21st July, 2014
Chinese COLOR SORTER as low as Pak Rs 22 Lakh Only A Time Limited Offer Contact: Cell: 0300 414 3493
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TOP Contents - Tailored for YOU Latest News Headlines‌ Farm briefs: Rice straw for cattle forage, dismal groundwater news, Bill Huffman retires Chico Enterprise-Record POSTED: 07/19/2014 04:32:05 PM PDT0 COMMENTS
The Rice Experiment Station at the height of the... (Heather Hacking — Enterprise-Record)
RICE BURN APPOINTMENTS >> Notices are in the mail reminding rice growers to for appointments with the Butte County Air Quality Management District. The appointments run from July 28 to Aug. 6.Growers who did not get something in the mail can call 332-9400 to schedule an appointment.The documents are also online at www.bcaqmd.org, under "forms/applications," which is under the "conditional rice straw burn permit" section. GROUNDWATER REPORT >> A paper by University of California scientists predicts that some regions of California will not have groundwater in a generation or two "if we continue business as usual."In a special edition of California Agriculture the scientists state groundwater aquifers are being stressed, and won't be available for droughts in the future.One idea explored is to direct excess stormwater to dormant agricultural fields to allow water to soak into the ground. A pilot project is in the works. RICE STRAW FOR CATTLE >> A meeting to share research on rice straw management will be held by the University of Cooperative Extension, 9 a.m. to noon July 29 at the Veterans Memorial Hall, 525 West Sycamore St., in Willows.Research has shown that bailing rice straw behind the harvester increases the ability for its use as cattle feed. Bailing the same day and then placing under a tarp retains moisture. Known as "rice strawlage," the idea is that the feed could be used by livestock producers very close to rice fields. BILL HUFFMAN RETIRES >> Farmers Rice Cooperative has named a new director of governmental affairs, Brandon Harder. Bill Huffman is retiring after filling the post since 1984.Harder previously worked as a legislative assistant to Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, focusing on agriculture and trade policy. He also served as a senior aide for Moran at the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
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Rice milk warning for children July 18 2014 at 11:57am By Daily Mail AFP The British National Health Service already advises parents not to feed rice milk often used by those who are lactoseintolerant to under-5s.London - Children should not drink rice milk because it can contain harmful levels of arsenic, scientists have warned.The poison is found naturally in low levels in rice and other plants. Levels can be boosted by the way rice is grown in flooded paddies and by the presence of traces of old pesticides.The British National Health Service already advises parents not to feed rice milk to under-5s. Now, the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition has extended this to older children. – Daily Mail
RICE FESTIVAL QUEEN ATTENDS 115TH RICE MILLERS ASS‘N CONVENTION Fri, 07/18/2014 - 4:20pm Saja Hoffpauir
PHOTO
SUBMITTED Among those from the Crowley area attending the 115th annual Rice Millers Convention were, front row from left, Adam Trahan, Jake Fulton, Evelyn Fulton, Anna Claire Trahan, Alex Trahan, Rusty Fulton (Jr. Rice Festival King); back row, Bobby Hanks (Louisiana Rice Mill), Rob Trahan (Falcon Rice Mill), Jennifer Trahan (Falcon Rice Mill), Dwayne Fulton (Falcon Rice Mill), Christine Fulton (Falcon Rice Mill), Connie Falcon (Falcon Rice Mill), 77th International Rice Festival Queen Hailey Hensgens, Janet Hebert (International Rice Festival Board), Joan Hensgens, Madeline Fulton and Ryan Fulton.
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SUBMITTED Hensgens did not have much free time at the convention, but she was able to visit the historic Thunderbird Lodge. Known as Lake Tahoe’s “Castle in the Sky,” the lodge is on the National Register of Historic Places. LAKE TAHOE, NEVADA
Nevada - Seventy-seventh International Rice Festival Queen Hailey Hensgens traveled halfway across the country to Lake Tahoe, Nevada, last month to represent Crowley and the rice industry at the annual Rice Millers Association Convention.Beginning on Monday, June 16, the week-long convention was the 115th of its kind.The event is a professional forum for the rice milling industry and allied businesses. Educational programs included topics related to trade and economic issues that affect the rice industry. A trade show highlighted rice milling related equipment, products and services.Founded in 1899, RMA is one of the oldest agribusiness trade organizations in America.
