09 january 2013 global & local rice news rice plus magazine (www ricepluss com)1

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Internaional & Local Rice News News Highlights:     

UNISAME asks Fahim to resolve TDAP-REAP dispute LCRA votes to withold water from Texas rice farmers LCRA moves to restrict water to rice farmers in Texas Rice Belt Rice Belt Production Conference is Jan. 16 Asia rice demand strong for Yuba-Sutter

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Rice Stock Estimates Studied by FAO on Lack of Reliable Data Asia Rice-Ample supply, competing exporters push prices lower Commodities Buzz: Philippines Eying 17% Growth In Rice Output Indonesia offers to buy 300,000 tons of rice from Myanmar Broken rice from Cambodia affects export

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Finance to boost loan guarantee for rice-pledging scheme by Bt70 billion

 UTCC: Rice exports set for another ugly year  India's Rice Shipments to Iran Delayed  Rice farmers root for new variety to boost production

NEWS DETAILS: UNISAME asks Fahim to resolve TDAPREAP dispute By our correspondent,Wednesday, January 09, 2013 ,From Print Edition Karachi: The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) has urged Federal Commerce Minister, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, to intervene and resolve the dispute between the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) on the issue of collection of rice inspection fees by the Quality Review Committee (QRC). It is unclear whether the QRC is to collect the fees in its account or in an open QRC and REAP joint account as both are issuing contrary notices, said a press statement.

TDAP has issued an order demanding that fees be paid by pay order/demand draft or cheque in favour of the QRC and simultaneously REAP has issued a circular to its members instructing them to issue cheques favouring REAP till such time that a joint account is opened for collection of fees. President UNISAME, Zulfikar Thaver, has advised REAP not to disobey the orders of the TDAP director general who is also the chairman of QRC. Thaver has urged the commerce minister to resolve the matter as rice exporters do not know whether to issue cheques in favour of QRC or REAP. He urged Fahim to take note of the situation, which is making rice exporters uncomfortable and reflects badly on the industry. The Union has demanded the dissolution of the QRC as it serves no practical purpose and has become an impediment for rice exports as it is not eligible for pre-shipment inspection (PSI), not a third party inspection, not equipped, not recognised nor permitted by the Pakistan Standard Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) and gives rise to a conflict of interest.

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The PSI is the prerogative of the buyer who nominates the PSI agency. PSI by QRC is ineffective as more often than not rice exporters have to undergo double PSI, one by the inspectors appointed by buyers and again by the QRC, which is time consuming and costly.

The Union has demanded that if the MOC cannot dissolve the QRC due to legal complications – as it has been set up under the trade policy – then it can be dissolved in the coming trade policy or amended to function as a committee to help the rice exporters to analyse the grains. Foreign buyers are questioning why the MOC is insisting on PSI and how they are expected to trust the Pakistani rice shippers when TDAP itself does not trust them and subjects them to PSI. The non basmati varieties such as 1121, 386 are more in demand. The 1121 is more costly than basmati rice because of its extra length and excellent cooking. The QRC is there to protect the mixing of non basmati rice with basmati rice but now the QRC is allowing export of 1121 and 386 as basmati rice.

UNISAME challenged the formation of the QRC from its very inception and has pointed out its shortcomings and defective structure, sources say.

LCRA votes to withold water from Texas rice farmers By: Sebastian Robertson A growing population, drought conditions and limited storage have created a perfect storm of sorts for water across the Lone Star State.On Tuesday, Lower Colorado River Authority board members made a tough decision when they voted unanimously to not release water from the Highland Lakes to farmers downstream.Southeast Texas rice farmers say the move will continue to devastate their way of life during dry times."I think this will be a knockdown blow,‖ rice farmer Danny Gertson said. ―I'm hoping it won't be a knockout blow."Gertson’s rice fields in Wharton County have been empty for the better part of a year. He said his farm produced almost no rice last year—the result of the record drought and the LCRA’s decision last year to not release any water.What rice Gertson was able to harvest was grown using well water or irrigation."We need an awful amount of water in the next two months for there to be any amount of water available for release downstream,‖ Becky Motal LCRA General Manager said.

