10th january ,2018 daily global regional local rice e newsletter

Daily Rice E-Newsletter

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter January 10, 2018 Volume X | Issue I

News Highlights …  Pakistan exported basmati rice worth $147.310 million  Guns, germs and rice: how the winners of China’s top science prizes point to the future  Rice hulls deliver sustainability and profitability  USDA tests rice hulls for weed control in container crops  Rice Webinar: Thursday January 11  Working to deliver for America's farmers  India rice exports seen surging to record as Bangladesh boosts buying  GIEWS Country Briefs: China 09-January-2018  Go easy on the spending  OPINION: Gambia’s backbone (Agriculture), is broken and it needs an urgent operation to fix it  Government expands market operation networks for medium rice  NFA sees higher rice prices as fuel prices go up  Officials-millers nexus leads to diversion of PDS rice  Tax reform law to have ‘minimal’ effect on rice  NFA to import 250,000 MT of rice  Fugitive former PM Yingluck is in London, says Thai foreign minister  Organic Rice Research on Market to 2022: Industry Trends, Market Overview and Top Company Profiles  NFA sees higher rice prices as fuel prices go up  NFA OKs 250,000 MT rice imports  Vietnam plans to sell shares of major state rice exporter Vinafood II  Thailand expects to export 9.5 million tonnes of rice in 2018  Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- January 10, 2018  Mombasa cops arrest 10 Pakistanis over terrorism

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter News Detail…

Pakistan exported basmati rice worth $147.310 million

By DND January 10, 2018 ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Basmati rice worth $147.310 million was exported from the Country during first five months of current financial year as compared the exports of $143.294 million of the corresponding period of last year.

Exports of basmati rice from the Country grew by 2.80 percent during the period from JulyNovember, 2017-18 as it was recorded at 144,093 metric tons as against the exports of 150,631 metric tons exported in the same period of last year.

Meanwhile, rice other than basmati valuing $497.060 million exported during the period under review as compared the exports of $414.42 million of same period last year, according the data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.During the period under review, about 1,206,877 metric tons of rice other than basmati exported as against the exports of 1,125,225 metric tons of same period last year, it added.

In five months of current financial year, rice exports from the Country grew by 15.62 percent as about 1,350,916 metric tons of rice valuing $644.370 million exported as compared the exports of 1,275,856 million worth $557.336 million of same period of last year, it added.

On the other hand exports of rice from the Country on month on month basis also witnessed an increase of 12.85 percent as about 435,688 metric tons of rice valuing $188.707 million exported as compered the exports of 417,721 metric tons worth $165.742 million of same period of last year.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter It is pertinent to mention here that the overall food exports from the Country witnessed increase of 13.05 percent during the first five months of the current fiscal year against the same period of last year. The food exports from the Country during July-November (2017-18) were recorded at $1491.592 million against the exports of $1319.381 million during July-November 2016-17), the data revealed.

The total merchandize exports from the Country during July-November (2017-18) stood at $9.030 billion against the exports of $8.173 billion during the correspondent period of last year, showing growth of 10.49 percent.The imports into the Country during the period under review also increased by 21.12 percent, from $19.864 billion to $24.060 billion, according to the data.

Based on the figures, the trade deficit during the first five months of the current year was recorded at $15.030 billion against the deficit of $11.691 billion, showing growth of 28.56 percent in the overall deficit. https://dnd.com.pk/pakistan-exported-basmati-rice-worth-147-310-million/137745

Guns, germs and rice: how the winners of China’s top science prizes point to the future Awards signal the government’s research priorities for the years to come, analyst says PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 10 January, 2018, 10:14am UPDATED : Wednesday, 10 January, 2018, 2:07pm

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Stephen Chen

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

Weapons developers, disease fighters and food engineers were among the biggest winners in China’s top awards for scientists this year, giving a glimpse of the government’s research priorities.

Tsinghua University associate professor Liang Zheng, who studies China’s science policies, said the State Science and Technology Prizes were recognition of progress made but also pointed to the future.

“You can certainly feel the pulse of thinking in the head of decision makers by reading the names and titles on the awards lists,” Liang said. “They are not just awards for past achievements, but hints to what is to come.”

The central government gives out the prizes each year in four categories: the State Supreme Science and Technology Award, the State Natural Science Award, State Technological Invention Award and the National Science and Technology Progress Award.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Most of the nominees are from government or government-affiliated organisations such as universities or research institutes.

A co-recipient of this year’s 5 million yuan (US$770,000) supreme science prize was Nanjing University of Science and Technology professor Wang Zeshan – the “King of Explosives” – for his work developing some of the world’s most powerful explosives.

But Wang was just one of many researchers awarded for their contribution to China’s rapidly increasing military might.

A new machine to mass-produce high-performance carbon-fibre materials – research led by Professor Jia Zhenyuan at the Dalian University of Technology in Shandong province – won the technology invention prize.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, the materials could significantly increase the strength and performance of hi-tech weapons, and were in wide use in nuclear warheads, anti-missile defence systems, attack helicopters and jet fighters.

But this was just the tip of an iceberg.More than 40 per cent of the 100 other awards handed out at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday were for work on sensitive military applications.

The other recipient of the supreme science award was Professor Hou Yunde, an 89-year-old virologist recognised for his contribution to the battle against pandemics such as avian flu virus.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter The health sector scored more wins than any other discipline in the science and technology progress section, which stressed social or economic impact.

Intensive capital investment in medical research and the return of many Chinese scientists from pharmaceutical companies or life science research institutes abroad helped spur breakthroughs such as a series of new drugs to fight heart disease.

A study of plant genetics with potential to boost rice production and quality won the top state natural science award.The research, led by professor Li Jiayang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was described as crucial for China’s food supply.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Mindful of the need to feed more than a billion people, the central government also acknowledged a range of agricultural research – from work on automated machines for peanut planting and harvest, to new pumps to water farmland, and industrial processing of tomatoes.

Other awards were handed out in the categories of energy production, manufacturing, the internet and artificial intelligence.But less than 1 per cent of the prizes went to work on the fight against pollution. http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2127573/guns-germs-and-rice-how-winnerschinas-top-science-prizes-point

Rice hulls deliver sustainability and profitability Nursery growers that topdress containers with PBH rice hulls save time, reduce hand weeding, and use less herbicide.

January 9, 2018 Matt McClellan

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

PBH Nature’s Media Amendment is a uniquely processed rice hull product from Riceland Foods, Inc. with multiple uses in the greenhouse and nursery environment. In container nurseries, it has been used with much success to reduce weed germination. For pennies per container, growers can free up employees that used to spend lots of time hand weeding. PBH rice hulls do not absorb water, which makes them well-suited for container crops that require irrigation, even those with fertilizer piped in. They dry quickly after watering and resist decomposition. They have been proven to keep weeds like liverwort and bittercress at bay for up to 15 months, plenty of time for most container crops.

