7th April 2014 Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

7th April , 2014
TOP Contents - Tailored for YOU Latest News Headlines

First quarter exports 1.2 million tons of rice More Ark. rice, cotton, soybeans, sorghum expected Crop prices favoring more soybeans, less corn Starving rice to boost yields Vietnam state-run grains agency bids for 0.8 MMT rice imports Vietnam In Contention For Philippines Rice Contract VIETNAM PRESS-April rice exports seen up 20 pct vs March Vietnam Economic Times Paddy rice farms curb losses from lost land Rice Exports increase by 66.2 percent in February Date : 7 2557 800,000 tons of rice to be released this week Sri Lanka farmers face drought, asked to reduce paddy cultivation Private sector warns government will make price of rice decrease due to rapid reduction of stockpiles Rice sector needs long-term development plan, a seminar heard Pakistan rice exports likely to surge in 2014 Rice farmers to sue MoFA over stalled rice project Paddy cultivation slashed; rice to be imported Uptrend in rice market may continue Vietnam In Contention For Philippines Rice Contract
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Nagpur Foodgrain Prices - APMC & Open Market-April 7 Farmers must take up new rice varieties Iron Range rebellion halted wild rice initiative China to employ weather control system to ensure rice Govt beefs up efforts to fight illegal rice imports Increase in Indian rice prices positive for rice companies Farmers must take up new rice varieties Bats can help protect rice farms against pests
First quarter exports 1.2 million tons of rice

Saturday, Apr 05, 2014, Posted at: 14:52(GMT+7)
Vietnam exported 1.2 million tons of rice worth US$ 529.1 million in the first quarter this year, according to the Vietnam Food Association. Over 583,000 tons was delivered in March with US$ 256.1 million in profit, a decrease of 15.4 percent in volume and 17 percent in value over the same period last year. Export price reduced US$ 7.7 per ton. China is the countrys largest export of rice for the last two years followed by the Philippines. The Philippines recently invited bids to purchase 800,000 tons of rice from Vietnam and Thailand.
Image: Rice harvest in Long An Province (Photo: SGGP)
By Cong Phien Translated by Hai Mien
More Ark. rice, cotton, soybeans, sorghum expected

Posted: Apr 06, 2014 1:10 AM PSTUpdated: Apr 06, 2014 1:12 AM PST
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - More acres of rice, cotton, sorghum and soybeans are expected to be planted in Arkansas this year while less corn and winter wheat is forecast.A report by the National Agricultural Statistics Service predicts rice acreage will increase from just more than 1 million acres in 2013 to more than 1.5 million acres this year and soybean planting is expected to rise from 3.25 million acres to 3.35 million.
Cotton acreage is forecast to increase from 310,000 acres to 340,000 and sorghum planting is estimated to go from 130,000 acres to 140,000.Winter wheat planting is forecast to drop from 680,000 acres to 440,000 and corn acreage is expected to fall from 880,000 to 600,000. Sweet potato plantings are forecast to remain at about 4,000 acres statewide in 2014. Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Crop prices favoring more soybeans, less corn

Acreage increases also for cotton, rice, peanuts
Apr 5, 2014Linda Breazeale MSU Ag Communications | Delta Farm Press
Crop prices are driving Mid-South growers 2014 planting decisions, says Brian Williams, agricultural economist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Mississippi corn is trading about $2.50 per bushel lower than a year ago, while Mississippi soybean prices are slightly higher than a year ago.USDAs March 31 Prospective Plantings report and Grain Stocks report was near expectations. The report used producer surveys from Feb. 27 through March 18 to estimate acreage plans.Williams said when growers were making decisions in 2013, corn prices were significantly higher than soybeans.This year, prices are favoring soybeans. Corn acreage will be going down nationally about 4 percent, and we are expecting the lowest U.S. corn acreage since 2010, he said. The report suggests that Mississippis corn acreage will go down 33 percent and soybeans will go up 7 percent.USDAs report predicts 580,000 acres of corn in Mississippi, compared to 860,000 in 2013. In the last two years, growers produced back-to-back record averages of 165 bushels per acre in 2012 and 180 bushels per acre in 2013. MORE ON MID-SOUTH PLANTING How will delayed spring affect corn acreage? USDA: less corn, more cotton, soybeans Erick Larson, Mississippi Extension grain specialist, said last years wet, cold conditions were the biggest challenge getting the crop in the ground. Growers have faced some delays so far this spring, but Larson said in early April he was not concerned yet about the corn crop being behind schedule.Fewer acres mean it wont take the states growers long to plant when field conditions dry, he said. Early planting is important, but corns success depends upon many other
conditions.Soybeans will be Mississippis major crop with 2.15 million acres. Soybeans have also had two strong years, averaging a record 45 bushels per acre in 2012 and 2013.The mild temperatures we experienced in 2013 really helped our soybean crop considering the late start, said Trent Irby, Extension soybean specialist.Mississippi is projected to see a 31 percent increase in cotton acres for 2014, with an estimated 380,000 acres planned for this year. Last year, growers harvested a record average 1,229 pounds of lint per acre on 285,000 acres. DOWNLOAD THE ULTIMATE SCOUTING TOOL! Ever come across a weed you're unsure of? There's an app for that! Check out our new Ag Weed ID app and put all the weed info you need in the palm of your hand.Our growers produced a really good crop last year, and that left a good taste in their mouths for this year, said Darrin Dodds, Mississippi Extension cotton specialist. Cotton growers in other parts of the country were not as fortunate. Mississippi fields benefitted from a relatively mild summer and four hotter-thannormal weeks at the end of the growing season to finish out the crop. Another crop expected to expand acreage this year is rice. USDAs March 31 report has Mississippi growers planting 170,000 acres of rice, up 36 percent from last year.Extension agricultural economist John Michael Riley said Mississippi will also see a 32 percent increase in peanut acreage, to 45,000; an 8 percent increase in sorghum acres, to 70,000; and a 15 percent increase in sweet potato acres, to 23,000.Wheat acres are projected to be down both in the nation and state. Mississippi wheat acres for 2014 are estimated at 230,000, 43 percent lower than the 400,000 acres planted in 2013.When considering hay and other summer crops, Mississippis total acreage is expected to tally 3.418 million, which is 14,000 more than 2013, Riley said.
Starving rice to boost yields