Danny Gertson:With a limited supply, the LCRA is looking to make the most of the water they currently have.Back in September the agency announced it was aggressively moving forward on creating reservoirs downstream.The idea is to acquire over 4,000 acres of land to build off-channel reservoirs.Three such reservoirs in Wharton, Matagorda and Colorado counties could add another 90,000 acre-feet of water supply—that's roughly one tenth of Lake Travis' capacity."To the extent that we can capture rain, in another part of the basin downstream it is going to give us more options, and a greater portfolio of water supply," Modal said.With a price tag estimated in the region of hundreds of millions of dollars and a timeline of several years, the reservoirs may be too little, too late.

The dire need for immediate help brought Wharton County farmers and officials to Austin Tuesday."This isn't just about rice farmers and wasting money on rice, it is the entire economy down there," Wharton County Judge Philip Spenrath said.

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According to the U.S.A. Rice Federation, the Texas Rice industry translates to $200 million dollars for the state and thousands of jobs.But before the water flows to the farmers, it first flows through Austin, a booming metropolis, with a growing thirst and growing fear of running dry."We are keeping the entire Central Texas area on the precipice of a very bad place, so I would ask you to start thinking very seriously about the imbalance in the supply and demand that we have,‖ Austin resident Frank Harren said. ―It is no longer a reasonable position to use our only water supply to grow rice."The LCRA has left farmers hoping for a miracle to keep their farms above water.―Everyone is praying for rain out here,‖ Gertson said.According to Motal, the LCRA board will likely vote on the reservoir project next week.

Their plan to withhold water from farmers must now get the green light from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

LCRA moves to restrict water to rice farmers in Texas Rice Belt Ag Commissioner reacts to water authority action,Jan. 9, 2013Logan Hawkes

The LCRA Board voted unanimously Tuesday (Jan. 8) to make the formal request to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for emergency powers to limit water releases for rice irrigation. 

The measure, if approved by TCEQ, will allow the water authority to withhold releases from rice farmers if the combined storage of lakes Travis and Buchanan is less than 850,000 acre-feet on March 1, instead of the minimum 775,000 acre-feet as approved by the November resolution. Texas rice farmers along the Lower Colorado River will most likely suffer another year of irrigation water shortages now that the Lower Colorado River Authority Board of Directors have voted to ask for emergency drought powers from the state that will lead to another year of reduced water releases for downriver rice farmers.

The LCRA Board voted unanimously Tuesday (Jan. 8) to make the formal request to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for emergency powers to limit water releases for rice irrigation. In a meeting last November, the Board voted 10-4 in favor of seeking TCEQ permission to release 121,500 acre-feet of water from the Highland Lakes to rice farmers in 2013 if the combined storage of lakes Travis and Buchanan, the chief reservoirs for Central Texas, is between 775,000 and 920,000 acre-feet on Jan. 1 or March 1.

The measure, if approved by TCEQ, will allow the water authority to withhold releases from rice farmers if the combined storage of lakes Travis and Buchanan is less than 850,000 acre-feet on March 1, instead of the minimum 775,000 acre-feet as approved by the November resolution. The lakes now are at 826,000 acre-feet, or 41 percent of combined capacity, with little hope of sufficient recovery by March 1 to reach the minimum capacity set by this latest action.

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Rice farmers and officials with Ducks, Unlimited, a sportsmen’s group concerned about the safety and well being of millions of waterfowl in Coastal Texas, say the new minimum set Tuesday represents a substantial loss of water needed to ―save farms’ and to ―protect waterfowl‖.

