23rd September , 2013
Chinese COLOR SORTER as low as Pak Rs 22 Lakh Only A Time Limited Offer Contact: Cell: 0300 414 3493
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
TOP Contents - Tailored for YOU Latest News Headlines…
Invasive beetles found in rice at Pittsburgh airport Crop-Destructing Beetle Found In Rice From Middle East Nearly a fifth of packaged rice not to up to standard China raises procurement price for rice Commodities Buzz: China Hikes MSP For Rice By 8% Increase in rice price seen to continue Farmers expect better paddy crop this year Global rice trade turns bleak as PH eases imports Thailand Likely Will Struggle to Get Back to No. 1 in Rice Exports Govt to harmonise rice production data Thai Farmers Hooked on Subsidies Test Yingluck: Southeast Asia Thai rice export well short from target Rice market likely to rule range-bound Current spell of rains recoups paddy crops Govt to harmonise rice production data Ahmed Decries Billions Spent on Rice Importation Annually Kharif foodgrains output estimated at 129.32 mt Insects control vital for proper yield of rice crop Huge cut in Basmati rice exports feared: international buyers lose trust in QRC certification Liberia: Japanese Donated Rice Due Today Nigeria’s agric revolution notches higher as 30,000-ton rice mill berths in Kwara Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Sep 20 Agri scientists recover aroma of Katarni rice Modifying rice crops to resist herbicide prompts weedy neighbors' growth spurt For GM food and vaccinations, the panic virus is a deadly disease WECARD, UI: Pioneering integrated fish, poultry and rice farming Rating agencies remain vigilant on rice pledging
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
NEWS DETAILS: Invasive beetles found in rice at Pittsburgh airport Staff Reporter:Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Khapra beetles destroy grains, cereals and stored foods, and can cost millions to eradicate. It‘s estimated that they are nabbed at the Pittsburgh International Airport a few times a year.
By Tom Fontaine Published: Friday, Sept. 20, 2013, 3:45 p.m. Customs agents discovered one of the world's most destructive pests in a bag of rice in Pittsburgh International Airport, officials said on Friday.―The Khapra beetle is one of the most invasive insects (Customs and Border Protection) agriculture specialists can encounter,‖ said Joseph Klaus, the agency's port director in Pittsburgh.Klaus said the tiny pests destroy grains, cereals and stored foods, and can cost millions to eradicate. Klaus estimated Khapra beetles are nabbed at the airport a few times a year.Customs agents found live Khapra beetles and larvae on Sept. 12 in a 10-pound bag of rice carried by a passenger who flew out of Saudi Arabia and connected to Pittsburgh on a flight from Paris. In July 2011, the Department of Agriculture banned passengers from bringing small, noncommercial quantities of rice from about two dozen countries where Khapra beetles are known to exist, including Saudi Arabia. It required larger commercial shipments to be inspected and certified as beetle-free before being shipped to the United States.Klaus said the passenger in Pittsburgh didn't know about the ban.After finding the pests inside the bag of rice, customs agents put the bugs under a microscope and preliminarily identified them as Khapra beetles. They forwarded them to a USDA entomologist for confirmation.―It feels good to find them,‖ Klaus said. ―That's why we're here. We take our mission to intercept these destructive pests and protect America's agriculture industry very seriously.‖ Known as ―dirty feeders,‖ Khapra beetles contaminate grain with body parts and hairs that can cause gastrointestinal irritation in adults and sicken infants. The pests can tolerate many insecticides and fumigants, surviving long periods without food, customs officials said.―Catching them is important,‖ said Montana State University associate professor David Weaver, a stored-products entomologist.Weaver said the beetles can rapidly ruin grains. Their presence here could impact the United States' ability to export grains to other nations that want to be Khapra-free.Customs and Border Protection said it cost about $11 million to eradicate a California infestation discovered in 1953 — about $90 million in today's dollars.
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
Tom Fontaine is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7847 or tfontaine@tribweb.com.
Crop-Destructing Beetle Found In Rice From Middle East September 21, 2013 8:3 (Photo Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection) Local, News, Syndicated Local
Related Tags Agriculture, Beetle, Crops,France, Khapra Beetle,Pittsburgh International Airport, Port of Pittsburgh,Rice, Saudi Arabia
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Officials took action earlier this
month after crop-destructing beetles were found in a bag of rice originating in the Middle East.Customs and Border Protection agents at Pittsburgh International Airport discovered the Khapra Beetles and larvae in a 10-pound bag of rice that came from Saudi Arabia, by way of France.Officials say the beetle is highly destructive to grains, cereals and stored foods. Khapra Beetle is one of the most invasive insects CBP agriculture specialists encounter,‖ Joseph Klaus, CBP Port Director for the Port of Pittsburgh, said in a statement. ―And we take our mission to intercept these destructive pests and protecting America‘s agricultural industry very seriously.The Khapra Beetle not only destroys crops, but can contaminate them, causing sickness in adults and especially infants.The USDA says prior efforts to eradicate Khapra Beetles took extensive efforts and roughly $90 million in taxpayer money.The rice was destroyed by incineration.
Nearly a fifth of packaged rice not to up to standard By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
Nearly a fifth of a government inspection of 127 samples of packaged rice failed to meet standards, the Agriculture and Food Agency said yesterday.Following the discovery last month that Chyuan Shun Food Enterprise Co — one of the three largest rice mills and distributors in the nation that markets its products under the name Shanshui Rice — had been selling a type of packaged rice labeled as domestically grown, but which was actually mixed with cheaper imported rice, the agency said it had expanded its inspection of packaged
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
rice.It tested 127 products from 26 companies — 42 by Chyuan Shun, 21 by Yeedon Enterprise Co (Sanhao Rice), 21 by Union Rice Co (Zhongxin Rice) and 43 products from 23 other companies — that were sold in supermarkets and hypermarkets The inspection again found that two products from Chyuan Shun were mislabeled, with the product origin described as 50 percent from Taiwan and 50 percent from Thailand, but test results showed that the bags did not contain any domestic rice.The company was fined NT$200,000 (US$6,750) for each product in accordance with the Food Administration Act (糧食管理法).Still another product by Chyuan Chun resulted in a NT$40,000 fine for mislabeling the type of rice variety. The agency ordered that all three products be pulled off the shelves immediately. The 21 other products were found to have other labeling problems or were not up to standard, and the companies were given 30 days to make improvements.The agency added that it had made some changes to penalties for violating the Food Administration Act to improve food monitoring and management. These include directly fining companies with serious false labeling problems and requiring them to withdraw their products immediately.Companies found at fault and punished more than three times in a year would have their registration certificate invalidated, the agency said. The agency said it had inspected 2,557 packaged rice products since June 2011, of which producers of 332 products were asked to improve within a certain period and 46 faced aggregate penalties of NT$2.02 million.This story has been viewed 418 times.
