24th august,2017 daily global regional local rice e newsletter by DAILY RICE NEWS LETTER

24th August,2017 daily global,regional and local rice e-newsletter by riceplus magazine Unedited Version www.ricepluss.com www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com

Despite floods, Thai rice output unchanged Bangkok Post / Khmer Times Share:

An aerial view of the floods in Sakon Nakhon province. Reuters

BANGKOK (Bangkok Post) – Around 1 million rai (160,000 hectares) of rice plantation in the Northeast was destroyed by the recent floods, but it is unlikely to have any severe effect on Thai rice production and export, with shippers and industry officials keeping rice export forecasts unchanged at 10 million tonnes. Unexpectedly, flooding is expected to support the rise in Thai rice prices as global demand remains strong. Thailand‟s Agriculture Ministry said that although areas cultivated with rice were affected by the floods, the annual production forecast remained unchanged at 28 to 30 million tonnes of paddy, or around 18 million tonnes of milled rice. This amount is sufficient for domestic consumption and abundant exports, the ministry said. Tropical depression Sonca has lashed the province of Sakon Nakhon over the past few weeks, bringing the worst floods that the region has seen for two decades and briefly halting operations at Sakon Nakhon airport, inundating the city as well as agricultural areas. Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said the floods would cause a slight delay in the harvesting period of the major crop, which normally starts in late October, but it was unlikely to have any major impact on production, price or export outlook. “The flooding would affect the production of glutinous rice, grown mostly in northeastern areas, but it would not hurt rice exports,” Mr Chookiat said. Glutinous rice makes up 10 to 20 percent of total Thai rice production. He said the major negative factor hurting rice exports was the strengthening baht, making Thai rice prices uncompetitive in the eyes of some buyers paying with US dollars. But Mr Chookiat and the Thai Rice Exporters Association are keeping the Thai rice export forecast unchanged at 10 million tonnes in 2017. In addition to the stronger baht, the slight dip in supply caused by flooding in the Northeast at a time when global demand remains strong is expected to keep Thai rice prices rising, said an industry official. The psychological effect of the recent floods has pushed paddy price up by 5 percent to 7,600 baht ($228.50) per tonne, up from 7,200 baht ($216.47) previously. That has pushed the offer price of Thai common grade white rice to $390 a tonne, free on

board, higher than the $340 a tonne offered by other major exporting countries such as India, Vietnam and Pakistan. Wichai Phochanakij, deputy permanent secretary in the Commerce Ministry, said he expected the price of glutinous rice to be slightly higher because of falling supply caused by the recent floods, and that would help reduce pressure on prices during the harvesting period, when prices are typically weighed down by increasing supply

http://www.khmertimeskh.com/5079415/desp ite-floods-thai-rice-output-unchanged/ Food

group exports from Pakistan up by 34.74% By DND August 23, 2017

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Food group exports from the Country during first month of current financial year increased by 34.74 percent as compared to the corresponding month of last year. During the month of July 2017, different food commodities including rice, fish, meat, fruits, vegetables and spices worth US$ 250.860 million exported as compared the exports of US$ 188.180 million of same month of last year, according the latest data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Meanwhile, rice exports from the Country grew by 28.49 percent and 200,995 metric tons of rice worth US$ 107.896 million exported as compared the exports of US$ 83.974 million of same period last year.

During the first month of current financial year Country earned US$ 32.990 million by exporting 30,951 metric tons of basmati rice as the basmati rice exports increased by 18.96 percent when it was compared with the exports of same month of last year. Basmati rice exports from the Country during month of July 2016 was recorded at 28,725 metric tons valuing US$ 27.731 million, the data reveled. Besides, 170,044 metric tons of rice other than basmati worth US$ 74.906 million exported as compared the exports of 135,367 metric tons valuing US$ 56.243 million of same period last year. During first month of current financial year exports of fish and fish preparations grew by 12.19 percent where as exports of meat and meat products increased by 15.80 percent. In month of July 2017 about 4,821 metric tons of fish and fish preparations worth US$ 12.473 million exported as compared the exports of 3,693 metric tons valuing US$ 11.118 million of same month last year.

READ Over Rs 276.995 billion released for developmental projects

During the period under review, about 4,167 metric tons of meat and meat products worth US$ 16.286 million exported as compared the exports of 4,138 metric tons valuing US$ 14.64 million of same period last year. The food commodities including wheat and sugar witnessed tremendous increase in their respective exports during first month of the current financial year by showing 100 percent increase.