They argue the move actually reverses the decision reached in November by increasing the minimum capacity requirement by nearly 10 percent.Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples reacted to LCRA’s Tuesday decision to raise the water release threshold for Texas rice farmers.―We cannot ration and restrict our way to a bigger and better Texas. Solutions need to be focused on water for all needs and not restrictions for something as vital as food,‖ Staples posted in a press release. ―A crisis exists in Texas as our water capacity has failed to keep up with our growth. This situation has been compounded by the worst single-year drought on record. ―We must find a balanced solution that allows farmers to continue producing food to feed us while also providing communities with the water to sustain our families. We need to embrace conservation and develop new water supplies necessary to meet our growing population and increasing water demand.‖Staples stopped short of calling the move unfair to farmers, but urged all stake holders involved in Texas water issues to preserve the state’s natural resources by working together to bring about successful conservation efforts and to create new ideas and technologies that will address the evolving Texas water crisis.

LCRA General Manager Becky Motal said following Tuesday’s meeting that she was not optimistic that weather conditions would improve lake level conditions before March 1. She said the entire watershed region would require heavy rainfall of four to five inches on ―multiple occasions‖ to reach the minimum capacity level required to release water to rice farmers by March 1. Weather forecasters are calling for another drier-thannormal winter season and the prospect for another round of drought in the spring and summer growing season.

Rice Belt Production Conference is Jan. 16 Posted: Wednesday, January 9, 2013 6:00 am Special to the Journal-Spectator | 0 comments The annual Western Rice Belt Production Conference will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 16 at the El Campo Civic Center.The conference will begin with an early bird session on guidance technology starting at 7:30 a.m.

Registration for the conference will begin at 8 a.m., with the remainder of the program to follow.

After a catered lunch, provided by area agribusiness sponsors, the program will conclude around 1:30 p.m.

Three CEUs will be offered to all pesticide applicators in attendance. CCA hours have been applied for and will be offered pending approval. This joint effort of local rice committees, The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas A&M AgriLife Research, will offer growers and others the opportunity to hear presentations

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from the top Extension and Research scientists from Texas and Louisiana as well as respected individuals from the rice industry. Topics will include the latest best management practices for insect, weed, and disease management, agronomy update, LCRA water update, outcrossing, and ag policy update.

For more information, contact the Texas AgriLife Extension office in Matagorda County at 979-245-4100 or Wharton County at 979-532-3310.

Information is also available at http://wharton.agrilife.org.

Click on Events to view a flyer for the Rice Conference. 3 CEUs (2 General and 1 IPM) for TDA Pesticide Applicators will be awarded at this event.

Asia rice demand strong for Yuba-Sutter January 09, 2013 12:00:00 AM Agriculture faces a sweet future as the middle class in China and India expands and imports more food from the United States, rice growers were told Tuesday in Yuba City."We have got a great market opportunity," said Randy Russell, who represents the California Rice Commission in Washington, DC.Russell studied public administration and economics as a university student and said farming would be his focus if he were beginning his career.

"I would double-down on agriculture," he said.Rice was the highest valued crop in Yuba-Sutter in 2011 at $228 million. In Sutter County alone, it was valued at $166.4 million.Russell said at the annual growers meeting held by the Sacramento-based rice commission that the United States is ideally positioned to feed a growing world market. India alone is projected to be home to a middle class of 1.2 billion people by 2050, Russell said.Rising values of California ag land have been linked to growing demand in China for wa nuts, almonds and pistachios grown in the state. California farm real estate was valued in 2012 at $7,200 an acre — a record high for the state and $300 more an acre above the record set in 2011.Russell, reviewing national politics, also noted that while rural America overwhelming supported Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, the country's changing demographic means Republicans will be a minority party unless the GOP has a new message and messengers.

George Soares, who represents the rice commission in the state capitol, spoke about the state's shifting politics.