China raises procurement price for rice Last Updated: Sunday, September 22, 2013, 09:32 Tags: China, China rice, China rice price, China prices of rice, rice price in China Beijing: China has lifted the minimum state procurement prices for semilate and late rice to protect farmers' interests, the country's top economic planner said Saturday.The country has set minimum procurement prices for grain, including wheat and rice, since 2004. Under the scheme, the government buys grain from farmers at state-set prices when market prices fall below them, Xinhua reported.According to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), it has set the minimum procurement price for this year's indica rice at 2,700 yuan (USD 435) per tonne, up from 2,500 yuan per tonne
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
last year. The minimum price for semilate and late japonica rice was set at 3,000 yuan per tonne, up from 2,800 yuan for 2012, the NDRC said.The policy will be applied in China's 11 major rice-producing provinces and regions, including provinces of Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan and Sichuan, and Guangxi Zhuang Region. IANS
Commodities Buzz: China Hikes MSP For Rice By 8% Capital Market/ 15:19 , Sep 23, 2013
China has hiked the minimum state procurement prices for semilate and late rice to protect farmers' interests, the top economic planner said over the weekends, according to media reports. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) told Xinhua that it has set the minimum procurement price for this year's indica rice at 2,700 yuan (around 435 U.S. dollars) per tonne, up from 2,500 yuan per tonne last year.The minimum price for semilate and late japonica rice was set at 3,000 yuan per tonne, up from 2,800 yuan for 2012, the NDRC said. The policy will be applied in China's 11 major rice-producing provinces and regions, including provinces of Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan and Sichuan, and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
China has set minimum procurement prices for grain, including wheat and rice, since 2004. Under the scheme, the government buys grain from farmers at state-set prices when market prices fall below them. Powered by Commodity Insights
Increase in rice price seen to continue Monday, September 23, 2013
PALO, Leyte -- The National Food Authority (NFA) in Eastern Visayas said that sufficient supply of government rice is not enough to stabilize the price of staple food in the region, given their minimal share of the total regional reserve.Based on their September 1 inventory report, of 1,646,112 bags of rice stored in the
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
region, only 395,364 or 24 percent are government rice.Household stocks account the biggest share with 978,540 bags or 59 percent of the total inventory. Stocks of commercial rice dwindled to 272,208 bags (17 percent share) early this month as traders wait for new harvest that is expected to go full blast early October.Of more than 1.64 million bags of stocks in three levels, 490,627 bags are in Leyte; 142,249 in Southern Leyte; 61,433 in Biliran; 95,843 in Samar; 430,018 in Northern Samar; and 452,942 in Eastern Samar.As of this week, modal retail price of well-milled rice per kilogram (kg) is pegged at P42.33, regular milled rice at P39.43, and premium rice at P46.20. These prices are higher than the P39.42, P36.20, and P43.85 for well-milled, regular milled and premium, respectively.NFA rice remains at P27 per kg. The food agency said they would ensure that no government rice would be overpriced or diverted and sold as commercial rice. ―The NFA was not able to influence rice prices because of so many rice stocks in the household. To be able to manipulate the price, we have to get the majority share of stocks,‖ said NFA regional information officer Mary Agnes Militante.The NFA believe that high stocks in houses could be attributed to the ―palangoy‖ system where farmers borrow money from lenders and pay an interest of one sack of palay for every P1,000 credit.―These lenders have been keeping rice in their houses for their own consumption or sell the stocks to their friends,‖ she added.High costs of farm inputs such as fertilizers and seeds, and poor credit support, small rice farmers opt to borrow money from individual lenders and loan sharks.NFA records show that the region‘s current stocks would last for 52 days at an average daily consumption of 31,596 bags for the region‘s 4,532,935 population.Each person in Eastern Visayas consumes 127.24 kgs. of rice every year.Militante said she expects the price of commercial rice will start to go down next week as the country approaches harvest season. (Leyte Samar Daily Express)
Farmers expect better paddy crop this year Favourable monsoon and better farm management practices likely to help production
Farmers across India are expecting a higher yield of paddy this year, which could culminate in a better crop size.A favourable monsoon except for some blocks in Odisha, Bihar and Chattisgarh, and the application of better farm management practices under Bring Green Revolution in the Eastern India are likely to lead to a substantial rise in the total produce.While the International Grain Council has pegged India‘s rice production at 107 million tonnes (mt) against 104.4 mt in 2012-13, it could go beyond that, said Trilochan Mohapatra, director, Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack. About 40-45 per cent area under paddy is rain-fed. It is a major kharif crop, Mohapatra told Business Standard.
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
Global rice trade turns bleak as PH eases imports DA stands by claim of attaining local food security by end-2013
By Ronnel Philippine Daily Inquirer:8:18 pm | Sunday, September 22nd, 2013 The projected growth of the global rice trade for 2013 remains negative while that for 2014 is anemic, both partly due to the easing of Philippine importation.Based on the latest Rice Outlook report of the United States Department of Agriculture‘s Economic Research Service (ERS), global trade for this year was raised by 200,000 tons to 38.3 million—still 2 percent lower than the volume recorded in 2012.The ERS report is updated every month, and the latest was issued last week.This update was partially affected by a revision of the Philippines‘ importation data, which was lowered by 500,000 tons to one million tons. This revision is based on the recommendation ―from the USDA Office in Manila, and a much slower than expected delivery pace so far this year,‖ the report said.As for next year, the ERS said the global rice trade volume could be 350,000 tons higher than that contained in the forecast made last August.This brings the expected volume for 2014 to 39 million tons—about 700,000 tons, or 1.8 percent, greater than the forecast volume for 2013.According to the ERS, one of the factors that dampened next year‘s data again is the downward revision of forecast for Philippine importation.―The Philippines‘ 2014 import forecast was lowered 100,000 tons to 1.1 million based on recommendation from the USDA Office in Manila and a weaker 2013 import forecast,‖ the agency said. For this year and the next, the ERS is looking at strong demand from China, Iran, Iraq and West Africa. The ERS said the countries could be the main drivers of global rice trade.Earlier, Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala expressed confidence that the Aquino administration can achieve its target of rice self-sufficiency by this year.Alcala, however, said that this would not necessarily mean an end to importation, although inbound shipment volumes have dropped in the past three years.Following a visit to Isabela province last week, the agriculture chief said farmers there expected a bumper harvest over the next few weeks despite the heavy rains last month. Alcala said that in September alone, Isabela farms may harvest an initial 167,700 metric tons of palay, representing about three-fifths of the expected 264,700 metric tons of harvest in the Cagayan Valley for the third quarter.
Thailand Likely Will Struggle to Get Back to No. 1 in Rice Exports Thailand‘s rice exports are growing, but the Southeast Asian country is unlikely to get back its lost crown as the world‘s No. 1 exporter any time soon, analysts say. Reuters
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
A worker arranges rice grain on July 17 loaded to the back of a truck after a harvest in a paddy field in Nakhonsawan province, north of Bangkok.India‘s rice exports are forecast at 9 million tons this year followed by Vietnam‘s 7.4 million tons and Thailand‘s 6.5 million tons, according to the London-based International Grains Council. The two countries jumped ahead of Thailand in rice exports last year.Outpacing Vietnam to second place is going to be a lot easier for Thailand than beating India any time soon, analysts say.Up against Vietnam, Thailand has several advantages, including the demand for its longer-grain rice by buyers Iraq and Republic of Benin in west Africa and a recent push by the Thai government to sell some of its stockpiled rice. But Thailand lost so much ground in its fall from No. 1 that it will find it very challenging to sell enough to pass India, despite that country‘s own expected drop in exports, analysts say.So how does Thailand find itself playing catch-up in a game it once dominated? Two years ago, the Thai government wanted to boost the income of rice farmers, one of the ruling party‘s key voting constituencies. So it bought rice at 50 percent prices above the market rates and shoveled it into storage sites, predicting that this would goose up market prices.But that isn‘t what happened. India and Vietnam jumped in to pick up the business with cheaper prices. Thailand was left with excess supplies and debt from the costly subsidy program and storage costs.The Thai government has now scaled back the subsidy, meaning private companies will now have more rice to sell from the next crop to be harvested from October.―(The) government‘s new limits on buying rice from growers will leave more [grain] in the market for exports,‖ said Prem Na Songkhla, a rice farmer from Pathumthani province.Thai rice exports have been on the rise, partly due to a mix of import rules in Iraq and import tariffs in Nigeria, two major importers. Thai exports are also up because the government has managed to sell some of its surplus rice at prices lower than its cost of purchase. ―Anticipation of higher supply from government stocks has pulled down prices and narrowed the gap with offers from Vietnam and India,‖ said Chareon Laothamatas, managing director at Uthai Produce Ltd., one of Thailand‘s largest exporters of premium-grade Jasmine rice.Thailand‘s 5% broken grade of white rice is now offered around $425 per ton, loaded on ships, down 12% from six weeks earlier. Vietnam‘s 5% broken rice is offered at $370 per ton down from $390 per ton six weeks ago. Thailand‘s rice exports rose 35% in July compared with year earlier to 675,064 metric tons, hitting a ninemonth high as lower prices revived demand, according to the Thai Rice Exporters Association.The Londonbased International Grains Council has forecast Thailand‘s rice exports will rise 23% to 8 million tons for all of 2014. As Thailand makes a strong pitch to sell its surplus rice stock, it may surpass Vietnam to become
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
world‘s second-largest exporter in 2014, the grains council said in a report last month.But the boost isn‘t likely to get Thailand back on top, a major rice exporter said.―It will be difficult to sustain the [export] gains made in July, month after month,‖ said Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association. Exporters are quick to point out that even after the increase in Thai rice exports recently, Thailand‘s monthly shipments overseas are still 40% below the record 1.1 million tons made two years ago.Thailand, India and Pakistan, all leading rice exporters, start harvesting their main rice crop soon and will be competing for the same export destinations at a time when the demand is sluggish. Meanwhile, a mismatch is expected between buying and production: Global trade will rise by 500,000 tons next year while production is forecast to rise by 5.5 million tons. Meanwhile, inventories with the world‘s five major exporters are at an all-time record, the London-based IGC said.India will retain its No. 1 position as rice exporter this year, the IGC predicts in its report. But even India is struggling to sustain the 10.4 million tons of exports it made last year, the IGC says. The council forecasts a 13% decline in India‘s rice exports in 2013 due to smaller demand from African countries.Iraq and the Republic of Benin in west Africa are two major buyers that are driving up Thailand‘s exports of rice, said Mr. Chookiat, who is also managing director of Huay Chuan Rice Export Corp.India and Vietnam are unable to meet the minimum grain length specifications of Iraq, ―giving us a trade advantage‖, Mr Chookiat said. Sales to Iraq in July are up 16% compared with year earlier, according to the association‘s data.Traders say rice that eventually will be sold in Nigeria, the world‘s largest importer, is being routed through neighboring Benin. Due to a hike in the import duty in Nigeria beginning on Jan. 1, many companies there are securing rice through informal land border trade between Nigeria and Benin, said Mr. Chookiat. Thailand exported 104,000 tons of rice to Benin in July, up from 40,000 tons in the same month last year, mostly of parboiled grades, which is rice that has been partially boiled before milling and export and that is immensely popular in Africa.India is Thailand‘s main competitor in the parboiled rice market. Thailand has narrowed the price gap between its parboiled rice and that of India.For the near future, at least, Thailand should set its goal at shoving aside Vietnam, analysts conclude. Beating India, they add, will take patience, smart reaction to market openings and time.
