the police. He also attributed the success of what he described as ―harvest of arrest‖ to the whistle blowing policy of the command. He raised the alarm that the command was not happy the way some inmates organize crimes while in a prison custody. Vanguard reports.

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Ezike said: ―We have started reaching out to the organization to know the capacity some inmates have to coordinate crime while in prison custody.‖ Punch reports furthher that the doctor explained that Aina‘s condition later worsened, which led to a surgical operation.He said after successfully managing the situation, it was discovered that she was in dire need of blood. ―I had to go to the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital to look for blood for her. I did that because I didn‘t want to infect anybody with HIV by error. It was a Sunday and it was a personal sacrifice. What did I do wrong? After that, I saw that she was oozing pus from her private parts. We used powerful drugs to save her life. The hospital environment stank and we had to sanitise the place. ―At the end of the day, we took her back to the theatre to close her up when there were no more dirt in her. She could have also had Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF), but we stopped that from happening. They had spent over two months at the hospital and we asked them to deposit N200,000, but they refused. They paid N130,000. When we did the whole bill, the husband brought another N70,0000, making it N200,000, out of a bill of over N360,000‖ He said the family still owed his hospital N103,000 after he gave them a discount of N65,000.

The doctor said he regretted helping the family, saying he was being harassed by some unknown persons who got his telephone number on the social media. https://www.naijanews.com/gist/14346-mother-sold-baby-exchange-half-bag-rice

Rice millers should not be allowed to operate like a cartel

By STAFF WRITER July 19, 2017 Dear Editor, I write to acknowledge a comprehensive response to my letter captioned ‗Rice farmers are being exploited by the millers‘ dated May 29, 2017 by the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB).

I would also like to thank Mr Jinnah Rahaman for his very strong and forthright moral support as he was once a part of the directorate of the said state agency, and very vociferous too while being a sitting member of that very board.

The GRDB response and the visitation by personnel less than three hours after the publication of my letter to discuss its contents, is no panacea for the farmers‘ plight with the millers and GRBD. What the GRDB letter did do was reveal its true responsibilities to the rice farming communities. There are some interesting disclosures that beckon for the intervention of central

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government through the Ministry of Agriculture. I have to tell my government that they must not sit and allow the rice millers of this country to operate like a cartel; they must also stop appointing GRDB board members unilaterally. This kind of input is harming the rice industry in a far-reaching way. We who till the soil, sow the seeds, and nurture and harvest the rice crops must always have access in terms of the appointment of GRDB‘s board members. There is revulsion for the above system; we need resourceful and wise board members, and we have to remove all the over seventy and going on eighty-year-olds who are not supposed to be there any longer.

The answer to what was meant by pre-arranged grades has its genesis in the corporate world, and in most business entities the boss or CEO meets with the senior staff to discuss the day‘s activities. In our case the millers meet with the grader who is his paid servant and often subservient to the command of his salary.

As the crop progressed many of the millers often told the grader not to issue extra ‗A‘ or ‗B‘ grades any more, and the humble paid servant would have to do the boss‘s bidding. This has been our fate for a long time. There was one miller who was a very cunning and clever businessman. It was he who owed rice farmers hundreds of millions of dollars. He got his licence suspended and then stealthily got the said rice farmers to picket the GRDB for doing so, since they said this was causing the miller not to pay them their monies. Those farmers that the GRDB Communications Clerk mentioned were duped into going against their interest.

Calibration of the factory electronic scales at the beginning of the crop by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards can never be good enough, because vibrations can also cause anything to shift. The millers‘ scales need checking as often as is practicable. Too much is at stake for negligence; we have to let the Director of the Bureau of Standards know that she has a national responsibility on her hands. A failure to listen to the rice farmers constitutes blatant disregard.

A dedicated, humble rice farmer from Berbice whom I encountered took one load of his harvested paddy to a certain miller with the expectation of selling his produce. He went through all the formalities as required by the said miller, namely, weighing, sampling and grading. But he was not satisfied with the resultant grade and opted to take his paddy to another rice mill in the same region. The identical process followed and he found his paddy grade compatible, so the sale of his paddy became an agreed deal. Documents were then issued to him. On checking his net weight, to his consternation the first miller had short-weighed him by 20 bags of paddy on his scales.

The act of producing rice to keep a whole nation well fed should be commended and seen as benevolent. Instead rice farmers are being treated with disdain; they are being robbed, insulted and viewed with suspicion. We willingly give all it takes to be a good and industrious class of people, and to ask us for more is asking us for our blood. I have personally given so much of

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myself, but I am proud to be a farmer and I shall continue to be so until the very last drop of my blood!

Yours faithfully, Ganga Persaud https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/opinion/letters/07/19/rice-millers-should-not-be-allowed-to-operatelike-a-cartel/

Time to focus on „more crop per drop‟ SYLVAIN HUGUENARD Between the cup and lip Myriad issues of water conservation and usage India can achieve water sustainability by making better use of agricultural water resources. Is the Government listening?

Familiar scenes play out in urban India in the summer. As the heat drives up demand for water, tankers crisscross city streets supplying water to parched homes. Residents line up to get their share. Most tankers can carry 5,000-10,000 litres, which can meet requirements of 10 to 20 families for a day.

While we have learnt to respect every drop of water in these tankers, an alarming statistic highlights the water sustainability conundrum in India. In summer, a farmer would need a similar tanker of water to grow just two kilograms of rice.

Today, an estimated 3,000-5,000 litres of water is used to produce 1 kg of rice in India. This makes for a very unbalanced sustainability equation: pitting the need for food security against the requirements of water for drinking, cooking, washing, bathing and sanitation.

Thirsty farming India uses a staggering 25 per cent of its water resources to grow rice. Of course, rice is not the only culprit. India is among the most inefficient agriculture producers in the world and all major crops — wheat, sugarcane, cotton — consume large quantities of water. Agriculture consumes 83 per cent of India‘s water resources, leaving only 17 per cent for domestic and industrial use.

According to the 2030 Water Resources group (WRG) report, by 2030, India will be able to meet only 50 per cent of its projected demand of 1,498 billion cubic meter (m3) of water.

So, where does the solution lie? Paradoxically, India‘s poor water efficiency record offers the greatest hope. This inefficiency means that the scope for improvement is enormous, without the necessity for any dramatic interventions.

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Even modest measures and technologies that have proved successful in other parts of the world, if adopted in India, can lead to significant improvements in water sustainability. A principle objective of the National Water Mission is to increase water use efficiency by 20 per cent. This objective is eminently realisable when we look at some focus areas that would help achieve this.

First, farmers can look for better yields through methods other than increased water use. India today has among the lowest yields in the world for most crops. China, for example, has significantly higher yield for rice and is thus able to use 30 per cent less land for its cultivation compared to India and yet grow 39 per cent more rice.