CARA JEFFERY
07 Apr, 2014 03:00 AM STARVING a rice crop of water may sound like a bizarre concept but a midseason dry down could help growers improve their yields by up to 20 per cent.Southern NSW grower Antony Vagg has found a mid-season dry down of his medium grain rice Opus has helped reduce sterility issues.This year due to the challenging start, we only performed a mid-season dry down on a proportion of the crop, Mr Vagg said.There are two types of sterility that affect yields one being the cold weather, which we cant control, and the other is physiological sterility, Mr Vagg said.
The mid-season dry down of his Opus crop took place just before panicle initiation (PI) of the rice crop in December.The water was drained from the crop and it was left to dry for a fortnight.It was left to dry out until
it looked like it was pretty much dead, Mr Vagg said.Without water lying on the crop, oxygen could access the soil and it allowed microbes to work and release itrogen back into the soil to kick it along, he said.Once we put the water back on it regenerated pretty quickly.Mr Vagg said Opus was the only variety he felt confident doing a mid-season dry down on, as research results were yet to convince him other rice varieties were suited to the method.Opus can achieve a zero to 20pc yield increase from a mid-season dry down, but generally seven to 11pc is the norm in this region, he said.
Mr Vagg said the upside to the mid-season dry down also saved on water use and irrigation management during that period.But the downside is it can be a bit stressful watching your rice crop dying and starving for water, he said.This season Mr Vagg and his parents, Max and Andrea, and brother Ryan, have 400 hectares of rice sown across the three properties that make up Amaloo Pastoral Company at Bunnaloo, south of Deniliquin.This year their rice crop consists of varieties Opus and Koshihkari, Sherpa 30, and Reiziq, which were sown onto lasered flood irrigated bays.
Vietnam state-run grains agency bids for 0.8 MMT rice imports
07.04.2014
VIETNAM'S state-run grains agency has expressed interest to supply the entire 800,000-metric-ton (MT) rice requirement of the Philippines this year.In a pre-bidding conference on Thursday, Ludovico Jarina, National Food Authority (NFA) deputy administrator and concurrently Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) chairman, said at least five international firms, private traders and a state-run grains agency have already bought bidding documents, a requirement to be qualified for the actual bidding, scheduled on April 15."Vietnam Southern Food Corp. [Vinafood II], Thai Hua Co., LG International, Asian Golden Rice and Louis Dreyfuss have expressed bidding interest," according to Jarina, with Vinafoood buying bidding documents for the entire rice requirements of the country. The open tender, which will be extended until the actual day of bidding, is an effort of the NFA to secure the lowest-priced possible for the staple food with acceptable quality, Jarina added. The NFA has approved a P17.18-billion budget "from corporate resources" for the purchase of the rice stocks, which should be long-grain white rice, with 15-percent broken- and well-milled.The NFA announced on March 27 that it would require the winning bidder/s to deliver the rice in four tranches, or a quarter of the total volume for each shipment, from April to August."We have divided the entire volume to four lots, or 200,000 MT per lot to bid," Jarina told reporters.He added that "bidders can join the tender for the maximum 800,000 MT, while the minimum quantity to be offered per supplier must be 100,000 MT with single price, and to be shipped in break bulk. "While Vinafood II has expressed interest to supply the entire 800,000 MT of rice, the four remaining participants bought one bid document, which would allow them to join in only one bid lot come April 15."We have also invited the governments of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Pakistan, India and even the United States
to join the tender," the NFA official said.Various trading companies' representatives and officials of the embassies of Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam were present during the pre-bidding conference.For this year a total of 1.2 million MT of rice will enter the country. A portion of this, or 400,000 MT, arrived in March, according to Jarina.That is part of the rice imports in 2013 to replace heavy rice withdrawals from NFA warehouses last year due to Supertyphoon Yolanda, he added.Last year the NFA approved 205,700 MT of rice imports under the omnibus minimum access volume for rice, plus the 500,000 MT of rice from Vietnam.
Vietnam In Contention For Philippines Rice Contract