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
Govt to harmonise rice production data Star Business Report
The disparity in rice production statistics is set to come to an end as the two state agencies have decided to follow a unified methodology to measure the yield of the staple.―We have developed a new methodology which allows Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and Department of Agricultural Extension to jointly measure rice production,‖ said Bidhan Baral, deputy director of BBS. The new methodology was unveiled at a workshop yesterday at the BBS headquarters.At present, the two agencies generate separate data and they tend to differ, thereby raising questions of authenticity and reliability during policymaking, said Mike Robson, country representative of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). To put an end to it, the government last year, with financial and technical assistance from FAO, initiated the process of harmonising statistics.Some 1,600 officials of both BBS and DAE were trained on the new methodology, with experimental crop-cutting taking place in Barisal and Rajshahi districts, said Salima Sultana, director of BBS‘s agriculture wing.Baral, who heads the project, said the new methodology has already been put to test: the two agencies used it to estimate the production of boro rice between April and June.―Agriculture statistics is very important to determine demand, supply, imports, exports and overall production planning,‖ said Mukul Chandra Roy, director general of DAE.Planning Minister AK Khandker, Statistics and Informatics Division Secretary Md Nojibur Rahman and BBS Director General Golam Mostafa Kamal also spoke.
Thai Farmers Hooked on Subsidies Test Yingluck: Southeast Asia By Suttinee Yuvejwattana & Supunnabul Suwannakij - Sep 23, 2013 9:39 AM GMT+0500 Thailand‘s decision to expand subsidies for rice and rubber farmers to quell protests is undermining efforts to control rising debt, even as governments in neighboring Malaysia and Indonesia cut back support programs.The government will pay 21.2 billion baht ($681 million) directly to rubber farmers‘ bank accounts to offset falling prices, up from 10 billion baht agreed on earlier, after violent clashes between the police and growers demanding subsidies. The administration also promised to buy rice at above-market rates for another crop year, at a cost of 270 billion baht.
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
Yingluck Shinawatra, Thailand's prime minister, adjusts her earpiece during the Future Of Asia conference in Tokyo, Japan. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg.Yingluck Shinawatra, Thailand's prime minister, inspects sacks of milled rice during a tour of the processing plant for Charoen Pokphand Foods Pcl's (CP Foods) Royal Umbrella-brand rice in Nakhon Luang, Ayutthaya province, Thailand on July 18, 2013. Photographer: Dario Pignatelli/Bloomberg Farmer Khot Samnung pours raw latex into molds to prepare rubber "cup lumps" at a plantation adjacent to the Thai Hua Rubber Pcl factory in Samnuktong, Rayong province, Thailand. Photographer: Dario Pignatelli/Bloomberg Enlarge image Protestors clash with police during a protest over a government rubber subsidy in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand on Sept. 16, 2013. Source: AFP/Getty Images The payouts may slow Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra‘s plan to balance the budget by 2017 and contain the ratio of debt to gross domestic product that rose to 44.3 percent in June this year from 38.2 percent in end2008. A business sentiment index dropped in July to the lowest level in more than a year and consumer confidence fell to a nine-month low on concern political risk is rising as the economy weakens.―It‘s a tricky situation, given the demands of the protesters,‖ said Euben Paracuelles, an economist at Nomura Holdings Inc. in Singapore. ―The government doesn‘t have much more room for subsidies. The risk is the protests could be drawn out and the longer they persist the more they become a concern, especially if they are more disruptive and add to an already weak growth outlook.‖
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
Thailand‘s SET Index slid 1.7 percent as of 11:31 a.m. in Bangkok today, the biggest decline in Asia. The baht slipped 0.1 percent, and is the third-worst performer in the past six months among 11 Asian currencies tracked by Bloomberg. Roads Blocked As many as 12,000 farmers blocked roads and railways for two weeks from Aug. 26, stranding thousands of passengers and disrupting traffic in the southern provinces that account for 80 percent of the nation‘s rubber output. About 76 police officers were injured and nine vehicles torched in Nakhon Sri Thammarat at the height of the clashes earlier this month.Yingluck said on Sept. 15 that the government and most rubber farmers had agreed on the subsidy amount, prompting many demonstrators to return to their plantations.Rubber futures in Tokyo have dropped 14 percent from an 11-month high in February as slowing growth in China and a recession in Europe reduced demand. In Thailand, the world‘s largest rubber producer and exporter, prices tumbled 19 percent to 83.20 baht a kilogram from this year‘s peak of 102.7 baht. The Southeast Asian nation has also spent 675 billion baht since October 2011 on buying rice directly from farmers. The government estimates it lost about 137 billion baht in the 2011-2012 crop year as it then sold the grain at a loss.Yingluck‘s administration earlier this month backtracked on a plan to lower payments after rice farmers threatened to demonstrate on the streets of Bangkok. Mounting Losses Rice exports tumbled 35 percent last year to 6.95 million tons, ending the nation‘s 30-year reign as the world‘s largest exporter. With purchases at as much as 50 percent above the market rate, the government may lose up to 100 billion baht in 2013-2014, according to Capital Economics Ltd. ―The rice-pledging scheme has set a precedent for other groups,‖ said Steffen Dyck, assistant vice president at Moody‘s Investors Service in Singapore. ―The risk is whether these programs will be contained or adjusted in the future.‖While agriculture accounted for 8.4 percent of the nation‘s gross domestic product last year, rural residents make up almost 87 percent of the population of 67 million people. Yingluck‘s party won a parliamentary majority in 2011 elections with support from poorer rural areas in northern Thailand.―They try to please voters to keep their popularity,‖ said Somjai Phagaphasvivat, a political science lecturer at Thammasat University in Bangkok. ―But they create fiscal problems which may explode sooner rather than later if the global economy faces a serious downturn.‖ Malaysia, Indonesia
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
Meanwhile, countries from Malaysia to Indonesia are reducing subsidies to ease pressure on their budgets, with both nations raising fuel prices this year. Fitch Ratings cut Malaysia‘s credit outlook to negative in July, citing that nation‘s rising debt and lack of budgetary reform.Thailand‘s debt is rated BBB+ by Standard & Poor‘s and Fitch, and Baa1 by Moody‘s, three levels above junk. The country still has ―strong fundamentals‖ including high foreign reserves and continued foreign direct investment, Dyck said.The Thai parliament last month passed the 2014 budget for the year beginning Oct. 1 with a deficit of 250 billion baht, down from a shortfall of 300 billion baht this year. Finance MinisterKittiratt Na-Ranong has said the government will cut the deficit every year to achieve a balanced budget by 2017. No Driver Falling commodity prices will increase pressure on the economy, which unexpectedly contracted 0.3 percent in the three months through June from the previous quarter, when it shrank by 1.7 percent, official data showed. The statistics agency cut its 2013 GDP forecast to 3.8 percent to 4.3 percent from 4.2 percent to 5.2 percent, and the exports growth target to 5 percent.Thai rice prices may drop to $425 a ton by year-end from about $458 now, and fall to $400 a ton by the end of 2014, Capital Economics estimates. The nation‘s total exports fell 1.5 percent in July, a third straight month of declines.―There is no real driver for the economy except exports,‖ said Pipat Luengnaruemitchai, vice president at Phatra Securities Pcl in Bangkok. ―Falling agricultural prices weaken farm income and consumer spending. Investments won‘t rise when the economic outlook is grim. We should hope for the best and prepare for the worst in the second half.‖ The central bank last month kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged for a second straight meeting after cutting by a quarter of a percentage point in May to aid growth. Governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul said Aug. 28 the economy had hit bottom last quarter and should recover in the second half. No Negotiation Yingluck‘s two-year-old administration has tried to speed up budget disbursement as plans to spend 2 trillion baht on infrastructure and 350 billion baht on water-management projects have been delayed. The government also plans to cut import duties on luxury products to help boost tourism revenue and counter the slowdown in domestic spending.Kittiratt said on Sept. 16 there will be no further negotiations on rubber prices. The government has sought a long-term solution by zoning farms and investing in adding value to agricultural products, Yingluck said the same day.I want to ask the farmers to sympathize with us because if we spend too