According to a 2010 report of the Unesco-IHE Institute of Water Education, the water footprint (the ratio of total volume of water used to the quantity of production) of rice production in India is 2,020 M3 a year compared with 970 M3 a year in China and a global average of 1,325 M3 a year. This means we use more drop per crop than most other countries, an inverse of our avowed national objective of ―more crop per drop‖.

Biotechnology, drip irrigation Through a combination of research and development to develop higher yielding varieties, better agronomic practices, and improved agriculture extension services, higher yields are within reach even while using the same amount of water.

India can also consider the potential of biotechnology. A recent vision document from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research has a clearly defined the objective of sustainable increase in agriculture productivity through genetic improvement of food crops.

Second, micro-irrigation deserves greater attention. According to WRG, drip irrigation in India has a technical potential to cover 37 million hectares by 2030, up from only around 2.5 million ha in 2005. Drip irrigation is relevant not only for horticulture crops but also for water intensive crops like sugarcane and cotton.

A study by the National Mission on Micro-Irrigation shows a 22 per cent to 40 per cent saving in water across different horticulture crops. The same study shows a saving of up to 20 per cent and 40 per cent in sugarcane and cotton respectively. These figures represent significant water saving and therefore it is vital that greatest importance is attached to micro-irrigation.

Third, water saving agronomic practices can be readily implemented. The most obvious example of this practice is direct seeding of rice. An International Rice Research Institute paper, which reviewed 44 studies from different countries, showed 12 per cent — 33 per cent lower irrigation water use in direct seeded rice than in flooded transplanting. As most rice in India is grown using transplantation, it is important that the practice of direct seeding is encouraged.

None of these measures is novel and nor is this the first time they are being discussed. What is missing is the singular focus that is required to address a sustainability challenge of this magnitude.

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Missing focus Three days of smog that turned Delhi virtually into a gas chamber last November served a very useful purpose. It brought the issue into sharp national focus. Today, the most powerful institutions of the country — Supreme court, NGT, the environment ministry — are all engaged in finding a solution to Delhi‘s air pollution.

Sadly, this focus is missing in the water conundrum. One hopes that a crisis is not required to spur action. The cradle states of India‘s green revolution, Punjab and Haryana, have already fired the first warning signals.

Central Ground Water Board has classified 82 per cent and 77 per cent of its monitoring wells in Punjab and Haryana, respectively, in the critical or over exploited category.

It is time to heed the warning signals. It is time to focus on our most precious national resource — water.

The writer is Vice-President, Functional Materials & Crop Protection, BASF South Asia http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/time-to-focus-on-more-crop-per-drop/article9778971.ece

Drop in rainfall likely to recover by next week: MFD Post Report, Kathmandu Jul 20, 2017A sudden drop in rainfall, which has affected paddy plantation, will take some time to recover, according to the Meteorological Forecasting Division (MFD).

Decrease in normal amount of rainfall during monsoon, which started slightly late this year, has become slow since last week, troubling rice farmers across the country.

The MFD officials say that shifting of low pressure line, also called monsoon trough, away from the country was the main reason behind the drop in rainfall. ―We are receiving less wind with moisture from Bay of Bengal and also the monsoon trough has moved south and stuck over Gangetic plains,‖ said Barun Paudel, senior meteorologist at the MDF. ―Rainfall during the monsoon depends on how closer the monsoon trough is to Nepal.

Recently, it has drifted away from Nepal.‖ Since the shifting of low pressure line, the country has been witnessing isolated rainfall in different parts.

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In the last 24 hours, places like Dadeldhura, Dhangadi and Dang in western Nepal recorded no rainfall while some other places like Dipayal, Birendranagar, Nepalgunj and Jumla received traces of rainfall.

Eastern Nepal has also performed poorly on amount of rainfall. Okhaldhunga, Taplejung received light drizzle at best, whereas Dhankuta, Biratnagar and Jomsom remained dry.

Jiri recorded the highest rainfall (25.2 mm) followed by Birendrangar (8.2mm).

However, weatherman Paudel has said that such scattered rainfalls are normal during monsoon.

Paudel said the current monsoon pattern was normal. ―The country will again receive rain once the trough moves north,‖ he said. ―The slow surge in monsoon shall likely pick up from Sunday.‖ Monsoon begins in Nepal on June 10 and stays till September 23. During the monsoon, Nepal receives its 80 per cent of rainfall with amount varying in places. A country in which nearly 70 per cent of agriculture is dependent upon rainfall, strong monsoon is the lifeline for farmers.

Senior associate scientist with International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Nepal Dr Bhaba Tripathi said any change in amount of rainfall has a potential to alter paddy production the year. ―Paddy plantation in hill districts, including Kathmandu Valley, should be completed in the first week of the month of Shrawan, whereas paddy plantation is done till the last week of Shrawan in the Tarai. However, it is wise to plant paddy in the first and second weeks. Otherwise, the production is estimated to go down by 10-15 per cent‖ Tripathi said.

Last fiscal year, the country had recorded an all-time high paddy production with an output of 5.23 million metric tonnes, which was due to several factors including good rainfall. This year the government has set a target of producing 5.4 million metric tonnes of paddy. But that will largely depend on how the monsoon plays out.

Published: 20-07-2017 08:18 http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2017-07-20/drop-in-rainfall-likely-to-recover-by-next-weekmfd.html

Millers seek more time for sending milled rice

By Express News Service | Published: 20th July 2017 07:45 AM | Last Updated: 20th July 2017 08:59 AM

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HYDERABAD: Shortage of Food Corporation of India godowns for rice-millers could result in possible financial losses to the state civil supplies department. Officials of the department and FCI met on Tuesday to resolve the storage crisis but could not address it.

Rice-millers, mostly from Peddapalli, Jagityal, Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Nalgonda districts, are unable to stock their custom-milled rice (CMR) at FCI godowns.The space shortage has forced the millers to store the rice on lorries outside the FCI godowns. With monsoon in full swing, millers fear losses. They have requested the department to push the surrender date from August 31 to September 30.

Meanwhile, CSD officials say the delay by rice-millers to surrender rice on time could cause financial loss to the department.The Rabi season this year saw the department purchase 37.15 lakh tonnes of paddy from farmers, which was handed over to millers for milling. This is the largest quantity the department has procured from farmers, claim officials. http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/2017/jul/20/millers-seek-more-time-forsending-milled-rice-1631014.html

Pulses drive townsvilles push into containerised grain exports A crop of mungbeans growing in the Burdekin.While North Queensland currently has only one volume exporter, Blue Ribbon Group, grain industry participants from Emerald to Far North Queensland can see potential for more as easy port access, increased waterside services, and plentiful containers boost Townsville‘s grain export outlook.