Korea to open rice market next year By Yoon Ja-young
The government announced Friday that it will open its rice market to imports with hefty tariffs from next year."For the future of the rice industry, the government determined that tariffication was inevitable and the best decision to make," Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Lee Dong-phil said at a media briefing Friday. Tariffication involves replacing non-tariff barriers, such as import limits, with tariffs.Farmers said they would stage aggressive protests against the government's decision."Tariffication is only the starting point toward full opening of the market," the Korean Peasants League said in a statement. "It will go down in Korean farming history as a disaster."Korea first made a commitment to market liberalization in 1993 at the Uruguay Round, trade negotiations where the world's major economies agreed to launch the World Trade Organization (WTO).However, Korea succeeded in making rice an exception, and the country managed to delay tariffication for rice between 1995 and 2004. Instead Korea promised its trade partners it would import a certain amount of rice under the minimum market access (MMA) program.Korea's tariffication waiver expired in 2004, but the country extended it for another 10 years and increased imports under the MMA program.
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"Rice was given special treatment as it is Koreans' staple food, and it plays a huge part and holds great significance in the farming industry," the minister said.But the waiver expires again this year.It is time to choose between tariffication for rice, or delaying it a little longer at a cost," he added.he country either has to open the market and levy a tariff on rice, or seek to extend the tariff waiver once again. If the waiver were extended, the country would have to double its quota under the MMA program."The MMA quota has placed too great a burden on the country's rice supply," the minister said. "The quota for this year stands at 409,000 tons, which is equal to about 9 percent of all rice consumption last year." Except for Korea and the Philippines, all WTO member countries have chosen tariffication for agricultural products, the minister added.The government plans to notify the WTO of its revised concession list by the end of September, and to revise the relevant laws by the end of this year."The government will protect the rice industry by setting as high a tariff as the WTO allows," the minister said.The government will have to negotiate the amount of the tariff with the WTO. According to government sources, the target is about 400 percent. He also made it clear that the government will insists on a high tariff in future trade negotiations — for example, when Korea concludes free trade agreements with other countries and discusses the possibility of joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership.The government also said it would take steps to strengthen the rice industry."We will aim to provide stable conditions for rice farmers," the minister said. "Ensuring a stable income for farming households and making Korean farms more competitive will be among our priorities."Details of these measures will be announced after consultations with the National Assembly and the farmers, the minister said. yjy@koreatimes.co.kr
Scientists gathering for high-tech scan of Mount St. Helens July 17, 2014 8:00 pm • By The Daily News
Geophysicists from around the country will invade the Mount St. Helens area this weekend to make final preparations for an ambitious new study.The 75 scientists from the University of Washington, Rice University in Houston, University of Texas at El Paso and other institutions will place more than 3,500 active seismological sensors and 23 charges of TNT around the volcano over the next few days to capture the equivalent of a combined ultrasound and CAT scan of the famous volcano‘s internal plumbing.―Mount St. Helens and other volcanoes in the Cascade Range threaten urban centers from Vancouver to Portland, and we‘d like to better understand their inner workings in order to better predict when they may erupt and how severe those eruptions are likely to be,‖ Rice‘s Alan Levander, lead scientist for the experiment, isaid n a statement
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released Thursday.The instruments will measure seismic waves generated by the detonation of charges in 23 bore holes that are each about 80 feet deep, according to Levander. The explosions will produce vibrations that approximate a magnitude 2 earthquake. It‘s unlikely area residents will be able to hear or feel them because of the depth of the detonations. The majority of the detonations will take place in the evening hours of July 22 and July 23. Student volunteers will pick up the active sensors, along with the important data collected, within a couple of days of the explosions. Mount St. Helens was chosen for the study because it has been the most active volcano in the Cascade Range, erupting twice in the last 35 years, and is readily accessible for the researchers and their equipment, Levander said. Organizers said the project could bring improvements in volcanic monitoring and advance warning systems at Mount St. Helens and other volcanoes. The team hopes to publish its findings in 2015.