This weed control practice was developed by growers looking for a better way to manage container weeds, says Scott Johnson, commercial director with Riceland Foods Inc. “When you top dress with rice hulls, you’re creating a barrier on top,” Johnson says. “As long as the weed seed cannot reach that media, it cannot get the seed to soil contact to germinate. Plus, there is not the moisture to sustain germination of the weed seed.”

The practice offers many benefits, but the primary reason growers have taken to topdressing with PBH rice hulls is to reduce costs. This includes reduced hand weeding labor cost, potential for using less herbicide – another major expense -- and minimizing damage to herbicide-sensitive plants. Also, it can reduce drought stress and the need for watering.

Researchers have tested PBH rice hulls as a container topdress. Dr. James Altland of USDAARS in Wooster, Ohio, has conducted several experiments measuring effectiveness of rice hulls

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter in weed control. His research shows the rice hulls prevent weed germination, even when fertilizer is injected through the irrigation system.

Of course, PBH rice hulls can also be used to replace perlite as a container substrate. Many nurseries run greenhouse operations as well for propagation, and often use perlite in their growing mix.

Michael R. Evans of the Department of Horticulture at the University of Arkansas researched the use of parboiled fresh rice hulls as an alternative to perlite in horticultural substrates. In his research, Evans determined that incorporation of PBH rice hulls into Sphagnum peat-based substrates did not result in significant nitrogen tie-up, and parboiled fresh rice hulls were free of viable weed seed.

When incorporated into Sphagnum peat-based substrates, parboiled fresh rice hulls did not negatively impact the chemical properties of the substrate. In fact, parboiled fresh rice hulls provided equivalent or higher levels of drainage and air-filled pore space than perlite. Finally, Evans found that root and shoot growth was similar for plants grown in Sphagnum peat-based substrates amended with equivalent amounts of perlite or parboiled fresh rice hulls. Tom Demaline, owner of Willoway Nurseries, Avon, Ohio, uses PBH Nature’s Media Amendment as both a container topdress and a media amendment. ““PBH gives us weed control from day one,” he says.

Willoway Nurseries has been able to reduce labor costs associated with hand weeding, which were quite substantial for a grower with four million containers in production.

“We topdress containers with PBH at potting to ensure season-long weed control and significantly reduce hand weeding,” Demaline says. “With increasing labor costs and unpredictable weather patterns, we were looking for just such a tool to supplement our herbicide program. We also use PBH in our mix to maintain porosity. It works two ways for us.”

Hernie Rosado, production manager at Ridge Manor Nurseries is another believer in the system.

“Topdressing with PBH rice hulls has been a game changer for our weed control program,” he says.

Ridge Manor Nurseries is a wholesale grower located in Madison, Ohio. Rosado’s team offers a full line of shrubs, perennials, grasses and trees in various container sizes. He says the tangible benefits of using rice hulls are very real, especially for large growers.

“By topdressing with PBH at potting we save time, reduce hand weeding and use less herbicide,” Rosado says. “Those are three big benefits for a nursery with thousands of containers in production.”To maximize efficiency, containers should be topdressed with rice hulls at the time of potting. This should be the last stop in the process prior to watering. The rice hulls can be applied to the container surface by hand or with a topdressing machine suitable for this application.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter The Riceland parboiled rice hull product, PBH Nature’s Media Amendment, is highly compressed when packaged in your choice of a 30-cu.-ft. bag or a 50-lb.-bale. This lowers freight costs, generates less waste and minimizes storage and handling.

The hulls themselves are is a natural by-product of rice and considered a renewable resource with much to offer greenhouse growers, nurserymen, consumers and the environment. PBH is OMRI Listed® and WSDA registered.

USDA tests rice hulls for weed control in container crops The research shows the rice hulls prevent weed germination, even when fertilizer is injected through the irrigation system.

January 8, 2018 James Altland

Photo: Rice hulls provide excellent control of bittercress and liverwort. Containers from left to right are topdressed with 1, ½, ¼ and 0 inches of rice hulls.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter The USDA-ARS in Wooster, Ohio, has begun a new five-year research program to develop weed management options for herbicide-sensitive crops. This is a multi-pronged approach to develop a wide variety of tools for weed control in production settings where herbicides are either not labeled or cannot be used safely.

A very promising part of this project thus far has been the use of parboiled rice hulls as a mulch in containers. Riceland Foods, Inc. has been marketing their parboiled rice hulls for weed management in horticulture crops, and some nursery producers in Ohio have already successfully used rice hulls for weed control. The goal of our research was to determine, in controlled research, what quantity of rice hulls provided effective weed control of liverwort (Marchantia polymporpha) and bittercress (Cardamine exuosa).

A Few Basic Points Before I get into the details of our experiments and results, it’s important to review some basic concepts on how mulches provide weed control. Seeds of container weeds are small, and must germinate on or near the container substrate surface. When you cover the substrate surface with mulch, small weed seeds don’t have enough stored energy to grow through the mulch and establish themselves on the surface. This is primarily how mulches provide weed control, at least temporarily. The problem is that most mulches don’t provide long-term weed control because the mulch itself becomes an excellent substrate for weed germination. After the mulch is applied, new weed seeds that land on the surface of the mulch will soon germinate in the mulch itself. A truly effective mulch, especially for container production, is one that persists for a long period of time and offers an inhospitable site for weed seed germination.

Effective mulches for container crops should have a combination of the following properties: they provide little or no available nutrients, they dry quickly after irrigation, and they resist decomposition. Weed seeds require available nutrients to establish successfully. They may germinate in the absence of nutrients, but they will fail to develop much past the cotyledon stage without sufficient nutrition.

It almost goes without saying that mulches must resist decomposition. If the mulch decomposes, the barrier is lost and weeds are free to germinate. Unfortunately, abundant fertilization and irrigation are conducive to organic matter decomposition. The nature of nursery and greenhouse crop production renders many mulch products unacceptable due to decomposition after just a few weeks in production. To review, the ideal mulch will be low in nutrient composition, retain little water even after irrigation, and resist decomposition. With that in mind, let’s look at some recent experiments to see how effective rice hulls are in preventing liverwort and bittercress establishment, two of the most problematic weeds in nursery production.

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Will fertilizers affect rice hull mulch?

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter The first experiment we conducted examined bittercress and liverwort growth in containers with 0, ¼, ½, and 1 inch of rice hulls applied to the surface. We filled 48 containers with standard greenhouse growing substrate and applied each rice hull treatment (mulch depth) to 12 containers. Of the 12 containers, six were placed on a bench that received overhead irrigation with regular tap water twice daily, and six were placed on a bench that received overhead irrigation with a standard commercial water-soluble fertilizer injected (100 ppm N) twice daily.

We applied liverwort gemmae (spores) to the surface of the container weekly to encourage liverwort establishment. We applied bittercress seed to the surface twice, immediately after applying the mulch and about 4 weeks later. We observed weed control in the pots to determine if rice hulls could prevent these weeds from establishing.