HANOI, April 4 (Bernama) -- An initial five bidders, including Vietnam, have signed up to be among the possible suppliers of 800,000 tonnes of rice to the Philippines, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported citing the country's Inquirer.net Friday.Those who officially entered the bidding process on Thursday included the Jakarta Stock Exchange-listed LG International Corp, the Vietnam Southern Food Corp, and the shipping unit of the French group Louie Dreyfus Co.Thai Hua Co Ltd and Asia Golden Rice Co Ltd from Thailand are also vying for rice contracts.The Philippines National Food Authority (NFA) said it expects more bidders before the deadline of submissions on April 15.Last March, Agriculture Undersecretary Dante S. Delima said the country needed 800,000 tonnes of rice in 2014 to increase its stockpile, stabilise prices and rein in inflation.-BERNAMA
VIETNAM PRESS-April rice exports seen up 20 pct vs March - Vietnam Economic Times
Mon Apr 7, 2014 6:22am IST
Vietnam is projected to ship 700,000 tonnes of rice in April, up around 20 percent from 583,300 tonnes loaded in the previous month, according to the Vietnam Food Association, the Vietnam Economic Times newspaper reports.More than 40 percent of the 1.2 million tonnes exported in the first quarter went to China, followed by the Philippines with 31 percent, the report said.NOTE: Reuters has not verified this story and does not vouch for its accuracy. (Hanoi Newsroom; Editing by Sunil Nair)
Paddy rice farms curb losses from lost land

Mon, 7 April 2014 Chan Muyhong
Cambodian paddy rice production fell only slightly during the first half of this years dry season, despite 12,000 hectares of usually productive land deemed unusable due to last years floods.According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, dry season paddy rice production between December and April fell 1.9 per
cent compared with the same period last year.Farmers have produced more than 2.11 million tonnes of paddy rice so far this dry season, down from more than 2.15 million tonnes in 2013.The government commended the farmers efforts, citing a 2.5 per cent drop in producing land, due to the effects of flooding. On average, farmers actually increased their average tonnage per hectare from 4.1 tonnes in 2013 to 4.3 tonnes this year, according to the ministry.
Pich Romnea, deputy director of ministrys paddy rice production department said farmers employing better farming techniques such as water irrigation methods and using dry season appropriate rice varieties helped to curtail yield losses.They are using unmixed-seeds, better farming technique and we have seen less insects and bugs damaging the paddy rice this dry season, he said.Nheb Sron, director of the agriculture department of Takeo Province, said establishing more irrigation systems throughout the province had pushed the harvest higher.More irrigation systems have been built in four districts within Takeo province, which make ric e production possible during the dry season, he added.
Rice Exports increase by 66.2 percent in February

Date : 7 2557 BANGKOK, 7 April 2014 (NNT) - Statistics reveal that rice exports for the month of February has increased by 66.2 percent, and will continuously increase in March. The Thai Rice Exporters Association (TREA) has revealed that rice exports have increased by 66.2 percent in this February this year compared to the same month of last year, and that the export volume has reached around 700,000 tons. Meanwhile, rice exports for the first two months of 2014 grew by 39.5 percent, with the export volume reaching at 1.4 million tons total. The majority of the rice exported included white rice and sticky rice, where they were primarily sold to African nations. However, the Thai jasmine rice has seen a drop in exports. The TREA also predicts that the rice export volume in March would reach around 700,000 tons, as rice prices have decreased to a certain level.
800,000 tons of rice to be released this week

Published on April 8, 2014 by TFP No Comments
BANGKOK, 8 April 2014 The Ministry of Commerce is set to release over 800,000 tons of rice through the Agricultural Futures Exchange in Thailand (AFET) on April 9 and 10.190,000 tons of the stockpile will be auctioned via AFET and another 160,000 tons will be released at a regional bidding in Suphanburi on Wednesday.On Thursday, exporters and interested bidders can bid for 420,000 tons of rice at the Department of International Trade. The stockpile will be from the 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 harvest seasons.The ministry earlier expressed confidence that nearly one million tonnes of rice would be released through the AFET this year. (NNT: Orapa Chueyprasit)
Sri Lanka farmers face drought, asked to reduce paddy cultivation

Sun, Apr 6, 2014, 11:41 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka. Apr 06, Colombo: Sri Lanka's Agriculture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena says farmers have been asked to reduce their cultivation of paddy during the Yala season due to the drought.The Minister says farmers may have to slash cultivation up to 50 percent during the Yala season, noting that the government would be unable to compensate a large number of farmers in the event that they face a crop failure. Farmers have reportedly been asked to cultivate crops that require less water like soya and big onions.The Agriculture Ministry will hold a meeting with district secretaries on 21 April to decide on the extent of land that will be used for paddy cultivation and the water it will require. Meanwhile, the government will look at importing rice to meet the shortfall in the local market. Rice production yielded N320bn in two years Minister Posted by: Demola in LOCAL NEWS 1 day ago 0 Nigeria generated N320bn as revenue from the production of rice in the last two years, the Federal Government has said. It said local rice production also created 750,000 jobs for farmers and other persons during the period. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, disclosed these during the inauguration of the headquarters of the Nigerian Cassava Growers Association in Abuja. Adesina stated that the production of rice in the country had increased in the past two years, adding that the development resulted in the establishment of rice pyramids by farmers in the North. A whooping N320bn is the gross revenue generated from the production of rice during this period. I will like to also state that about 750,000 jobs have been created from the production of rice for our farmers and for Nigerians, he said. According to the minister, Nigeria will be self sufficient in rice production in the next two years and will have no need to continue to import the commodity. Adesina stated that the Federal Government was working hard to ensure that the country stopped the importation of rice, adding that every time we import food, we export jobs and impoverish the farmers in our country. Poverty is not an industry; so, we dont have to be growing it and this is why the President launched the Agricultural Transformation Agenda three years ago to empower Nigerian farmers, he added. Adesina said the inauguration of the NCGA headquarters, its official buses, guest house and website were a testimony that agriculture was working in the country. He urged Nigerians to always patronise foods produced by indigenous farmers such as rice, cassava bread and wheat. By buying products like the cassava bread and locally produced rice, you will be creating more jobs and providing revenue for our farmers. So, one major way you create jobs is when you patronise things that we produce in our country, the minister said. The National President, NCGA, Mr. Segun Adewumi, urged the government to shift its agricultural intervention programme from subsidies on fertiliser, herbicides and other inputs to the provision of financial assistance to the farmers. Funds used for subsidy can be used to mitigate interest on agricultural loans taken from the capital market by the Bank of Agriculture. This interest on agricultural loans should be dragged down to five per cent and below as obtainable in advanced countries of the world, Adewumi said. You might also like
Private sector warns government will make price of rice decrease due to rapid reduction of stockpiles
Date : 7 2557 BANGKOK 7 April 2014 (NNT) The private sector is warning the government would render prices of rice to decrease further due to the rapid release of its rice stockpiles. Wallop Pitchyapongsa, vice president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, stated that the governments rapid reduction of its rice stockpiles will make prices of rice decrease even further as rice has saturated the market. Mr. Wallop revealed that although the results may be beneficial for exporters of rice in terms of price competitions in the world market, domestic prices of rice for local farmers have decreased due to an oversupply. He stated further that there is also no policy put in place to stabilize prices of rice. Therefore, he insisted that the government consider the adverse effects of rapid and frequent release of stockpiled rice into the market.
Rice sector needs long-term development plan, a seminar heard