Exclusive ORYZA NEWS
Low Transpiration in Rice Plants Can Help Them Fight Drought, Increase Yield Remember the interesting concept of photosynthesis we all learnt and memorized in our Grade I science class? It was a fascinating subject which made us marvel about the plant‘s self-sufficient ability to manufacture its own food whenever it wants. But have we ever wondered what actually promotes photosynthesis in plants? How the breathing out technique of a rice plant can help it enhance its production? Yu Tanaka, a visiting professor from Kyoto University, is investigating on how to radically improve the productivity of staple food crops globally and achieve new innovations in rice production with Steve Long, team leader of the Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) project (a $25 million five-year project from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation). Excerpts from an
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exclusive interview to Oryza.com Oryza: You have been investigating the factors that actually promote photosynthesis in plants. What is the latest you have discovered on this front? Yu Tanaka: The final objective is to improve crop performance and productivity through analysing the leaf photosynthesis. We are exploring the genetic variation of photosynthetic capacity among various rice and soybean population and found some interesting genotypes showing extremely high photosynthetic rate, or special characteristic of transpiration. Oryza: What have been your findings about how transpiration of plants displays their ability to tackle drought and other such issues. What does that translate into for the rice sector? Yu Tanaka: Transpiration is the ―cost‖ for plants to get carbon into their body through photosynthesis. Even when grown under ideal paddy conditions, a rice plant can get stressed due to water deficiency in the midday. This is due to the high air temperature and low humidity. Rice plant also experiences severe drought stress in the rain-fed field, which is common in developing countries where the irrigation system is not sufficient. Considering such conditions, the low transpiration mutant conserving water would be an attractive material for better resistance against the water shortage and yield decrease due to the drought. Oryza: Does photosynthesis play a specific/different role in paddy plants as the testing centres at Illinois and Kyoto seem to have planted paddy in its labs and not any other. Yu Tanaka: Rice adapts to the paddy condition. So this is the best way to conduct such physiological experiments. But, as noted above, the drought tolerance is one of the targets of this study, so the experiment at the upland field might be considered in the future. Oryza: What kind of innovations do you foresee in the rice sector globally? Would we get to see more varieties of rice, better yields, rice that grows everywhere.... In my opinion, the most important goal of future rice production is to get better yield in farmers‘ level. This requires, however, multi-pronged frameworks. The improvement of physiological productivity, tolerance against the stress such as drought, resistance against disease or insects, and so on. So the new innovation will come through combining the physiological knowledge with the actual and specific challenges in the farmers‘ field in various regions. Oryza: We understand that you will be conducting further research in rice in the next four years. What are your focus areas? Who are you collaborating with? Although the current project is on the transpiration rate and water use, the future challenge includes the study on the high photosynthetic rate (carbon fixation) to achieve the greater productivity and seed yield. The collaboration with other field, such as geneticist, and with other countries will be very important for this future project.
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Oryza Afternoon Recap - Chicago Rough Rice Futures Slide as Markets Cool Following Yesterday's Rally Jul 18, 2014
Chicago rough rice futures for Sep delivery settled 15.5 cents per cwt (about $3 per ton) lower at $13.125 per cwt (about $289 per ton). The other grains closed sharply lower as the market calmed following yesterday‘s geopolitical turmoil; soybeans closed about 0.8% lower at $10.8525 per bushel; wheat finished about 3.4% lower at $5.3225 per bushel, and corn finished the day about 2.3% lower at $3.7850 per bushel.U.S. stocks rose on Friday, with the S&P 500 rebounding after its largest drop in three months, as investors drew cheer from the latest round of corporate earnings and found solace in the view that geopolitical tensions appeared contained. On Friday, President Barack Obama delivered a statement on Ukraine, a day after the downing of a Malaysian passenger plane at the Ukraine-Russia border killed the 298 people on board. At least one American was killed in the jet crash, the investigation of which must be credible, Obama said. Separately, Israel on Thursday announced a ground offensive in Gaza, with Obama saying in his statement Friday that he strongly supported Israel's right to defend itself. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added as much as 113 points, and was lately up 80.13 points, or 0.5%, at 17,056.94. The S&P 500 advanced 14.26 points, or 0.7%, to 1,972.38, with technology and financials the best performing among its 10 major sectors, all of which advanced. The Nasdaq gained 52.71 points, or 1.2%, to 4,416.15. Gold is trading about 0.5% lower, crude oil is seen trading about 0.2% lower, and the U.S. dollar is seen trading marginally higher at about 1:00pm Chicago time.Thursday, there were 294 contracts traded, down from 592 contracts traded on Wednesday. Open interest – the number of contracts outstanding – on Thursday decreased by 65 contracts to 8,747.
Oryza Overnight Recap - Chicago Rough Rice Futures Pull Back Following Yesterday's Rally as Commodities Cool Jul 18, 2014
Chicago rough rice futures for Sep delivery were noted 5.5 cents per cwt (about $1 per ton) lower at $13.225 per cwt (about $292 per ton) during early trading in Chicago. The other grains are seen lower this morning in floor trading in Chicago: soybeans are currently seen about 0.2% lower, wheat is listed about 1.8% lower and corn is noted about 0.7% lower. U.S. stocks rose on Friday, with the S&P 500 rebounding some after its largest drop since April 10, ahead of a report on consumer sentiment. Investors also tracked geopolitical developments, with world leaders calling for an investigation of Thursday's downing of a Malaysian passenger plane at the Ukraine-Russia border, killing all 298 people on board, the airliner went down a day after the United States and the European Union strengthened sanctions on Russia. Wall Street also monitored Israel's ground offensive in Gaza, the start of which was announced Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 66.37 points, or 0.4%, to 17,043.18. The S&P 500 advanced 8.29 points, or 0.4%, to 1,966.41, with technology and consumer
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staples the best performing and energy the worst among its 10 sectors. The Nasdaq gained 28.88 points, or 0.6%, to 4,392.47. Gold is currently trading about 0.7% lower, crude oil is seen trading about 0.3% lower, and the U.S. dollar is currently trading about 0.2% higher at 8:45am Chicago time.