Rice hulls at ½ or 1-inch depth provided 100 percent weed control (Image 2). No weeds grew in these pots. In containers with ¼ inch of rice hulls, both bittercress and liverwort grew, albeit a lot less than the un-mulched pots. This may have something to do with the way we applied the rice hulls. For the 1-inch mulch depth, we carefully weighed the containers before and after applying rice hulls to a depth of 1 inch. -e weight of rice hulls in those pots was 44 g. So, for the pots receiving ½ inch of rice hulls, we simply weighed 22 g of rice hulls for each pot, and 11 g for the ¼ in pots. -is seemed a fair, consistent, and accurate way to meter out the rice hulls. In doing this, we observed that ½ and 1-inch treatments were completely and thoroughly covered with rice hulls. However, the ¼ inch depth left some gaps in the mulch layer so that you could see the substrate surface through the mulch. Invariably, it was in these gaps that liverwort and bittercress found a footing and successfully established.

Based on our earlier discussion on the role of nutrition in weed seedling establishment, you might expect weed growth to be more vigorous on the bench with fertilizer injected into the irrigation stream. And you’d be correct, that’s exactly what happened. Weeds in the nonmulched pots (no rice hulls) that received fertilizer were a lot larger than those in the control pots with no fertilizer. However, to my surprise, rice hulls applied at ½ or 1-inch depth provided

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter perfect liverwort and bittercress control even with fertilizer injected into the irrigation stream.

Quite frankly, this surprised me a great deal. I was expecting weeds to germinate into the rice hulls as long as fertilizer was applied via the irrigation system. But they never did in the 8-week trial.

After observing this trial for several weeks, I was impressed with how quickly the rice hulls dried following irrigation. Since nitrogen was not limiting in these pots, I concluded that it must have been the water that was limiting. Perhaps the rice hulls dry too quickly for weed seed to successfully germinate and establish? We didn’t have any sensors or fancy gadgets to measure moisture levels in the rice hulls. However, we irrigated all these pots twice daily, and we could see with our own eyes how quickly the rice hulls dried after irrigation. We could also see the weed seed and liverwort gemmae (reproductive spores) sitting on the surface of the rice hulls without ever germinating or establishing.

Photo: shows oxalis seed (in red circles) on the rice hull topdressed container surface, still unable to germinate after six weeks.

Research and photos provided by Dr. James Altland, Research Horticulturist with the USDAARS in Wooster, OH. He can be reached by email at james.altland@ars.usda.gov. Mention of any commercial product in this article is for educational purposes only, and should not be considered an endorsement by USDA-ARS.

Rice Webinar: Thursday January 11 Tune in Thursday, January 11 at 7:00 p.m. Central Time, for a new rice webinar hosted by Dr. Bobby Coats, with the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness at the University of Arkansas.

Global CEO RiceTec AG Mike Gumina charts the evolution of hybrid rice development, provides an update on the global adoption of hybrid rice in production systems, and explains how hybrid breeding can improve overall competitiveness for US exports.

Go here to register for webinar.

USA Rice Daily

Working to deliver for America's farmers Amid Talk of Trade and Next Farm Bill, Trump Attends Farm Bureau Convention to Give Ag a Boost

By Frank Leach 14 NASHVILLE, TN - During the recent American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Convention here, President Zippy Duvall convened a special meeting for a select group of nationally recognized commodity and farm organizations to facilitate dialogue around the wide array of farm bill priorities and

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

to identify common ground among the diverse group. USA Rice was among the exclusive list of participants, along with executives from every major commodity organization, presidents of state farm bureau chapters, and Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), as well as staff from Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue's office.

Duvall and Senator Moran provided opening remarks for the almost three-hour long meeting and briefly discussed congressional negotiations on funding, disaster relief, and farm bill activity.

Moran acknowledged that the farm bill rarely is done on time, but predicted that the chamber would consider the bill during the first few months of the year. He also discussed the importance of NAFTA, and emphasized that while the recent tax overhaul will benefit farmers, a withdrawal from NAFTA would negate any benefits farmers would see.

Following Moran's remarks, Duvall initiated a discussion centered around priorities for the next farm bill, and potential avenues where the assembled group could work together.

"The discussion was a great opportunity for us to work toward our common goal of crafting legislation to provide some level of certainty in the livelihoods of our growers," said Ben Mosely, USA Rice vice president of government affairs. "As Congress continues their work to reauthorize the next farm bill, it is important that we continue this dialogue to develop the best

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter possible outcome for the agriculture industry and provide opportunities for prosperity in rural America."

On Monday afternoon, President Trump capped off the Farm Bureau Convention with a speech highlighting the importance of the agriculture sector. Trump touched on the Administration's negotiations on NAFTA, pledging to get a better deal for the American people. He also spoke about the upcoming farm bill, and vowed to work with Congress to ensure a timely passage of the bill.

After his remarks, the President signed a pair of Executive Orders boosting the development of broadband for rural communities and directing the Interior Department to make infrastructure available for the deployment of broadband service.

USA Rice Daily

India rice exports seen surging to record as Bangladesh boosts buying

By Reuters PUBLISHED: 08:10 GMT, 10 January 2018 | UPDATED: 08:10 GMT, 10 January 2018

By Rajendra Jadhav and Ruma Paul

MUMBAI/DHAKA, Jan 10 (Reuters) - India's rice exports likely jumped 22 percent in 2017 to a record 12.3 million tonnes as neighbouring Bangladesh ramped up purchases after flooding hit its crops, industry officials told Reuters.

The boost in shipments from the world's top exporter of the grain is set to extend into 2018 as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka continue to buy aggressively amid depleting inventories in No.2 exporter Thailand, the officials said.

"Bangladesh was actively buying throughout 2017. It offset the impact of slightly weaker demand from African countries," said M. Adishankar, executive director at Sri Lalitha, a leading rice exporter located in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Bangladesh's purchases likely lifted India's non-basmati rice exports by 38 percent in 2017 to 8.4 million tonnes and total exports to 12.3 million tonnes, the officials and exporters said. That would surpass 2014's record of 11.5 million tonnes.

They based the 2017 export figures on their estimates for December shipments plus previously issued government data for January to November. Government numbers for December are expected to be released around the start of next month.

India exports non-basmati rice mainly to African and Asian countries and premium basmati rice to the Middle East, the United States and Britain.

Traditionally the world's fourth-biggest rice producer, Bangladesh emerged as a major importer of the grain in 2017 after floods damaged crops and pushed domestic prices to record highs.

Bangladesh sourced more than 80 percent of its 2017 imports of 2.4 million tonnes from India, said Badrul Hasan, head of Bangladesh's state grains buyer.

The South Asian nation's overseas rice purchases are likely to remain robust until supply rises after its summer crop, also known as Boro, in May, Hasan said.

Boro contributes more than half Bangladesh's typical annual rice output of around 35 million tonnes.

Last year Bangladesh reduced import taxes on rice to boost private buying. It also bought rice from India in state-to-state deals to quickly raise supplies and try to rein in prices.

But rice prices stayed high in Bangladesh despite the largest imports in nearly two decades, which will encourage farmers to expand the amount of land used to cultivate the staple crop, Hasan said.