The blue, Democratic politics of the California coast, are creeping into Sacramento and the San Joaquin valleys, he said.Registration trends in the state show Democrats stable at 44 percent while Republicans are at 29 percent and declining."Your party is disappearing," Soares said of the GOP. "I don't know that the Republicans know how to stop it."Tim Johnson, president and chief executive officer of the rice commission, said the group's tasks include making sure rice is relevant. The commission has been running radio spots for about a year on the Sacramento-based Armstrong & Getty program promoting the economic benefits rice growing brings to the region.The broadcast message has been effective, Johnson said. "You'd be amazed at the number of comments," he said.

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Rice Stock Estimates Studied by FAO on Lack of Reliable Data

By Rudy Ruitenberg - Jan 8, 2013 10:17 PM GMT+0500

Rice-stock estimates for several countries including China may not be accurate due to a lack of reliable data on consumption and post-harvest losses, according to the United Nations’ Food & Agriculture Organization.

The estimate for China’s stocks may be too high, Concepcion Calpe, the FAO’s senior rice analyst, said by phone from Rome today. The UN agency is studying the rice balance sheets of several countries as part of creating the Agricultural Market Information System, she said.

The FAO has forecast world rice stocks will climb to a record 169.8 million metric tons at the end of 2012-13 from 159.3 million tons a year earlier. Growing rice stockpiles avoided a food crisis last year even as wheat and corn prices jumped on drought in the U.S. and Russia, theWorld Food Programme said in September. ―It’s very difficult to get any clue about the stocks,‖ Calpe said. ―Even developed countries have problems, it’s general. FAO has very high estimates for stocks in China, and we’re worried that this might not be the case.‖ The FAO, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the International Grains Council all have different estimates for rice inventories, according to Calpe.―We have no idea what the stocks are,‖ Calpe said. ―Even the definition of stocks is difficult. We’re trying through AMIS to come up with a normalized method to improve the overall balances.‖ Shared Database The Group of 20 nations agreed last year to set up AMIS as a shared database of food stocks and crop forecasts, managed by the FAO, to increase market transparency and reduce price swings for agricultural commodities.

Calpe said fewer than 10 countries, including the U.S. and the Philippines, conduct ―serious‖ surveys to keep track of rice stockpiles, while countries in Europe as well as Japan lack accurate data.Estimates indicate China’s stockpiles have been rising for eight years as per-capita consumption of rice declines and output continues to rise, according to Calpe. The FAO’s analysts are questioning whether this is reasonable, because keeping stocks is expensive, she said.The FAO is working with China and other AMIS countries to improve the reliability of data, including rice consumed as food, the analyst said.Rice imports into China last year by private buyers were prompted by high domestic prices, which in turn may have been the result of the government’s policy to keep large rice stocks, according to Calpe. The estimate for Chinese rice inventories may turn out to be correct, she said.―For eight years they’ve been stockpiling in China,‖ Calpe said. ―China definitely can afford these things, but we need to have some evidence.‖

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Asia Rice-Ample supply, competing exporters push prices lower Wed Jan 9, 2013 2:19pm IST

* Supply rises in India, Vietnam * Major exporters cut prices to attract buyers * India becomes world's biggest exporter

By Apornrath Phoonphongphiphat BANGKOK, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Asian rice prices fell this week as supplies far exceeded demand, with top producers India, Pakistan and Vietnam competing with each other to attract business, traders said on Wednesday.

The 5 percent broken grade Vietnamese white rice was offered at $410 to $415 per tonne, down from last week's $420.

Common Indian and Pakistani grades were offered at $425 and $410 a tonne respectively, slightly lower than the $420 to $430 range of the previous week, the traders added.

"Export demand is sluggish, as rice supplies from Pakistan are available at least $10 per tonne cheaper than Indian supplies," said a Delhi-based trader.

Thai rice prices remained at a lofty $560 per tonne due to the government intervention scheme, further reducing exporters' chances of securing deals, especially as supplies from other countries were plentiful, traders said.

Vietnamese farmers are due to start harvesting next month the winter-spring rice crop in the Mekong Delta, the biggest of three crops grown in the area.