Oryza Rice Currency Analysis for Today – Brazil Real Rebounds 1.4%
U.S. dollar index was stronger +0.03% from the open today, when it traded at 80.532 at the close. Euro was weaker -0.02% by the close, trading around 1.3524 by end of day, after trading between an intraday high of 1.3536 and low of 1.3491. Thai baht was stronger +0.15%, trading at 32.140 at the close of business. Indian rupee was weaker -0.18% weaker at 60.2875. Brazilian real was stronger +1.35% at 2.2277 reais per dollar. Pakistan rupee was +0.12% stronger at 98.7205. Vietnamese dong was -0.08% weaker at 21215. Mexican peso was stronger +0.31% today, when it traded at 12.9582 pesos per dollar by the close of business. Chinese yuan was weaker -0.06% at 6.2079. Argentine peso was weaker -0.04% at 8.1595 pesos per dollar.
Oryza U.S. Rough Rice Recap - Silent Market as Prices Hold Steady The U.S. cash market was silent today with prices holding steady as neither buyers nor sellers appear to be willing to budge on price. Meanwhile, there were 16 warehouse receipts canceled overnight leaving 325 on the exchange (29,575 tons). As of today, old crop offers were steady near $15.00 per cwt fob farm (about $331 per ton) for July-August shipment while others are still holding out for around $16.00 per cwt fob farm (about $355 per ton) in areas where buyers are believed to still need some coverage into new crop. Bids from exporters were said to still be near $14.25 per cwt (about $314 per ton) for July-August delivery which has generated no interest while some smaller mills are still bidding around $15.90 per cwt (about $351 per ton) for the same delivery period; however, no trades were reported.
Pakistan and Iran Chart out Plans to Smooth Barter Trade without Violating UN Sanctions Jul 18, 2014
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Pakistan and Iran are charting out plans for a smooth barter trade that does not violate the UN sanctions to Iran, according to local sources.In an inter-ministerial meeting yesterday, headed by Pakistan's Finance Minister, Pakistan discussed various issues of facilitating Pakistan-Iran trade, within the ambit of UN sanctions. It specifically discussed over trading non-prescribed items (under sanctions) an through non-sanctioned entities.Pakistan's Finance Secretary told all the stakeholders, who attended the meeting, that they are willing to clear outstanding electricity dues to Iran (for supply of electricity to border areas) by supplying basmati rice and wheat under commodity exchange plan. He also noted that Pakistan is keen on resolving outstanding issues related to bilateral trade with Iran before the Joint Economic Council (JEC), which is scheduled to meet shortly.The Finance Minster also noted that the Prime Ministers of both the countries are committed to mutual trade and cooperation in barter trade and commodities exchange mechanism.
Rice Guzzles the Most Water, Consumes Excess Nutrients Among Crops: Minnesota Researchers Researchers from the Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota, published their research study in ‗Science‘ magazine and the study revealed some shocking facts about agriculture patterns across the world.A more efficient food system is all it takes to meet the food requirements for 3 billion extra people in the world even without having to produce more grains or use additional land or water resources. Five simple measures increasing yields per acre, reducing greenhouse emission, usage of fewer nutrients and lesser water for cultivation, cutting down crop fodder to animals and food wastage – can save to feed more hungry mouths. Here are some of the key findings pertaining to rice: -
Rice and wheat are the crops that guzzle the most water worldwide.
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Three crops - rice, wheat and corn – eat up the biggest sources of excess nutrient use worldwide
If Punjab in India can shift from cultivating rice to a mix of maize, cotton, sugarcane, pulses etc, it could alone reduce water usage by 1.58 million hectare-metres a year. These are the key findings related to other crops and agriculture in general: Closing even 50 percent of the agricultural difference between potential and actual crop yield could provide enough calories to feed 850 million people. -
About 60 percent of nitrogen and half of phosphorus applications exceed what crops need
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China, India and the United States are the biggest sources of excess nutrient use worldwide.
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India, Pakistan, China and the United States account for the bulk of irrigation water use in water-limited areas, the study said. Using water more efficiently could reduce demand for it by 8 to 15 percent without compromising food production, it added. -
Stop feeding so many crops to animals as the crop can easily generate enough to feed 4 billion people
Reducing food waste in the United States, China and India alone could translate into food for more than 400 million people Poor farming techniques make Ugandan farmers produce only quarter or half of their targeted yield every year.
South Korea Issues Tenders to Buy 44,158 Tons of Non-Glutinous Rice from China and Australia South Korea's state run Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (KAFTC) has issued tenders to purchase around 44,158 tons of non-glutinous rice of Chinese and Australian origins, according to Bloomberg.The KAFTC seeks to purchase around 34,724 tons of Chinese non-glutinous rice for delivery between November 30 and December 31, 2014. It also seeks to purchase around 9,434 tons of Australian non-glutinous rice for delivery between December 15 and 31, 2014.The agency is inviting bids for the above tenders by July 31, 2014 and the bidding is scheduled to take place on August 1, 2014.