Blue Ribbon‘s northern manager, Chris Richards, said the company was currently focused on exporting mungbeans out of Townsville to a market it had built up over the past eight years. ―When I started four years ago, we were dealing with 800 tonnes a year; now it‘s more like 5000t,‖ Mr Richards said. ―Locally for the spring crop in the Burdekin, we are looking at 2000-3000t, and then in the summer we are looking at 10,000-14,000t of mungbeans to export if all the conditions are right. ―There‘s heaps of potential up here for more mungbeans, and we‘re also looking at chickpeas.‖ Agronomic fit The Burdekin can produce two crops of mungbeans a year, one planted in August-September, and the other planted in February-March.

Mr Richards said mungbeans were well suited to the Burdekin, where irrigation ensured a profitable crop, especially at current prices of around $1100/t. ―Mungbeans are good for farmers to plant in a rotation with sugarcane, and they can grow two crops in one year because each one only takes three months to grow.

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―If cane is in for three to seven years, pulses are an ideal crop to grow in the off year.‖ Mr Richards said soybeans and maize also had potential as summer crops in the Burdekin, with soybeans in particular well suited to coping with wet-season conditions.

Port potential The Port of Townsville is about to embark on a considerable expansion program which includes the widening of sea channels to allow access for larger container ships.

Port of Townsville Limited‘s manager of trade, Maria James, said the importing of equipment for a host of large-scale solar farms was making more than enough 40-foot containers available for backfilling for export. ―We have eight operating berths, and when the upgrade of Berth 4 is completed, four will be able to handle containers.‖ Ms James said Townsville was one of the most diverse ports in northern Australia, with more than 30 different commodities going over its wharfs. ―We are still predominantly a mineral export port, but in terms of agriculture, we are the biggest bulk sugar exporter in Australia, with more than 2 million tonnes exported last year, we export around 200,000 head of live cattle each year, and containers are our fastest-growing sector. ―We understand we need to facilitate an efficient, cost-effective northern system to compete with the logistics chains in southern Queensland, and that‘s what we‘ve set about doing.‖ Container port activity is measured in twenty-foot equivalent units (teus), and Townsville peaked at 62,000 in 2014/15 before dropping a little in the past year or two as a result of the downturn in the mining sector.

Container movements are now set to climb back up. ―About 75 per cent of our trade is with Asia, and we have the fastest container service to Shanghai at 10 days.‖ Shipping line ANL started operating out of Townsville two months ago, alongside competitors PAE Mariana and Swire, and the wharves are serviced by two stevedores, TBSH and NSS. ―We are already shipping product which we can pull from Cairns to Clermont to Mt Isa, and we can get triple road trains straight to the wharf.‖ A facility currently being built on the Central Highlands is eyeing the prospect of being able to truck three full 20-foot containers packed with sorghum, wheat or pulses to Townsville via Charters Towers on a triple road train, and bring back six empty containers from the port.

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―The advantages of triple road access to Port can be seen in live export, as it means one driver can bring in 200 head on a triple, compared with other ports to the south where a B-double can only bring in around 120 head.‖ Beyond the Burdekin In 2014, SunRice bought Blue Ribbon‘s mill at Brandon in the Burdekin region, southeast of Townsville.

The mill was built in 2008, and processed 2000 tonnes of locally grown rice in 2013; it also processes and packs pulses for its previous owner.

Key export markets for Blue Ribbon mungbeans include China, Malaysia, The Philippines and South Korea.

Apart from some tonnage which goes to the United States and the United Kingdom via Brisbane, where more attractive freight rates to non-Asian destinations are available, Blue Ribbon pulses are shipped through Townsville.

The company is currently evaluating the possibility of exporting chickpeas sourced from Queensland‘s Central Highlands, which until now have been exported mostly via Darling Downs container-packing facilities and the Port of Brisbane. ―Townsville has come a long way since we started using it; its port services have improved, and containers have gotten cheaper,‖ Mr Richards said.

Rise on the rice After securing $4 million through the Federal Government‘s Rural R&D for Profit program, SunRice, its subsidiary Rice Research Australia, and partners have commenced tropical rice research in Queensland as part of their work in developing a sustainable rice industry in northern Australia.

According to SunRice, research has shown that breaking the sugarcane monoculture with another crop can increase can yields by 20 to 30 per cent, and SunRice is actively promoting the addition of rice to the legume-cane rotation to bolster cash flow, improve soil, and break disease cycles.

The crop can be grown in North Queensland‘s wet and dry seasons, and SunRice is offering cane growers starting out with the crop everything from agronomic support to marketing capability.

SunRice has already made capital improvements at the Brandon mill in its bid to build a longterm sustainable rice industry in North Queensland.

This has included the addition of rice-paddy drying silos, a new packing line to produce 20 kilogram packs of branded North Queensland Rice for the foodservice industry, and a new huller and colour sorter.

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SunRice said these and other investments were expected to strengthen the company‘s ability to target premium export markets.

Depending on the growth of the North Queensland rice industry, SunRice said it would be assessing the potential to export rice out of the Port of Townsville, although this was likely to be several years away. https://www.graincentral.com/markets/export/pulses-drive-townsvilles-push-into-containerised-grainexports/

PhilRice develops first PHL heat-tolerant rice

By Jasper Y. Arcalas - JULY 19, 2017029 The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) is currently developing the country‘s first series of heattolerant rice varieties as an answer to the ill effects of climate change.

In a study, titled ―Quantitative Trait Loci [QTL] for high-temperature tolerance in rice [Oryza sativa L.]‖, PhilRice researchers Norvie L. Manigbas, Jupier L. Gorospe and Evaristo A. Abella of the Central Luzon State University has found a way to produce the first heat-tolerant rice variety in the Philippines. ―As of now, we do not have any heat-tolerant rice varieties released in the country. Through this study, we‘ve learned that the heat-tolerant trait is associated to the plants‘ heading days, time of flowering, fertility and dehiscent temperature—most of which are found in the nine QTLs,‖ Manigbas added in a news statement on July 18.

Manigbas added they found out nine QTLs containing the genes that can counter the ill effects of high temperature. QTLs are sections of DNA containing the genes that control the trait.

―These QTLs were found through the backcrossing of Dular and NSIC Rc150 [Tubigan 9]. Dular is an Indian heat-tolerant rice variety that has low yield potential,‖ Manigbas said. ―Tubigan 9, on the other hand, is a Philippine rice variety with an average yield of 8.5 tons per hectare but not resistant to high temperature,‖ Manigbas added.

Backcrossing is an effective method to transfer one or a few genes controlling a specific trait from one line into a second—usually elite—breeding line.

The researchers identified six major QTLs—qHTfert1, qHTfert3 qHTfert4, qHTtof10, qHTdht3, and qHThd3—and three minor QTLs, namely, qHTdht4, qHTdht10 and qHTdht5.

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45 Manigbas said these QTLs will be used in mapping genes using molecular markers and incorporating the genes into high-yielding cultivars through marker-assisted breeding. ―Through this process, breeding new cultivars becomes faster,‖ Manigbas said.