Petchanet Pratruangkrai,The Nation April 5, 2014 1:00 am Thailand should draw up a long-term policy on rice crops and trading management to avoid huge losses from short-term subsidies, while politicians should no longer be allowed to make rice policy a populist tool, a seminar heard yesterday.At the "Thai Rice in Asean Isn't It Reaching a Dead-End?" seminar, organised by Dhurakij Pundit University's faculty of economics, panellists agreed that Thailand needed a long-term strategy on rice rather than letting politicians form their own policies and create only short-term means of aiding farmers. Wanlop Pichpongsa, vice president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said rice should no longer be a political tool to gain popularity during an election campaign."The country should set up a permanent organisation to manage rice policy, with no politicians involved; otherwise, the sector will not be developed. Politicians have always only thought about short-term policies to help farmers and gain popularity," he said.He pointed out that the price of Thai rice had not increased as much as the government had expected, even though the pledging project was aimed at boosting prices. Farmers have not really benefited from the pledging scheme, having faced a combination of overdue payments and falling market prices, he added.As no government has ever implemented long-term measures for rice development, such a strategy needs to be drawn up to ensure sustainable incomes for farmers, as well as competitiveness for Thai rice in the global market, he said. Moreover, given upcoming seamless trade under the Asean Economic Community, the Thai rice sector faces a big challenge due to unstable prices from the subsidy project, coupled with lower development of rice quality, he stressed.To ensure sustainable incomes and fair benefits for farmers, Wanlop said the government should still find some measures to help them in the short term, but it must also think more about long-term
development. It could create a system of direct payments to subsidise the cost of production, which would not negatively affect the sector or involve market intervention, he suggested.He told the seminar that the price of Thai rice could increase slightly in the next few months because of increased demand in both the world and domestic markets, even though the caretaker government has accelerated the release of rice from its stockpiles.As the price of Thai rice is only US$10-$20 per tonne higher than Vietnamese rice, the Kingdom should be able to compete with Vietnam in the global market, he said. The Philippines and Iraq will soon open bidding to import rice, and Thai rice could win the auctions if the proposed prices are not too high, he added.Manatsanith Jirawat, a rice expert at the Commerce Ministry's Foreign Trade Department, accepted that the current government only had a plan to solve the problem of overdue pledging payments to farmers. Although the government does have a long-term measure to promote rice development, the plan cannot be carried out as it is too busy solving the payment problem and releasing rice from the stockpiles, she said.To ensure sustainable development of the industry, Thailand could cooperate more closely with other riceexporting nations in Asean, such as Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, she suggested. While it would be quite difficult to collaborate on prices, as each country had its own agenda, Thailand as one of the world's leading rice exporters could cooperate with each of its Asean neighbours to promote rice cultivation and trading with other markets, she said. Meanwhile, the Thai Rice Exporters Association reported that the country had exported some 1.4 million tonnes of rice during the first two months of the year - 39.5 per cent higher than in the same period last year. Export value grew 12.5 per cent year on year, to Bt29.6 billion.Last month's export volume is expected to have reached 700,000 tonnes.As of April 2, the price of 5-per-cent Thai white rice was quoted at $394 a tonne, while Vietnamese rice was traded between $385 and $395 a tonne.
Pakistan rice exports likely to surge in 2014