On the other hand food group imports into the Country during first month of current financial year swelled by 43.15 percent as compared the imports of same month last year. The imports of food commodities into the Country was recorded at US$ 534.693 million as compared the imports of US$ 373.512 million of same month last year. The major food items which had registered increasing trend in their respective imports included dry fruits, nuts tea, spices, soya bean and palm oil. The food commodities with negative growth in their respective imports including tea and leguminous vegetables (pluses) and milk cream and milk food for infants. https://dnd.com.pk/food-group-exports-from-pakistan-up-by-34-74/133213

India revives traditional grains Thomson Reuters Foundation / Khmer Times Share:

Indian farmers are considering traditional rice varieties that are resistant to pests and disease, and capable of dealing with floods and drought. Reuters

THIRUTHURAIPOONDI, India (Thomson Reuters Foundation) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; For Nel Jayaraman, the realisation that hybrid seeds, chemical fertilisers and pesticides were making farmers more vulnerable to extreme weather came slowly. In fields near the town of Thiruthuraipoondi in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, Mr Jayaraman saw yields falling and farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x; debt rising as their reliance on modern seeds and pesticides grew, even as the rains became increasingly fickle. Fifteen years ago, Mr Jayaraman gave up both, returning to traditional varieties and organic farming methods that had become nearly extinct in the Cauvery river delta region where his family had lived for generations. Since then, he has revived about 150 indigenous varieties of rice, and become an evangelist for traditional seeds and organic farming, which he sees as key to combating the impacts of climate change and protecting harvests and farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x; incomes.

“Hybrid varieties need more water, fertilisers and pesticides. They are just not sustainable in this region,” he argued in his small office as a steady stream of farmers walked in and out to talk to him or buy seeds. “We should go back to traditional varieties that are suited to this soil that can withstand these conditions. It is the only way farmers can make a decent living.” That is particularly crucial as Tamil Nadu faces its worst drought in more than a century, after the monsoon rains failed last year, he said. As India‟s population expanded quickly after its independence from colonial rule in 1947, the government backed a programme to increase food production to meet rising demand. The Green Revolution, launched in the 1960s, increased harvests with improved technology, including high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice developed by scientists, and greater use of chemical fertilisers. While productivity rose, there has been criticism that the benefits were overstated, that the cultivation methods damaged the land and drained groundwater, and that the gene pool for staple crops narrowed, leaving farmers fewer options when faced with disease and drought. Several organisations in southern India have since launched efforts to revive traditional cultivation and rice varieties. The Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems (CIKS), for example, has revived dozens of traditional rice varieties that are resistant to pests and disease, capable of dealing with floods and drought, and that have valuable medicinal properties. “Particularly for coastal regions such as this, you need varieties that can handle the higher salinity of the soil and groundwater, and are resistant to drought,” said Subhashini Sridhar at CIKS in neighbouring Nagapattinam district. “You need a large and diverse genetic pool to preserve these qualities,” she said, citing the example of the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which hit Nagapattinam hard. Afterward, only some traditional varieties could be successfully grown because salinity in the soil and groundwater was higher than normal. About 60 percent of India‟s population depends on land to make a living.

But while agriculture made up more than two-thirds of a farm family‟s income in the 1980s, its share is less than a third today as commodity prices fall but the costs of seed, fertiliser and pesticides rise. Rising debt – in part from harvests slashed by drought and uneven rainfall – has triggered tens of thousands of farmer suicides, including in Tamil Nadu. Mr Jayaraman and Mr Sridhar see traditional seeds as a solution. Farmers do not need to buy seed every year as they have to with hybrids – instead they simply save part of their harvest to replant – and the older varieties often need less water and do not need chemical fertilisers and pesticides, Mr Jayaraman said. A move to healthy eating in India‟s cities has also sparked demand for traditional grains and organic fruits and vegetables, for which consumers are willing to pay more, he said. About 37,000 farmers in the delta region are now cultivating traditional rice varieties, said Mr Jayaraman. Irregular rainfall and extreme weather, including drought in the Cauvery delta over the past decade, have convinced more farmers of their merits, he said. “But it can be hard to switch, as the government subsidises fertilisers and pesticides and gives cheap loans to farmers, leading them deeper into debt when crops fail or prices fall,” he said. “Instead, they should subsidise organic farming and promote it better.” India was once home to about 100,000 varieties of indigenous rice, but the Green Revolution wiped out most of them, and consumers began to prefer eating the finegrained, polished white hybrid varieties that were promoted by the government. Government support for reviving traditional grains and for organic farming has been uneven. The northeastern state of Sikkim became the first organic state in January 2016. Nine other states, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, have an organic farming policy. Separately, organic farming is also drawing an unlikely enthusiast – city dwelling professionals.

They include Senthil Kumar, a former software engineer who quit his job a year ago to focus on his 3-hectare organic farm, a two-hour drive from the southern city of Chennai where he lives. “When I realised the impact of chemicals and pesticides on my health and the environment, I started looking at the organic alternative,” said Mr Kumar, who then set up a non-profit to train farmers and urban enthusiasts with some help from Mr Jayaraman. “We have such a wealth of traditional grains, pulses and native cattle that benefited farmers for centuries. They are too valuable to lose,” he said. http://www.khmertimeskh.com/5079414/india-revives-traditional-grains/