The attached agency of the Department of Agriculture said earlier studies have confirmed that high temperature affects all growth stages of rice. ―However, it is from the booting to flowering stage that rice is most sensitive to high temperature,‖ PhilRice said. ―Moreover, temperature exceeding 35 degrees at flowering stage can cause high pollen and grain sterility in rice. This leads to serious yield loss, low grain quality and low harvest index,‖ it added.

At present, six advanced promising lines are currently being tested for multilocation trials in the National Cooperative Test under high temperature environments, according to PhilRice.

Manigbas and company‘s study won the Outstanding Scientific Paper Award during the 39th National Academy of Science and Technology Annual Scientific Meeting recently held at the Manil http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/philrice-develops-first-phl-heat-tolerant-rice/

U.S. Rice Exports Shine in 2017

By Deborah Willenborg ARLINGTON, VA - Despite the tough market situation faced by U.S. rice farmers this year, exports of U.S. rice remain a bright spot for the rice industry as a whole. During the first 5 months of CY2017, total U.S. rice exports (converted basis) were 23 percent ahead of exports during the same period of 2016 in volume and 10 percent ahead in value.

Lower prices are making U.S. rice more competitive overseas, and USA Rice international marketing and promotional initiatives are capitalizing on this price downturn to maintain and grow sales in what has been a very competitive world marketplace.

"Competitive prices are motivating our overseas customers to take a fresh look at U.S. rice," said Hugh Maginnis, USA Rice Vice President International. "The export promotion activities we implement in coordination with our FAS partners have helped boost consumption and imports of U.S. grown rice in just about every international market we service."

Examples of strong export performance for U.S. rice in CY2017 can be found almost everywhere.

In Mexico, the number one market in both volume and value, where USA Rice conducts more than 300 marketing activities annually, exports are up by about 20 percent in volume and three percent in value

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46 over the previous year. In Haiti, exports of U.S rice are up 26 percent in volume and 11 percent in value, bolstered by targeted USA Rice TV and radio advertising and promotions.

Exports to the UK market have grown 49 percent in volume and 19 percent in value so far thanks in part to targeted billboard advertising, trade magazine testimonials, and growing sales online and with independent retail outlets.

Exports of long grain parboiled and medium grain rice to Saudi Arabia are booming, up 46 percent in value and 48 percent in value, due to aggressive billboard advertising outdoors and in the shopping malls. Jordan is a market with even better performance, with U.S. medium grain sales up 79 percent in volume and 65 percent in value.

U.S. exports of medium grain to Japan have taken a record 77 percent share of the SBS quota, as targeted foodservice promotions educate consumers about the versatility and taste of U.S. medium grain.

"These trends point to a strong export performance for the remainder of the year" said Maginnis. "While this optimistic scenario can change due to a number of factors, the momentum in the export market is in our favor. More U.S.-grown rice is heading to the tables of our overseas customers, providing fresh opportunities for a diverse global consumer market to experience the quality, consistency, and value of USA Rice."

USA RICE Federation Daily

Rice basmati falls on reduced offtake PTI | Jul 19, 2017, 12:13 PM IST New Delhi, Jul 18 () Prices of rice basmati fell by Rs 200 per quintal at wholesale grains market today due to reduced offtake by stockists following drop in demand.

Wheat and barley, however, edged up on scattered demand.

Traders said besides weak domestic and exports demand, adequate stocks mainly put pressure on rice basmati prices.

In the national capital, rice basmati common and Pusa- 1121 variety drifted lower by Rs 200 each to Rs 6,600-6,900 and Rs 5,300-5,350 per quintal, respectively.

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On the other hand, wheat dara (for mills) inched up by Rs 10 to Rs 1,770-1,775 per quintal. Atta chakki delivery followed suit and traded higher by a similar margin to Rs 1,7751,780 per 90 kg.

Barley also went up by Rs 50 to Rs 1,500-1,510 per quintal.

Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal): Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,100-2,345, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs 1,770-1,775, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,775-1,780, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs 260-300, Shakti Bhog (10 kg) Rs 255-290, Roller flour mill Rs 975-980 (50 kg), Maida Rs 1,010-1,020 (50 kg)and Sooji Rs 1,035-1,040 (50 kg).

Basmati rice (Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300, Super Basmati Rice Rs 9,800, Basmati common new Rs 6,600-6,900, Rice Pusa (1121) Rs 5,300-5,350, Permal raw Rs 2,2252,250, Permal wand Rs 2,275-2,300, Sela Rs 2,500-2,600 and Rice IR-8 Rs 1,850-1,900, Bajra Rs 1,190-1,200, Jowar yellow Rs 1,450-1,500, white Rs 2,900-3,100, Maize Rs 1,340-1,345, Barley Rs 1,500-1,510. SUN KPS ADI MR http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/rice-basmati-falls-on-reducedofftake/articleshow/59662319.cms

Heavy rain flattens summer autumn rice in Mekong Delta SGGPTuesday, July 18, 2017 11:06 Continuous heavy rain has drenched part of the Mekong Delta and flattened vast summer autumn rice area in some provinces, slowing harvest and posing a danger of loss for local farmers.

Heavy rains flatten summer autumn rice in the Mekong Delta for the last few days (Photo: SGGP) Statistics by the Department of Crop Production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development show that 600,000 hectares of summer autumn rice have been harvested with the productivity of 5.9 tons a hectare for the last couple of days. Prices have been high ensuring profit for farmers.

Still unabated heavy rain has caused many rice fields fall down.

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Mr. Truong Tan Duoc, head of Agriculture and Rural Development Department in Mang Thit district, Vinh Long province reported that 600 hectares of summer autumn rice have fallen to the ground, resulting in productivity reduction of 30-40 percent in Tan Long, Chanh Hoi and Nhon phu communes.

Many rice fields have been flooded raising difficulties for combine harvesters to operate while it has been difficult to find laborers to cut rice with sickles despite high price.

Agriculture and Rural Development Department in Tan Hong district, Dong Thap province yesterday said that farmers in the district are entering peak harvest time.

So far, the district has harvested over 6,000 out of 25,000 hectares of summer autumn rice with the productivity of 5.5-6 tons a hectare.

Traders pay VND4,800-4,900 a kilogram of fresh normal rice. Long grain rice fetches VND5,200-5,400 a kilogram and fragrant rice is priced VND5,600-5,800 a kilogram. With these prices, farmers earn a profit of VND12-15 million a hectare.Long An, Vinh Long and An Giang provinces are also reaping summer autumn rice.

According to Vietnam Food Association, rice export was estimated to reach 2.7 million tons in the first half this year with value nearing US$1.2 billion. Export price averages US$444.6 a ton.