07.04.2014
Pakistan's rice exports are expected to increase to a record 3.9 million tonnes during the current 2013/14 crop year (November/October), up about 15% from the USDA's previous estimates of around 3.4 mln tonnes, and up about 8% from an estimated 3.6 mln tonnes exported in 2012/13, according to a recent USDA report.Exports are likely to increase this year due to higher production and improved power supply. The report also outlines that Pakistan's rice exporters have improved rice processing in the country, and their initiatives have led to a significant surge in rice exports over the last decade barring declines during flood years.
Rice farmers to sue MoFA over stalled rice project
Three-hundred-and-fifty rice farmers at Ohiamadwene and its environs in the Shama District of the Western Region have threatened to take legal action against the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) for its inability to carry out a rice project for them.At a press conference held in Shama, the farmers said they had lost interest in the project and are demanding the return of their farmland, compensation for the destruction of their crops on the farms as well as severance payment as a result of their joblessness. Mr Francis Hotoviovi, spokesman for the farmers who addressed the press conference, said government through the MoFA acquired 75 hectares of farmland from them to cultivate rice which was dubbed the Inland Valley Rice Development Project.He said as a result their crops were destroyed to pave way for the rice project but for five years now nothing had been done, thus rendering them jobless.Mr Hotoviovi said the project should have been completed in 18 months but the farmers have not set eyes on the MoFA officials and the contractor.He said a contractor negotiated with only the landowners disregarding them therefore could not tell the terms of agreement covering the project.
Paddy cultivation slashed; rice to be imported

By Damith Wickremasekara
Farmers have been asked to slash paddy production by as much as 50 per cent in the coming Yala season due to the prevailing drought, Agriculture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said yesterday. We are not in a position to compensate farmers for crop loss if they do not follow our instructions, the minister said. He said farmers had been told to cut down on paddy and switch to crops which required less water. Among the crops suggested were soya, green peas, cowpea, gram and big onions.Until there are clear signs of rains even smallscale paddy farmers should be careful about investing in paddy cultivation. On April 21, we will hold a meeting of District Secretaries to decide on the extent of area to be cultivated and the amount of irrigation water to be provided, he said.Mr. Abeywardena said the Government had decided to import rice to meet the shortfall, but a decision on the quantity would be taken at the April 21 meeting.The move came as rice prices showed a gradual increase.Meanwhile, the Mahaweli Authority has decided to reduce the supply of water for paddy cultivation by about 50 per cent as the water levels in the tanks have dropped. Mahaweli Authority Director General Gamini Rajakaruna said that in some of the paddy cultivating areas in the Mahaweli H and G zones Anuradhapura, Elahera, Tambuettegama and Kandalama they would be able to provide water only after June.He said that in the Mahaweli B and C zones Polonnaruwa, Dehiattakandiya, Ampara (partly) and Girandurukotte they would be able provide only 50 per cent of the water for paddy cultivation.Polonnaruwa District Secretary Nimal Abeysinghe said that in the last season 165,000 acres were cultivated, but this season only 35,000 acres could be cultivated due to the drought. We may not have sufficient water for alternative crops as the water levels have gone down, he said.Anuradhapura District Secretary Mahinda Seneviratne said a meeting would be held on April 22 to decide on the extent of paddy cultivation.
Uptrend in rice market may continue

KARNAL, APRIL 7: Rice market witnessed an uptrend with the prices of aromatic and non basmati varieties moving up by 50 300 a quintal on Monday. Amit Chandna, proprietor of Hanuman Rice Trading Company, told Business Line that an increase in demand mainly pushed aromatic and non basmati rice varieties upwards. Situation of the market was anticipated and prices may improve further in the coming days, he said. According to the trade experts, market may witness some good buying in the coming days and prices may improve further by 100- 200 a quintal. Pusa-1121 varieties have improved by 500 a quintal since the last weekend. In the physical market, Pusa-1121 (steam) moved up by 300 to 9,600-9,700 a quintal, while Pusa-1121 (sela) improved by 200 to 8,500 a quintal. Pure Basmati (Raw) quoted at 12,500 , up 200 up. Duplicate basmati (steam) improved by 300 to 7,600. Pusa-1121 brokens improved by 50-100. Pusa-1121 (second wand) ruled at 7,350, Tibar at 6,400, while Dubar at 5,400. In the non basmati section, Sharbati (Steam) improved by Rs 100 to Rs 4,950 while Sharbati (Sela) quoted at 4,350, up 50 up. PR varieties improved by 50-100. Permal (raw) sold at 2,380, Permal (sela) at Rs 2,400, PR-11 (sela) sold at Rs 2,750, while PR-11 (Raw) at Rs 2,700. PR14 (steam) sold at Rs 3,000.
(This article was published on April 7, 2014)
Vietnam In Contention For Philippines Rice Contract

HANOI, April 4 (Bernama) -- An initial five bidders, including Vietnam, have signed up to be among the possible suppliers of 800,000 tonnes of rice to the Philippines, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported citing the country's Inquirer.net Friday. Those who officially entered the bidding process on Thursday included the Jakarta Stock Exchange-listed LG International Corp, the Vietnam Southern Food Corp, and the shipping unit of the French group Louie Dreyfus Co.Thai Hua Co Ltd and Asia Golden Rice Co Ltd from Thailand are also vying for rice contracts.The Philippines National Food Authority (NFA) said it expects more bidders before the deadline of submissions on April 15.Last March, Agriculture Undersecretary Dante S. Delima said the country needed 800,000 tonnes of
rice
in
2014
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increase
its
stockpile,
stabilise
prices
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inflation.
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices - APMC & Open Market-April 7