NON-BASMATI India's rice exports in 2018 depend largely on non-basmati shipments as basmati exports are likely to remain more-or-less steady at around 4 million tonnes, said Vijay Setia, president of the All India Rice Exporters' Association.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter "Non-basmati exports depend on stock positions in importing countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka," Setia said.

African nations stepped up buying from Thailand last year, but that could ease in 2018 as state stockpiles are depleted in the Southeast Asian country, potentially boosting appetite for Indian supply, said a Mumbai-based dealer with a global trading firm.

"For key markets like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, India has freight advantage over Thailand. This will help even in 2018," the Mumbai-based dealer said.(Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai and Ruma Paul in Dhaka; Editing by Joseph Radford) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-5253517/India-rice-exports-seen-surging-record-Bangladesh-boosts-buying.html

GIEWS Country Briefs: China 09-January-2018 from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Published on 09 Jan 2018 —View Original Download PDF (304.2 KB) FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT  Favourable weather conditions benefitted planting of 2018 winter wheat crop 

Above-average cereal production obtained in 2017

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Cereal imports in 2017/18 forecast close to average

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Prices of rice and wheat stable in recent months

Wheat area in 2018 estimated close to last year’s average level

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Sowing of the 2018 winter wheat crop, which accounts for about 95 percent of the total wheat production, was completed in October and harvest is expected to start in May. During sowing, weather conditions have been generally favourable in the main producing areas located in the eastern and central parts of the country, allowing timely land preparation and planting. However, some areas of the important wheat producing provinces of Anhui, Henan, Hubei and Jiangsu, located in the eastern parts of the country, experienced slightly below-average rains since the start of the season. Overall, as of late December 2017, local reports indicated that wheat crop conditions and soil moisture were generally near normal over most of the country. The total area planted to wheat in 2018 is estimated to remain close to last year’s average level, reflecting the still attractive margins earned by wheat producers despite a 2.5 percent reduction in the minimum state purchase price for the 2018 wheat crop.

Above-average cereal production in 2017 The 2017 aggregate cereal production is estimated at 564.3 million tonnes, close to the previous year’s above-average level.

Disaggregated by crops, maize output in 2017 is officially estimated at 215.9 million tonnes, showing a slight decrease for the second consecutive year, but it still remained close to the average levels. Recent decreases in maize output are mainly driven by area the contractions as farmers prefer to plant more profitable crops, in particular soybeans, in response to the Government’s decision to lower the maize procurement price. The 2017 rice output is officially estimated at 208.6 million tonnes, 1.5 million tonnes above last year’s good level and close to the 2015 record. Similarly, wheat production in 2017 is estimated at a near-record level of 129.8 million tonnes, mostly reflecting record yields supported by favourable weather conditions.

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Cereal imports in 2017/18 forecast close to five-year average

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Total cereal imports in the 2017/18 marketing year are currently forecast at 24.1 million tonnes, a third decline since the record level reached in 2014/15, but remain close to the five-year average. Imports of wheat are forecast at 3.5 million tonnes, a decline of almost 20 percent from last year’s high level, due to high stock quantities obtained from successive bumper harvests.

Imports for feed cereals are forecast to return to average, after the exceptional high levels between 2014/15 and 2015/16, due to expectations of the much larger use of domestic maize for feed and industrial processing in view of the Government’s plan to cut domestic inventories.

Rice imports are expected to remain close to the five-year average level at 5.8 million tonnes, given persistently more profitable prices in other major origins in Asia compared with local quotations.

Prices of rice and wheat stable in recent months Retail prices of Japonica rice and wheat flour, the major food crops, were generally stable in the previous months reflecting abundant market supplies from the bumper outputs in 2017. https://reliefweb.int/report/china/giews-country-briefs-china-09-january-2018

Go easy on the spending Nepalis are living the high life with remittance, but what happens when it dries up?

- Gunakar Bhatta

Jan 10, 2018-The government of Nepal granted formal recognition to remittance in 1985 with the enactment of the Foreign Employment Act. This act was superseded by a new one in 2007.

The Eighth Plan 1992-97 recognised the importance of foreign employment and started exploring additional avenues. Currently, Nepal has allowed its citizens to go to work in 110 countries. The outflow of foreign jobseekers that started after the restoration of democracy in 1990 turned into a flood in 1994 after the country was engulfed in a civil war. In 1998, the government started issuing passports from the district administration offices, which

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter significantly eased the movement of Nepali workers. Departures jumped from 4,000 in 199394 to 500,000 in 2014-15.

Remittance has been playing a key role in keeping the Nepali economy running smoothly.

Annual remittance inflow has remained at 27.7 percent of the GDP for the last five years, thanks to the more than 3 million migrant workers toiling away in varied lands and sending money home. Currently, Nepal holds foreign exchange reserves sufficient to cover imports of goods and services for 11 months. Moreover, remittance has increased national savings and reduced poverty, besides helping migrant workers to acquire new skills abroad and apply them at home. Remittance has also contributed significantly to raising government revenue. In the last five years, imports soared 115 percent, pushing up the government’s income from import duty by 164 percent. Imports, mainly financed by ever-increasing remittance, have helped to swell the state coffers.

Redistributed resources increasing import Even though Nepal has benefitted much from remittance, there are also challenges emanating from overreliance on money sent home from abroad. Particularly, the risk of Dutch disease is on the rise. Dutch disease is linked to the resource curse, the transmission channels of which are generally linked to the resource distribution effect and the spending effect.

Currently, the resource distribution effect is reflected in the lack of farm workers and increasing acreage of abandoned land in the hilly region. This situation is turning Nepal into a food importer. The country’s rice imports have been increasing annually, from Rs16 billion in 2014-15 to Rs22 billion in 2015-16 and Rs24 billion in 2016-17. Similarly, Nepal is buying soybean oil, edible oil, vegetables, baby food, milk products, fruits, spices, live animals and many other food items which could have been produced at home. Farmers in the Nepali hills are trading soybean for salt or noodles. The soybean is processed abroad and exported to Nepal. This is an example of the absurdity in our market system where we are exporting labour and raw materials and importing daily essentials.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Can we continue to spend?

The spending effect of remittance can be seen in the distressing rise in the import of private motor vehicles and oil. Likewise, the travel spending of Nepalis has also been escalating unprecedentedly. Such spending totalled Rs56 billion in 2015-16. In one year, the figure ballooned to Rs80 billion. Even local colleges are paying huge sums in the form of affiliation fees to international universities. Despite the presence of universities and world class curriculum at home, Nepal has been remitting huge fees to international universities just for the use of their name. A question that naturally arises is whether Nepal can keep spending so much money. These are just a few examples which show how remittance money has instigated the spending effect.

Recent remittance data point to a worrisome scenario ahead. Even though the Rs2 billion drop in remittance in the first four months of 2017-18 compared to the same period of the previous year is not a big sum, it is a warning signal. Will we cut back on consumption if remittance goes into a downward trend? Will imports of petroleum products and food products follow a reverse trend? Will we be able to hold back our travel and tourism exposure abroad? If not, resource distribution and the spending effect of remittance will plunge the country into Dutch disease.