China continues being the largest import market of Vietnam, accounting for 43 percent market share. http://sggpnews.org.vn/national/heavy-rain-flattens-summer-autumn-rice-in-mekong-delta-67892.html

Deadline nears for farm programs

By Tim Horan @TimHoranSJ

Jul 18, 2017 at 10:19 AMUpdated Jul 18, 2017 at 10:58 AM

Farmers and ranchers have until Aug. 1 to enroll in Agriculture Risk Coverage and/or the Price Loss Coverage programs for the 2107 crop year though the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Kansas Farm Service Agency Acting Executive Director Jack Salava said the programs trigger financial protections for participating agricultural producers when market forces cause substantial drops in crop prices or revenues.

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―Producers have already elected ARC or PLC, but to receive program benefits they must enroll for the 2017 crop year by signing a contract before the Aug. 1 deadline,‖ he said. ―Please contact your local FSA office to schedule an appointment if you have not yet enrolled.‖

Farmers and ranchers have until Aug. 1 to enroll in Agriculture Risk Coverage and/or the Price Loss Coverage programs for the 2107 crop year though the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Kansas Farm Service Agency Acting Executive Director Jack Salava said the programs trigger financial protections for participating agricultural producers when market forces cause substantial drops in crop prices or revenues. ―Producers have already elected ARC or PLC, but to receive program benefits they must enroll for the 2017 crop year by signing a contract before the Aug. 1 deadline,‖ he said. ―Please contact your local FSA office to schedule an appointment if you have not yet enrolled.‖ Covered commodities under the programs include barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium grain rice (which includes short grain and sweet rice), safflower seed, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed and wheat.

For more program information, contact your local FSA office or visit www.fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc.

To find your local FSA office, visit offices.usda.gov. http://www.hdnews.net/news/20170718/deadline-nears-for-farm-programs?start=2

Govt touts success of final auction of quality rice BANGKOK, 19 July 2017 (NNT) – The Department of Foreign Trade (DFT) has announced that the private sector purchased nearly all of the 160,000 tons of quality rice put up for grabs in the latest auction.

According to DFT Director-General Duangporn Rodphaya, the final batch of rice for consumption in the government stock, totaling 160,000 tons, has been offered to the private sector in this year‘s third round of bidding. Eleven entrepreneurs submitted their bids for 99.93 percent of the lot, worth a combined 1.13 billion baht. Bidding prices averaged between 4,500 and 10,200 baht per ton.

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/993221-thai-govt-touts-success-of-final-auction-of-quality-rice/

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Phoenix wins contract to supply 50,000 tonnes of rice to Bangladesh Senior Correspondent, bdnews24.com : 2017-07-19 20:31:52.0 BdST Updated: 2017-07-19 20:31:52.0 BdST The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase has approved the food ministry's proposal to buy 50,000 tonnes of rice from Dubai-based Phoenix Global.

A panel of ministers headed by Finance Minister AMA Muhith approved the purchase proposal during a meeting at the secretariat on Wednesday.

Phoenix has won the contract to supply non-basmati parboiled rice at $430 per tonne, Mustafizur Rahman, additional secretary of Cabinet Division, told the media in Dhaka.

Last month, the government planned to import 600,000 tonnes of rice to keep the market stable which was rattled by flash floods that hit the northeastern haor areas in April.

It floated tenders to buy 200,000 tonnes of rice in June. Tenders for the rest 400,000 tonnes will be floated this month, according to the Directorate General of Food.

Phoenix became the lowest bidder among six traders that participated in the tender.

Singapore-based Olam International became the second lowest bidder that offered to supply rice at $430.8 per tonne.

The government hopes rice prices will ease once imports arrive in the market.

The government had 177,000 tonnes of rice in stock until Jul 17, compared to 700,000 tonnes in July last year, according to the food ministry‘s data. http://bdnews24.com/business/2017/07/19/phoenix-wins-contract-to-supply-50000-tonnes-ofrice-to-bangladesh

Sri Lanka purchases 100,000 MT rice from Thailand Wed, Jul 19, 2017, 10:25 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

July 19, Colombo: Thailand has also agreed to sell rice to Sri Lanka in addition to Pakistan and Myanmar, to meet the country's urgent demand Minister of Industries and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen said.

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"Our efforts to procure rice from abroad on the directions of the President are a success" said Minister of Bathiudeen after he was briefed by the officials who visited the three countries seeking to purchase a total of 500,000 MT of rice on Tuesday.

"We thank the Government of Thailand for its prompt response. There is no doubt we received quotes for high quality rice from Bangkok at best prices. This is also a sign of the strength of ongoing Thai - Sri Lanka bilateral trade. We also thank the governments of Pakistan and Myanmar for their immediate response," he added.

The total rice tranche ready to be flown in from Thailand, Pakistan, Myanmar and India now stands at 255,000 MT. This total consists of both Government-to-Government (G2G) and Government-to Private Sector bids.

Accordingly, in a G2G request for rice, the Sri Lankan team of officials met Thai Ministry of Commerce officials on July 12 and 13 in Bangkok and opened talks for procurement of 200,000 MT of rice.

After discussions and sample tests. Sri Lankan officials have placed an immediate order for 100,000 MT of par boiled rice (Nadu) with the Thai government at a price of US $ 425 per MT (supplier's price before shipping for a kilo of rice at SL Rs 65.31 as of July 18 rates). Another 100,000 MT order of white raw rice from Thailand was held back for the time being by Lankan officials due to comparatively higher Bangkok price viz-ĂĄ-viz Myanmar's quote for the same.

Letters of Agreement for the 100000 MT of par boiled rice from Bangkok are to be issued by Colombo during this week and shipping for it from Bangkok is to commence anytime as soon as Thai Attorney General's office issues the go-ahead, Minister Bathiudeen stated.Under Minister Bathiudeen's instructions, another team of officials flew out to Pakistan and Myanmar on July 7 and returned to the island on July 14 after successful talks. This team led by Ministry Secretary Chinthaka Lokuhetti and included a food technologist, reported that Myanmar government too agreed to supply 30,000 MT white raw rice immediately. The supplier price is a range-at US $ 290 per MT to $ 350 per MT (supplier's price before shipping for a kilo of rice at SL Rs 44.57 to Rs 53.80, as of July 18 rates). Myanmar also agreed to supply another tranche of par boiled rice in September �the quantity and price to be agreed. Pakistan government is supplying 25,000 MT of white raw rice immediately, subject to a final price quote and Pakistan also agreed to supply another 100,000 MT of par boiled rice in September (final price to be agreed).

Another 100,000 MT rice tranche is to be purchased by the Government of Sri Lanka from India's private sector suppliers on Government-to Private Sector call immediately and Colombo's Ministry of Industry and Commerce officials are now in the process of collecting tender bids for it. http://www.colombopage.com/archive_17B/Jul19_1500440111CH.php

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Sri Lanka offers to purchase rice from Myanmar Posted on July 18th, 2017

UkrAgroConsult Sri Lanka has offered to purchase 500,000 tonnes of high-quality rice from Myanmar through a government-to-government contract, said U Aung Soe , director general of Myanmar Trade Promotion Team under the Ministry of Commerce.