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
much money on this, we won‘t have enough in the budget to allocate to other areas,‖ Yingluck said. ―We need to find the balance.‖ To contact the reporters on this story: Supunnabul Suwannakij in Bangkok At ssuwannakij@bloomberg.net; Suttinee Yuvejwattana in Bangkok at suttinee1@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephanie Phang at sphang@bloomberg.net
Thai rice export well short from target The Nation September 23, 2013 2:57 pmThe Commerce Ministry may review the full-year rice export target in the fourth quarter, following the lower-than-expected export figures in the first eight months.Thikamporn Nartvoratat, deputy director general of the Foreign Trade Department, said that it remains to be seen whether the situation will pick up in the fourth quarter.In the first eight months, Thailand exported 4.2 million tonnes of rice, which is less than 50 per cent of the full-year target of 8.5 million tonnes. The export value was US$2.9 billion, far from the $5.7 billion target. On average, the rice was sold at US$678 per tonne.
Thikamporn admitted that Thailand‘s rice export volume has been far behind that of India and Vietnam. However, Thailand remains the No. 1 in terms of value. He noted that Thailand should lift the rice quality to further push up the price. As global output rises, Thailand may find difficulties in selling Hom Mali rice despite orders from Japan and Iraq.
Rice market likely to rule range-bound OUR CORRESPONDENT KARNAL, SEPT. 23:
The rice market witnessed a mixed trend on Monday with prices of Sharbati and Duplicate basmati rice varieties rising and Pusa-1121 (steam) dropping on slack demand. PR and Permal varieties managed to maintain ruled unchanged.Tara Chand Sharma, proprietor of Tara Chand and Sons, told Business Line that demand for
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
old rice pushed up prices of Sharbati and Duplicate basmati rice It is hard to anticipate the future of the rice market currently and it is unlikely to see any major change in the next few days. Prices may continue to rule at current levels with marginal fluctuations, he said.In the physical market, Pusa-1121 (steam) dropped by Rs 300 and sold at Rs 8,000-8,100 , while Pusa-1121 (sela) quoted at Rs 7,700-50 a quintal.Pure Basmati (Raw) quoted at Rs 11,000 . Duplicate basmati (steam) sold at Rs 6,800-6,900 , Rs 150 up from previous level.For the brokens of Pusa-1121, Dubar quoted at Rs 3,700, Tibar sold at Rs 4,400 while Mongra was at Rs 3,100. In the non-basmati section, Sharbati (Steam) improved by Rs 200 and sold at Rs 4,700-4,800 while Sharbati (Sela) quoted at Rs 4,400-4,500. Permal (raw) sold at Rs 2,350-2,400, Permal (sela) went for Rs 2,300 , PR-11 (sela) sold at Rs 2,900 while PR11 (Raw) quoted at Rs 2,700-50 . PR14 (steam) sold at Rs 3,000-80 . PADDY ARRIVALS Around 12,000 bags of different paddy varieties arrived at the Karnal Grain Market Terminal. About 10,000 bags PR paddy arrived and quoted at Rs 1,300-25 , around 1,000 bags of Pusa-1509 arrived and sold at Rs 3,450 while 1 thousand bags of Sharbati arrived and sold at Rs 2,350. (This article was published on September 23, 2013) Keywords: rice market, prices,
Current spell of rains recoups paddy crops By Express News Service – BHUBANESWAR Published: 23rd September 2013 11:42 AMLast Updated: 23rd September 2013 11:42 AM The current spell of rains across the State has recouped the paddy crops which was heading for moisture stress condition in 20 out of 23 blocks facing deficient to severe deficient rainfall. However, the situation is still critical in three blocks of Soro in Balasore district, Kanatapara in Cuttack district and Belpada in Balangir district. Five blocks of the State had reported severe deficient rainfall of more than 59 per cent while another 18
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
blocks recorded deficient rainfall of 39 per cent to 59 per cent till last week. Reports from the districts said the current spell of rains significantly improved the condition of kharif crops, Director, Agriculture Production, Santh Gopalan said. With the Meteorological department predicting another low pressure in the Bay of Bengal within a couple of days and if the prediction comes true, there is nothing to be worried about, he said. Gopalan said two more spells of rains are required __ one within a week and another at the time of flowering of grain filling stage of the late paddy crops. The State experienced deficient rainfall of 33 per cent in August and 31 per cent till September 13. A prolonged dry spell in some parts of the State has led to pest attack on crops. Condition of maize, mung, biri and cotton crops is reportedly better. Meanwhile, pest attacks on paddy crops of high intensity over an area of 7,800 hectares, moderate intensity in 18,000 hectares and low intensity in about 57,000 hectares have been reported. The department has assisted farmers for pest treatment over an area of 48,000 hectares. Gopalan said the State is in a comfortable position so far as fertiliser stock is concerned. There is enough stock of urea, DAP and complex fertiliser.Two more spells of rains are required __ one within a week and another at the time of flowering of grain filling stage of the late paddy crops. The State experienced deficient rainfall of 33 per cent in August and 31 per cent till September 13. Condition of maize, mung, biri and cotton crops is reportedly better.
Govt to harmonise rice production data Published: Friday, September 20, 2013
Star Business Report
The disparity in rice production statistics is set to come to an end as the two state agencies have decided to follow a unified methodology to measure the yield of the staple.―We have developed a new methodology which allows Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and Department of Agricultural Extension to jointly measure rice production,‖ said Bidhan Baral, deputy director of BBS. The new methodology was unveiled at a workshop yesterday at the BBS headquarters.At present, the two agencies generate separate data and they tend to differ, thereby raising questions of authenticity and reliability during policymaking, said Mike Robson, country representative of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). To put an end to it, the government last year, with financial and technical assistance from FAO, initiated the process of harmonising statistics.Some 1,600 officials of both BBS and DAE were trained on the new methodology, with experimental crop-cutting taking place in Barisal and Rajshahi districts, said Salima Sultana, director of BBS‘s agriculture wing.Baral, who heads the project, said the new methodology has already been
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
put to test: the two agencies used it to estimate the production of boro rice between April and June.―Agriculture statistics is very important to determine demand, supply, imports, exports and overall production planning,‖ said Mukul Chandra Roy, director general of DAE.Planning Minister AK Khandker, Statistics and Informatics Division Secretary Md Nojibur Rahman and BBS Director General Golam Mostafa Kamal also spoke.
