13th october,2014 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter

13th October, 2014

News Headlines  India's rice output may drop to 100 mn tonnes on poor rains  Iran's hike in basmati rice import duty hurts Punjab farmers  Rice exports to Iran may resume soon  Aeon Adds Rice Paddies to Farming Ventures  Korea Seed Production project to benefit Iloilo farmers  LSU AgCenter: 2014 rice crop better  50pc rise in global rice output by 50 : DG IRRI  Support key for research scientists  Another rice auction slated this week  N. Korea's rice production to remain at same level as last year: U.N. report  Farmers stand to profit from Philippines’ decision to import rice  Zoning of rice planting areas designed to reduce production capital  NFA-Kalinga assures enough rice supply until December  Foodgrain stocks at 47.93 mt as on Oct 1  Next week's govt rice auction may be last before main harvest  Hudhud hits UP: Rainfall likely to benefit paddy crop  Hudhud's Port of Call Takes All By Storm  News in brief

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India's rice output may drop to 100 mn tonnes on poor rains New Delhi | Updated 10/13/2014 3:16:30 PM IST New Delhi: India's rice production in the current year is expected to slip below the last year's record 106.54 million tonnes due to deficient rains, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).The country's overall rice output is estimated to be 100 million tonnes in the ongoing 201415 marketing year (October-September), over six per cent lower than the last year, it said in its latest grain report."Continued deficient rains and 'normal' cyclones in eastern coast during October-November could further affect the harvest of kharif rice and planting prospects for the upcoming rabi rice," the USDA report said.

The USDA estimates 2014-15 rice production to include 87 million tonnes of kharif rice (versus 91.7 million tonnes last year) and 13 million tonnes of rabi rice (versus 14.9 million tonnes last year), it said.Rice is grown in two seasons -- kharif (summer) and rabi (winter). Currently, kharif rice is ready for harvest and the planting of rabi rice is underway in some places.According to the USDA, the Indian government's first advance estimate for the

kharif rice production is 88 million tonnes and recent floods in Assam and adjoining states, as well as drought like conditions in Uttar Pradesh, may further pressure the official kharif production estimate.While kharif rice planting improved due to good rains in late August and early September, overall productivity is likely to be lower than last year due to delayed planting and prolonged moisture stress during critical stages after transplanting, it said.

On rabi rice, the USDA said that deficient 2014 monsoon rains in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, as well as the eastern states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal are also likely to affect planting and production prospects of the rabi rice.Stating that nearly 42 per cent of the rice crop in India is unirrigated, with the rest 58 per cent under irrigation, the USDA report said: "Consequently, rice transplanting in most of the rice growing areas was delayed by 3-4 weeks as a result of the periodic and prolonged dry spells in 2014. This delay will negatively affect yield prospects in the current year from last year."

Iran's hike in basmati rice import duty hurts Punjab farmers Amaninder Sharma, TNN | Oct 14, 2014, 05.13AM IST PATIALA: Increase in import duty by Iran on basmati rice from India to 45% from 10% has hurt Punjab farmers and exporters alike as it has led to a drop in the demand for the aromatic food grain lowering its rates in the domestic market. Buoyed by last season's prices, Punjab

farmers had increased the area under basmati considerably who are now getting lower rates for their produce as compared to the previous year.Area under basmati is 8.16 lakh hectares (20.40 lakh acres) this year, up from 5.50 lakh hectares in 2013. Sources said output of basmati paddy is likely to touch 40 lakh tonnes this year.

New basmati variety, Pusa 1509, is selling in the range of Rs 2,300-2,700 per quintal.

Rice millers, traders and exporters say even the rates of Pusa 1121, arrivals of which will start in the first week of November, are not going to cross Rs 3,000 per quintal. Pusa 1121 had touched Rs 4,400 per quintal last season."Given the sentiment in the international market and much higher estimated output of basmati in Punjab, we are not expecting prices of Pusa 1509 to go up in the coming weeks.

Same will be the case with the all-time favourite strain PUSA 1121, which is unlikely to cross the Rs 3,000 per quintal mark this year", said Rajeev Dehra, a Rajpura-based basmati trader.Quizzed about weak basmati prices, Patran-based trader Naresh Goyal said, "Iran is the biggest buyer of Pusa basmati, and a major factor behind the bearish sentiment is 35% increase in the import duty it. Indian importers are not getting bulk orders from Iran due to stiff hike in the import duty. Hence, prices are down this year."