Import of rice, wheat, diesel, fertilizer gets nod 24 August, 2017 12:00 AM

The Cabinet Purchase Committee at a meeting here on Wednesday approved a total of 21 proposals, including the import of 100,000 mt of wheat and 50,000 mt of non-bashmoti rice, reports UNB. The meeting, held with Finance Minister AMA Muhith in the chair, gave the approval amid the growing concern over the possible food grain shortage due to the loss of crops in countrywide flooding. The government has already withdrawn duty on rice import and also declared some banking facilities to encourage the import of food grains in the private sector. As per the cabinet body‟s approval, the Food Ministry imports the food grains through international quotations. Of these, Dubai-based Phoenix Global company won the contract to supply 50,000 mt nonbashmoti at a total cost of Tk 170.61 crore as per metric tonne of rice was quoted at $ $411.11. Of the wheat, Aston company will supply 50,000 mt of wheat at a cost of Tk 104.16 crore as per metric tonne was quoted at $258 while another foreign company Agro Crop will supply 50,000 mt wheat at a total cost of Tk 103.49 as pere metric tonne of what was quoted at $249.31. The Cabinet body approved another import proposal of the Energy Division to import 165,120 mt of diesel import from Indian Shiliguri to Bangladesh‟s Parbatipur through rail wagon. The premium for per metric tonne diesel was set at $5.50. The other proposals which received approval include contract for Gazipur-Airport Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) project, procurement of six rail-gantry crane for Chittagong port, contract for cyclone shelter construction in Laxmipur, contract award for construction of dual-gauge railway line from Dohazari to Cox‟s Bazar via Ramu, and Ramu to Gundum near Myanmar border. The Cabinet purchase body also approved three separate proposals for the import of a total of 90,000 metric tonnes of fartiliser from three countries under government-to-government agreements. Of these, Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) will import 30,000 mt MOP fartiliser from Belarusian Potash Company while it will import 30,000 from Russia and the remaining 30,000 MOP fertiliser from Canadian commercial corporation http://www.daily-sun.com/printversion/details/250076/Import-of-rice-wheat-diesel-fertilizer-gets-nod

Liberia: Rice Price to Drop? Tagged:

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With 48 days to the Presidential and Legislative Elections scheduled for October 10, 2017, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has issued an Executive Order suspending tariff on Liberia's staple food, rice. Executive No. 87 is an extension of Executive Order No. 80 - thus suspending tariff on rice. A release from the Executive Mansion said this Executive Order takes effect as of August 22, 2017. According to Executive Order 87, the President is quoted as saying "whereas, the Government of Liberia is committed to ensuring that the prices of certain basic commodities

on the Liberian market are affordable and do not impose unnecessary burden on the people; that the government conducted an assessment and evaluation on the causes of increases in the price of various strategic commodities, and intends to initiate measures to ameliorate the situation." Although the price of rice has been high and uncontrollable for years, Executive Order noted that in furtherance of the findings of the assessment, government has recognized the need to curb the continuous increase in the price of rice, the country's staple, in order to make it affordable for purchase. The Executive Order further disclosed "there exists a need for exigent measures to achieve the desired objectives of easing the economic burden on the citizens and residents to enable access to the staple food and such measures cannot await long Legislative processes; and whereas in the exercise of the Executive Power vested in the President by the Constitution, the President issued Executive Orders No. 11, 19, 45, 61, 70, and 80 suspending import tariffs on rice in the interest of the public, and circumstances again necessitate similar measures." "Now therefore, the Government of Liberia in its desire to continue bringing relief to the public hereby extends Executive Order No. 80, suspending the import tariff on rice as classified under Tariff No. 1006.30.00 (in packaging of more than 5kg or in bulk); 1006.30.00 (in packaging of at least 5kg); and 1006.40.00 (broken rice) under the revenue Code of Liberia Act 2000 as amended," Executive Order No. 87 concluded. It remains unclear whether the price of rice will reduce in line with the presidential order as the government through the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has always said it has no control over prices. http://allafrica.com/stories/201708231035.html

AUGUST 23, 2017 / 3:01 PM / A DAY AGO

Bangladesh to import 250,000

tonnes rice from Cambodia at $453/T Reuters Staff 3 MIN READ

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DHAKA, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Bangladesh will import 250,000 tonnes of white rice at $453.00 a tonne from Cambodia in a government-togovernment deal, two food ministry officials said on Wednesday, more expensive than a previous deal. Rice is a staple food for Bangladesh's 160 million people and high prices pose a problem for the government which faces a national election next year. The country produces around 34 million tonnes of rice annually but uses almost all its production to feed its population, and often requires imports to cope with shortages caused by floods or droughts. The government is building buffer stocks to combat high domestic prices after flash floods in April wiped away around 1 million tonnes of rice output, with ongoing floods, more severe, set to destroy more. "The proposal to import rice from Cambodia is currently awaiting approval," one of the officials said.

Bangladesh, the world's fourth-biggest rice producer, has emerged as a major importer of the staple grain, with the government seeking to import as much as 1.5 million tonnes in the year to June. Early this month, the government agreed to buy 1 million tonnes of rice from Cambodia, its firstever deal with the country, over the next five years. It has so far imported 200,000 tonnes of white rice at $430 a tonne and 50,000 tonnes of parboiled rice at $470 a tonne from Vietnam in a state-to-state deal at rates much higher than in tenders. Growing demand from Bangladesh could help stoke Asian rice prices that hit multi-year highs in June. The state grains buyer is issuing a series of tenders after its initial talks with Thailand and India suffered a setback over high prices. The government is also in talks with Myanmar to import rice, while it is engaged in a second round of discussions with Thailand and India. Although it slashed the duty on rice imports last week to 2 percent from 10 percent, the second cut in less than two months, rice prices have dropped only slightly.