Ahmed Decries Billions Spent on Rice Importation Annually 23 Sep 2013
Kwara state governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed By Hammed Shittu Kwara state governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, has decried the several billions of dollars spent annually to import around two million metric tonnes of rice from other countries of the world, after being kept in storage for close to a decade.He said such development had led to the wasting of scarce foreign exchange, stunting the growth of the local agriculture and thereby accelerating the growth of foreign economies.Ahmed disclosed this in Tsaragi in Edu local government council area of the state during the official launching of Quarra 30,000tonne capacity rice mill at Tsaragi town. According to him, ―It is indeed alarming that at this stage in its development, Nigeria spends billions of dollars annually on the importation of 2 million metric tonnes of rice that has been kept in storage for close to a decade and is therefore not fresh.‖He said, ―In the process, we are wasting scarce foreign exchange, stunting the growth of our local agriculture while accelerating the growth of foreign economies‖.Ahmed added, ―I am pleased to note that the launching of this 30,000 tonne capacity rice mill here in Tsaragi will contribute towards meeting the local demand for rice in Nigeria". He stated that, ―Furthermore, identification of 500 outgrowers who will supply paddy rice to this mill will no doubt boost the livelihood of small holding farmers in the state and take us closer to our dream of extending
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
commercial farming to all parts of the state.‖While the federal government is doing a lot to grow commercial agriculture in Nigeria under the Transformation Agenda, Ahmed opined that, ―it is my belief that more needs to be done to promote local agro-businesses such as Quarra Rice, and grow the loc al economy".He noted that, "We must initiate and implement policies for a phased ban on rice importation while encouraging rice milling plants such as Quarra Rice to backwardly integrate through the agriculture value chain and in doing so we will be promoting Nigerian agri-businesses, encourage more people to embrace agribusiness, generate thousands of jobs along the value chain and conserve scare foreign exchange‖. He said further that the current effort at reforming agriculture in the state is to structure it that it would be the hallmark of growing reputation as an agricultural hub of the nation. This, he however said, would serve as a largest potential to trigger rapid growth, reduce poverty and guarantee food security. Tags: Nigeria, Featured, Business, Abdulfatah Ahmed
Kharif foodgrains output estimated at 129.32 mt PTI NEW DELHI, SEPT 23:
India‘s foodgrains production is projected to increase marginally in the kharif (summer) season this year to 129.32 million tonnes after more than half of the country received normal monsoon rains.―Total foodgrains production in the kharif season of the 201314 crop year is definitely expected to be higher than last year‘s level at 129.32 mt,‖ Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar told PTI.Foodgrains output stood at 128.2 mt during last year. Sowing of the kharif crop starts with the southwest monsoon in June and harvesting from October. The initial estimate falls short of the target of 130.5 mt. Rice, pulses, cotton, maize and soyabean are the major kharif crops.Pawar said production of paddy, the main kharif crop, is projected to exceed last year‘s level of 92.76 mt as good monsoon rainfall has boosted the acreage and crop prospects. He didn‘t give an output estimate for paddy.Except for sugarcane, which was sown in a smaller area, production of other kharif crops looks bright. Crop-wise forecast
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
Crop-wise production forecast would be provided tomorrow when the first advance estimates of the kharif season for the 2013-14 crop year (July-June) are released, he added.According to the India Meteorological Department, 53 per cent of the country received normal rains during June-September monsoon season, while one-third of the country got excess rains. The monsoon has withdrawn from the northern and western parts.A good monsoon is needed for India‘s economic growth as more than 60 per cent of the population depends on agriculture and allied activities.The Agriculture Ministry has set a target of 128.5 mt of foodgrains production during the rabi (winter) season, which will start from next month through February 2014. (This article was published on September 23, 2013) Keywords: Foodgrains output, kharif foodgrains output, kharif crop, kharif crop production forecast,
Insects control vital for proper yield of rice crop September 23, 2013
LAHORE - It is very important to control insect attack to have good yield of rice crop as negligence can result in less production. Punjab Agriculture (Ext A & R) DG Dr. Anjum said that stem worms harms rice crop. He suggested farmers to use light traps in night to get rid of worms. Army worm also attacks rice crop in case of its severe attack farmers should make drainage lines near affected area and fill them with water and also add some Kerosene oil in it as it would control army worms. from entering any other nearby field. He also advised farmers to adopt modern methods of cultivation for good results.
Huge cut in Basmati rice exports feared: international buyers lose trust in QRC certification Friday,
September-20-2013
International buyers have lost trust over Quality Review Committee (QRC) certifications, as the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan's move to take control of QRC from Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan
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
(Reap) has opened a new door of bureaucratic corruption, leading to a huge decline in Basmati rice exports. Under the new management of certification, which is based on total physical characteristics despite availability of latest techniques to ascertain rice quality,TDAP officials have started creating hurdles for every quality certificate for rice export at a time when trade has already declined due to wrong policies by previous government. Chaudhry Sameeullah, Vice Chairman Reap, said in a statement issued on Thursday that genuine exporters are now facing delays in trade activities due to the cumbersome documentation and misleading and disruptive SOP's formulated to get their consignments certified from government offices. Giving the QRC control to government department and eliminate the private stakeholders' involvement is a setback for rice export, which is already on decline, he added. The Reap is contributing a handsome share in country's foreign exchange having raised the exports of Rice from $300 million to $2.5 billion during last four years, but transferring the control of QRC to DG TDAP Lahore has created monopoly, uprooting the whole Quality Control Structure of Reap. Samee added that 99 percent of rice exports inspections are carried through QRC Karachi office. The QRC setup at Karachi, due to heavy load of inspections, it requires special consideration by filling the post of Controller QRC with a skilled person so that operations may go smooth. The REAP already requested Chairman QRC, DG TDAP Lahore, to recommend Controller North services to this vacant post. The QRC inspection at North Zone is barely minimal and hence Controller should be available at Ports where almost 99 percent of Basmati rice is being inspected. The vice chairman stated that QRC to facilitate the exporters of quality Basmati rice has transformed into sheer ruthless inspection body where there is no concept of facilitation. The staff behaviour has changed from "A Facilitator for Quality Exporters" to "An Inspector Ensuring Quality". As all the inspections are based on
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
physical results and evaluation, which resulted in disputes for identification of variety, hence resulting in introduction of evil practices in Export Trade. Moreover, he added that the revenues generated by QRC were supposed to be submitted in a jointly controlled account as per minutes of the meeting between REAP & TDAP Lahore but later, it was revealed that a singly signatory account is opened by TDAP which violates the rules of transparency. Sameeullah mentioned that there is no mandatory pre-inspection by government on textile exports, surgical exports etc. Moreover, top three rice exporting nations including India, Vietnam and Thailand have no obligatory inspection structures on their rice exports. He added that the QRC concept was evolved by REAP in 90's to assert EU that the rice shipped was in compliance to EU Regulation.As REAP had managed it quite well, the sitting Minister Ishaq Dar, appreciated REAP's management and replicated it to all Rice exported from Pakistan. Since its inception, it has been professionally controlled but unfortunately, the TDAP management has uprooted an established organisation in to a disputable, controversial and bureaucratic organisation. Under the circumstances, our members have serious reservations on ineffective QRC operations under TDAP and majority of exporters under REAP umbrella has mandated for abolishment of QRC in case the bureaucratic hurdles are not removed in way of export. News Source
News Collated by PAKISSAN.com
Liberia: Japanese Donated Rice Due Today 23 SEPTEMBER 2013
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has announced that the Japanese Government has donated an additional consignment of 12,270 metric tons or 408,959 (30kg) bags of rice to the Liberian Government.The rice is expected to arrive in the country today and will be sold for US$14. 50 per 30 kg bag on the local market.According to the Commerce Ministry, the Government will focus the distribution of the rice into leeward Counties to stabilize the price.The ministry further wishes to inform the general public that proceeds from the sale of the rice will be deposited into a special account at the Central Bank to support Liberia's food Security program.The Government of Liberia(GOL) according to a commerce ministry release expects to realize a little over US$4.4m from the sale of the rice consignment. In order to ensure full compliance with the ceiling price as stipulated by the Ministry of Commerce, the inspectorate Division and the Bureau of Public Affairs have been instructed to conduct routine inspections to ensure that the rice is sold on the market as stipulated in the contract.Meanwhile, the ministry is pleased, on behalf of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and the Government. of Liberia to register her profound gratitude to the Government and People of Japan for their enormous contributions to Liberia's food security as well as other socio-economic development program.