Further, what will happen to bank lending even to priority sectors when the deposit base shrinks? Moreover, the hue and cry over a fall in the share index will have no meaning when our banks fall short of liquidity. Despite the benefits we have reaped from remittance over the years, the time has come to think about alternatives. Ongoing developments on the fiscal and external fronts suggest that the gap between remittance inflow and imports will be becoming wider. Nevertheless, immediate priority should be given to fixing leaks by channelling remittance through the banking system besides exploring areas in managing imports.

Bhatta is the director of the research department of Nepal Rastra Bank http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2018-01-10/go-easy-on-the-spending.html

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter OPINION: Gambia’s backbone (Agriculture), is broken and it needs an urgent operation to fix it Tuesday, January 09, 2018

For the past 70 years the economy of our country has been based on Agriculture, yet many Gambians, especially those living in rural Gambia continue to suffer in hunger and poverty.

The pepper variety called ‘’Guana’’ today is imported from Senegal, when in fact it can be produced in our country. Banana is imported from Conakry, Onion from Holland, Beans from Senegal, even Carrot is imported from Senegal. Our staple food rice, is also imported at high cost to the nation. We spent D2.3 billion importing rice in 2016. During Tobaski, we import tens of thousands of sheep and cattle from Senegal and Mauritania.

The backbone of our economy is agriculture, yet our food expenditure continues to be very high, consuming about 80% of the income of many rural families. The problem is not limited to cost of food, but also we have a problem of poor food quality, which evidently affects our health and increases our health spending. This situation persists despite the fact that about four hundred thousand Gambians are employed in the sector, which in itself is an indication of the serious policy problems in the sector.

So how did we get here? How did we break our backbone? Well to find answers to these questions we must revisit history. When agriculture is mentioned the first thing that comes to my mind and the minds of many Gambians, is groundnut. This is because the whole sector of agriculture was for the past 70 years, and is still centered around groundnuts. Our over reliance on groundnuts has made the whole sector and the economy vulnerable to external shocks and other risks.

In fact the increase in poverty in the country over the last three decades can be attributed to the decrease in the demand of groundnuts in the world market and strict measures followed by importing countries on aflatoxin levels. The previous two governments could not come up with the necessary policies to respond to the decrease in demand and aflatoxin levels, as a result of

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter this the income of hundreds of thousands of farmers and families dropped to levels that our country has never seen before. Of course this situation forced many youths who would have been employed in agriculture to leave the rural settlements for the now congested urban settlements or embark on the suicide journey across the Mediterranean sea.

The fundamental problems of ‘’akrikolcho’’ (as it is called in Kiang), which continue to derail our development can be summarized as follows;    

lack of enough equipment to engage in large scale farming, lack of processing facilities, lack of a solid diversification policy Insufficient affordable loan facilities for investment in agriculture

And most importantly, the lack of a well communicated national agriculture policy to guide farmers Agriculture of course had its heydays. This period was when little Gambia with a low literacy rate was able to process groundnuts into groundnut oil and cake. Then, SUBU DURANGO (peanut soup with meat) was a normal meal even in rural Gambia. In those days the annual income of many farmers was more than that of civil servants. Yes in those days the word hunger was not in our vocabulary. All these were only possible through robust government investment in the groundnut sector.

The Jawara government through the Gambia Cooperative Union (GCU) and later through the Gambia Produce Marketing Board (GPMB) directly managed the groundnut value chain. The government also laid the infrastructure needed for the transportation of groundnut from inland settlements to the coast. These included small inland ports along the River Gambia, and barges were supplied to transport groundnut and other goods along the river. Also groundnut selling points (Seckos) were set up across the country, where farmers sold their produce at subsidised prices. The government also provided farmers with fertilizers and seeds, and most importantly an Agriculture bank was set up to help farmers with low interest loans to buy machines and simple farm implements and inputs. So it should not come as a surprise that Agriculture experienced a boom during this period, which resulted in a noticeable improvement in living standard.

So how can we move on and solve the problems of the agriculture sector thereby providing steady incomes to hundreds of thousands of Gambians, improving our overall food security, and ultimately improving living standards of our countrymen. Solving problems of the sector should concern every single Gambian, because agriculture is the only sector that can lift hundreds of thousands of Gambians from poverty within a very short period. Also based on the level of

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter education in the country it is the sector that we can easily tap into to grow our economy and improve lives.

The first thing we need to do in solving the problem with our back bone (agriculture), is to formulate and clearly communicate to our farmers, a solid and clear agriculture policy as part of our economic development policy, which can be used to drive our economy. Such a policy, must clearly spell out crops we need to produce, the animals we need to rear, the products we will process within the country, and the resources we will use for the production and processing of the selected crops or agricultural produce.

After we formulate the policies, before we do anything, we must set up an agriculture bank or create an agriculture fund from the national budget that will be used to implement our policies.

Lack of low interest loans to fund agricultural ventures has affected the development of agriculture in our country. The current rates(15-17) at our local banks, cannot be utilized by our farmers to buy machinery and valuable farm inputs to increase their productivity. Agricultural investments require patient capital (capital invested for a medium or long term, generally 5 -10 years), that is lent at low interest. Setting up an agricultural bank or creating an agriculture fund will solve the problem of financing for agricultural ventures.

Such a bank or fund can lend to farmers at lower interest rates( 3-5%), for periods of 3-5 years.

Interest payments made by farmers can be pumped back into the bank or fund to support more farmers. The government can go a step further and create a special advisory and mentor group under the Ministry of Agriculture, whose responsibility will be to guide and monitor the progress of the beneficiaries of the loans to minimize risk and ensure that the loans serve their purpose.

Am sure by now every single Gambian including those living in the hamlets of Kiang have heard the word DIVERSIFICATION from government officials, anytime they talk about agriculture. To put it simply, diversification means not putting all our eggs in one basket. In agriculture it means not putting all our resources, energy and hope on one product or crop, in our case, groundnuts. This makes sense, because in the event of a problem with a single product that we put all our hope on, the whole country suffers. We have seen this happen with groundnuts when the demand for it decreased partly due to aflatoxin infection.

In order to protect ourselves from such risk we must grow different crops and plants, also rear sheep and cattle, so that if there is a problem with one the others can keep us on our feet until we solve the problem. Of course many crops and plants were suggested for this purpose, but i think the most important are Cashew, Banana, Rice, Onion, Potato, Sesame, Tomato, Bean, and Cotton. All these can be grown and some processed in The Gambia at a large scale if the right

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter policies are adopted. Apart from Cashew, cotton, and Sesame the demand for all the others is very high within the country and 90% of the demand is met through imports. If we can grow all these in the country at least D4 billion will stay within the country and go to our farmers and more than this amount can be gained from exports. http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/opinion-gambias-backbone-agriculture-is-broken-and-itneeds-an-urgent-operation-to-fix-it

Government expands market operation networks for medium rice Reporter: antara 23 hours ago

Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita . (ANTARA PHOTO/Akbar Nugroho Guma)

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government has expanded the market operation network for medium rice to better guarantee supply and to bring down the price of the strategic commodity

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter which has risen lately.

Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita said in expanding the market operation the state Board of Logistic (Bulog) releases the government rice stock in ares where the price had increased the highest.

"With the market operation, the price is expected to be in control in one or two days. We are ready with supply as much as needed," the minister said here on Tuesday.

Bulog said market operation is already underway since November, 2017, but the price of rice remained high as supply was not sufficient to bring down the price.

Enggartiasto said traders in certain market centers are required to sell rice at a price set by the government.

"We guarantee supply is sufficient. We send directly to the market center guarded by the Food Task Force," he said.

Bulog said expansion of market operation began in January, 2018 to cover wider areas .

The government has said the country has been self sufficient in rice supply and imports are no longer needed.

(T.SYS/C/H-ASG/A014) Editor: Heru Purwanto

https://en.antaranews.com/news/114192/government-expands-market-operation-networks-for-medium-rice

NFA sees higher rice prices as fuel prices go up January 9, 2018 6:12pm

Rice prices is expected to increase once pump prices reflect the higher excise tax rates on petroleum products under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law, the National Food Authority (NFA) said on Tuesday.

According a “GMA News TV Live” report, the NFA noted the cost of rice could be affected

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter since fuel is needed to transport the commodity.

The NFA does not expect the impact of higher excise tax to be drastic as there is no supply shortage of the commodity.

The Department of Energy (DOE) noted earlier that pump prices of petroleum products were likely to reflect higher excise tax rates under the Train law starting Jan. 15, 2018, when new fuel stocks roll into the market.

Republic Act 10963 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law took effect January 1, mandating an excise tax of P2.50 per liter on diesel starting this year, P4.50 in 2019 and P6 in 2020. Previously, diesel did not carry any excise tax.

Also, the excise tax on gasoline will increase from P4.35 per liter to P7 this year, P9 in 2019, and P10 in 2020.

Consumer groups and senators have warned consumers that higher excise tax on fuel would have a “domino effect” on goods and services. —Margaret Claire Layug/VDS, GMA News http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/economy/639081/nfa-sees-higher-rice-prices-as-fuelprices-go-up/story/

Officials-millers nexus leads to diversion of PDS rice DECCAN CHRONICLE. PublishedJan 10, 2018, 12:58 am IST UpdatedJan 10, 2018, 12:58 am IST

28 The unholy nexus between corrupt civil supplies officials and rice millers in the districts has been facilitating easy diversion of PDS rice

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

Since PDS rice is filled in distinctive gunny bags, the cheats took the precaution of putting some of the rice in other gunny bags so that it would not be noticed during transportation.

Hyderabad: The unholy nexus between corrupt civil supplies officials and rice millers in the districts has been facilitating easy diversion of PDS rice, causing losses to the government, depriving the poor of the rice they are entitled to, and enriching the cheats.

Despite finding huge variations in rice stocks in mills and PDS godowns, civil supply officials colluded with the godown in-charges and the millowners and did not alert the department.

When he got a tip-off about this nexus, Civil Supplies Commissioner Mr C.V. Anand roped in special vigilance teams from Hyderabad to raid rice mills and thus exposed the cheating that has been going on for years.

One person in charge of a godown in Nagarkurnool was suspended immediately for his role in assisting the scam.

Civil supplies officials and millers were found to be hand in glove to such an extent that the PDS rice that was diverted was sold back to the government.

The search teams found that rice stored in Jadcharla godown in Mahabubnagar district had been diverted from two mills in Nagarkurnool district. The rice is recycled and sold to government

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter again. Some 1080 bags of 50 kg each were sold in this manner. Since PDS rice is filled in distinctive gunny bags, the cheats took the precaution of putting some of the rice in other gunny bags so that it would not be noticed during transportation.

Raids conducted in Siricilla district revealed that millers were supplying inferior quality rice to the PDS. The rules stipulate that only 10 per cent of the rice can be broken rice. But the raids revealed that more than 35 per cent of it was broken rice. https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/100118/officials-millers-nexus-leads-todiversion-of-pds-rice.html

Tax reform law to have ‘minimal’ effect on rice Tuesday, January 09, 2018

By ERWIN P. NICAVERA THE National Food Authority (NFA) in Negros Occidental allayed fears among local consumers of higher prices of commercial rice with the implementation of the tax reform law.

Marianito Bejemino, provincial manager of NFA-Negros Occidental, Monday, January 8, said the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) will have a “minimal” impact on the prices of rice. Bejemino said they are looking at P1 to P2 possible increase per kilogram of commercial rice, not this quarter, most probably in July during the start of lean months.

He said that the increase is not mainly attributed to the effects of the tax reform law. “The Train law may result to additional production cost among rice farmers and millers as various machineries require fuel use,” Bejemino said, adding that “movement in market prices are also dictated by other factors, including supply and demand.” In fact, the increase in production cost can still be offset if farmers are able to increase their yield, he added.

The Train law signed by President Rodrigo Duterte last month reduces the rate of income tax being shouldered by individual tax payers, but increased excise tax on fuel products, new vehicles and sweetened beverages. In December last year, NFA-Negros Occidental already noted an average increase of about P1 per kilogram of wholesale commercial rice in the province, but the increase in wholesale price has not significantly impacted retail prices. Bejemino said that, for now, local rice consumers have nothing to worry since the recent increase in prices came in time for the harvest of second cropping to start in February. The increase is not yet due to the tax reform law. Unless there is a drop in production next month, prices of commercial rice may

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter increase, Bejemino said. “We have yet to have the computation as to how much really the effect of Train on the price of rice, but we are looking at minimal amount only,” he said, adding that regular market price monitoring of NFA is ongoing. Amid apprehensions among consumers, NFA-Negros Occidental assured the public that its P27 per kilogram rice remains available in the market. This provides consumers the option over commercial rice with prices that are higher, it added. http://www.sunstar.com.ph/bacolod/business/2018/01/09/tax-reform-law-have-minimal-effectrice-583068

NFA to import 250,000 MT of rice Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:20 AM January 10, 2018 The National Food Authority (NFA) is set to import 250,000 metric tons (MT) of rice this year to replenish the agency’s dwindling stockpile due to weather disturbances that hit the country last year.

NFA spokesperson Rebecca Olarte told reporters that the agency requested to import rice as early as November to augment its own supply.

“The NFA Council gave us a standby authority to import 250,0000 MT of rice, but this would still go through the food security committee to specify the volume and the mode of procurement,” she said.

The agency is expecting the approval of the rice importation within the month, with the shipments arriving within the second quarter of the year or during the harvest season.

As of last week, data showed that NFA’s buffer stock could meet the country’s national requirement for only three days, way below the mandated stock requirement by its council of 15 days.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter However, Olarte clarified that while the agency’s supply was currently low, the country’s total national rice inventory, including those of households and commercial stocks, could fill the Filipinos’ rice requirement for 92 days.

“We have more than enough supply so there is no need to worry. We have a very stable supply and price right now so the imports would not affect the prices of rice and palay,” she said.