Rice exports to Iran may resume soon

PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI THE NATION October 13, 2014 1:00 am THAILAND is expected to export more rice to Iran soon after that country lifts an import ban imposed three years ago after a Thai exporter defaulted on a rice-shipment contract, the Foreign Trade Department has said.To ensure the quality of Thai rice and that it will be shipped as agreed, Iran will send a team of officials, mainly from the Ministry of Health and Medical Education and representatives from private enterprise, to inspect this country's production procedures from field to shipment next month.

Duangporn Rodphaya, director-general of the department, said it was good to see that Iran seemed ready to resume rice imports from Thailand."The Thai government has tried hard to persuade the Iranian government to import rice from Thailand as in the past. Iran is a major rice-importing country - more than a million tonnes a year," she said.In total, Iran is expected to import about 1.3 million tonnes of rice this year from global sources. After a meeting with Commerce Minister Chatchai Sarikulya early this month, the Iranian Chamber of Commerce said it had more confidence in the Thai rice sector. As a result, Iran will send a mission to survey Thai rice production from upstream to downstream in November.

Duangporn said Thailand had high capability to ship rice to Iran. Normally, Iran only orders long-grain rice, such as 100-percent white rice. It may make some special requirements for the shipment procedure,

but it will also agree to a higher price.For the coming order, the Iranian government may allow private importers to handle about 80 per cent of each shipment, while the Thai government handles the rest.Duangporn said Iran was expected to order at least 100,000200,000 tonnes for the first shipment from Thailand early next year.

According to the Commerce Ministry, Iran imported US$150-million worth of rice from Thailand in 2011. However, when the export company defaulted, Tehran lost confidence in Thailand's reliability. The value of Thailand's rice shipments to Iran declined to only $2.1 million in 2012.With more export opportunities in major markets, Duangporn said Thailand should be able to export more rice in 2015 than this year's volume of about 10 million tonnes.The Thai Rice Exporters Association said that as of September 23, rice exports had grown significantly so far this year, by 70.5 per cent to 7.71 million tonnes. Thailand will this year reclaim its former status as the world's largest rice exporter. India is the second-largest so far this year with shipment volume of 6.84 million tonnes during the same period, followed by Vietnam at 5.32 million, Pakistan at 2.49 million, and the United States at 2.04 million tonnes.

Aeon Adds Rice Paddies to Farming Ventures

By Aya Takada Oct 13, 2014 10:06 AM GMT+0500

(Corrects headline of Oct. 8 story to remove reference to scale of Aeon‘s rice-farming ambitions, adds cooperative reference in second graph.)

Aeon Co. (8267), Japan‘s largest supermarket chain that sells everything from fresh food to bicycles across 424 stores, plans to add rice fields to its farming portfolio, possibly making it the nation‘s biggest corporate grower of the grain.

Starting with 11 hectares (27 acres) of rice paddies leased from local farmers, its Aeon Agri Create Co. farming subsidiary will start producing the grain north of Tokyo next year, said Aeon spokesman Norihito Ikkai.

Chiba-based Aeon aims to lease 100 hectares -- almost 50 times the average farmer‘s plot -- by 2020. That would make it the biggest rice-producing company in the country, according to Arihiro Muroya, chief economist at Norinchukin Research Institute.

There are larger areas farmed by cooperatives. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe‘s government is creating land banks in each of the 47 prefectures by renting paddies from farmers and consolidating them into larger areas for leasing to farming corporations.

The government wants 80 percent of farmland to be cultivated by large-scale farms to make it competitive as Japan joined U.S.-led trade liberalization talks to revitalize its economy. ―We want to supply rice and vegetables to consumers at more affordable prices and in a stable way,‖ Ikkai said by phone. ―As Japanese farmers are aging and retiring, we can take over production through our farming subsidiary.‖ Convenience store chains Lawson Inc. (2651) and Seven & I Holdings Co. (3382) are also investing in cropland and training young people to work the fields as Abe cuts subsidy payments to food-rice growers and older farmers put down their plows.

‘Inefficient Farmers’ ―Abe‘s reform plan is making progress,‖ said Nobuyuki Chino, the president of Continental Rice Corp., a grain trader in Tokyo. ―As rice prices are falling this year due to oversupply, the exit of small and inefficient farmers from rice production will accelerate, increasing land leasing to farming corporations.‖ Aeon entered agricultural production in 2009 through the subsidiary, and operates 15 farms across the nation, growing vegetables and fruits on 230 hectares of land. Its entry into rice farming follows the decision last month by Sumitomo (4005) Chemical Co., Tokyobased maker of agrochemicals, to start rice production and sales in Japan.