The offer to buy 200,000 tonnes of parboiled rice and 300,000 tonnes of white rice was made last week. Parboiled rice, or converted rice, is rice that has been partially boiled in the husk.

Each year, Myanmar exports between 1.5 million and 2 million tonnes of rice, according to the Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF).

Currently, Sri Lankan Ambassador Mr K.W.N.D. Karunaratne led negotiations between the two governments for the rice purchase.

Sri Lanka first offered to purchase rice from Myanmar back in February. They told they want to buy 500,000 tonnes of rice. But after we told them each tonne of price was US$285 we did not receive a reply,‖ said Dr Soe Tun, vice chair of the MRF. Since then though, rice prices have risen. The current market price is more than US$300 per tonne.

We are still negotiating and have yet to decide on anything,‖ Dr Soe Tun said, adding that Myanmar will only sell rice to Sri Lanka at market prices.

Myanmar previously exported rice under a similar government-to-government contract in 2007-08, according to Ministry of Commerce.

According to the ministry‘s figures, trade between Myanmar and Sri Lanka in 2011-12 amounted to US$1.1 million, but later declined. In 2015-16, trade between the two countries rose to US$3.1 million.

Under new NLD-led government, trade between the two countries has rapidly increased, hitting US$24.5 million in 2016-17. In the first two months of the current fiscal year, trade between Sri Lanka and Myanmar amounted to US$5.3 million http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2017/07/18/sri-lanka-offers-to-purchase-rice-frommyanmar/comment-page-1/

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Positive reaction to proposed rice straw fiberboard plant

By Laura Urseny, Chico Enterprise-Record POSTED: 07/18/17, 9:50 PM PDT | UPDATED

A fiberboard plant proposed for Glenn County would like to use the stubble that‘s left behind after rice is harvested.Bill Husa — Enterprise-Record file Willows >> Whether a rice grower decides to bale or turn under their straw, there seems to be general optimism among the region‘s rice industry that another alternative to getting rid of rice straw may be available.

Rice growers are interested in the news that their rice straw could go elsewhere when a proposed plant is expected to open in Willows in 2019.

CalPlant I LLC hopes to turn rice straw and other elements into medium-density fiberboard, which is used in the building and furniture industry. It is being heralded as a more environmentally friendly alternative to current medium-density fiberboard production practices, which use wood chips and formaldehyde.

Jim Morris, who handles communications and media for the California Rice Commission, noted that when the state began to reduce the amount of rice straw burning that growers could count on, it encouraged alternatives.

Right now, only about 3 percent of rice straw is removed from the field, used for erosion-control wattles, livestock feed and bedding, he said. ―The goal is finding additional usage for 50 percent of the rice straw,‖ Morris said. ―From our perspective, any additional use is helpful. We have a long way to go to get the 50 percent.‖ Bryce Lundberg of Lundberg Family Farms in Richvale said his family has made a commitment to turning under rice straw and flooding fields for the environmental benefit, but he said he‘s glad there could be alternatives. Lundberg said he served on a state committee that looked into alternatives to rice straw burning and was pleased that the state committed to help find growers alternatives to burning.

Bill Carriere, president of Carriere Family Farms in Glenn County, wears two hats in this discussion.

As a rice grower, he said he‘s excited to see an alternative to plowing rice straw under. ―We‘re getting better yields incorporating the straw back in, but there may be limits. It puts some nutrients back into the soil, but not much,‖ he said. ―Maybe growers don‘t have to incorporate (straw back) every year. There‘s plenty of rice in the area to get that to the plant.‖ As a member of the Glenn County Planning Commission, Carriere said he sees the project with different eyes, and he has some concerns.

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Having about 87 jobs at the plant will be a boon to Glenn County, but there are concerns about truck traffic on the roads, he said. The plant is proposed off Highway 162, west of Willows.

Since Highway 162 is the main freeway exit to Willows, putting truck traffic on that road would not be wise, he said.

He‘d be happy if the traffic was routed to other streets to get to the plant, such as County Road 57, south of town. He also wondered about the impact on the condition of Glenn County‘s narrow roads.

Associate planner Andy Popper noted the project was approved by the Glenn County Planning Commission in October 2000 — long before Carriere started his term. A negative declaration was declared, noting the impacts from the project could be handled. The next step for the project is application for a building permit, Popper said.

PAY FOR BALE But questions exist about economics of the plant. What will CalPlant pay for baled straw and will it cover growers‘ cost of cutting, baling and transportation?

Colleen Cecil of the Butte County Farm Bureau noted that what could be the crux of the plant‘s success is how much will be paid for the straw. If it‘s not worth it to growers, the plant could have difficulty finding the product.

Word went out last month that activity was moving ahead on the proposed plant. A final piece of financing was put in place that allows the project, which has been discussed since the 1990s, to move forward.

A call to idea co-founder Jerry Uhland of CalAg was not returned. Uhland holds the patent on the process to use rice straw for fiberboard.

PROJECT DETAILS Construction is expected to get started in September on the $198 million plant, with the first round of production in early 2019, according to lead attorney Irv Hepner of Morrison & Foerster of Los Angeles.

Parties this year finalized a combination of debt and equity financing deal of $315 million, according to Hepner.

Partners include the California Pollution Control Financing Authority, which is issuing so-called green bonds for the project. The extra funding goes to interest and reserve on the bonds.

The concept popped up in the late ‘90s, when Uhland started talking about the process that could use rice straw. But there were challenges that kept the idea from becoming reality, Hepner said, including challenges like the lack of proof the technology would work, as well as CalAg‘s lack of a track record. That left a financing void.

But Hepner pointed out the process of making rice straw into fiberboard has been tested with Uhland‘s patented technology, and the environmental benefits give room to try new ideas.

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―CalAg just didn‘t have the gap financing to build it,‖ Hepner said last month of the plant.

The plant is expected to be built on 273 acres west of Willows. The land was purchased in 2008.

Contact reporter Laura Urseny at 896-7756.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Laura Urseny is a business and general news reporter and columnist. A graduate of the University of the Pacific, she has worked at the Chico Enterprise-Record since 1977. Reach the author at lurseny@chicoer.comor follow Laura on Twitter: @LauraUrseny. http://www.orovillemr.com/article/NB/20170718/NEWS/170719737

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- JUL 20, 2017 Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-July 20

Nagpur, July 20 (Reuters) – Gram and tuar prices moved down in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) here on lack of demand from local millers amid high moisture content arrival. Easy condition on NCDEX, downward trend in Madhya Pradesh pulses and reports about good monsoon in the state also pulled down prices. About 1,600 of gram and 400 bags of tuar were available for auctions, according to sources.