India, which maintains an unrestricted export policy, is expected to produce 99.5 million tonnes of rice in 2012/13, slightly lower than 104.3 million in the previous crop. It also has plentiful stocks of 34.4 million tonnes at government warehouses, against a target of 8.2 million.

India has taken the rank of the world's biggest rice exporter from Thailand for the first time since 1983, traders said. India's rice exports are expected to be around 8.5 million tonnes in the year to March 2013, an official of the All India Rice Exporters' Association.

The Thai government's policy of paying farmers higher-than-market prices of 15,000 baht ($490) per tonne of paddy has pushed prices to uncompetitively high levels and sharply reduced exports, leading to a huge inventories.

Traders forecast Thailand to have exported, at best, 6.8 million tonnes in 2012, below Vietnam's estimated 7.72 million.

No official export statistics are available from the Thai commerce ministry are available, as the data was removed from the ministry's website in October 2012 and officials refused to provide information.

Traders say the government was concealing the figures to stem questions about contracts it said it had signed to sell 7.3 million tonnes of rice to foreign governments, although all the supposed buyers denied having struck

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any deals. ($1=30.44 Thai baht) (Additional reporting by Ratnajyoti Dutta in NEW DELHI and HANOI newsroom; Editing by Miral Fahmy)

Commodities Buzz: Philippines Eying 17% Growth In Rice Output Capital Market / 11:42 , Jan 09, 2013 The Philippines Agriculture Department is keeping the rice production target for the current year at 21.12 million metric tons, enough to make the country self-sufficient in the staple. This is approximately 17% higher than the last year. Now that we reached [again] record-levels in rice production, it will be easier for us to reach our target volume for the year, Agriculture Rice Program director Dante Delima said in an interview Monday, according to media reports. Delima said pending the release of official figures from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, Rice production in 2012 would likely reach 18 million MT, exceeding the original forecast of 17.8 million MT. Powered by Commodity Insights

Indonesia offers to buy 300,000 tons of rice from Myanmar YANGON, Jan. 9 — Indonesia has offered to buy 300,000 tons of rice from Myanmar and more amount will follow, official media reported Wednesday.The offer was made when demand for Myanmar rice in the Southeast Asian member country is on the rise, a commerce official was quoted by the New Light of Myanmar as saying.According to the official, Myanmar’s rice export to Indonesia reached the peak between 2001-2002 and 2005-2006 but was almost none after 2005-2006 for various reasons.Myanmar could only export 2,125 tons of rice to Indonesia in the first three quarters of 2011-2012 but it sharply increased to 1.01 million tons in the same period of 2012-2013, he said.―If that rate continues, Myanmar’s rice export would hit 1.2 million tons, a record high in 40 years,‖ he assumed.Myanmar, which was once a major rice exporter, exported more than 1 million tons before 1956.

Broken rice from Cambodia affects export Farmers harvest rice in Kandal province’s Khsach Kandal district. Photograph: Heng Chivoan/Phnom Penh Post Exports of milled rice had fallen dramatically last year because of the poor quality of paddy rice, insiders said yesterday.

Milled-rice producers told the Post that a large amount of paddy rice broke.

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From every 100 kilograms of paddy rice, 20 to 23 kilograms of milled rice were produced, Hun Lak, secretary of the Alliance of Rice Producers and Exporters of Cambodia, said.

Sen Rith, the president of Siem Reap province’s rice millers’ group, confirmed that a harvest of 100 kilograms of paddy rice was processed to slightly more than 20 kilograms last year, compared with 38 to 42 kilograms of milled rice in 2011.Hun Lak, general director of the milled-rice trading company Mekong Oryza, said some of the harvested paddy rice was too weak and broke, which had led to losses during processing.Because of those poor results, the Alliance of Rice Producers and Exporters of Cambodia had provided less capital for millers to buy paddy rice, he said.