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
Nigeria’s agric revolution notches higher as 30,000-ton rice mill berths in Kwara September 23, 2013 | Filed under: main story | Posted by: FEMI ASU
Nigeria‘s agricultural transformation agenda is set for a major boost with the coming on stream of Quarra Rice Mill, one of the country‘s largest rice processing mills, to meet the rapidly growing domestic rice demand.The mill, which has an annual capacity of 30,000 tons of paddy rice, is operated by Quarra Rice Limited, which expects to process 150,000 tons per year by 2018.Located in Tsaragi, Kwara State, within a 100-kilometre radius of Nigeria‘s most fertile rice growing territory, the mill‘s output of parboiled rice and rice flour will be sold domestically to help alleviate food security concerns and substitute for expensive imports.The United States Department of Agriculture estimated level of import of rice in Nigeria is 2.7 million tons of rice per annum. Nigeria produces 2.85 tons of milled rice and 4.524 million tons of paddy rice per year.Quarra Rice Limited‘s target output quantity accounts for around 3.6 percent of the nation‘s yearly rice imports as it is uniquely positioned to drive higher productivity and serve as an example of commercially successful yet sustainable agricultural investment in Nigeria.Abdulfatah Ahmed, Kwara State governor, at the commissioning of the mill on Thursday, said it was alarming that Nigeria continued to spend about $2 billion annually on importation of roughly 2 million metric tons of rice, wasting scarce foreign exchange and stunting growth of local agriculture, while accelerating the growth of foreign economies. He noted that the Quarra rice mill would contribute towards meeting local demand for rice in the country and further deepen the depth of commercial agriculture.―While the Federal Government is doing a lot to grow commercial agriculture in Nigeria, more still needs to be done to local agribusinesses such as Quarra rice to boost food security,‖ he said, adding that structured and carefully planned agricultural reforms are very critical.While noting that the bane of agricultural development in the country is the complete disconnect between the farmers and utilisers of agriculture produce, the governor said that only through structured commercial farming can the country adequately feed the people and guarantee their economic prosperity.According to Adewunmi Adesina, minister of agriculture and rural development, at the event, 9 million metric tons of food was added in 2012/2013 to the nation‘s domestic food supply, which is 80 percent higher than the annual target of 5 million metric tons that had been set. ―Food imports declined by N857 billion by the end of 2012; for example, the nation‘s import bill for wheat, rice and sugar was down by $3 billion in 2012. Agric exports expanded by 822,000 metric tons in 2012, as the sector‘s contribution to non-oil exports expanded by N759 billion,‖ said Adesina, who was represented by Ike Azogu, executive director of National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation.
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
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Sep 20 Fri Sep 20, 2013 3:53pm IST Nagpur, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Gram prices in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) declined on poor buying support from local millers amid increased supply from producing regions. Fresh fall on NCDEX, downward trend in Madhya Pradesh gram prices and high moisture content arrival also pushed down prices, according to sources.
*
*
*
*
FOODGRAINS & PULSES GRAM * Deshi gram raw reported a marginal fall in open market in absence of buyers amid good supply from producing belts.
TUAR * Tuar black quoted weak in open market on poor demand from local traders amid good overseas supply.
* In Akola, Tuar - 4,000-4,200, Tuar dal - 6,300-6,500, Udid at 4,700-5,000, Udid Mogar (clean) - 5,500-5,700, Moong - 5,900-6,300, Moong Mogar (clean) 7,000-7,200, Gram - 2,800-3,000, Gram Super best bold - 3,900-4,100 for 100 kg.
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
* Wheat, rice and other commodities remained steady in open market in thin trading activity, according to sources.
Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS
Available prices
Gram Auction
2,500-2,900
Gram Pink Auction
2,520-2,940
n.a.
Tuar Auction
2,100-2,600
n.a.
Moong Auction
3,800-4,290
n.a.
Udid Auction
3,800-4,000
n.a.
Masoor Auction
4,300-4,500
n.a.
Gram Super Best Bold Gram Super Best
2,600-2,800 4,400-4,500
3,850-3,950
Gram Dal Medium
n.a.
Gram Mill Quality
3,750-3,800
Deshi gram Raw
3,100-3,200
Gram Filter Yellow
n.a.
Gram Kabuli
7,600-8,000
Tuar Fataka Best Tuar Fataka Medium
3,850-3,950
n.a. 3,750-3,800 3,150-3,200
n.a.
7,700-10,000
Tuar Dal Best Phod
4,400-4,500
n.a.
Gram Medium Best
Gram Pink
Previous close
7,700-10,000 7,600-8,000
6,600-6,800 6,200-6,400 6,000-6,100
6,600-6,800 6,200-6,400 6,000-6,100
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
Tuar Dal Medium phod
5,600-5,800
5,600-5,800
Tuar Gavarani
4,500-4,600
4,500-4,600
Tuar Karnataka
4,300-4,400
4,300-4,400
Tuar Black
7,200-7,400
Masoor dal best
7,300-7,500
5,300-5,500
Masoor dal medium Masoor
5,100-5,200
n.a.
5,000-5,200
n.a.
Moong Mogar bold
7,400-7,500
Moong Mogar Medium best Moong dal super best Moong dal Chilka
5,200-5,500
7,400-7,500
6,500-6,900
5,400-5,600
5,400-5,600
5,200-5,400
5,200-5,400
Moong Mill quality
n.a.
Moong Chamki best
5,800-6,000
n.a.
Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) Batri dal (100 INR/KG)
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG)
5,000-5,200
2,900-3,000 3,300-3,400
3,100-3,300
3,100-3,300
7,200-7,600
1,650-1,750 1,600-1,630
1,600-1,800
5,000-5,200
3,850-3,950
3,300-3,400
Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG)
5,500-5,700
4,600-4,800
2,900-3,000
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG)
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG)
5,500-5,700
4,600-4,800
Watana White (100 INR/KG)
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG)
4,800-6,000
3,850-3,950
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg)
6,500-6,900
7,200-7,600
1,650-1,750 1,600-1,630 1,600-1,800
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
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG)
1,950-2,350
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG)
1,950-2,350
1,750-1,950
n.a.
n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,600 MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG)
1,750-1,950
3,100-3,600
2,600-2,900
2,600-2,900
Wheat 147 (100 INR/KG)
1,450-1,550
1,450-1,550
Wheat Best (100 INR/KG)
1,500-1,600
1,500-1,600
Rice BPT New (100 INR/KG) Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG)
2,900-3,500 2,100-2,400
2,900-3,500 2,100-2,400
Rice Swarna Best (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,400 Rice Swarna Medium (100 INR/KG) Rice HMT (100 INR/KG)
2,300-2,400
2,050-2,300
4,200-4,600
Rice HMT Shriram (100 INR/KG)
4,200-4,600
4,400-5,000
4,400-5,000
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 10,000-12,500 Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG)
Rice Chinnor Medium (100 INR/KG) Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG)
10,000-12,500
6,200-7,500
5,000-5,500
1,800-1,900
6,200-7,500
5,000-5,500
4,400-4,800
1,500-1,650
2,050-2,300
4,400-4,800 1,500-1,650
1,800-1,900
WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 33.5 degree Celsius (92.3 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp. 24.1 degree Celsius (73.4 degree Fahrenheit) Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.