Bangladesh also needs to import sizeable quantities of wheat after floods damaged its crops, but tough state purchasing conditions and slow ship unloading in ports mean trading houses are unwilling to sell the grain. (Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Biju Dwarakanath https://in.reuters.com/article/bangladesh-rice-cambodia-idINL4N1L93EP

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Thursday, August 24, 2017 Editions

Bangladesh's trade deficit poised to rise as rice imports skyrocket Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-23 21:18:31|Editor: Yurou

DHAKA, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh's imports surged over 37 percent to 4.50 billion U.S. dollars in the first month of the current 2017-18 fiscal year

(July 2017-June 2018) as imports of rice skyrocketed amid flesh floods in parts of the country, officials said Wednesday. "Increased importation of rice in the last month pushed up the over all import bills," said a central bank official who did not like to be named. He said imports also quickened last month, outpacing exports as domestic demand or ready-made garment items and capital machinery propelled the overall economic growth. Driven by ready-made garments, Bangladesh's exports in July surged over 26 percent to 3.21 billion U.S. dollars. According to the official, rice imports climbed over 200 percent to a record 69.63 million U.S. dollars in the last last month against 21.17 million U.S. dollars in the previous month. Quoting the Bangladesh Bank (BB) data, the official said the settlement of letters of credit (LCs), generally known as actual imports, stood at 4.50 billion U.S. dollars in the July compared to 3.64 billion dollars in the same period a year earlier. Overall import orders also surged by 26 percent in the July, showed the BB data. The overall import orders, officially known as fresh opening of import letters of credit (LCs), increased to 5.06 billion dollars in July against 3.89 billion dollars in the same period of the last 2016-17 fiscal year, it showed. Officials say rice imports jumped as after the second round of flooding the Bangladeshi government in June eased import duty on rice to 10 percent from 28 percent in a bid to stabilize the domestic market. Bangladesh last week again announced to cut import duty on rice further to 2 percent amid flash floods. Bangladeshi Food Minister Qamrul Islam said the government decided to import 1.5 million tons of rice in the current 2017-2018 fiscal year in an effort to replenish reserves and rein in prices of the staple in the wake of the flooding.

Apart from this, he said Bangladesh will import 500,000 tons of wheat in the current fiscal year. Flash floods struck Bangladesh in March, causing huge loss of boro (winter) rice. Apart from this, rice blast disease has also affected boro rice production elsewhere in the country. Against such circumstances, prices are seen rising in the short term on a supply shortage. The situation seems to have worsened in Bangladesh in the last couple of week as fresh floods have reportedly hit 20 districts, mostly in the country's north, leaving dozens of people dead. As rice imports skyrocket, officials said, Bangladesh trade deficit may widen further in the coming months, if the existing trend of export earnings and import payments continues

Rice import trapped in plastic bags  

Shafiqul Islam Published at 01:58 PM August 23, 2017

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Last updated at 12:27 AM August 24, 2017

A trader says a ton of rice would cost Tk1,000 more if exporters supplied rice in jute sacks.Representational image/Bigstock

At least 50,000 tons of rice are stuck at ports, a trader says Thousands of tons of imported rice are stuck at the ports as businessmen are yet to get clearance from customs authorities. The problem lies in the plastic sacks since the government has made it mandatory to use jute sacks for transportation, preservation, stocking and marketing of rice and 12 other products. Bangladesh, the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x;s fourth-biggest rice producer, was hit by floods in recent months which hit the domestic output and pushed up rice prices. There is little sign that the situation will improve soon. Amid dwindling state reserves, the government slashed taxes on rice imports to 2% from 28% to replenish supplies and cool the soaring prices. Sources say the Textiles and Jute Ministry has ignored a request from the Commerce Ministry to allow the rice importers to unload their consignments, and is instead advising the importers to approach the prime minister directly to resolve the issue. However, traders said only the Textiles and Jute Ministry can break the stalemate since it issued the order on using jute sacks. Sources say the ministry is yet to comply with a directive from the Prime Ministerâ&#x20AC;&#x;s Office to solve the problem.

Disgruntled businessmen pointed out that customs had given clearance to rice imported in plastic sacks from Vietnam and Thailand under the government-to-government agreement, but was unwilling to give approval when it came to private importers. “At least 50,000 tons of rice are stuck at various ports and we fear that rain will damage the rice,” one importer said on condition of anonymity. “It will negatively impact the rice market and the economy.” Several traders said exporters had packed the rice in plastic as they were not bound to use jute sacks for the transportation or preservation of the commodity. “The price of each ton of rice would have gone up by Tk1,000 if we supplied rice in jute sacks. In that case, the government‟s purpose would not have been fulfilled and the rice price would not go down,” the importer said. Food Minister Qamrul Islam said the problem will be solved eventually. “Even if the imported rice hits the market late, it will have a positive impact,” he added. Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said he could do nothing about the situation as it was not under his ministry but added that he had requested the textiles and jute secretary to relax the order on sacks for the sake of the businessmen. “I hope it will be resolved soon,” he said http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2017/08/23/rice-import-trapped-plastic-bags/

GoL suspends tariff on rice 23 August 2017

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has issued Executive Order No. 87; extending Executive Order No. 80 - thus suspending tariff on rice. This Executive Order went into immediate effect on August 22, 2017.