Hun Lak said the alliance had previously provided about US$3 million in capital to rice-processing members. ―We can’t buy big amounts of broken rice. We would lose a lot of profit,‖ he said.Sen Rith said there were not enough workers to harvest paddy rice when the season began late.As a result, farmers kept paddy rice in the sun and close to the water for many days, lowering the crop’s quality, he said.―If farmers keep the harvest in the fields too long, the grains become brown and break,‖ Rith said.

According to the trade and promotion department of the Council for Development of Cambodia, companies exported 205,717 tonnes of rice in 2012, a rise of 1.9 per cent compared with the 201,899 tonnes exported in 2011.Keth Seng, secretary of state for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishery and Forestry, said during a meeting earlier this month the price of Cambodian rice had dropped about 100 riel a kilogram on average.

Although rice traders cut their prices, the cost of transportation increased last year. In addition, rice-exporting countries such as India sold old stocks of rice, affecting the demand in Cambodia.

Finance to boost loan guarantee for rice-pledging scheme by Bt70 billion The Finance

Ministry is prepared to pledging scheme by Bt70 billion to of Bank for Agriculture and

raise the loan guarantee for the riceBt220 billion, according to an official Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC).

BAAC is carrying out the scheme, ministry. The Cabinet earlier Bt150 billion.

through a loan guaranteed by the approved the financial backup worth

Wanchai Siriwatanatrakul, a director in charge of government policies, said that the ministry will come up with additional guarantee for the pledging of rice in the 2012-2013 harvest season.

He noted that the guaranteed amount must be expanded as BAAC has spent Bt113 billion for the pledging of 7.54 million tonnes of rice. It is estimated that the Commerce Ministry would reap only Bt40.9 billion from the releases of stocks. "We are rushing the Commerce Ministry to quickly repatriate the sum to BAAC, so that we can use it for this harvest season. From the discussion with the Finance Ministry, it is possible that the ministry will need to expand the guaranteed amount while BAAC is waiting for the sum from the Commerce Ministry," Wanchai said.

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UTCC: Rice exports set for another ugly year 

Published: 9/01/2013 at 12:00 AM,Newspaper section: Business

Thai rice exports will likely remain under pressure this year, exacerbated by the stronger baht and higher costs as a result of increased wages.

In 2012, Thai rice failed to compete with supplies from Myanmar and Cambodia as those countries sought to ramp up exports, said Aat Pisanwanich, director of the Center for International Trade Studies at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC).

Overall Thai exports are forecast for single-digit growth this year, given the fragile economic recovery in the US, the EU and Japan.

In addition, the hike in the daily minimum wage to 300 baht nationwide will raise production costs and erode the price competitiveness of Thai products.Anticipated baht gains will also put pressure on Thai exports this year, said Mr Aat."Thai rice is expected to be hit hardest by those unfavourable factors, followed by garments and the processed and frozen shrimp industry, where they expect a labour shortage and higher labour costs," he said.

According to UTCC estimates, Thai shipments this year will reach between US$238 billion and $247 billion.

Mr Aat said Thai exports will be driven mainly by Asean and other Asian markets, which are expected to grow by 8.2% year-on-year.Export growth in the region will offset sluggish growth in the US market, whose shipments are expected to grow by 5.1%, plus a weak showing in the EU and Japan (3.6% and 3.1% respectively).Mr Aat called on the government to hasten assistance measures to ease the impact of higher wages, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises involved in garments, textiles, processed food and furniture."It's imperative that the government accelerate offering more tax incentives on raw material costs and a corporate income tax of 15% or less while providing soft loans," he said."We've already been told enterprises in several industries have been gradually shutting down due to the higher wages."He said deeper investigation is needed into whether the wage hike is the only factor in such closures.