Corporate Farming The country is the world‘s 10th largest rice producer, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Rice planting has halved from a record 3.2 million hectares in 1969 and production will be 7.9 million metric tons this year, according to Japan‘s agriculture ministry. Japan‘s ruling party is taking steps to increase corporate participation in agriculture as pressure increases from the U.S. and other farmexporting countries to cut import tariffs.

Abe‘s Liberal Democratic Party proposed law revisions to allow non-food companies to own almost 50 percent stakes in farming entities from the current 25 percent, and to streamline approvals of land sales by individuals to farming corporations. The rule changes would increase the number of agricultural ventures between farmers and companies and reduce the power of JAZenchu, the nation‘s largest farm lobby and an opponent of the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership trade plan, said Chino at Continental Rice, who has traded grains for almost four decades.

To contact the reporter on this story: Aya Takada in Tokyo at atakada2@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ramsey Al-Rikabi at ralrikabi@bloomberg.net

Korea Seed Production project to benefit Iloilo farmers BY: LILIBETH A. FRENCH Thursday 9th of October 2014 ILOILO CITY, Oct. 9 (PIA6) - - The Sinibaan Farmers Association (SFA) in Brgy. Sinibaan, Dingle, Iloilo will be the first recipient of the quality seeds produced by the Department of Agriculture 6 – Western Visayas Integrated Agricultural Reseach Center (DA 6-WESVIARC) in Hamungaya, Jaro, Iloilo City.The production of quality seeds such as PSB Rc 14 and NSIC Rc 214 in the 2.5 hectares demonstration farm of WESVIARC was funded by the Korea Project on International Agriculture (KOPIA) under its collaborative project with the Philippine Rice Research Institute entitled ―Seed Multiplication and Dissemination of Promising Rice Cultivars in the Philippines‖. KOPIA is run by the Rural Development Administration of South Korea. DA 6 Regional Technical Director for Research, Policy Planning and Support Services Joyce Wendam said some 200 bags of rice seeds are expected to be harvested and will be distributed to SFA members and other organized farmer associations or cooperatives in the province.

Each member of the Sinibaan Farmers Association numbering to about 50 will get one bag of rice seeds and they are obliged to return the one bag to the association later.SFA President Marlyn Daquilanea together with her members and the local officials of the town attended the KOPIA Seed Production Project Farmers Field Day on October 6 in WESVIARC. They were joined by some 35 member delegation from South Korea including officers of the RDA and KOPIA and farmers from the municipalities of San Miguel, Zarraga, Cabatuan, Barotac Nuevo and Passi City.Also during the event, through a deed of gift, the government of South Korea turned over a transplanting machine and two units portable soil analyzer to the SFA.

Philippines and Korea which started after the Korean War in 1950‘s.Gi said as part of the agricultural cooperation, KOPIA and PhilRice launched the seed production project intended to increase the productivity and income of farmers.He hoped that the project will bring transformation in the lives of the farmers in the rural areas of the country. He further hoped that the province of Iloilo will be able to establish a regional seeds variety service institution through the project.―The government of Korea especially KOPIA will be your strong and everlasting partner in developing and implementing joint project in agricultural technology, research and extension so we could contribute to the regional economy,‖ said Gi. (JCM/LAF/PIA-Iloilo)

Wendam urged farmer beneficiaries to take care of the project because the government of South Korea also exerted efforts in bringing these technologies to the Philippines.According to Wendam the vision of KOPIA is to share their R& D technology which is very appropriate as the ASEAN economic integration will start in 2015 and farmers need resources to develop their commodities to be globally competitive.The South Korea RDA launched KOPIA in 2009 to continue its agricultural cooperation with developing nations through technological support and the co-development of resources. It has centers in ten countries including the Philippines located at PhilRice in Nueva Ecija.

LSU AgCenter: 2014 rice crop better

In his message, Dr. Jeong Eung Gi, Senior Researcher Rice Research Division, NICS RDA cited the strong bond between the

By WILLIAM JOHNSON The Daily World

10/12/2014 12:23 PM 10/12/2014 12:23 PM OPELOUSAS, La. The 2014 Louisiana rice crop is better than expected, "but not as good as last year," said Johnny Saichuk, LSU AgCenter rice specialist.LSU AgCenter County Agent Vince Deshotel said that assessment was true for St. Landry Parish as well. "It was not a tremendous crop, but it will be better than our typical average," he said.Deshotel said this year's cool spring and a wet, muddy harvest were problems for local rice producers.