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
Rainfall : 21.7 mm FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky. Maximum and Minimum temperature likely to be around 33 and 24 degree Celsius respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices.)
Agri scientists recover aroma of Katarni rice The scientists at Sabour Agriculture University here claimed to have successfully recovered the aroma of popular rice variety -- Katarni -- after carrying out a series of experiments. The scientists conducted molecular sterilisation on Katarni grain and recovered its genetic quality that creates aroma in the rice variety cultivated in Bhagalpur and other districts of Bihar, University's Vice Chancellor Mewalal Chaudhary said at an agriculture workshop here today. This popular rice variety was said to have lost its aroma, leading to reduction in demand from consumers. Chaudhary said the scientists have also experimented on a number of crops, including pulse variety which will be drought resistant and its seeds will be available in the market from next year so that the farmers could cultivate these alternative crops.
Modifying rice crops to resist herbicide prompts weedy neighbors' growth spurt posted by news on september 23, 2013 - 5:30pm COLUMBUS, Ohio – Rice containing an overactive gene that makes it resistant to a common herbicide can pass that genetic trait to weedy rice, prompting powerful growth even without a weed-killer to trigger the modification benefit, new research shows.Previously, scientists have found that when a genetically modified trait passes from a crop plant to a closely related weed, the weed gains the crop's engineered benefit – resistance to pests, for example – only in the presence of the offending insects.
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
This new study is a surprising example of gene flow from crops to weeds that makes weeds more vigorous even without an environmental trigger, researchers say. The suspected reason: This modification method enhances a plant's own growth control mechanism, essentially making it grow faster – an attractive trait in crops but a recipe for potential problems with weedy relatives that could out-compete the crop."Our next question is whether this method of enhancing plant growth could be developed for any crop. We want to know whether growers could get higher yields in the crop and then, if it happened to cross with a related weed, whether it might make the weed more prolific as well," said Allison Snow, professor of evolution, ecology and organismal biology at The Ohio State University and a lead author of the paper."It's unusual for any transgene to have such a positive effect on a wild relative and even more so for herbicide resistance," she said. "But we think we know why: It's probably because the pathway regulated by this gene is so important to the plant."The work is the result of Snow's longtime collaboration with senior author Bao-Rong Lu, a professor at Fudan University in Shanghai. Their publication appears online in the journal New Phytologist.The weed-killer glyphosate, sold under the brand name Roundup, kills plants by inhibiting a growth-related pathway activated by the epsps gene. Biotech companies have inserted mutated forms of a similar gene from microbes into crop plants, producing "Roundup Ready" corn and soybeans that remain undamaged by widespread herbicide application. But in this study, the researchers used a different method, boosting activation of the native epsps gene in rice plants – a process called overexpressing – to give the plants enough strength to survive an application of herbicide. Because companies that genetically modify commercial crops don't fully disclose their methods, Snow and her colleagues aren't sure how prevalent this method might be, now or in the future."This is a relatively new way to get a trait into a crop: taking the plant's own gene and ramping it up," Snow said. "We don't know yet if our findings are going to be generalizable, but if they are, it's definitely going to be important."To overexpress the native gene in rice, the scientists attached a promoter to it, giving the plant an extra copy of its own gene and ensuring that the gene is activated at all times.The researchers conducted tests in rice and four strains of a relative of the same species, weedy rice, a noxious plant that infests rice fields around the world. By crossing genetically altered herbicide-resistant rice with weedy rice to mimic what happens naturally in the field, the researchers created crop-weed hybrids that grew larger and produced more offspring than unaltered counterparts – even without any herbicide present. In regulated field experiments, the hybrids containing the overexpressed gene produced 48 percent to 125 percent more seeds per plant than did hybrid plants with no modified genes. They also had higher concentrations of a key amino acid, greater photosynthetic rates and better fledgling seed growth than controls – all presumed signs of better fitness in evolutionary terms. "Fitness is a hard thing to measure, but you can conclude that if a gene gives you a lot more seeds per plant compared to controls, it's likely to increase the plants' fitness because those genes would be represented at a
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
higher percentage in future generations," Snow said.When Snow and Lu set out to study this new genetic engineering method, they didn't know what to expect."Our colleagues developed this novel transgenic trait in rice and we didn't know if it would have a fitness benefit, or a cost, or be neutral," Snow said. "With most types of herbicide resistant genes, there's no benefit to a wild plant unless the herbicide is sprayed. A lot of transgenes in crop plants are either selectively neutral in wild plants or, if they have a benefit, it depends on environmental factors like insects, diseases or herbicides being present."Snow has a history in this area of research. She has found that genes from crop plants can persist in related weeds over many generations. In 2002, she led a study that was the first to show that a gene artificially inserted into crop plants to fend off pests could migrate to weeds in a natural environment and make the weeds stronger. She also has served on national panels that monitor and make recommendations about the release of genetically engineered species into the environment. She is interested in identifying new possible outcomes of the growth of crop-weed hybrids that contain genetic modifications, but she doesn't take sides about possible risks and benefits of genetically modified crops."It's not always the end of the world if a weed starts to become a lot more common after acquiring a new trait – there may be effective ways to manage that weed," Snow said. "You just can't make sweeping generalizations about genetic engineering, and knowledge from ecological studies like ours can help inform risk assessment and biosafety oversight."
For GM food and vaccinations, the panic virus is a deadly disease DAVID TRIBE & RICHARD ROUSH TUESDAY, 24 SEPTEMBER 2013:
Creating golden rice that contains added vitamin A could save children's lives.Most readers are aware of the benefits of using vaccines to boost the immune system and prevent infectious disease. Many readers will not be aware of a very different disease prevention tool: supplementing vitamins in crops through genetic modification (GM).Anti-science opposition to both is rife; to save lives, that opposition has to stop.The disease-prevention benefits of supplemental vitamin A were accidentally discovered in 1986by public health scientists. They were working to improve nutrition in the villages of Aceh, Indonesia, where families are heavily dependent on rice as their main source of nutrition.These scientists discovered that simple supplementation of
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
infant diets with capsules containing beta-carotene (a natural source of vitamin A) reduced childhood death rates by 24%. White rice is a very poor source of vitamin A, so the people of Aceh (like millions of poorer people in large regions of the world) suffered from vitamin A deficiency. This impaired proper development of their biological defences against infection.We now better understand vitamin A deficiency as a disease of poverty and poor diet, responsible for near two million preventable deaths annually. It is mostly children under the age of five and women who are affected. Many other studies carried out in several Asian, African and Latin American countries reveal the health benefits of beta-carotene supplementation in the diets of people subsisting on vitamin A-deficient staple foods. Rejecting science Small wonder then that scientists internationally were outraged at the recent wanton sabotage of field trials to evaluate new varieties of rice called Golden Rice. This rice is genetically modified to contain nutritionally beneficial levels of beta-carotene.In an editorial in the journal Science last week, prominent scientific leaders, including three Nobel prize winners, expressed their dismay and outrage at unethical anti-scientific efforts to prevent introduction of Golden Rice to smallholder farmers in the Philippines:If ever there was a clear-cut cause for outrage, it is the concerted campaign by Greenpeace and other non-governmental organisations, as well as by individuals, against Golden Rice.Trenchant opposition to vaccines, and opposition to genetically modified crops, are examples of the disturbing and strong anti-scientific sentiment in many modern countries. They share some common features.Both movements flourish among those who reject mainstream science. They rest on misuse and misinterpretation of badly designed experiments, such as those taken to falsely indicate that mercury preservatives in vaccines cause autism. They include false detection of proteins from GM plants in tissues of pregnant women using invalid protein measurements.They flourish in news media, which report ill-founded comments. Examples include British medical researcher Andrew Wakefield‘s disastrous 1998 press conference about the measles vaccine, and the anti-GM Safe Food Foundation‘s press releases about CSIRO‘s genetically modified wheat.These would not pass muster in the professional scientific literature. Selective 'evidence' Conspiracy theory abounds in both movements. Anti-GM extremists think support for GM crops results from money by Monsanto. Anti-vaccine true believers say support for vaccines among public health professionals is fuelled by money from manufacturer Merck.In that sense, both the anti-vaccine and anti-GM extremists are anti-science. Where they part company is in the willingness of anti-GM extremists to actively sabotage and destroy legal scientific experiments designed to address exactly the questions to which activists demand