Mon Apr 7, 2014 3:45pm IST
Nagpur, Apr 7 (Reuters) - Gram and tuar prices in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) reported down on lack of demand from local millers amid poor quality arrival. Easy condition on NCDEX in gram, fresh fall in Madhya Pradesh pulses and release of stock from stockists also pushed down prices, according to sources. * * * *
FOODGRAINS & PULSES GRAM * Gram super bold and medium best moved down in open market in absence of buyers amid increased supply from producing regions. TUAR * Tuar varieties ruled steady in open market here on subdued demand from local traders, matching the demand and supply from producing belt. * Moong varieties touched to a record high in open market on renewed demand from local traders amid weak supply from producing regions. Unseasonal rains which damaged crop heavily, activated stockists. * In Akola, Tuar - 3,900-4,100, Tuar dal - 6,100-6,300, Udid at 6,100-6,500, Udid Mogar (clean) - 7,200-7,700, Moong - 8,500-8,700, Moong Mogar (clean) 9,800-10,500, Gram - 3,200-3,300, Gram Super best bold - 3,800-4,200 for 100 kg. * 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 Previous close Gram Auction 2,330-2,800 2,300-2,840 Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600 Tuar Auction 3,750-4,250 3,900-4,320 Moong Auction n.a. 6,100-6,300 Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500 Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800 Gram Super Best Bold 4,000-4,200 4,000-4,300 Gram Super Best n.a.
Gram Medium Best 3,500-3,700 3,600-3,800 Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a. Gram Mill Quality 3,650-3,750 3,650-3,750 Desi gram Raw 2,900-3,000 2,900-3,000 Gram Filter new 3,300-3,600 3,300-3,600 Gram Kabuli 8,900-10,900 8,900-10,900 Gram Pink 7,900-8,300 7,900-8,300 Tuar Fataka Best 6,600-6,700 6,600-6,700 Tuar Fataka Medium 6,100-6,300 6,100-6,300 Tuar Dal Best Phod 6,000-6,100 6,000-6,100 Tuar Dal Medium phod 5,900-6,000 5,900-6,000 Tuar Gavarani 4,450-4,600 4,450-4,600 Tuar Karnataka 4,600-4,700 4,600-4,700 Tuar Black 7,700-7,800 7,700-7,800 Masoor dal best 6,100-6,200 6,100-6,200 Masoor dal medium 5,600-5,900 5,600-5,900 Masoor n.a. n.a. Moong Mogar bold 10,800-11,300 10,500-10,800 Moong Mogar Medium best 10,200-10,700 9,800-10,200 Moong dal super best 9,700-9,900 9,200-9,500 Moong dal Chilka 8,900-9,200 8,500-8,700 Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a. Moong Chamki best 9,000-10,000 8,700-9,600 Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 7,500-7,800 7,500-7,800 Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,800-6,600 5,800-6,600 Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 5,000-5,300 5,000-5,300 Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 4,500-5,500 4,500-5,500 Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 3,050-3,100 3,050-3,100 Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,350-3,450 3,350-3,450 Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,500 3,400-3,500 Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 4,800-5,100 4,800-5,100 Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,800 1,700-1,800 Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG) 1,900-1,950 1,900-1,950 Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,650-1,850 1,650-1,850 Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,500 2,400-2,500 Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,100 2,050-2,200 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) 2,400-2,900 2,400-2,900 Wheat 147 (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,700 1,600-1,700 Wheat Best (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,750 1,700-1,750 Rice BPT new(100 INR/KG) 2,650-2,800 2,650-2,800 Rice BPT old (100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,600 3,300-3,600 Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,850 1,700-1,850 Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG) 2,700-2,800 2,700-2,800 Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,500 2,300-2,500
Rice HMT new (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,200 3,800-4,200 Rice HMT old (100 INR/KG) 4,400-4,700 4,400-4,700 Rice HMT Shriram (100 INR/KG) 5,400-5,800 5,400-5,800 Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 12,000-13,500 12,000-13,500 Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,500-9,000 6,500-9,000 Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG) 5,700-6,100 5,700-6,100 Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 5,100-5,600 5,100-5,600 Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 1,400-1,600 1,400-1,600 Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,800 1,700-1,800 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 41.3 degree Celsius (106.3 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp. 23.0 degree Celsius (73.4 degree Fahrenheit) Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a. Rainfall : nil FORECAST: Mainly clear sky. Mainly clear sky. Maximum and Minimum temperature likely to be around 42 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.)
Farmers must take up new rice varieties

HYDERABAD, APRIL 7:
Rice scientists are urging farmers to take up new and improved varieties of rice to meet the rising demand.There is a great need for gradually phasing out the old varieties of rice with the new and improved varieties. We are working overtime to encourage farmers in this regard, said Swapan K Datta, Deputy Director General (Crop Sciences) Indian Council of Agricultural Research. Rice, followed by wheat, continues and will remain the number one food crop in our country, he said.Over 450 top scientists engaged in the field of rice research took part in the 49th All India Annual Rice Group Meetings organised by Directorate of Rice Research in Hyderabad on Sunday. EA Siddiq, Honorary Professor (Biotechnology), ANGRAU, said the ability to sustain the growth in the next decade is a big challenge as India will need to produce 20-25 million tonnes more than existing capacity.
(This article was published on April 7, 2014)
Iron Range rebellion halted wild rice initiative