"Our harvest was kind of strung out because of all the precipitation, but it came off in a timely fashion," he said.Although the weather was a challenge, he said a bigger problem is the price farmers are getting for their crops this year."Prices are off considerably. Our farmers could certainly use a better price with input costs constantly increasing," he said of the price of everything from fertilizer and insecticides to fuel.

Rice remains an important crop in St. Landry Parish, second only to soybeans.

"We had 26,000 acres devoted to rice this year. Eunice is a major rice-producing area, but we have rice fields throughout the parish," Deshotel said.Keith Fontenot, LSU AgCenter county agent in Evangeline Parish, said the crop in his area was also good.

"We have had some producers who exceeded last year's crop," Fontenot said.

Still, he said most fields are yielding slightly less than last year's re-crop by as much as four to five barrels — 14-18 bushels.Fontenot said rutted fields make it difficult to judge how well a second crop is faring. He estimated that a third of the acreage in Evangeline Parish will have a second crop this year.Steve Linscombe, director of the LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station in Crowley, said a large amount of south Louisiana acreage will be producing a second crop this year.Linscombe said the cool spring and wet, muddy harvest were problems, but the summer nights were not excessively hot and that probably resulted in good yields and outstanding grain quality.

He said the usual decline in yields toward the late part of the harvest in south Louisiana was not as striking as usual. "The rice we were cutting in late August and early September was still yielding well. In the first week of September, we still had farmers cutting more than 60 barrels with good quality," he said.Disease was also not bad this year even with all the heavy rainfall.

The research station recorded 33.6 inches of rain between May and August, compared to 13.2 inches for the same time period last year.Andrew Granger, LSU AgCenter county agent in Vermilion Parish, said the crop there resulted in above-average yields, but not quite as good as last year. But, he said, the wet harvest conditions have reduced the second crop for many farmers.

Granger estimated a ratoon crop will be grown on 25 percent of the parish's 51,000 acres, compared to 40-50 percent in most years.Linscombe said this year also saw an increase in medium-grain rice as farmers sought to make up for the 150,000-acre reduction in California where drought resulted in water shortages.Barrett Courville, LSU AgCenter county agent in Acadia and Jefferson Davis parishes, said the average in both parishes will be just under 50 barrels — 180 bushels — with Acadia Parish having slightly better results."With the weather we had, it really turned out to be a good year," Courville said.

50pc rise in global rice output by 50 : DG IRRI

RANGPUR, Oct 13: Director General (DG) of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Dr Robert S. Zeigler has said comprehensive efforts have been progressing successfully to attain 50 per cent increase in global rice production by 2050.

Dr Zeigler said this in an exclusive interview taken by BSS reporter, at his office at IRRI headquarters in Los Banos city of the Philippines recently. Regarding the tremendous success achieved by Bangladesh in agriculture sector despite climate change, Dr Zeigler said Bangladesh has made a revolution in increasing rice production sustainably to feed its people after attaining self-sufficiency. — BSS

Support key for research scientists Each of the scientists has various research projects in their chosen fields and projects. So each scientist has different needs for support staff.

As the series on the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center scientists comes to an end, one thing became clear. Scientists depend on their support staff. Each of the scientists has various research projects in their chosen fields and projects. So each scientist has different needs for support staff. ―Technical support personnel are critical to our success! A good technician is like a black pearl, rare and precious, and their luster and value can be either increased or lost depending on how they are handled and cared for,‖ Dr. Shannon Pinson said.―A good technician is an extension of the supervising scientist,‖ she continued.

―Their eyes, ears, hands and mind become an extension of me, allowing me to ‗see‘ what‘s happening in the field, greenhouse and laboratory while I am also busy writing manuscripts to publish the results of already completed research studies. A supervising scientist designs the research plan, but it is up to the technician to carefully document even the unexpected effects they see in response to the treatments they have carefully applied according to the supervisor‘s plan.

And they have to keep an eye out for unplanned happenings, like diseases or insect pests or clogged water lines that can alter the plants and research. Sometimes we can deal with unplanned changes by using statistical tricks, or by explaining limits to the data interpretation when we publish the results, but other times it is best to just throw out data from problematic trials. ―And sometimes, it is a chance observation by a technician that opens up ideas and opportunity for new research. For example, as my technician was rating some genemapping research plots for the expected trait (plant height), he noticed that some of the plots had a particular disease while other plots did not.