An Executive Mansion release said, whereas, the Government of Liberia is committed to ensuring that the prices of certain basic commodities on the Liberian market are affordable and do not impose unnecessary burden on the people; that the government conducted an assessment and evaluation on the causes of increases in the price of various strategic commodities, and intends to initiate measures to ameliorate the situation; Executive Order No. 87 notes that in furtherance of the findings of the assessment, Government has recognized the need to curb the continuous increase in the price of rice, the country‟s staple, in order to make it affordable for purchase. The Executive Order furthered: “There exists a need for exigent measures to achieve the desired objectives of easing the economic burden on the citizens and residents to enable access to the staple food and such measures cannot await long Legislative processes; and whereas in the exercise of the Executive Power vested in the President by the Constitution, the President issued Executive Orders No. 11, 19, 45, 61, 70, and 80 suspending import tariffs on rice in the interest of the public, and circumstances again necessitate similar measures;

Executive Order No. 87 is concluded as saying: “Now therefore, the Government of Liberia in its desire to continue bringing relief to the public hereby extends Executive Order No. 80, suspending the import tariff on rice as classified under Tariff No. 1006.30.00 (in packaging of more than 5kg or in bulk); 1006.30.00 (in packaging of at least 5kg); and 1006.40.00 (broken rice) under the revenue Code of Liberia Act 2000 as amended.”-Press release

http://www.thenewdawnliberia.com/politics/14595-gol-suspends-tariff-on-rice

Flood situation improves further STAFF REPORTER

A girl dries her textbooks in flood-hit Botahdoi in Dhemaji, on Saturday. – UB Photos

GUWAHATI, Aug 19 - The prevailing flood situation in the State has showed further signs of improvement with floodwaters receding in nine districts today, even as the cumulative figure concerning flood-related death during the current wave has shot up to 63. However, 22,11,265 people are still reeling under flood in 1,791 villages under 50 revenue circles of 16 districts of the State. Of them, 68,014 people are still taking shelter in 191 relief camps in 13 districts. During the current wave of flood, 4,33,918 flood-hit people had to take shelter in 923 relief camps, said the official flood bulletin issued by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) here this evening.

Between August 10 and the afternoon of August 18, the NDRF, SDRF, CRPF, Army, police, frest and revenue authorities personnel and the local community rescued 51,197 marooned people in 26 districts. As of today, a total crop area of 1,18,362 hectares have still remained affected by the floodwaters. The districts still reeling under floodwaters are Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Sonitpur, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Chirang, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, South Salmara, Goalpara, Morigaon, Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat and Majuli. Today, the Brahmaputra was flowing above danger level at Neamatighat and Dhubri, while its tributaries Dhansiri (South), Jia Bharali, Kopili and Beki are also flowing above their respective danger levels at Numaligarh, NT Road Crossing, Dharamtul and Road Bridge points respectively, the flood bulletin stated.

http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=aug2017/at059

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- August 4, 2017 CommoditiesAug 04, 2017 14:10

ÂŠ Reuters. Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- August 4, 2017

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices - APMC/Open Market-August 4 Nagpur, August 4 (Reuters) - Gram and tuar prices recovered further in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) here on good festival season buying support from local millers amid thin supply from producing regions. Healthy rise in Madhya Pradesh gram prices and reported demand from South-based millers also pushed up prices. About 1,100 of gram and 900 bags of tuar were available for auctions, according to sources. FOODGRAINS & PULSES

GRAM * Desi gram reported higher in open market on good demand from local traders amid weak supply from producing regions. TUAR * Tuar gavarani and tuar Karnataka reported down in open market on lack of demand from local traders. * New rice arrival reported strong in open market on increased demand from local traders amid weak supply from producing regions. * In Akola, Tuar New - 3,400-3,6500, Tuar dal (clean) - 5,100-5,400, Udid Mogar (clean) - 7,200-7,900, Moong Mogar (clean) 6,500-7,200, Gram - 4,500-4,700, Gram Super best - 7,400-7,700 * Wheat, other varieties of rice and other commodities moved in a narrow range in scattered deals and settled at last levels in thin trading activity. Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close Gram Auction 4,400-5,174 4,400-5,010 Gram Pink Auction

n.a. 2,100-2,600 Tuar Auction 3,500-3,865 3,400-3,800 Moong Auction n.a. 3,900-4,200 Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500 Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800 Wheat Mill quality Auction 1,600-1,717 1,550-1,708 Gram Super Best Bold 7,500-8,000 7,500-8,000 Gram Super Best

n.a. n.a. Gram Medium Best 6,700-7,000 6,700-7,000 Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a Gram Mill Quality 5,000-5,100 5,000-5,100 Desi gram Raw 4,750-4,950 4,700-4,900 Gram Yellow 7,100-8,100 7,100-8,100 Gram Kabuli 12,300-13,400 12,300-13,400 Tuar Fataka Best-New

5,400-5,700 5,400-5,700 Tuar Fataka Medium-New 5,200-5,300 5,200-5,300 Tuar Dal Best Phod-New 5,000-5,200 5,000-5,200 Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 4,700-5,000 4,700-5,000 Tuar Gavarani New 3,500-3,600 3,600-3,700 Tuar Karnataka 3,600-3,800 3,700-3,900 Masoor dal best 4,700-4,900 4,700-4,900 Masoor dal medium