India's Rice Shipments to Iran Delayed

By BIMAN MUKHERJI And DEBIPRASAD NAYAK NEW DELHI—India's rice exports to Iran are being held up due to payment-related and other delays, a senior Indian trade executive said Wednesday.The two countries launched a payment mechanism last June to skirt Western sanctions against Iran by essentially exchanging Iranian oil for a range of Indian goods, including rice, soymeal and pharmaceuticals. Indian oil importers deposit rupees into an Indian bank, while rice traders and other exporters withdraw funds once their shipments have been received.The problem is that official letters from an Iranian bank authorizing the release of payments for rice are "taking three to four months" from the date of delivery, said Vijay Setia, the former president of the All India Rice Exporters Association. Bureaucratic delays, including slow issuance of health certificates for the rice, are also holding up shipments, he said.

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Rice exports to Iran in the fiscal year ending March 31 will likely fall to about 700,000 metric tons from around 1.0 million tons last year, Mr. Setia said. Iran imports mainly basmati, a premium rice grade, from India.Another rice exporter said payments for most shipments haven't been delayed. The problem is with shipments to new Iranian buyers, he said.Mr. Setia said stronger demand from Iraq for Indian rice—around 300,000 to 350,000 tons compared with 250,000 tons last year—will likely partially offset reduced exports to Iran. Iraq also buys mainly basmati rice from India.India became the world's top rice exporter last year after the government lifted a three-year ban on non-basmati rice exports in September 2011.Mr. Setia said the country is likely to maintain its ranking this year, despite a reduction in output that resulted from dry conditions last year.

Rice farmers root for new variety to boost production Ms Christine Anyango Awuor winnows rice in Bunyala. Rice farmers have asked the Ministry of Agriculture to certify a new high-yielding rice variety.

Photo/FILE

By Everline kewo,Posted Tuesday, January 8 2013 at 17:56 IN SUMMARY  Bunyala Irrigation Scheme rice farmers said the new variety known as Supa rice is high-yielding, matures faster, uses less fertiliser, water and pesticides as compared to others varieties.  Supa rice which was bought by some traders from Uganda and Tanzania and planted in fields in Bunyala for the first time saw farmers triple their production Kisumu Rice farmers have asked the Ministry of Agriculture to certify a new high-yielding rice variety.Bunyala irrigation scheme rice farmers said the new variety known as Supa rice is high-yielding, matures faster, uses less fertiliser, water and pesticides as compared to others varieties.Some farmers planted the new variety and have reaped the benefits this season, said Western Kenya irrigation schemes’ public relations officer Michael Congo.

Mr Congo said Supa rice which was bought by some traders from Uganda and Tanzania and planted in fields in Bunyala for the first time saw farmers triple their production.―I tried out the new species in my one acre of rice field just to assess whether it would bring good yields and to what I least expected, I harvested 42 bags of rice,‖ said Mr Congo who is also a rice farmer in the scheme.Rice consumption in the country is estimated at 300,000 metric tonnes compared to a production capacity of 45,000-80,000 metric tonnes. It is the country’s third staple food after maize and wheat.

As compared to Basmati, IR, BW and ITA rice varieties which are susceptible to diseases and require a lot of water and fertiliser, Supa is disease-resistant and can tolerate salty water.

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―Supa rice is environmental friendly given that it requires fewer inputs unlike other varieties which must be sprayed often, the yields are also high and it also has an aroma taste, making it taste sweet,‖ said Mr Peter Wekesa, an outgrower in the region.The variety has received backing of the Bunyala rice growers and small scale farmers in the region say National Irrigation Board (NIB) and Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (Kari) should allow schemes to grow the new species they say will enhance rice production in the country and cut down on bulky import of cheap Pakistan rice.

Supa rice takes 90 days to mature unlike other varieties which take 120 days to mature.Besides, Mr Wekesa says the variety is resistant to weeds and forms ratoons —new shoots that sprout from the main plant. This leads to increased yields per acre.Mr Wekesa said if certified by NIB, most farmers are likely to abandon the local varieties and adopt the new one.National Irrigation Board senior schemes manager for western, Laban Kiplagat said the board is already carrying out research in conjunction with Kari on the rice variety.

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