By collecting data on the disease as well as plant height, we now have the opportunity to find genes for disease resistance as well as plant height!.―So, a good technician reports observations to the supervising scientist, enhancing the scientists ability to do their job; but a really, really good technician has skills and knowledge the scientist supervisor does not have. For example, they might be able to drive a tractor straighter or fix machines or be more precise at mixing chemicals or

better able to diagnose diseases and insects in the field. ‖Pinson‘s technician, Eric Grunden, has worked for USDA in Stuttgart for seven years. ―I value him immensely,‖ Pinson said. ―He is self-motivated, observant and detail oriented, precise, fast when he can be and slow and careful when he should be. We are a team, and only together does our (―my‖) research project produce useful data that contributes new knowledge, thereby advancing science.‖

Another rice auction slated this week Published: 14 Oct 2014 at 07.25 Newspaper section: Business Writer: Phusadee Arunmas

The government is scheduled to put another 200,000 tonnes of its rice stocks on auction this week, mainly white and broken rice. A source from the working panel that handles the government's rice stock sales said yesterday's meeting, chaired by the Foreign Trade Department's director-general, agreed to auction off 200,000 tonnes of rice, of which 80,000 tonnes is 5% white rice and 120,00 tonnes is broken rice.The terms of reference for the new auction will be unveiled this week and interested bidders will be allowed to submit their purchase interest on Oct 22.Duangporn Rodphaya, director-general of the department, said the new rice auction should be speeded up and held before the end of this month, as the new harvest from the main crop will hit the market by mid-November.

The Commerce Ministry sold 140,000 tonnes of rice in the first two auctions, raising 1.6 billion baht.After halting rice sales to carry out nationwide inspections, the military regime resumed sales of 167,000 tonnes on Aug 7 from stockpiles the Yingluck Shinawatra government collected under its failed rice pledging scheme.In July the junta vowed to sell an average of 500,000 tonnes a month from state stocks, disposing of the existing 18million-tonne surplus over three years through four channels: general auctions, government-to-government sales, direct sales and the Agricultural Futures Exchange of Thailand.

Manat Kitprasert, president of the Thai Rice Millers Association, said a massive main crop was anticipated, piling pressure on domestic rice prices.The Agriculture Ministry forecasts Thailand's rice supply for 2015-16 at 37 million tonnes of paddy, with 27 million from the main crop and 10 million from the second crop.This translates to white rice of 25-26 million tonnes, beating the 21 million tonnes of white rice projected by the US Agriculture Department from 32 million tonnes of paddy.

The government holds an estimated 15-16 million tonnes in stock, a large dip from the previous regime.Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, urged the government to continue auctioning off its rice stocks in limited amounts to mute any impact on prices for the coming harvest.Thailand could lose out to India and Pakistan if the government halts or delays the sale of rice from the coming harvest to prop up prices, as demand is skyrocketing in East African countries that want to buy old rice at cheap prices, he said.

N. Korea's rice production to remain at same level as last year: U.N. report

contracts, the Vietnam New Agency quoted Francis Pangilinan, advisor to President Benigno Aquino, as saying.

2014/10/12 11:21 SEOUL, Oct. 12 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's rice production this year is expected to be about the same as last year, a U.N. report said Sunday, reinforcing forecasts that grain production will not fall despite a severe drought in the country.Rice production this year is estimated at 1.9 million tons, the same level as last year, while maize and pork production are expected to increase slightly to 2.3 million and 114,000 tons, respectively, according to the October edition of Food Outlook, a biannual publication of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).In May, the FAO estimated the same production levels for North Korea, with the exception of pork, which was forecast at 113,000 tons.

With this year's rice production, each North Korean is expected to eat 67.8 kilograms of rice between this fall and next summer, according to the report.North Korea has long been a recipient of international food aid due to shortages caused by droughts, flooding and poor economic management.However, the FAO representative in North Korea recently said in an interview that the country is projected to produce 6 million tons of grain this year and attain self-sufficiency in food within three to four years.

hague@yna.co.kr

Farmers stand to profit from Philippines’ decision to import rice VietNamNet Bridge – The Philippines plans to import 1.7 million tons of rice this year and even more next year, giving Vietnamese exporters a chance to bid on big

The Philippines last year said they would begin a self-sufficiency drive to produce rice at home, but fllods and typhoons have hindered that effort. The Philippines, during the 2008 global food crisis, imported 2.34 million tons of rice, a record which has yet to be broken by another country.The rice supply decreased sharply in late 2013, forcing the government to import more rice.This year, between June and October, the rice price went up by 20 percent in the months.