Vietnam Ric Sellers Increase Some of Their Quotes Today; Other Asia Rice Quotes Unchanged Vietnam rice sellers increased their quotes for Jasmine rice by about $5 per ton to around $595 - $605 per ton today. Other Asia rice sellers kept their quotes mostly unchanged. 5% Broken Rice Thailand 5% rice (of new crop) is quoted at around $420 - $430 per ton, about $10 per ton discount to Vietnam 5% rice (of new crop) quoted at around $430 - $440 per ton. India 5% rice is quoted at around $435 - $445 per ton, on par with Pakistan 5% rice quoted at around $435 - $445 per ton. 25% Broken Rice
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Thailand 25% rice (of the old crop) was last quoted at around $350 - $360 per ton, about $35 per ton discount to Vietnam 25% rice (of new crop) quoted at around $385 - $395 per ton. India 25% rice is quoted at around $390 - $400 per ton, about $10 per ton premium on Pakistan 25% quoted at around $380 - $390 per ton. Parboiled Rice Thailand parboiled rice (of the old crop) is quoted at around $440 - $450 per ton. India parboiled rice is quoted at around $420 - $430 per ton, about $15 per ton discount to Pakistan parboiled rice quoted at around $435 $445 per ton. 100% Broken Rice Thailand broken rice, A1 Super, (of the old crop) was last quoted at around $310 - $320 per ton, about $30 per ton discount to Vietnam broken rice (of new crop) quoted at around $340 - $350 per ton. India broken sortexed rice is quoted at around $315 - $325 per ton, about $20 per ton discount to Pakistan broken sortexed rice quoted at around $335 - $345 per ton.
System of Rice Intensification: Fact or Fiction? Jul 18, 2014 There is a lot of excitement around the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), especially amongst smallholder farmers and agricultural policymakers hoping to increase national rice production. But SRI is not short of skeptics either. Supporters claim that rice farmers can increase rice yields between 20 and 50% by switching to SRI which could contribute to reducing poverty since many rice farmers in Africa and Asia live under the poverty line.A common criticism against SRI is that it is pseudo-science and lacks proper scientific studies which validate its yield gain claims. Others have argued that SRI works for Madagascan soils where it was developed but has not been shown to succeed outside of Madagascar. In fact, scientific research on SRI has skyrocketed in the last couple of years. The graph at the bottom of the article shows the number of internationally peer-reviewed scientific articles indexed by one of the most respected scientific databases, Scopus which included the term ‗System of Rice Intensification‘ in their titles. To reply to these criticisms, by 2013, higher rice yields due to SRI were validated in 51 countries representing South and Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.
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One of the more convincing criticisms which have been raised in research circles is that while SRI may provide increased yields compared to current conventional practices by smallholders, conventional Best Management Practices offer higher productivity benefits than SRI, such as optimizing fertilizer application and using high yielding seed varieties. If SRI was just about increasing yields there may be some merit to this criticism. However, SRI has also been shown to reduce water use by up to 50% and reduce the amount of seeds needed for sowing in the fields by up to 90%. SRI has not only be found to increase yields but to reduce farmer inputs and therefore cut farm operating costs for farmers. Best Management Practices may offer the prospect of increased rice yields but the use of higher yielding seed varieties most often demands more inputs such as water and synthetic fertilizers which are too expensive for smallholder farmers – many of whom have poor access to credit.
Oryza White Rice Index -Threats from El Nino Deflate, But Asia Rice Quotes Advance to Catch Up with the Americas Jul 18, 2014 The Oryza White Rice Index, a weighted average of global white rice export quotes, ended this week at $473 per ton, up about $6 per ton from a week ago, up about $14 per ton from a month ago and down about $5 per ton from a year ago. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecasts MY 2014-15 global milled rice production will be about 479.4 million tons, a slight increase over its previous prediction, according to its July Rice Outlook report. The increase is attributed to more acreage. The USDA estimates global rice consumption and residual use in MY 2014-15 will be a record 482.4 million tons, up about 1% from MY 2013-14. It projects global ending stocks for MY 2014-15 to be about 108.5 million tons, about 1% less than last year. The USDA forecasts 2015 global milled rice trade will reach about 41.5 million tons, an increase of about 2% from 2014.
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The United Nations food standards body Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) has prescribed new regulations for acceptable levels of arsenic in rice, according to Reuters. The new maximum level is 0.2 milligrams of arsenic per kilogram of rice.
Thailand
Thailand 5% broken rice today shown at about $425 per ton, up about $10 per ton from a week ago, up about $40 per ton from a month ago and down about $45 per ton from a year ago.