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
answers.Even anti-GM activists who profess to respect the scientific method pick and choose which scientificsounding claims to accept, depending on whether they are compatible with their own personal cultural beliefs and social affiliations. The hundreds of studies unpinning GM crop safety are ignored. The few studies raising questions about GM crops, almost invariably of questionable quality, are the sole focus of activist attention.Jessa Latona, the young woman convicted of sabotaging the CSIRO GM wheat trials said that she isa huge fan of what the CSIRO does in many areas, and particularly on climate change and ‌ yes ‌ but I believe that not all science is equal.This cultural bias about which science is acceptable is at the root of now considerable harm being caused by unscientific rejection of GM crops and vaccines. Nutrient fortified crops and vaccines can save lives if they are given a fair opportunity. Long-term effects Anti-scientific opposition to vaccines is promoting the re-emergence of diseases such asmeasles and whooping cough in developed countries such as the USA and United Kingdom, but anti-scientific opposition to GM crops is largely hurting developing countries.It is denying them much needed opportunities for improvements in health and human welfare, including by reducing risky pesticide use.Some may say that the movements cause little harm, and that a precautionary approach is needed to prevent harm.But the history of the anti-vaccine movement, spelt out marvellously in several books by paediatrician Paul Offit and journalist Seth Mnookin, underlies the fallacy of this attitude.As Paul Offit says in relation to people against vaccination:doing nothing is doing something. Doing nothing about vitamin and micronutrient-fortified staple foods in the face of widespread deficiencies in the staple diets of many developing countries is condemning many people to disease-impoverished and tragically shortened lives.David Tribe participates in agricultural projects funded by Australian government agencies. He has no relevant affiliations that might entail a conflict of interest in scientific analysis.More than 10 years ago, Richard Roush was part of a team that was given $20,000 in total from Monsanto and Bayer in partial support (about 20% of the research budget) for a project on pollen flow in canola. He currently has a grant from the Australian Grains Research and Development Corporation (which is part funded by the Australian government) for risk assessment for GM canola. The GRDC is not opposed to GM crops per se. Editor's Note: This article was originally published at The Conversation. Read the original article. Image: Madlen/Shutterstock
WECARD, UI: Pioneering integrated fish, poultry and rice farming Written by Femi Ibirogba ;Tuesday, 24 September 2013 00:00
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
THE West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (WECARD) and University of Ibadan (UI) have advocated integration of aquaculture and poultry cum rice farming, especially for smallholder farmers, to maximise cost-saving benefits, which include low input cost, waste conversion and utilisation, one-stop hunger solution and environmental friendliness.The integration, demonstrated on the UI campus and on a farm at Aroro-Yerokun, Ibadan, involves using poultry/pig waste to raise maggots to supplement fish feeding and using a stocked fish pond (earthen) to cultivate lowland rice at least three times in a year. Project Coordinator and Head of Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries Management, University of Ibadan, Dr Kolawole Ajani, said the project was subdivided into two: integration of fish with poultry and rice farming, and integration of fish with pig and rice farming for smallholder farmers.According to Ajani, ―the aims of the project include developing viable and sustainable aquaculture with rice and poultry for rural farmers; to ensure integration of livelihood, that is, poultry, piggery, rice and fish farming; to eradicate hunger among small scale farmers.‖ The project will be replicated in several zones in the country after adaptability surveys, and marketing and financing are also incorporated to solve the problem of finance and marketing of fish, eggs, rice and pigs.The research coordinator said the project would train 60 farmers from the South West and it would subsequently be replicated in other zones.Professor Bamidele Omitoyin of the department and research team member said the issue of research in agriculture could not be over-emphasised, ―for what you have seen indicates that research is pivotal to development of agriculture in any country and Nigeria is not an exception.
Without proper research, there can be no real development. All the technologies we are promoting today are all products of research and they will be sustained by research and that is the reason why the government should fund research. ―The problems that the stakeholders have discussed, particularly in terms of quality fish seed, will only be solved by research because you have to go into fish genetics, breeding and development of good quality parent stocks. If you have good parent stocks, you will have good seeds. Without good stocks, you cannot have good seeds.‖ He said the project could be up-scaled into large scale farming, depending on variables of suitable land availability, resources, extended research and ingenuity of farmers and investors.Dr Hammade Kogane, Livestock Fishery and Aquaculture Programme Manager for CORAF/WECARD, said ―with the project,
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
integrating fish, rice and poultry/pig farming, a farmer, in a small area, can produce a lot and it is possible to feed his family and get more money for other things.‖ They all argued that the varsity‘s research experiment implied low feeding cost, faster growth rate and higher profitability for the farmers, as well as sustainable friendly environment.Fish, poultry and pig farmers at the ‗innovation platform‘ to sensitise stakeholders on the research findings lamented lack of access to reasonable finance, glut in the market and activities of middlemen as some of the challenges faced in livestock and crop farming. However, representatives of the state government from the department of fishery assured the farmers of the government support, saying fish sale outlets would be put in place at strategic places in Ibadan metropolis and other parts of the state to encourage consumption of locally bred and processed fish and stabilise the economies of farming households. Project Coordinator, Dr Kolawole Ajani, said N200,000 net profit as the proceed of the project was recorded within four months, accounting for the sales of eggs (from 60 laying birds), table-sized catfish and ofada rice.He also urged the government and corporate bodies to commit more resources into agricultural research projects to revolutionise agriculture, create more jobs and reduce hunger as well as poverty through the sector. Last modified on Monday, 23 September 2013 10:49
Rating agencies remain vigilant on rice pledging Budget high-wire act risks Thailand's credit Published: 21 Sep 2013 :Newspaper section: Business
Credit rating agencies are watching to see if spending on the state's rice pledging scheme will exceed the 500billion-baht revolving budget, says a Finance Ministry source.Should the government fail to stick to the provided budget, it could add to the government's default risk in the rating agencies' view, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.Moody's Investors Service in early June warned that potential losses from the rice pledging scheme would make it harder for the government to reach its goal of a balanced budget by 2017 and stood as a negative factor in Thailand's credit rating.Moody's later backtracked, saying the rice subsidy is not a threat to the country's credit rating, as several economic factors lent support to the rating.A lower credit rating typically raises borrowing costs for both the government and the private sector.A 137-
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
billion-baht loss in the pledging scheme's first harvest year (begun in October 2011) has raised criticism over government budget waste. The vote-winning policy of the ruling Pheu Thai Party has fuelled a heated debate, as the scheme's buying price is set at 40-50% higher than the global rice price.Despite relentless criticism and rising concern over public debt, the government recently approved a 270-billion-baht budget for rice buying in the next harvest year, making minor modifications to the scheme.The state will continue to buy white paddy rice at 15,000 baht a tonne and Hom Mali at 20,000 baht a tonne, but it capped the pledging amount at 500,000 baht per household for the 2014 main crop from Oct 1 to next Feb 28.The price for second-crop paddy has been cut to 13,000 baht a tonne, with a top pledging amount of 300,000 baht per household. The second crop runs from March 1-Sept 30, 2014."Even though the Thai government has never defaulted on its obligation to pay debt over the past century, it is not a factor restoring the rating agencies' confidence, as the country almost defaulted during the financial meltdown of 1997," the source said. Since the 2008 global financial crisis, rating agencies have grown more cautious in evaluating sovereign credit ratings, said the source.The Finance Ministry earlier set a ceiling for public debt at 50% of gross domestic product until 2017.The assumption takes into account the 500-billion-baht budget for the rice pledging scheme and obligations from the state's proposed infrastructure investment plan.The source said it remains uncertain whether the 270-billion-baht budget will be a separate amount from the 500-billion-baht budget, which has been fully spent in the first two years of the rice pledging scheme.Apart from the 500-billion-baht budget, the stateowned Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives has lent an additional 166 billion baht to finance the scheme.
For Advertising SPECS & RATES Contact: Advertising Department Mujahid Ali mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com +92 321 369 2874
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