As a result, the government decided to subsidize rice to stabilize price.sAbout 20 percent of the rice now available in the Philippines is subsidized by the government, while self-sufficiency remains a top priority for Manila.Prior to that, the Philippines vowed to begin the self-sufficiency policy in 2013. However, the plan has been delayed.Vietnamese agricultural experts commented that Filipino high demand and short domestic supply would give Vietnam more opportunities to sell rice to the market.However, an analyst, who declined to be named, said he was not sure if Vietnam could grab the opportunities because of the low-pricing policy pursued by Vietnamese exporters.

In August 2014, Vietnam did not win the bid to provide 500,000 tons of 25 percent broken long-grain white rice to the Philippines, even though Vinafood 1 and Vinafood 2, the two most powerful rice export corporations offered low prices.The Vietnamese companies then offered an export price of $460 per ton, the lowest level among the countries attending the bid, but they still failed to obtain the export contract.

The price was still higher than the ceiling price set by a Philippines government agency at $456.6 per ton.

Dr. Vo Tong Xuan, the most respected rice expert in Vietnam, believes that the Filipino government set low ceiling prices because it realized that Vietnamese exporters always tried to sell rice at low prices.―They know that Vietnamese exporters try to win the bids at any cost by offering a bid that is $28-32 lower per ton lower than other exporters.

Therefore, they set up a very low ceiling price,‖ he noted.―If they continue to sell rice cheaply, Vietnamese exporters may face anti-dumping lawsuits in the US, and Vietnamese farmers could incur losses,‖ Xuan said.

Apichart Sutikha, chief of the provincial Agriculture Office, revealed that the zoning was carried out to help farmers obtain higher produce and reduce their production costs.

The zones have been divided into different categories based on the soil quality and conditions for planting crops.

According to the official, a total of 1.09 million rai of land have been designated as the ‗most suitable area‘ for planting rice, whereas other portions of 10,000 rai and 34,000 rai of land have been classified as ‗moderately suitable‘ and ‗least suitable‘ to grow rice respectively. Farmers have been advised to grow crops according to the market demands. Mr. Apichart said that the zoning was carried out to boost rice productivity for farmers.

NFA-Kalinga assures enough rice supply until December BY: LARRY LOPEZ

Dat Viet

Monday 13th of October 2014

Tags:rice export, philippines,

Zoning of rice planting areas designed to reduce production capital Date : 13 ตุลาคม 2557 AYUTTHAYA, 13 October 2014 (NNT) - The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives‘ office in Ayutthaya province has designated ‗agricultural zones‘ across 16 districts for rice planting with a combined area of 2 million rai.

TABUK CITY, Kalinga, Oct. 13 (PIA) – Despite its low palay procurement, the National Food Authority (NFA) provincial station assures sufficient buffer stock in the province until the end of the year.NFAKalinga Asst. Provincial Manager Ric Baliang reported their last inventory of 20,000 bags of rice is enough to supply the rice requirement of the province until December.Over this, Baliang said NFA provincial office expects the remaining rice delivery of 30,000 bags for 2014 to arrive in January 2015.Government is forced to

import rice from Vietnam after the country‘s rice industry is affected by calamities coupled by NFA‘s low palay procurement due to high price of traders.

NFA buys dry and good palay at P17/kg while traders buy at P18.50-19/kg, here, he explained.To assure that NFA quality cheap rice reaches consumers in the grass roots, NFA-accredited rice retailers are closely monitored by teams from the provincial station for regular supply.NFA rice is sold at P27-32/kg but far flung NFA rice outlets are allowed to add reasonable rate to defray transportation cost, Baliang noted. ommercial rice is sold at P42-45/kg, here.Under NFA‘s mandate, supply and price of the Filipino‘s buffer is stabilized especially in times when the country‘s rice production is affected by natural causes.

(JDP/LL-PIA CAR,Kalinga)

Foodgrain stocks at 47.93 mt as on Oct 1 Bangalore, October 13:

FCI were estimated at 26.23 mt, while State agencies held the rest.