The National AntiCorruption Commission (NACC) has found former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra guilty of negligence in her role in the failed rice subsidy program. The unanimous opinion will be forwarded to the Attorney General‘s Office, who can file a suit with the Supreme Court. The military government has announced plans to stabilize the price of paddy rice from the 2014 main crop (AprilJanuary) at around 8,500 baht per ton (about $264), according to Bloomberg. The USDA predicts that Thailand will replace India as the world‘s largest rice exporter in 2015 with exports reaching 10 million tons, up about 11% from 2014, due to abundant supplies and lower prices.
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The Thailand Board of Trade (BoT) has proposed five rice strategies at Bt 20 billion ($621 million) a year to help develop a sustainable rice industry. The plan, which is expected to cost one-tenth of the pledging schemes, includes promoting self-sufficiency, facilitating private enterprises, and improving farming technology. India India 5% broken rice is today shown at about $440 per ton, up about $5 per ton from a week and a month ago and unchanged from a year ago. The percentage of rice purchased through India‘s Public Distribution System (PDS) has increased significantly between 2004-05 and 2011-12, according to the National Sample Survey Office‘s 68th Round Survey of Household Consumption of Various Goods and Services in India. Because prices on the open market have been so much higher than the PDS, per capita consumption of PDS rice has almost doubled in villages and has increased 66% in cities. Planting for the kharif (main) rice crop (June-December) has reached about 12.736 million hectares as of July 18, according to the Agriculture Ministry. This is about 18% less than the same time last year. The U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has relaxed import tolerance limits for tricyclazole fungicide in Indian basmati rice, which will likely lead to increased basmati rice exports to the U.S. The 68th National Sample Survey conducted in 2011-12 and recently released shows that per capita consumption of rice has fallen marginally in a sevenyear period, and wheat consumption rose during that same time. The USDA anticipates India‘s exports declining to about 9 million tons, about 10% less than in 2014.The Indian government has exempted rice bran from import duty, which was previously set at 15%. It is hoped the exemption will stimulate the local rice bran oil processing sector.The Indian government has asked state governments not to fix any bonus over the minimum support price declared by the Center on rice for the 2014-15 kharif marketing season, according to local sources.Milled rice production in Bangladesh has reached 34.449 million tons in FY 2013-14 (July-June), according to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE). This is about 2.7% more than in FY 2012-13. Separately, the Bangladesh government plans to temporarily ban rice bran exports to India in efforts to promote local edible oil production, according to local sources. Vietnam Vietnam 5% broken rice is today shown at about $435 per ton, up about $10 per ton from a week ago, up about $35 per ton from a month ago and a year ago.During January 1 – July 10, Vietnam exported about 3.182 million tons of rice, a decrease of about 22% from the first seven months of last year, according to the Vietnam Food Association (VFA). Average rice export price is up about 1% from the same time last year. Experts in Vietnam are advocating the importance of a viable value chain linking production, distribution, and export channels to help ensure fair prices to farmers, according to local sources. This comes on the back of disproportionate rice prices in the urban areas of the Mekong River Delta, compared to rural areas.The USDA estimates Vietnam‘s milled rice production will increase to about 28.2 million tons in MY 2014-15.Private rice exporters in Vietnam are criticizing the VFA for restricting their rice business instead of facilitating it, according to local sources, noting that the VFA
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discourages exporters from selling to Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines – countries with which Vietnam has G2G contracts. Pakistan Pakistan 5% broken rice is today shown at about $440 per ton, unchanged from a week ago, down about $10 per ton from a month ago and up about $15 per ton from a year ago.Pakistan and Iran are working together for smooth barter trade that does not violate the UN sanctions to Iran, according to local sources. South America In the first half of 2014, Brazil exported about 677,176 tons of rice, according to the Rice Institute of Rio Grande do Sul, including 21% to Venezuela, its largest destination, followed by Cuba.The Brazilian paddy rice index maintained by CEPEA reached at about 36.03 real per 50 kilograms as of July 14, 2014, down about 0.22% from about 36.11 real per 50 kilograms recorded on July 7, 2014. In terms of USD per ton, the index reached at about $326 per ton on July 14, 2014, down about 0.29% from about $327 per ton recorded on July 7, 2014. Conab has lowered its forecast for paddy rice production for 2013-14 to about 12.18 million tons, down slightly from its previous estimate of 12.25 million tons, but up about 3% from production in 2012-13.5% broken rice from Uruguay and Argentina is today shown at about $625 per ton, unchanged from a week, a month and a year ago. María Gabriela Chávez, daughter of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, has been accused of facilitating the import of 37,000 tons of rice at an inflated price to Venezuela for an Argentinean rice company, according to the Argentinian newspaper Clarin. U.S. U.S. 4% broken rice is today shown at about $555 per ton, unchanged from a week ago, down about $25 per ton from a month ago and down about $60 per ton from a year ago.The latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that U.S. rice exports (both rough and milled – rough equivalent) will increase to about 4.85 million tons in MY 2014-15 (August-July). This represents an increase of about 14% from MY 2013-14. The USDA also anticipates U.S. rice imports will decline to about 950,000 tons in MY 2014-15, down about 9% from the previous year.The USDA estimates that U.S. milled rice production will increase to about 7.2 million tons in MY 2014-15, up about 18% from MY 2013-14, due to increased acreage. The U.S. cash market was steady this week with old crop offers about $15.00 per cwt fob farm (about $331 per ton) for July shipment, with some still hoping to get $16.00 per cwt fob farm (about $355 per ton). Bids from exporters dropped to about $14.25 per cwt (about $314 per ton) for July-August delivery, but some smaller mills reported interest around $15.90 per cwt (about $351 per ton) for the same delivery period. Chicago rough rice futures for September delivery mounted a slow recovery this week after dropping to a low of $12.785 (about $282 per ton) on Tuesday. The board rallied as the market had become oversold and technical indicators encouraged strong gains, and futures reached $13.325 (about $294 per ton) on Thursday before settling at $13.130 (about $289 per ton).