Article by: JOSEPHINE MARCOTTY , Star Tribune staff writer Updated: April 7, 2014 - 10:06 AM
Gov. Mark Dayton and top state pollution officials abruptly reversed a decision to publicly affirm a longstanding and highly contentious water-quality rule designed to protect wild rice after Iron Range legislators intervened in late February, according to internal records and e-mails. Gov. Mark Dayton and top state pollution officials abruptly reversed a decision to publicly affirm a long-standing and highly contentious water-quality rule designed to protect wild rice after Iron Range legislators intervened in late February, according to internal records and emails.The sudden scramble, which left observers puzzled at the time, provides an unusual close-up look at the intense political, economic and environmental stakes in the three-year fight over protecting Minnesotas most beloved plant from pollutants generated by mining and other industries.For now, the stringent rule is on the books, but its future is still uncertain. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) was set to announce Feb. 27 that, after three years of debate and $1.5 million in taxpayer-paid research, it would issue a preliminary recommendation that the 40-year-old rule protecting wild rice was reasonable and should remain in effect, according to documents obtained by the Star Tribune under public records laws.But the announcement was postponed at the last minute, and that recommendation never saw the light of day.Instead, two weeks later, Commissioner John Linc Stine said the MPCA needed to conduct further studies, bring in outside experts to review the science and engage the public in discussions about the impacts.In an interview last week, Stine said he changed course in response to frustrated legislators who feared that even a preliminary recommendation by his agency would have a major chilling affect on mining firms and other employers important to their districts.Stine also said that the more muted tone the agency adopted was intended to do a better job of explaining the complicated balancing act between taconite and wild rice.State scientists have not changed their view that, at least so far, the scientific research supports the current wild rice standard, he said. Very sensitive issue We just wanted to get it right, Dayton said in a separate interview. It is a very sensitive issue, here and up there.Iron Range legislators who raised the issue with the governor say that the potential economic impacts of the rule go far beyond the taconite industry and could cost cities, breweries and food processing plants millions of dollars to comply.But their biggest fear, they said, is that the out-of-state corporations who own the mines would find Minnesota inhospitable, and decide to go elsewhere.These companies have no profound loyalty to
any one area of the world, said Rep. Tom Anzelc, DFL-Balsam Township.Kathryn Hoffman, an attorney with nonprofit law firm Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, said that furious reaction hides a quiet environmental victory for wild rice.At this point, she said, the states environmental standard remains in place because the states research supports it.And this is science, she said. Not democracy.
Regulation roadblock Photo: Doug Smith/Star Tribune, Sept. 21, 2013; near Emily, Minn., Rod Ustipak of Baxter, Minn., poles his canoe through a thick stand of wild rice on a small in north-central Minnesota on the waterfowl opener. Ustipak heads the state's wild rice restoration program
China to employ weather control system to ensure rice

Follow the link to Watch online: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiGIViLvJBA
Govt beefs up efforts to fight illegal rice imports

Linda Yulisman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Business | Tue, April 08 2014, 10:02 AM The Trade Ministry will issue stricter rules on the importation of premium rice to avert market distortion caused by illegal shipments.Importers of the special types of rice will have to secure recommendations, including import volume, from the Agriculture Ministry before applying for import permits to the Trade Ministry, according to Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi.
The new policy will prevent certain importers using import permits for premium-quality rice to import mediumquality rice; averting an influx of cheap rice that can hurt local farmers.We aim to regulate who can and cannot import and by doing this we can easily detect who is responsible for illegal imports, said Lutfi on Monday.Under the new rule, which will be issued soon, rice importers will fall into two types: producer importers who will use the raw food for production of, for example, rice noodles and registered importers who will resell it to local buyers and distributors.The latest policy effort was made following the early February finding that 32 containers of rice from Vietnam that had entered the country through Tanjung Priok Port, in three shipments, was of dubious quality.The finding sparked speculation that the rice was of medium quality, thereby, raising concern over the leakage of such kind of rice through to end-consumers at the local market.
The governments investigation concluded that the rice was of premium quality.But the importers of the rice breached the rule because the delivered rice was different from that stipulated in their import permits. The government has processed the punishment for the abuse of licences.Indonesia, the worlds fourth most populous nation of more than 240 million, has gained a slight rice surplus over the past two years, particularly thanks to favorable weather, removing the necessity to import medium-quality rice the staple food for the majority of its people.Last year, its total output topped 37 million tons of rice, while domestic consumption reached 35 million tons of rice.However, the country regularly imports premium types of rice to meet niche market demand albeit in a small amount.Last year, it only bought around 50,000 tons of premium rice from neighboring countries, particularly Thailand and Vietnam.
Up to the present, there are between 800 and 900 rice importers with special importer identification numbers who are able to import rice.Under the new rule, the categories of rice, identified by harmonized system (HS) codes, will be clarified, allowing the authorities to differentiate medium rice from premium rice quickly, according to the Trade Ministrys director general for foreign trade Bachrul Chairi. Importers first had to undergo a series of verification processes from related authorities to become producer importers or registered importers, said Bachrul.A special team will be assigned to check warehouses where importers store their rice, while appointed professional surveyors, such as Sucofindo, will carry out technical tracking to the source of imports.
We want to ensure that the importers are really the persons who work in rice trading or processing, so that we will supervise them more easily, Bachrul said.Apart from tightening supervision through the future policy, the government has integrated the administration of import recommendations and licenses through the Indonesia National Single Window, which allows online application.
Increase in Indian rice prices positive for rice companies