The high and comfortable Central Pool foodgrain stocks, ahead of the commencement of the kharif harvest season, should augur well for the Government as the country faced the weakest monsoon this year since 2009. The erratic monsoon is expected to impact the productivity and production of most of the kharif crops including rice this year.According to the first advance estimates, foodgrain production during kharif this year is expected to be lower by about 8.97 mt at around 120.27 mt. Rice output is estimated at 88.02 mt, lower by 3.67 mt as compared with last kharif‘s record production of 91.69 mt.The delayed recovery in monsoon that has enhanced soil moisture levels should boost the prospects for rabi or winter sowings.

(This article was published on October 13, 2014)

Next week's govt rice auction may be last before main harvest Petchanet Pratruangkrai

The Nation October 14, 2014 1:00 am

Foodgrain stocks in the Central Pool stood at 47.93 million tonnes as on October 1, more than twice the buffer norms and strategic reserves for the period. The stocks included 32.85 mt of wheat and 15.08 mt of rice, according to provisional estimates by the Food Corporation of India. Stocks with

The Commerce Ministry plans to hold another round of bidding for 200,000 tonnes of rice next week, which could be the last before the main harvest season starts rolling early next month.After a meeting of the rice stock-releasing committee, a ministry source said yesterday that the auction for general traders should be opened on October 22. The ministry will ask for approval from the

chairman of the Rice Policy and Management Committee and publish the terms of reference tomorrow.The source said this could be the last general bidding for this year. After that the ministry might suspend further rounds to prevent pressure on rice prices in the market during the harvest.

However, the ministry will proceed with rice releasing via other methods such as government-to-government and government-to-private sales.Of the 200,000 tonnes on offer, about 80,000 tonnes will be 5-per-cent white rice and 120,000 tonnes will be broken rice.Duangporn Rodphaya, director-general of the Foreign Trade Department, said the rice price had been falling for a couple weeks because of the rain. Shippers could not transport rice as they were afraid of high humidity.According to the Thai Rice Exporters Association, 5per-cent white rice was quoted at US$428 a tonne on October 8, compared with $433 on October 1.

Thai rice is fairly cheap compared with 5per-cent Vietnamese rice, which is traded at $445 a tonne.The ministry has succeeded in disposing of about 140,000 tonnes of government rice via two auctions worth Bt1.7 billion this year.A rice trader noted that the next auction would interest only exporters, as only 5-per-cent white rice and broken rice were available. Normally, the domestic market consumes 100-per-cent white rice.

Hudhud hits UP: Rainfall likely to benefit paddy crop

Several districts of the state woke up to a cloudy sky, which was followed by strong wind and downpour Virendra Singh Rawat | Lucknow October 13, 2014 Last Updated at 20:40 IST

The paddy crop in Uttar Pradesh is likely to benefit from the rainfall caused by the cyclone Hud hud, which hit eastern and central districts of the state on Monday with strong winds and downpour.Hud hud, which ravaged the coastal regions of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha with high velocity winds of almost 195 km an hour (kmph) on Sunday, made its way to Uttar Pradesh.

The state capital of Lucknow woke up to a cloudy sky, which was followed by strong wind and downpour. Several other districts in east and central Uttar Pradesh witnessed a similar wet climate. ―Hud hud is not estimated to have any adverse impact on agricultural crops in UP. In fact, the rainfall would benefit the late maturing variety of paddy and save the irrigation cost of farmers to some extent,‖ Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Director A K Bishnoi told Business Standard.Like most parts of India, the state had received a deficient rainfall this year due to the El Nino effect. The withdrawal of monsoon was also largely dry and humid, which had added to the irrigation overheads of farmers due to higher outlay for diesel pumpsets.According to the regional Metrological Department Director J P Gupta, the effect of Hudhud would persist till Tuesday in UP and the extent of impact in terms of rainfall and winds could be analysed only after that.

Hud hud had weakened after it reached the state with wind velocity slowing down to about 60 kmph, he said. "Its effect would also be felt in western UP districts to some extent.‖

Uttar Pradesh has clocked 13 per cent increase in paddy acreage compared to the target set for current season. Against paddy acreage target of 6.045 million hectares (mh), the state has achieved acreage of 6.85 mh.During 2013, the state paddy acreage and production had stood at 5.9 mh and 15.3 million tones, respectively.