FOODGRAINS & PULSES

GRAM * Desi gram raw reported weak in open market on poor demand from local traders.

TUAR

* Tuar Karnataka declined in open market on lack of demand from local traders amid good supply from producing belts.

* Moong dal chilka showed weak tendency in open market here on poor demand from

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56 local traders amid good supply from producing regions.

* In Akola, Tuar New – 3,900-3,975, Tuar dal (clean) – 5,500-5,700, Udid Mogar (clean) – 7,200-8,200, Moong Mogar (clean) 6,500-7,200, Gram – 5,300-5,450, Gram Super best – 7,200-8,000

* Wheat, rice and other commodities moved in a narrow range in scattered deals and settled at last levels in thin trading activity.

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

FOODGRAINS Gram Auction Gram Pink Auction Tuar Auction Moong Auction Udid Auction Masoor Auction

Available prices 4,600-5,250 n.a.

3,450-3,810 3,900-4,200

4,300-4,500

n.a.

Gram Super Best Bold

Gram Medium Best

2,100-2,600

n.a.

Wheat Mill quality Auction

Gram Super Best

4,600-5,280

3,330-3,700

n.a.

Previous close

2,600-2,800 1,550-1,690 7,500-8,000

n.a.

1,550-1,674 7,500-8,000

n.a.

6,700-7,000

6,700-7,000

Gram Dal Medium

n.a.

Gram Mill Quality

5,300-5,400

5,300-5,400

Desi gram Raw

5,450-5,550

5,500-5,600

Gram Yellow

7,100-8,100

n.a

7,100-8,100

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57 Gram Kabuli

12,300-13,400

Tuar Fataka Best-New

12,300-13,400

5,800-6,000

Tuar Fataka Medium-New

5,800-6,000

5,400-5,600

Tuar Dal Best Phod-New

5,400-5,600

5,200-5,500

Tuar Dal Medium phod-New Tuar Gavarani New

5,200-5,500

4,800-5,100

3,900-4,000

4,800-5,100

3,900-4,000

Tuar Karnataka

3,950-4,050

4,000-4,100

Masoor dal best

4,800-5,000

4,800-5,000

Masoor dal medium Masoor

4,600-4,700

n.a.

4,600-4,700

n.a.

Moong Mogar bold (New)

6,800-7,500

Moong Mogar Medium

6,200-6,500

Moong dal Chilka

5,400-6,200

6,800-7,500 6,200-6,500

5,500-6,300

Moong Mill quality

n.a.

n.a.

Moong Chamki best

6,500-7,500

6,500-7,500

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

7,500-8,500

Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG)

6,800-7,200

Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) Batri dal (100 INR/KG)

6,800-7,200

4,400-4,900

4,500-5,000

Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg)

4,400-4,900

4,500-5,000

2,850-3,050

Watana Dal (100 INR/KG)

2,850-3,050

2,850-3,000

2,850-2,950

Watana White (100 INR/KG)

3,500-3,700

Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG)

4,100-4,600

Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG)

1,900-2,000

Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG)

4,100-4,600

1,900-2,000

1,750-1,850

2,100-2,300

3,500-3,700

1,750-1,850 2,100-2,300

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58 Wheat Lokwan new (100 INR/KG)

1,900-2,100

1,900-2,100

Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG)

2,100-2,350

2,100-2,350

Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,050 Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG)

n.a.

n.a.

MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,600 MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG)

1,900-2,050

3,000-3,600

2,200-2,700

2,200-2,700

Rice BPT new (100 INR/KG)

2,700-3,300

2,800-3,400

Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG)

3,300-3,500

3,300-3,500

Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG)

3,000-3,100

2,500-2,800

Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG)

2,300-2,400

Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG)

2,500-2,650

Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) Rice HMT New (100 INR/KG)

3,000-3,100

2,500-2,800 2,300-2,400 2,500-2,650

2,300-2,400

3,600-4,000

Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG)

2,300-2,400 3,600-4,000

4,500-5,000

4,500-5,000

Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG)

4,100-4,300

4,100-4,300

Rice Shriram New(100 INR/KG)

4,800-5,500

4,800-5,500

Rice Shriram best 100 INR/KG) 6,500-6,800 Rice Shriram med (100 INR/KG)

6,500-6,800

5,800-6,200

5,800-6,200

Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 10,000-13,500 Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) Rice Chinnor New(100 INR/KG)

5,000-7,500 4,600-5,000

Rice Chinnor best 100 INR/KG) 5,800-6,000 Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG)

10,000-13,500

4,600-5,000 5,800-6,000

5,400-5,600

1,900-2,200 1,800-1,900

5,000-7,500

5,400-5,600 1,900-2,200

1,800-1,900

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WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 31.6 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 24.7 degree Celsius Rainfall : 13.9 mm FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky with few spells of rains or thunder-showers. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 31 and 23 degree Celsius respectively.

Note: n.a.--not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, butincluded in market prices) http://in.reuters.com/article/britain-eu-diaspora-idINKBN1A51J8

Agriculture minister says no to FTA changes on rice imports South Korean Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Kim Yung-rok said Thursday he would not concede to any demand for an increase in rice imports from the US when talks begin regarding modifications to the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement.

The agriculture minister said the farming industry had been struggling since the FTA came into effect five years ago, as Korea‘s rice prices continue to plunge, with farmers blaming an increase in rice imports. ―It is not a simple task, but I will do what I can to reduce rice imports,‖ Kim said, during an interview with Yonhap News Agency. ―The farming industry has already been damaged by US imports of fruits and other products, so it is not logical for the US to put pressure on our agricultural sector to further open up.‖ South Korean Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Kim Yung-rok. (Yonhap) Amid increased production coupled with falling consumption, the Korea Rural Economic Institute predicts the country‘s per capita rice consumption will hit a new low of 59.6 kilograms this year. This would mark the first time Korea‘s per capita rice consumption falls below 60 kilograms. Korean‘s annual rice consumption has halved over the past three decades. At the beginning of this year, the country‘s rice inventory reached 1.83 million tons, far exceeding the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization recommended 800,000 tons. ―On the contrary, I will try to find out if there is anything that we can demand from the US,‖ Kim said, adding that rice represents a cultural identity and sense of pride for Korea and therefore should not be seen as a bargaining chip. US President Donald Trump has blamed the Korea-US FTA for the US‘ deepening trade deficit and vowed to modify or terminate the trade

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deal under his ―America First‖ policy. US Trade Rep. Robert Lighthizer recently sent Korea‘s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy a formal request to hold a joint meeting to begin discussions on revising the FTA within 30 days. The Korean government responded by saying the timeline may not be realistic, as the country has not yet appointed its new trade minister. An official date for the FTA revision meeting has not been set. http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170720000851

U.S. Rice Exports Shine in 2017 ARLINGTON, VA – Despite the tough market situation faced by U.S. rice farmers this year, exports of U.S. rice remain a bright spot for the rice industry as a whole. During the first 5 months of CY2017, total U.S. rice exports (converted basis) were 23 percent ahead of exports during the same period of 2016 in volume and 10 percent ahead in value. Lower prices are making U.S. rice more competitive overseas, and USA Rice international marketing and promotional initiatives are capitalizing on this price downturn to maintain and grow sales in what has been a very competitive world marketplace. ―Competitive prices are motivating our overseas customers to take a fresh look at U.S. rice,‖ said Hugh Maginnis, USA Rice Vice President International. ―The export promotion activities we implement in coordination with our FAS partners have helped boost consumption and imports of U.S. grown rice in just about every international market we service.‖ Examples of strong export performance for U.S. rice in CY2017 can be found almost everywhere. In Mexico, the number one market in both volume and value, where USA Rice conducts more than 300 marketing activities annually, exports are up by about 20 percent in volume and three percent in value over the previous year.