[Sharekhan] 07 Apr 2014 12:05 PM Indias 5% broken rice price was up by 2% to $430 per ton in March 2014 from about $420 per ton recorded in February 2014.Meanwhile, average monthly wholesale rice prices in India increased to about Rs3,180 per quintal (about $530 per ton, using current exchange rate) in March 2014, up about 16% from about Rs2,731 per quintal (about $444 per ton, using current exchange rate) in February 2014, and up about 29% from about Rs2,458 per quintal (about $452 per ton, using current exchange rate) in March 2013.This is positive for rice stocks (including LT foods, KRBL and Kohinoor Foods). Powered by Sharekhan - MUST KNOW NEWS
Farmers must take up new rice varieties

OUR BUREAU
HYDERABAD, APRIL 7:
Rice scientists are urging farmers to take up new and improved varieties of rice to meet the rising demand.There is a great need for gradually phasing out the old varieties of rice with the new and improved varieties. We are working overtime to encourage farmers in this regard, said Swapan K Datta, Deputy Director General (Crop Sciences) Indian Council of Agricultural Research.Rice, followed by wheat, continues and will remain the number one food crop in our country, he said.Over 450 top scientists engaged in the field of rice research took part in the 49th All India Annual Rice Group Meetings organised by Directorate of Rice Research in Hyderabad on Sunday. EA Siddiq, Honorary Professor (Biotechnology), ANGRAU, said the ability to sustain the growth in the next decade is a big challenge as India will need to produce 20-25 million tonnes more than existing capacity. (This article was published on April 7, 2014)
Bats can help protect rice farms against pests

Kieran Dodds/Panos
[KUALA LUMPUR] Bats that prey on a major rice pest in Thailand could save paddy harvests worth millions of dollars and help contribute to better food security, scientists say in a paper published in Biological Conservation recently (March).Using data from a previous study and their own field survey, the scientists came up with a value of the predation of the wrinkle-lipped bat (Tadarida plicata) on the white-backed planthopper (Sogatella furcifera), a migratory insect pest in Asia which feeds on rice shoots.The scientists calculated that each wrinkle-lipped bat consumes about 1,130 white-backed planthoppers daily. With a population of almost eight million, this bat species may prevent paddy losses of nearly 2,900 tonnes per year worth US$1.2 million in export value, enough to feed 26,000 people for a year.Thomas Cherico Wanger,
lead author of the paper and a tropical ecologist at University of Gttingen in Germany, suggests that Thai rice farmers can recruit bats in their fields by providing roosting boxes.The model shows that 300 bats in each roosting box can protect almost 700 kilograms of rice per year, Wanger tells SciDev.Net.Bats have yet to be considered as a significant pest control agent inagriculture, according to Wantana Srirattanasak, senior entomologist of Thailands Department of Rice. Our farmers have never thought of using bats as biological control agents, she says.A year-long survey in 2005 reported that planthoppers made up almost 30 per cent of the diet of wrinkled-lipped bats. Working from this survey, Wanger and his team built a model to quantify the amount of rice that bats protect when they feed on planthoppers.Combining data from the literature with their field observations, the scientists used the model to estimate the number of white-backed planthoppers consumed by all the wrinkled-lipped bats in Thailand. They then estimated the amount of rice harvest saved due to the predation of these planthoppers.But models simplify nature based on assumptions that might be wrong, Wanger warns, adding that it is crucial to compile good data and to indicate the level of error that comes with an estimate.The model has merits as a thought experiment, says Geoff Gurr, applied ecology professor at Charles Sturt University in Australia.But Gurr, who has been working on the biological control of planthoppers with arthropod predators, notes that only one field survey was used to estimate the bats predation of the planthoppers. It is not a substantial base on which to extrapolate too widely, he says.Another caveat is that the amount of rice saved by the bats 2,900 tonnes is only a tiny portion of the 25-30 million tonnes of rice produced yearly in Thailand. Bats might not be irrelevant, says Gurr, but they are a very small portion of the mortality that would be required to control the planthoppers.Wanger says his team understands the limits of their model. But he argues it is crucial to test predictions of the model against field experiments and more data analyses. He says their modelling code, published with their paper, was made as transparent as possible to help others test their predictions. Link to paper in Biological Conservation This article has been produced by SciDev.Net's South-East Asia & Pacific desk. References Biological Conservation DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2014.01.030 (2014)
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7th April 2014 Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

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7th April , 2014

TOP Contents - Tailored for YOU Latest News Headlines

First quarter exports 1.2 million tons of rice

By Cong Phien Translated by Hai Mien

More Ark. rice, cotton, soybeans, sorghum expected

Crop prices favoring more soybeans, less corn

Starving rice to boost yields

Vietnam In Contention For Philippines Rice Contract

Paddy rice farms curb losses from lost land

Rice Exports increase by 66.2 percent in February

800,000 tons of rice to be released this week

Sri Lanka farmers face drought, asked to reduce paddy cultivation

Rice sector needs long-term development plan, a seminar heard

Pakistan rice exports likely to surge in 2014

Rice farmers to sue MoFA over stalled rice project

Paddy cultivation slashed; rice to be imported

Uptrend in rice market may continue

Vietnam In Contention For Philippines Rice Contract

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices - APMC & Open Market-April 7

Farmers must take up new rice varieties

Iron Range rebellion halted wild rice initiative

China to employ weather control system to ensure rice

Govt beefs up efforts to fight illegal rice imports

Increase in Indian rice prices positive for rice companies

Farmers must take up new rice varieties

Bats can help protect rice farms against pests

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