4,400-4,600 4,400-4,600 Masoor n.a. n.a. Moong Mogar bold (New) 6,700-7,000 6,700-7,000 Moong Mogar Medium 6,000-6,500 6,000-6,500 Moong dal Chilka 5,200-5,800 5,200-5,800 Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a. Moong Chamki best 6,400-6,800 6,400-6,800 Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 7,500-8,000

7,500-8,000 Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,500-7,000 6,500-7,000 Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 4,000-4,500 4,000-4,500 Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 4,500-5,000 4,500-5,000 Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 2,800-3,000 2,800-3,000 Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 2,850-3,000 2,850-2,950 Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,500-3,700 3,500-3,700 Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 4,100-4,600

4,100-4,600 Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,000 1,900-2,000 Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 1,750-1,850 1,750-1,850 Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,300 2,100-2,300 Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,300 2,100-2,300 Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,800-2,000 1,800-2,000 Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a. MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,600 3,000-3,600

MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,700 2,200-2,700 Rice BPT new (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,300 2,800-3,400 Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,500 3,300-3,500 Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,100 3,000-3,100 Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,800 2,500-2,800 Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG) 2,350-2,450 2,300-2,400 Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,600 2,500-2,650

Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400 Rice HMT New (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,100 3,700-4,000 Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG) 4,500-5,000 4,500-5,000 Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 4,100-4,300 4,100-4,300 Rice Shriram New(100 INR/KG) 4,500-4,800 4,400-4,800 Rice Shriram best 100 INR/KG) 6,500-6,800 6,500-6,800 Rice Shriram med (100 INR/KG) 5,800-6,200 5,800-6,200

Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 10,000-13,500 10,000-13,500 Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,000-7,500 5,000-7,500 Rice Chinnor New(100 INR/KG) 4,600-4,800 4,500-4,700 Rice Chinnor best 100 INR/KG) 5,800-6,000 5,800-6,000 Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) 5,400-5,600 5,400-5,600 Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,200 1,900-2,200 Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,800-1,900

1,800-1,900 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 34.0 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 24.5 degree Celsius Rainfall : 0.6 mm FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rains or thunder-showers. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 34 and 25 degree Celsius respectively. Note: n.a.--not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices) https://in.investing.com/news/commodities-news/nagpur-foodgrain-prices-open-august-4-2017502678

Rice production in Assam set to go down as floods wreak havoc By Speed News Desk Aug 22, 2017

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Tell EveryoneI Found AwesomeNews On Mail With two spell of floods hitting Assam back to back, the production of rice will go down this year than the expectation. Assam agriculture minister Atul Bora said that the loss could be to the tune of 6 lakh metric tonnes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The target for rice production this year was 62 lakh metric tonnes, but as the floods have severely hit the Sali paddy, the state is likely to suffer a loss of around 6 lakh metric tonnes,â&#x20AC;? Bora told reporters addressing a press conference on Monday.

In 2015-16, rice production of Assam was 53 lakh metric tonnes. More than 1.73 lakh hectares of Sali paddy have been destroyed in the flood, besides vegetables in 10,692 hectares and jute in over 7,000 hectares. A total of 3.08 lakh hectares of crop land have been affected so far in the floods and 5,055 hectres of agriculture land with paddy saplings were also damaged. “Around 6.29 lakh farmer families in 4,717 villages have been hit in the flood this year so far. Besides, we have included 45,000 farmers under crop insurance. The department has also decided to distribute around 1 lakh shallow tube well,” added Bora. Bora said that more than 6000 hectors agriculture lands have been affected by severe siltation in Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Darrang, Golaghat, Majuli and Barpeta districts. The department will distribute the seeds among the farmers to overcome the loss in the flood. “Farmers cultivating sali paddy are unlikely to make any gains this year. So we are laying stress on the rabi crops. We are giving more thrust on crops like mustard, potato, onion and pumpkin gourd among others,” said Bora. Bora has asked all the districts officers to compile the losses of the farmers in flood for further compensation works. “The government will pay compensation through direct benefit transfer system to the farmers and the money will be deposited in the accounts of the farmers,” he said.

https://thenewsmill.com/rice-production-assam-set-go-floods-wreak-havoc/

Urgent funds needed to support people devastated by flooding in India and Bangladesh REPORT from Islamic Relief Published on 23 Aug 2017

Farmers hugely indebt as crops destroyed and unable to farm on land for next 5 years â&#x20AC;&#x153;So many people are traumatised at losing their loved ones and millions of people are now living under open skies on the highway, with nothing!â&#x20AC;? Urgent funds are needed to deal with the worst flooding in India and Bangladesh for decades, says Islamic Relief staff in both countries. Flash flooding in India has claimed more than 500 lives in Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and this figure is likely to be much higher as many areas are inaccessible and thousands of people are still missing, presumed dead. Whole districts have been submerged, directly affecting up to 15 million people and millions of people have been forced to evacuate their homes. The situation in Bihar is particularly bad because of the existing poverty and sudden rapid onset of the floods, which caught whole communities unaware.