In Haiti, exports of U.S rice are up 26 percent in volume and 11 percent in value, bolstered by targeted USA Rice TV and radio advertising and promotions. Exports to the UK market have grown 49 percent in volume and 19 percent in value so far thanks in part to targeted billboard advertising, trade magazine testimonials, and growing sales online and with independent retail outlets.

Exports of long grain parboiled and medium grain rice to Saudi Arabia are booming, up 46 percent in value and 48 percent in value, due to aggressive billboard advertising outdoors and in the shopping malls. Jordan is a market with even better performance, with U.S. medium grain sales up 79 percent in volume and 65 percent in value. U.S. exports of medium grain to Japan have taken a record 77 percent share of the SBS quota, as targeted foodservice promotions educate consumers about the versatility and taste of U.S. medium grain.

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―These trends point to a strong export performance for the remainder of the year‖ said Maginnis. ―While this optimistic scenario can change due to a number of factors, the momentum in the export market is in our favor. More U.S.-grown rice is heading to the tables of our overseas customers, providing fresh opportunities for a diverse global consumer market to experience the quality, consistency, and value of USA Rice.‖ https://www.usarice.com/news-resources/daily/usa-rice-daily/2017/07/19/u.s.-rice-exports-shine-in-2017

SUN Selects Riso Scotti For Consilia Private Label Rice Jul 19 2017 9:00 AM in Private Label tagged: Italy / Consilia / SUN / Riso Scotti

Italian grocery purchasing consortium SUN (Supermercati Uniti Nazionali) has selected Riso Scotti to produce rice for its Consilia private label range. Based near Pavia in Italy, Riso Scotti produces white risotto rice and rice-based diversification products. The manufacturer will produce three types of organic rice for the Consilia private label brand: Arborio Bio, Ribe Integrale bio, and Carnaroli bio. The Consilia brand already features a wide variety of rice products, including arborio, carnaroli, riso Roma, nano vialone, Thai parboiled, ribe parbolied, ribe integrale, and basmati. Ferdinando Spadea, manager for commercial brands and special channels at Riso Scotti, said that the company guarantees a high quality "from raw material to finished product". The company also has a focus on sustainability and waste-recovery. The SUN consortium consists of local retailers Magazzini Gabrieli, Italbrix, Cadoro, Alfi and Gros, with a particularly widespread presence in north and central Italy. https://www.esmmagazine.com/sun-selects-riso-scotti-consilia-rice/46426

India Gate‟ not registered; does not fall under GST ambit: KRBL Rice producing companies are in focus as basmati rice that was earlier subject to vat or was tax free in some states is now included in branded cereals category under goods and services tax (GST) and taxed at 5 percent. KRBL in particular has seen a 20 percent rally this week. In an interview to CNBC-TV18, Anoop Gupta, Joint MD of KRBL spoke about the same.

Rice producing companies are in focus as basmati rice that was earlier subject to vat or was tax free in some states is now included in branded cereals category under goods and services tax (GST) and taxed at 5 percent. KRBL in particular has seen a 20 percent rally this week. In an interview to CNBC-TV18, Anoop Gupta, Joint MD of KRBL spoke about the same. Five percent GST is on the registered brand but the brand ‗India Gate‘ is not registered. So we do not fall under any 5 percent. We will be having zero taxability as far as India Gate brand is concerned, he said. According to him, the company is at an advantage compared to peers and would like to increase its market share.

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62 Our average realisation is around USD 1,200 and EBITDA is more than 20 percent for exports, he added.

Company has hardly any exposure to Europe of about Rs 30-40 crore in a topline of Rs 4,000 crore.

Current capacity utilisation of the company is 55-60 percent. Iran will stop importing rice from next month, he said. Coming year season looks to be very good. We have lowered the price of India Gate by 33.5 percent, he further said. KRBL is launching a new kind of food grain called Quinoa. It will be started in next 15 days by first week of August and the revenue expected from Quinoa in first year is Rs 100 crore. For full interview, watch video... http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/companies/india-gate-not-registered-does-not-fall-undergst-ambit-krbl-2329747.html

State clears nearly all of rice supply 19 Jul 2017 at 04:00 NEWSPAPER SECTION: BUSINESS | WRITER: PHUSADEE ARUNMAS A government official checks the quality of rice stocks at a warehouse in Bangkok's Klong Sam Wa district. PATTANAPONG HIRUNARD Eleven rice exporters and traders bid to buy almost all of the 160,000 tonnes of rice in government stocks yesterday, nearly clearing the more than 18 million tonnes of rice that had been stored in warehouses for three years.

Duangporn Rodphaya, director-general of the Commerce Ministry's Foreign Trade Department, said the total value of the 160,000 tonnes of rice offered at the auction will be worth about 1.1 billion baht if the state agrees to sell the entire lot.The Commerce Ministry will recheck the qualifications of bidders and examine the prices they offered before submitting the bids for approval by the National Rice Committee.

The ministry is due to hold another auction soon to sell 2.6 million tonnes of inedible-grade rice.The inedible rice is ageing and has been in stock since the start of the Yingluck Shinawatra government, which offered to buy rice from farmers at higher-than-market prices -- bringing in record-high state rice stocks of more than 18 million tonnes at a time when global rice supply outpaced demand.

The scheme created burdensome storage expenses and huge depreciation value."If we can open the last auction for the inedible rice soon, it will help cut the burdensome storage expense of 5 million baht a day, as we can sell off all the stock within July as planned," Mrs Duangporn said.She said the clearance of state rice stocks this year would relieve pressure on Thai rice prices, which should be rising after several rice-importing and rice-producing countries were hit by bad weather, forcing them to seek staple stocks from Thailand.Bangladesh and Sri Lanka recently entered talks with Thailand for the urgent purchase of 400,000 tonnes of rice to replenish their falling stocks after being hit by severe drought and floods over the past few years.Each country is seeking 200,000 tonnes, mostly of parboiled and common-grade white rice.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/1289751/state-clears-nearly-all-of-rice-supply

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