Olarte added that the rice imports would remain in the agency’s storage and would not be released to the market. NFA’s buffer stock is used mainly to supply rice in areas affected by calamity or war.

NFA’s last importation was in July last year wherein it spent some P5 billion to import 250,000 MT of rice during the lean months when rice harvests were low.

This was done through a government-to-private scheme (G2P), which, according to then-Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco, was “more competitive, least corrupt and transparent.”

Under the G2P scheme, the lowest bidder would be named the country’s supplier. —KARL R. OCAMPO

https://business.inquirer.net/243840/nfa-import-250000-mt-rice

Fugitive former PM Yingluck is in London, says Thai foreign minister

BANGKOK: Thailand’s former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who fled the country to avoid being jailed over a rice subsidy scheme that lost billions of dollars, is in Britain, Thailand’s foreign minister said on Tuesday.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter His comments come after two photographs purporting to be of Yingluck were widely shared on social media.

One shows Yingluck posing with a woman wearing a red coat accompanied by a caption saying that the picture was taken outside London’s Harrods department store. The other is alleged of Yingluck at London’s Westfield shopping mall.

Thai police said they have verified the photograph of Yingluck with a woman in a red coat and have confirmed Yingluck’s identity. They have yet to confirm the identity of the woman in the photograph allegedly taken at Westfield.

Reuters has not independently verified either photo.

Yingluck was sentenced in September in absentia to five years in prison for mismanaging the rice scheme.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter She has not commented publicly since fleeing Thailand in August ahead of a verdict in a criminal negligence case against her and her location has been the source of intense speculation.

Yingluck and her brother, ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, have been at the centre of a power struggle that has dominated Thai politics for more than a decade. The crisis broadly pits the country’s traditional elite, including the military, against the Shinawatra family and its supporters.

Thailand’s Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai told reporters in Bangkok on Tuesday that Yingluck was in London and that Thai authorities were in touch with their British counterparts to try to locate her.

“We knew about this since September. Britain’s foreign minister told us Yingluck was in London, England,” Don told reporters. “We have communicated consistently but we haven’t found her.”

He declined to comment specifically on whether Thailand would seek Yingluck’s extradition.

Thailand and the United Kingdom have an extradition treaty.

The British Embassy in Bangkok did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Yingluck’s whereabouts. https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2018/01/09/fugitive-former-pm-yingluck-is-in-london-says-thai-foreign-minister/

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter business decisions. The Organic Rice industry report assesses key opportunities in the market and outlines the factors that are and will be driving the growth.

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NFA sees higher rice prices as fuel prices go up January 9, 2018 6:12pm Rice prices is expected to increase once pump prices reflect the higher excise tax rates on petroleum products under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law, the National Food Authority (NFA) said on Tuesday.

According a “GMA News TV Live” report, the NFA noted the cost of rice could be affected since fuel is needed to transport the commodity.

The NFA does not expect the impact of higher excise tax to be drastic as there is no supply shortage of the commodity.

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37

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter The Department of Energy (DOE) noted earlier that pump prices of petroleum products were likely to reflect higher excise tax rates under the Train law starting Jan. 15, 2018, when new fuel stocks roll into the market.

Republic Act 10963 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law took effect January 1, mandating an excise tax of P2.50 per liter on diesel starting this year, P4.50 in 2019 and P6 in 2020. Previously, diesel did not carry any excise tax.

Also, the excise tax on gasoline will increase from P4.35 per liter to P7 this year, P9 in 2019, and P10 in 2020.

Consumer groups and senators have warned consumers that higher excise tax on fuel would have a “domino effect” on goods and services. —Margaret Claire Layug/VDS, GMA News http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/economy/639081/nfa-sees-higher-rice-prices-as-fuelprices-go-up/story/

NFA OKs 250,000 MT rice imports Louise Maureen Simeon (The Philippine Star) - January 9, 2018 - 12:00am MANILA, Philippines — State-run National Food Authority (NFA) is set to import 250,000 metric tons (MT) of rice after the interagency NFA Council approved the standby authority for buffer stocking.

NFA spokesperson Rebecca Olarte said the council approved the request for importation as buffer stocks are slowly depleting.

“The NFA Council already gave the standby authority of 250,000 MT. But it will still be up for approval by the National Food Security Committee (NFSC),” Olarte told reporters yesterday.

NFSC is composed of the secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority as chairman and the deputy national statistician of the Philippine Statistics Authority as vice chairman.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter NFA originally proposed to import 600,000 MT of rice, but the NFA Council only approved the importation of 250,000 MT. Olarte said it would take two or three months for the imported rice to arrive.While the expected arrival of imports would coincide with the start of the country’s summer harvest, NFA assured this would not affect the local supply.“Right now we really have limited stocks, but these are prioritized for calamity victims,” she said.

The NFA Council is expected to meet until next week to further discuss the method of procurement, whether government-to-government or government-to-private.NFA last imported rice in in July 2017 under the government-to-private mode.The agency has limited supply of rice due to its failure to meet its local procurement target of about three million bags last year following higher prices offered by private traders of up to P25 per kilogram compared to NFA’s buying price of P17 per kg.

NFA was only able to purchase 587,748 bags or 19 percent of the target.Total national inventory is good for 92 days and NFA said there is more than enough supply in the commercial market.“We have a stable price and supply of rice. There is no need to worry about shortage or a possible price increase,” Olarte said.

http://beta.philstar.com/business/2018/01/09/1775873/nfa-oks-250000-mt-riceimports#fHhVOltMCBzvhvWZ.99

Vietnam plans to sell shares of major state rice exporter Vinafood II Reuters Staff HANOI, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Vietnam plans to sell shares in the country’s main rice exporter through an initial public offering (IPO) as part of efforts to speed up the privatisation of state firms.The government plans to raise at least 1.16 trillion dong ($51 million) by selling a 22.97 percent stake in Vietnam Southern Food Corp, known as Vinafood II, according to an official privatisation plan dated Dec. 29 and published on the government website on Jan. 3. The company is Vietnam’s main rice exporter.Shares of the rice exporter would be sold at an initial price of 10,100 dong ($0.44) per share, valuing the company at $222.4 million.In addition, the government said it planned to sell 25 percent of Vinafood II to strategic investors.The share sale is expected within three months, the government said, without giving precise details.Vietnam has accelerated its planned divestments of hundreds of state-owned enterprises, partly because of the

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter need to fund a budget deficit and amid growing public debt, but progress has been slow. ($1 = 22,709 dong) (Reporting by Mi Nguyen; Editing by Christian Schmollinger) https://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL4N1P43I3

Thailand expects to export 9.5 million tonnes of rice in 2018 VNA TUESDAY, JANUARY 09, 2018 - 19:28:00 PRINT

Bangkok (VNA) – The Thai Ministry of Agriculture has forecast that the country will export 9.5 million tonnes of rice in 2018, lower than 11.3 million tonnes in 2017 due to low stockpile and modest production caused by heavy rains.Many experts said that the increase of the Southeast Asian country’s currency bath will significantly influence its rice exports, especially the shipment of hom mali (Thai jasmine rice) due to low supply.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the country is likely to produce 22-23 million tonnes of rice, equivalent to that in 2017.The ministry also added that the unexpected weather conditions may affect the prediction.-VNA https://en.vietnamplus.vn/thailand-expects-to-export-95-million-tonnes-of-rice-in-2018/124604.vnp

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- January 10, 2018 Reuters Staff Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-January 10, 2018 Nagpur, Jan 10 (Reuters) – Gram prices moved down in Nagpur Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) on poor demand from local millers amid high moisture content arrival. Easy condition in Madhya Pradesh gram prices also affected sentiment in limited deals, according to sources.