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Other Markets Cambodia 5% broken rice is today shown at about $445 per ton, unchanged from a week ago and up about $5 per ton from a month ago. Rice producers in Italy assembled this week to protest against duty-free rice imports from Less Developed Countries (LDCs) – like Cambodia and Myanmar – under the Everything But Arms agreement. The protestors visited several cities in the country throughout the week and asked politicians to apply a safeguard clause against zero-duty imports to protect the European rice sector. The country officially submitted to the EU its request to adopt a safeguard clause against dutyfree rice imports from LDC countries on Friday, according to local sources. The Philippines government will refocus its support for rice farmers by helping lower the cost of production and enhancing paddy yield, and it will remove the price support to rice farmers in the form of Procurement by the National Food Authority (NFA), according to local sources. Separately, the USDA Post estimates the Philippines will import about 1.45 million tons of rice in MY 2013-14 (July-June), about 28% less than official USDA estimates, but about 3.5% more than imports in MY 2012-13. The government of South Korea announced Friday that it will open its rice import market after delaying since 1993, according to local sources. The decision was necessary to avoid concessions to WTO members if another waiver was sought, but analysts anticipate the country will maintain a high tariff rate – as much as 300-500% -- in efforts to protect the local rice sector. Separately, South Korea‘s state-run Agro Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (KAFTC) passed on four tenders issued July 8 to purchase 30,119 tons of milled rice from China and Australia, due to high prices. KAFTC has since issued tenders to purchase about 44,158 tons of non-glutinous rice from China or Australia, according to Bloomberg. Indonesia may record 4.2 million tons of surplus rice, milled basis, in 2014, according to the Agriculture Ministry‘s forecasts, despite an expected 2% decline in paddy rice production. The government claims it will not need to import any rice in 2014.
Why Is Upland Rice Farming A Big Deal? Jul 18, 2014 When we think of where rice is grown, naturally we think of paddy fields submerged in water. It‘s a fair assumption to make since these irrigated lowland farming systems make up over 55% of the world‘s rice harvested area and 75% of world rice production. Upland rice cultivation - usually defined as hilly elevations of about 400-500 metersrepresents around 10% of rice cultivated areas and less than 4% of world rice production. But to assume that upland rice is unimportant would be a mistake as it represents the livelihood of over 100 million rice farmers worldwide which make up some of the most
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food insecure people in the world. Whereas irrigated rice averages around five tons per hectare per year, upland rice farmers often don‘t even reach one ton of rice per hectare a year. Upland rice systems are less productive than lowland rice systems since they use much less inputs such as water and nutrients. But upland rice systems also have other factors against them. They generally have poor soils which become exhausted very quickly and they are prone to pests and disease. The absence of flooded fields allows weeds to thrive, and stressed soils are perfect breeding grounds for diseases such as blast which the rice plants find difficult to fight off because of their deficiency of nutrients and water. Despite the development of high yielding seed varieties which have benefited lowland irrigated rice since the 1970s, such varieties have remained unsuitable because they demand high inputs of nutrients and water so traditional lower yielding varieties accustomed to the harsh upland conditions remain the best option for Asian upland farmers. In Africa, however, there has been growing interest in upland rice farming. Rice is the fastest growing staple consumed in Africa and unlike the Green Revolution focus on irrigated rice in Asia in the 1970s and 1980s, African agricultural policymakers and rice scientists see rain fed rice, including upland rice systems, as playing a significant role in boosting Africa‘s rice domestic. The New Rice for Africa (NERICA) rice varieties developed since the 1990s by the Africa Rice Center have so far developed 18 NERICA varieties suitable for upland rice farming in sub-Saharan Africa which contain traits such as improved weed competition, drought tolerance and pest and disease resistance and even have a higher nutritional value compared to traditional upland seed varieties. Most important of all, these NERICA varieties have been bred to tolerate the harsh low input conditions of upland farming so if anything, upland rice farming will not only continue to exist but may even become a more important source of world rice production in the future. Adam John