“It’s absolutely heart-wrenching,” says Islamic Relief’s Head of Mission in India, Akmal Shareef. “So many people are traumatised at losing their loved ones and millions of people are now living under open skies on the highway, with nothing! “Our staff on the ground have heard about whole families being swept away by the floods and the landslides. It’s so painful.” Mr Shareef is from Bihar, one of the worst-affected regions. He added: “In Kishanganj in Bihar, the water rose from 3-10 feet in only four hours and people were fleeing for their lives. I have not known this to happen in more than 40 years. My brother-in law’s house was under water for five days.” More than 500,000 hectares of crops are known to have been destroyed in Assam and Bihar and this number is likely to increase as many areas are currently inaccessible. Farmers are under extreme stress as they took out loans for cultivating paddy rice following forecasts for a good monsoon this year and now have no hope for a good yield. Farmers have also told Islamic Relief staff that it will be impossible to farm on their flooded land for the next five years. Thousands of families have lost all of their food stocks and are now facing chronic food shortages. “Bihar is already an acutely poor and marginalised area, where people migrate up north and further afield to make a living. But now that the agricultural sector has collapsed, this is happening on a massive scale,” Mr Shareef explains. “There has always been child trafficking and prostitution because of the poverty. But this is now increasing. And there are children who have been orphaned by the floods who are particularly vulnerable.” There has been a cholera outbreak in Assam and Islamic Relief fears this will also happen in Bihar, if urgent support for clean water and sanitation is not provided.

Islamic Relief is concentrating its efforts in Katihar and Kishanganj - the twomost affected districts in Bihar, where thousands of water sources have been contaminated. We have set up two high capacity water treatment plants in Assam and Bihar, providing clean water for 7,500 people. And we are providing food, temporary shelter and hygiene items such as buckets and soap for 5,000 households. This will increase when more funds are available. Third of the country submerged in Bangladesh; water levels continue to rise   More than 100 people have died in Bangladesh where floods have submerged more than a third of the country. Iqbal Hossain, Head of Humanitarian Department for Islamic Relief in Bangladesh said: “People’s homes are completely submerged under the water, roads have become rivers and the railways are down.” Almost 50,000 wells have been contaminated with flood water and water levels are continuing to rise in the lower and central parts of the country. Islamic Relief has established two water treatment plants in Jamalpur district which are providing 20 litres of clean water a day for 3,000 people. We have also supplied 250 buckets. Almost five million hectares of cultivated land have been damaged and there are chronic food shortages. Iqbal Hossain, said: “There are no crops in the fields and people are now only eating one meal a day. Food for both people and animals is now urgently needed.”

We are providing rice, sugar and energy biscuits and packets of saline solution to 12,000 people in the three worst-affected districts - Jamalpur, Kurigram and Gaibhanda. And we will be providing 550 cows to flood-affected families for Qurbani (animals to be sacrificed and eaten during Eid celebrations). Iqbal Hossain added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The need for food, shelter and clean water is absolutely essential and we are desperately in need of funds to be able to provide these as soon as possible for all those in urgent need. http://reliefweb.int/report/india/urgent-funds-needed-support-people-devastated-flooding-india-andbangladesh

Published : 23 Aug 2017, 01:08:53 July imports rise 37pc Rice imports up by 229pc Siddique Islam

An 229 per cent rise in rice imports enhanced country's overall import growth by over 37 per cent or US$1.22 billion in July, officials said.

Higher back-to-back imports for readymade garment (RMG) products and capital machinery also contributed to the rise in national imports.

Settlement of letters of credit (LCs), generally known as actual imports, rose to US$4.50 billion in July from $3.27 billion a month before. It was $3.64 billion in July 2016.

"The overall imports increased significantly during the period under review mainly due to higher import of rice, back-to-back imports for readymade garment (RMG) products and capital machinery," a senior official of the Bangladesh Bank (BB) told the FE Monday.

Both the government and the central bank have already taken different measures to encourage the importers to import more rice to meet the growing demand for the essential item amid a slowing local supply.

Earlier on July 20 last, the BB relaxed its foreign-exchange-transaction rules for opening LCs against rice import to ensure sufficient supply of the staple food on the domestic market.

Under the relaxed rules, the banks have been allowed till December 31, 2017 to open LCs against deferred or usance bills or under buyer's credit up to a 90-day term.

The central bank had also allowed the banks to open LCs for importing rice with zero-margin on the basis of bank-client relationship.

Besides, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) brought import duty on rice down further to 2.0 per cent on August 17 from the previously pared-down rate of 10 per cent.

Earlier on June 20 this year, the government slashed the import duty on rice to 10 per cent from 28 per cent in the wake of price spirals.

The government as well as the central bank had taken the latest moves against the backdrop of damage to the output of the single-biggest crop, Boro, in May due to flashfloods particularly in haor areas (marshlands) of Bangladesh.

"We're encouraging importers to import rice for ensuring country's food security despite flashfloods," a senior executive of a leading state-owned commercial bank told the FE.

Echoing the BB official's view, he also said the upward trend in rice import may continue until the next Aman harvest.

The overall rice imports in terms of value surged by nearly 229 per cent to $69.63 million in last July against $ 21.17 million in the previous month.

