27 & 28 may,2014 rice news(unedited news)

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27th & 28th May,2014 Daily Global Rice News by Riceplus Magazine www.ricepluss.com

May 26, 2014 CULTURE

Don’t Turn Your Back on GMOs Yet, Adviser Urges China

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Corn in a field.

Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

A stream of public criticism from retired military officials against China’s rising engagement with genetically modified food doesn’t amount to institutional hostility against the science, a senior adviser to Beijing’s cabinet said.

Ye Xingqing, director of the rural economy department at the State Council Development Research Center, said Beijing still regards GMO as the kind of cutting-edge global technology the country must pursue, at least in research, despite vocal sections of public opinion that oppose broadening the use of GMO food for human use.

Recent essays published in local newspapers by some of China’s former brass drew attention to fears that GMOs might be a way by which a Western conspiracy, led by the U.S., could further undermine China’s security. But this is mostly coming from some retired officers writing on an issue outside their areas of expertise, Mr. Ye told the Wall Street Journal at a China Europe International Business School conference on Sunday.

“They think GMOs are a technology with ulterior motives, and that Americans are laying a trap for the Chinese. But not all ordinary Chinese support this opinion, and Chinese officials also feel that GMO is essentially a technological issue, not a political question or one with ulterior motives,” Mr. Ye said.

Mr. Ye’s remarks offer an insight to the different stripes of opinion that make GMOs one of China’s most contentious public policy issues. They also underline that, despite recent controversy over China’s rejection of some GMO U.S. corn imports, Beijing squarely recognizes that it must embrace the technology, even if it would rather do so on its own terms.

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It's China vs. China in Genetically Modified Food Fight

The discovery of the MIR-162 GMO strain – a strain which Beijing is still studying and hasn’t yet approved– among U.S. corn shipments in November and December came amid record-high imports of the yellow grain to China. The scandal blunted bookings of U.S. corn, Mr. Ye said.

As a result, corn shipments from the U.S. in March and April have begun giving way to purchases from Ukraine and Thailand. But, even though the diversification of its suppliers may be a desirable goal, Beijing isn’t deliberately pursuing such a policy just yet, Mr. Ye said. The shifts in China’s corn supply base are largely “a market matter,” made noticeable only because their relatively low base makes volume changes more pronounced, he said.

China’s rising wealth and demographic changes are driving a revamp in how Beijing manages the security of its food resources. Though domestic production is still its most important policy, imports have become an increasingly crucial component, Mr. Ye said. But agriculture officials are keen to stress that the world doesn’t have to fear that China’s entry into global food markets would result in a beggar-thy-neighbor policy.

“Import increases will be gradual, even and slow,” Mr. Ye said. 

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Producers Rice Finds Its Own Niche

by Luke Jones

on Monday, May. 26, 2014 12:00 am

Since Producers Rice Mill began in 1943, it’s expanded from its original location in Stuttgart to 11 locations throughout eastern Arkansas and western Mississippi. | (Photos by Emery Way)

<> Arkansas is known as the largest rice-producing state in the country, and typically the name “Riceland” goes along with that distinction. But Riceland — No. 5 among the state’s largest private companies with revenue of $1.3 billion last fiscal year — isn’t the only large, farmer-owned rice miller in the state.

Producers Rice Mill, Riceland’s neighbor in Stuttgart, is also one of the largest privately owned companies in Arkansas: No. 18 with revenue of $568.5 million in the fiscal year that ended July 31, 2013.

Producers was formed in 1943 and is owned by about 2,000 farmers, compared with Riceland’s 5,500. The company is an important employer for the region and has around 500 workers. Riceland, by comparison, has about 1,500.

Since Producers began in Stuttgart, it’s expanded to 11 locations throughout eastern Arkansas and western Mississippi. It manufactures milled rice, parboiled rice, brown rice, instant rice and rice flour.

In its first year, Producers milled 143,500 bushels and had assets of $125,000. By 2004, it was up to 14 million bushels per year. Through the decades it expanded in Stuttgart and added locations in Wynne, DeWitt, Eudora, Fair Oaks, Marianna, Pine Bluff, Wilmot, Wilson and Yellow Bend, as well as a large plant in Greenville, Mississippi.

Now the company handles between 60 million and 65 million bushels of rice per year, said Keith Glover, who has served as chief executive officer since 1988.

“That’s a little bit over 20 percent of the state’s rice crop,” he said. “Riceland is the biggest rice company in the U.S., and we’d be second.”

Producers and Riceland are very similar; Glover said the latter is larger simply by virtue of having started earlier.

“We do compete. We have customers we sell rice to, and many of those customers are also buying from [Riceland] as well,” Glover said. “But a lot of customers really want two suppliers. They don’t want to have all their eggs in one basket, so to speak, and many times for a particular customer we might be a primary supplier, and they’re the backup, and vice versa. That’s just kind of the way it works out.”