Hudhud's Port of Call Takes All By Storm

By Express News Service Published: 13th October 2014 06:01 AM Last Updated: 13th October 2014 06:01 AM VISAKHA PATNAM: Trees uprooted, roofs blown away, electric cables snapped and power supply cut -Visakhapatnam resembled a ghost city just hours after Cyclone Hudhud struck on Sunday.

Gusty winds battered Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts, bringing down weak structures. Several people were injured as bus shelters gave way. Students who took shelter at a high school in Srikakulam suffered injuries in a roof collapse.

A section of slums in Seethammadhara here was blown away. Initial reports put the number of damaged buildings at 70.Roads were deserted as the government had appealed to the people to remain indoors. The impact of the gale was most severe in Visakhapatnam. Bank employee K Kiran Kumar, who got injured when a tree branch fell on him, could not be shifted to a hospital as debris blocked the roads.Vehicular traffic on NH 16 from Icchapuram to Kakinada was stopped on Saturday itself. The Railways too had

cancelled or re-routed many services.Crop loss in all the three districts could be extensive.

The standing crops of paddy, maize, sugarcane and cotton in thousands of acres were inundated. Power supply remained cut off at some places since Saturday night and the problem intensified on Sunday with more areas plunging into darkness. To restore supply, 40,000 electric poles would be needed. Orders have been placed for their procurement and 1,000 poles were being transported to Visakhapatnam, said Parakala Prabhakar, adviser (Communications), Andhra Pradesh Government, on Sunday.

Around 350 ground staff and 50 engineers have reached Visakhapatnam and 200 more are on their way, Prabhakar said.

The AP Government would provide diesel to restore operations of mobile towers, which are running out of fuel. About 1,50,000 people are sheltered at rehabilitation centres and enough supply of water, food and medicines has been ensured, said Prabhakar.

High resolution images from satellites, including from those of other nations, would be used to assess the extent of damage.

News in brief October 11, 2014

PETRON’S P10-B PREFERRED SHARES Petron Corp., the country‘s largest oil refinery, can now proceed with its issuance of as much as P10-billion preferred shares after securing the approval of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In an interview, SEC Director Vicente Graciano Felizmenio said the commission has already approved the application of Petron Corp. for

the said issuance during the en banc session held on Friday. Specifically, Petron intends to sell up 7 million worth of preferred shares for P1,000 apiece with an oversubscription of 3 million shares. The preferred shares are non-participating and non-convertible to common shares. The offer may likely happen soon since the company already disclosed the plan in the Philippine Stock Exchange. BDO Capital and Investments Corp., ChinaBank, RCBC Capital Corp., SB Capital and Standard Chartered Bank are the joint lead managers for the transaction.

the next one will be located in SM Manila although the agency has not yet identified any particular date for its opening. SEC Chairperson Teresita Herbosa said in an interview that the target for this year alone is to put up at least six branches all within Metro Manila. She said the agency has received invitation from the SM Group to locate some of the satellite office within its malls. (MBM)

Petron has earlier embarked US$2 billion for its Refinery Master Plan Phase 2 (RMP-2) project, which is targeted to be fully operation by early 2015. RMP-2 will allow Petron‘s Bataan refinery to run at full capacity, converting current negative margin fuel oil into higher value fuels such as gasoline, diesel, and petrochemicals. In an earlier report, Petron said it is now in its finishing stages for the project and precommissioning activities are already ongoing. (MBM)

GrainPro Inc., an American company that manufactures grain storage and drying systems in Subic Freeport, recently launched its patented Solar Bubble Dryer (SBD) that provides a solution to challenges faced by farmers throughout the world. GrainPro‘s development of the SBD was in partnership with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Germany‘s Hohenheim University. The SBD is a collapsible drying facility for such commodities as coffee, cocoa, rice, wheat, corn, millet, and beans; and can hold up to one metric ton in one drying cycle while protecting commodities from rain and ultraviolet (UV) rays. According to Dr. Pat Borlagdan, the firm‘s manager for research and development, the drying facility is made from durable materials.

SEC OPENING 6 SATELLITE OFFICES The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is finally pushing through with its plan to put up satellite offices across Metro Manila, targeting to build its first six branches within the year. The satellite office will function as an outpost where the public can file their registration statements, submit corporate updates, and pay charges, among other services that the regulatory agency does in its main building. So instead of going to the main SEC building, which is currently located in Ortigas, the public can just go to the nearest satellite office to do their corporate dealings. In November 11, the SEC will open its first satellite office which will be located in Ali Mall in Cubao,

DRYING FACILITY FOR CROPS LAUNCHED

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