FOODGRAINS & PULSES GRAM * Desi gram raw reported weak in open market on poor demand from local traders amid profit-taking selling by stockists at higher level.

TUAR * Tuar varieties ruled steady in open market here but demand was poor. * Masoor varieties showed weak tendency in open market here in absence of buyers amid increased supply from producing regions.

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* In Akola, Tuar New – 4,100-4,200, Tuar dal (clean) – 6,000-6,200, Udid Mogar (clean)

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter – 7,800-8,800, Moong Mogar (clean) 7,300-7,600, Gram – 4,300-4,400, Gram Super best – 6,400-7,000 * Other varieties of wheat, rice and other foodgrain items moved in a narrow range in scattered deals and settled at last levels in weak trading activity.

Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg FOODGRAINS

Available prices

Gram Auction

3,200-3,500

Gram Pink Auction

n.a.

Previous close

3,200-3,650

2,100-2,600

Tuar Auction

3,500-3,935

3,500-3,900

Moong Auction

n.a.

3,900-4,200

Udid Auction Masoor Auction

n.a.

4,300-4,500

n.a.

Wheat Mill quality Auction Gram Super Best Bold Gram Super Best

2,600-2,800 1,600-1,694 6,800-7,500

n.a.

1,600-1,706 6,800-7,500

n.a.

Gram Medium Best

6,000-6,300

6,000-6,300

Gram Dal Medium

n.a.

Gram Mill Quality

4,000-4,100

4,000-4,100

Desi gram Raw

4,550-4,700

4,600-4,700

Gram Kabuli

12,400-13,000

12,400-13,000

n.a

Tuar Fataka Best-New

6,200-6,500

6,200-6,500

Tuar Fataka Medium-New

5,900-6,100

5,900-6,100

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Tuar Dal Best Phod-New

5,700-5,900

Tuar Dal Medium phod-New Tuar Gavarani New

5,700-5,900

5,300-5,600

4,400-4,500

5,300-5,600

4,400-4,500

Tuar Karnataka

4,650-4,850

4,650-4,850

Masoor dal best

4,900-5,100

5,000-5,200

Masoor dal medium Masoor

4,600-4,800 n.a.

4,700-4,900

n.a.

Moong Mogar bold (New)

7,500-8,000

7,500-8,000

Moong Mogar Medium

6,500-7,000

6,500-7,000

Moong dal Chilka

5,800-6,500

5,800-6,500

Moong Mill quality

n.a.

Moong Chamki best

7,500-8,000

n.a.

7,500-8,000

Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 8,000-8,500

8,000-8,500

Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG)

5,800-7,000

Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) Batri dal (100 INR/KG) Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg)

5,000-6,200

5,000-5,500

5,000-5,500 2,500-2,600

3,300-3,400

Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG)

3,300-3,400

3,400-3,800

1,900-2,000

Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG)

5,000-6,200

2,500-2,600

Watana Dal (100 INR/KG)

Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG)

5,800-7,000

1,900-2,000

1,750-1,850

2,150-2,350

3,400-3,800

1,750-1,850 2,150-2,350

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG)

2,250-2,450

2,250-2,450

Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,200 Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG)

n.a.

Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG)

3,200-3,800

2,400-2,800

3,200-3,600

Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG)

n.a.

3,200-3,800

MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG)

2,400-2,800 3,200-3,600

2,700-2,800

2,300-2,500

Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG)

2,700-2,800

2,300-2,500

2,500-2,600

Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG)

2,500-2,600

2,350-2,450

4,100-4,500

Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG)

2,000-2,200

2,350-2,450 4,100-4,500

3,500-3,900

3,500-3,900

Rice Shriram best(100 INR/KG)

5,000-5,400

5,000-5,400

Rice Shriram med (100 INR/KG)

4,400-4,900

4,400-4,900

Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG)

9,500-13,500

9,500-13,500

Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG)

5,000-7,500

Rice Chinnor best 100 INR/KG) 5,800-6,000 Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG)

5,800-6,000

5,200-5,500

2,000-2,200 1,800-2,000

5,000-7,500

5,200-5,500 2,000-2,100

1,700-2,000

WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 28.3 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 9.4 degree Celsius

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44

Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter Rainfall : Nil FORECAST: Mainly clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 28 and 09 degreeCelsius respectively.

Note: n.a.--not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices) https://in.reuters.com/article/nagpur-foodgrain/nagpur-foodgrain-prices-open-january-10-2018idINL4N1P52TU

Mombasa cops arrest 10 Pakistanis over terrorism Jan. 09, 2018, 6:00 pm

By CALVINS ONSARIGO

Terror suspects Mohamed Ali and Abdullahi Ali at the Mombasa law courts in 2015. FILE Detectives in Mombasa have arrested 10 Pakistani nationals who are linked to international terrorism.

The foreigners were arrested following a tip-off from Pakistan intelligence.Anti-terror officers raided the residence of the foreigners within Kizingo area.

Among them is a father of a terror suspect arrested in Pakistan over terrorism links on Monday.

The man has been identified as Mohammed Tasleem 50. He owns a company that imports Rice from Pakistan.

The other nine others are; Sawai Singh(32), Sunil Kumar (24), Karen Kumar (25), Khaman Deep ( 25).

Others are Manosh Kumar( 26), Haresh Kumar(27), Saleem Imtiaz (26), Nakash Narain (28) and Bhojo Tharo (37).

Mombasa Coast commandant Johnstone Ipara said detectives are investigating if the foreigners are engaged in money laundering and drug trafficking.

"We are still interrogating the suspects we suspect they are Illegally in Kenya and carrying out commercial activities without permits," Ipara said.

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Daily Global, Regional and Local Rice E-Newsletter

County Directorate of Criminal investigation Washington Njiru said they are working with different multiagency to investigate the suspects.They will be arraigned in Court on Wednesday where police will seeking more days to detain them to complete investigations."None could give a satisfactory account of their status in Kenya. They have been detained at Central Police Station pending further action," he said.

Sources indicate that the father of the suspect might be deported to Pakistan to assist in the investigation.Police suspect the proceeds of their business could be funding terrorist activities in Pakistan.Recently US FBI raided a Madrasa in Likoni Mombasa over trafficking and terrorism allegation and rescued 95 children. https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2018/01/09/mombasa-cops-arrest-10-pakistanis-overterrorism_c1695807

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