India Government Instructs States not to Announce Bonus over MSP on Rice for 2014-15 KMS to Check Inflation and Discourage Mono-cropping Jul 18, 2014 The Indian government has ordered the state governments not to fix any bonus over the minimum support price (MSP), declared by the Center, on rice for the 2014-15 Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) starting this October, according to local sources.The directive, issued by the Food Ministry, is aimed at checking inflationary pressures as well as containing the rising food subsidy bill, which has surged to around 100,000 crore (around $16.6 billion) in the last few years due to excessive procurement of rice and wheat.The directive specified the consequences of announcing bonus over the MSP separately for decentralized procuring (DCP) states and centralized procuring (non-DCP) states. In the case of decentralized procuring (DCP) states, the directive states that the Center will subsidize only the quantity of rice procured for public distribution system (PDS) and welfare programs. The Food Corporation of India (FCI) will not procure additional rice (other than for PDS and welfare schemes) and the state governments should bear the costs relate to procurement and storage of additional stocks, it added. In the case of non-DCP states it noted that the FCI will not procure
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rice in such states, and the respective state governments will be responsible for procurement, distribution and storage of rice as well as to meet requirement for PDS and other welfare schemes. Regarding the procurement by the FCI, the directive stated that teh FCI would procure only the particular amount of rice
decided by the Union Food and public Distribution Department and would leave the rest of the surplus stock to be disposed by the state governments. It also noted that the practice of fixing bonus on the MSP is putting procurement pressure on the FCI as well as leading to mono-cropping, which tends to affect soil health. Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chattigarh and Bihar had annouced bonus on rice and wheat last year. The directive also asks states not to announce bonus on MSP for wheat for the 2015-16 crop year starting April 2015.
India Main Rice Crop Planting Reaches 12.736 Million Hectares as of July 18, 2014; Down 18% from Last Year Planting for kharif rice crop, or main rice crop (June – December; harvesting begins in October) in India has reached around 12.736 Million hectares of rice area as of July 18, 2014, down about 18% from around 15.485 million hectares planted during the same time last year, according a statement released by the Indian Agriculture Ministry. Local sources say the kharif planting, which starts with the onset of southwest monsoon in June, has been slow due to delayed monsoon. Monsoon rainfall has been 43% lower than regular till last week, but this week with rains occurring in many parts of India, the deficit has been narrowed down to 35% according to Indian Met Department (IMD). IMD expects rains to continue for the next ten days and help farmers to speed up rice planting process.
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The Indian Meteorological Department has predicted a 70% of below-normal monsoon (June - September) due to an imminent El Nino between August and September 2014. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has predicted a 60% probability of El Nino strengthening between June and August and a 75-80% probability between October-December 2014.
Proactively, the Indian government approved for releasing additional 5 million tons of rice at Below Poverty Line (BPL)/Above Poverty Line (APL) prices to ensure adequate supplies and contain inflation. The Agriculture Ministry has advised state governments to be ready with contingency plans to minimize the effect of El Nino-triggered low monsoons. It has also suggested some relief measures such as subsidies on seeds for re-sowing and on diesel for irrigation to rice farmers.
Colombia Paddy and Rice Price Trends Diverge Daily Rice E-Newsletter by Rice Plus Magazine www.ricepluss.com News and R&D Section mujajhid.riceplus@gmail.com Cell # 92 321 369 2874
Jul 18, 2014
Colombia's average green paddy prices stood at around 916,458 pesos per ton as of July 2014, slightly down from about 917,529 pesos per ton in June 2014, and up about 1% from about 909,572 pesos per ton in July 2013, according to data from FedeArroz. In terms of USD per ton, Colombia's average green paddy rice prices increased to around $491 per ton as of July 2014, slightly up from about $488 per ton in June 2014, and up about 1% from about $485 per ton (using historical exchange rates) in July 2013.Average white rice prices in Colombia stood at about 1.883 million pesos per ton as of July 2014, almost unchanged from about 1.883 million pesos per ton in June 2014, and down about 3% from about 1.943 million pesos per ton in July 2013.In terms of USD per ton, Colombia's average white rice prices have increased to about $1,009 per ton as of July 2014, up about 0.5% from about $1,003 per ton in June 2014, and down about 3% from about $1,036 per ton (using historical exchange rates) in July 2013.
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