Producers provides two services to farmers: milling and marketing.

“Farmers grow rice, and they deliver it,” Glover said. “We provide a service to them in the fall, handling their harvest and storing rice. Our other function is the marketing of the rice for them.”

The company sells to retail establishments as well as food service and industrial sectors, where broken rice is used in the pet food industry. Glover said these three segments are fairly equal in the company’s business model.

SA Rice Welcomes USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program Announcement

WASHINGTON, DC -- The USA Rice Federation welcomes the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) announcement today of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) details and is preparing to submit a proposal for a national rice industry partnership under RCPP. "Today marks the start of what our industry believes will be an exciting new chapter in working lands conservation that can benefit rice lands, waterfowl habitat, and water resources, three critical resources throughout the U.S.," said Betsy Ward, president and CEO of USA Rice. "We greatly appreciate the quick work of USDA officials and staff to move forward with implementation of RCPP in such a timely manner and we look forward to working closely with them as we pursue a partnership opportunity for the U.S. rice industry."

USA Rice Sustainability Task Force Chair Jennifer James

In addition to the national and state level options within RCPP, the Critical Conservation Areas (CCAs) announced today cover 95 percent of the rice acres in the U.S. The 2014 Farm Bill created this new generation conservation initiative, the RCPP, to allow private industry, nonprofits, and other entities to formally partner with USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) to help leverage Federal programs and funding with private sector resources.

In making today's announcement, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack noted "USDA is launching a new era in American conservation efforts."

"USA Rice began laying the groundwork to best position the U.S. rice industry for opportunities like these over a year ago by partnering with a key leader in conservation efforts that shares a common focus on protecting and enhancing rice field habitats - Ducks Unlimited (DU)," said Jeff Durand, a Louisiana rice producer and co-chair of the USA Rice - Ducks Unlimited Stewardship Partnership Committee. "The existing partnership and activities with DU align precisely with the goals and objectives of RCPP and should make for a natural fit in defining and implementing a program for rice producers and landowners under RCPP." A recently released DU study showed that waterfowl and migratory birds rely heavily on U.S. rice fields for habitat and food, and that the conservation value of those working lands to the birds exceeds $3.5 billion, and that the annual maintenance costs of those lands, currently borne by rice farmers, exceed $70 million.

"The RCPP offers a unique and realistic opportunity for food and agribusiness companies to partner with producers and producer organizations in achieving key sustainability objectives through involvement with this new program," said Jennifer James, an Arkansas rice producer and chair of the USA Rice Sustainability Task Force. "By design, RCPP will rely heavily on non-Federal resources and strategic partners that are willing to help fund 'on the ground' conservation practices, and these activities will result in positive sustainability outcomes. USA Rice will enlist the participation of rice end user companies in the overall RCPP initiative for the U.S. rice industry."

The RCPP will competitively award funds to conservation projects designed by local partners specifically for their region. Eligible partners include private companies, universities, non-profit organizations, local and tribal governments, and others joining with agricultural and conservation organizations and producers to invest money, manpower, and materials to their proposed initiatives.With participating partners investing along with USDA, the Farm Bill's $1.2 billion in funding over the life of the five-year program can leverage an additional $1.2 billion from partners for a total of $2.4 billion for conservation. $400 million in USDA funding is available in the first year.

Through RCPP, partners propose conservation projects to improve soil health, water quality and water use efficiency, wildlife habitat, and other related natural resources on private lands.

"The future of conservation policy is here, and it's these conservation programs that seek to balance working lands and conservation goals," said Ward. "The U.S. rice industry is ready to lead the charge."

For more program information, resources, and details, please visit the below links from USDA.

Link to video: http://youtu.be/eK2xya2DKoU Complete information on RCPP including APF and CCA's. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/farmbill/rcpp/ Contact: Reece Langley, (703) 236-1471 Crop Progress: 2014 Crop 95 Percent Planted WASHINGTON, DC -- Ninety-five percent of the nation's 2014 rice acreage is planted, according to today's U.S. Department of Agriculture's Crop Progress Report.

Rice Planted, Selected States Week Ending May 25, 2013

State

May 18, 2014

May 25, 2014

2009-2013 average

Percent Arkansas

84

88

95

90

California

93

75

90

86

Louisiana

99

98

99

99

Mississippi

69

82

91

91

Missouri

95

86

95

89

Texas

100

96

98

99

Six States

89

87

95

91

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures CME Group (Preliminary): Closing Rough Rice Futures for May 27

Month

Price

Net Change

July 2014

$15.090

- $0.155

September 2014

$14.435

- $0.045

November 2014

$14.535

- $0.050

January 2015

$14.680

- $0.060

March 2015

$14.785

- $0.030

May 2015

$14.785

- $0.030

July 2015

$14.785

- $0.030

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