Of the total, rice imports through private sector stood at $39.47 million while the bill was $30.16 million for import through public sector in July, the BB data showed.

However, the back-to-back import of RMG accessories rose by more than 100 per cent to $924.70 million in the month of July from $461.55 million in June last following an increased demand for the largest export-oriented industry.

Export earnings from garments, covering both knitwear and woven apparel, jumped by more than 17 per cent to $2.48 billion in July from $2.12 billion in the same period of last year.

On the other hand, import of capital machinery-industrial equipment used for production-was up by 50.13 per cent to $347.93 million during the period under review as against $231.75 million in June 2017.

siddique.islam@gmail.com http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2017/08/23/80482/July-imports-rise-37pc

Rice crop faces further setback August 22, 2017 | Filed under: News | Posted by: The Bangladesh Chronicle

Rice crop faces further setback Aus and Aman rice crops, as well as vegetables, have suffered a severe blow like the Boro crop in the recent floods in 40 districts of the country. The Boro rice crop was affected by the floods only in the haor regions whereas the recent floods inundated 652,654 hectares of Aus and Aman croplands in the 40 districts, revealed agovernment estimation. The agricultural extension department (DAE) expected that rice production from each hectare of land will be around 3.5 tonnes. According to that estimation, the production of rice was expected to be at least 2.3 million tonnes from the land that went under water. The rice production may fall by as much as one million tonnes if half of the expected amount of production is destroyed due to the floods this season. An estimate of the agricultural affairs ministry revealed that the production of rice in the Boro season fell by one million tonnes in the haor regions. Contrary to this estimate, the food ministry says the production diminished by two million tonnes whereas the rice mill owners claimed that the production shortage was four million tonnes. Agricultural ministry secretary, Mohammad Moinuddin Abdullah, said to Prothom Alo, “We are making a list of affected farmers. We shall provide them with seeds and other agricultural equipment as soon as the floodwater recedes.” “We have already prepared a list of 600,000 affected farmers of the haor regions. They will receive agricultural rehabilitation assistance very soon,” he hoped. According to economists, the country will suffer from a serious shortage of rice this year. The government has already signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) and rice import agreements with four countries to tackle the situation. But the amount of rice imported so far is inadequate.

According to food ministry’s daily food grain situation report, prepared on Monday, the government has imported 46,000 tonnes of rice while private entrepreneurs have imported 262,000 tonnes from July till now. The report also said the stock of rice in the government warehouses at present is 295,000 tonnes. The stock was about 700,000 tonnes in the same period last year. Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) researcher M Asaduzzamn told Prothom Alo that the production of Boro and Aman rice could be 10 per cent less [than the previous year]. “As a result the price hike might put poor people’s food security at risk. This is why the government should buy imported rice from the businessmen and increase the stock on an emergency basis.” Source: Prothom Alo

http://bangladeshchronicle.net/2017/08/rice-crop-faces-further-setback/

Asia Rice -Prices fall in major exporters; Bangladesh to buy from Cambodia HANOI, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Rice prices fell in India, Vietnam and Thailand on weak demand, traders said on Thursday, while Bangladesh is likely to spend more on importing rice as part of the government's plan to cope with shortages.

India's 5 percent broken parboiled rice prices RI-INBKN5-P1 eased by $4 per tonne to $403 to $406 per tonne.

"There wasn't any improvement in demand this week. Buyers are delaying purchases expecting further drop in prices," said an exporter in Andhra Pradesh.

India's non-basmati rice exports could slow in the coming months as shipments have become too expensive on strong rupee and higher local paddy prices..

Prices also dropped in Vietnam as market was quiet, traders said. The benchmark 5 percent broken rice RI-VNBKN5-P1 fell to $385-$395 a tonne this week, FOB Saigon, down from $395$405 last week.

Rice output in Vietnam's Mekong Delta was affected as crop was submerged in flooding. Traders were however unable to estimate the loss.

Thailand's rice prices dipped as demand has been flat in both domestic and international markets, Thai traders said.

Thai benchmark 5 percent broken rice RI-THBKN5-P1 was quoted at $375-$377 a tonne, FOB Bangkok, down from $376-$382 a tonne last week.

"The weakening of the baht against the US dollar is also attributed to the drop in prices," a trader in Bangkok said.

Rice production in Thailand's north and northeast have been delayed due to flood in July, leading to more supply towards the end of the year, which could affect prices.

Rice exporters in Thailand are looking to meet fresh demand from markets like Bangladesh, while Dhaka is likely to buy from Cambodia.

Bangladesh's food ministry said it would import 250,000 tonnes of white rice at $453 a tonne from Cambodia in a state-to-state deal, more expensive than a previous deal with Vietnam.

The country is building buffer stocks to combat high domestic prices after flash floods in April wiped away around 1 million tonnes of rice. Prices have dropped only slightly in Bangladesh after it slashed the duty on imports last week to 2 percent from 10 percent, the second cut in less than two months.

"More rice from India is being imported by private traders after the second cut. This will have a good impact on the domestic market," a food ministry official said. (Reporting by Mi Nguyen in Hanoi, Ruma Paul in Dhaka, Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok and Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai; Editing by Vyas Mohan) Author Name: https://in.reuters.com/article/asia-rice-idINL4N1LA3O5