15th april,2014 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

15th April , 2014

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Vietnam offers lowest rice prices

 Time ripe for de-stocking FCI  Vietnam tops rice auction  Vinafood Offers Lowest Price in Philippines Rice Tender  TNSC backs govt’s move to urgently release rice in stock  Basmati lends fragrance to rice exports  System of Rice Intensification provides full rice plate at low price  Against the grain: Major rice producers least market-friendly  Small rice crop leads to changes at Deniliquin and Coleambally mills  Nagpur Foodgrain Prices - APMC & Open Market-April 15  Association Commends Govt For Supporting Commercial Rice Production  Under the microscope: scientists use bacteria to modify crops  Research and Markets: Global SNP Genotyping and Analysis Market Forecasts & Opportunities 2013-2019  SunRice reduces mill operating hours Why FG okayed new tariff on rice —Minister Bats Could Help Protect Rice Against Pests USA Rice Daily Exclusive: Interview with Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR) CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures World’s longest-running rice research project marks 150th harvest

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News Detail…

Vietnam offers lowest rice prices TWO STATE-OWNED Vietnamese companies looked set to win deals to supply a total of 800,000 tons of rice to the Philippines, the nation’s biggest purchase of the grain in three years as it looks to bolster dwindling stocks.The Philippines is looking to import 800,000 tons of rice to address tight supplies. -- Reuters Vinafood 2 submitted offers ranging from $436.50 to $441.25 per ton to deliver a total of 700,000 tons of rice, the Philippines’ National Food Authority (NFA) said, while Vinafood 1 offered a selling price of $436 per ton to ship a total of 100,000 tons.The NFA is looking for up to 800,000 tons of 15% broken, long grain well-milled rice to fill stockpiles for the second half of the year when little rice is harvested domestically.The NFA could confirm the winning bidders as soon as next week after reviewing the bids, spokesman Rex Estoperez told Reuters. Shipments are due to arrive between May and August.The Vietnam offers beat those from other rice traders and exporters such as Louis Dreyfus Commodities Asia Pte, Thai Hua Co. Ltd. of Thailand and Singsong (HK) Ltd.lam International Ltd. was disqualified from the tender for not meeting bidding requirements, the NFA said.

Purchases by the Philippines, once the world’s biggest rice buyer, could support falling prices of the grain in exporting Asian countries with bulging stockpiles such as Vietnam and Thailand.The NFA is not ruling out buying more rice after the 800,000-ton purchase, mindful of the potential impact on domestic grain output of typhoons that usually hit rice-growing provinces in the second half of the year.Philippine rice imports this year could reach 1.4 million tons, the US Department of Agriculture has said, or even higher according to some traders, after several natural calamities last year hurt local crops and depleted stockpiles.That would be the country’s biggest purchase since 2010 when it bought a record 2.45 million tons.Domestic rice output could grow 4% annually over the next three years, a senior official said in December, falling short of the 6% rate needed to hit 100% self-sufficiency in the grain due to a ―new normal‖ of stronger typhoons.

The Philippines is hit by an average of about 20 typhoons each year. -- Reuters

Time ripe for de-stocking FCI | Updated: Apr 16 2014, 02:36 IST

SUMMARYIndia’s position as the world’s largest rice exporter, exporting about 10 million tonnes (mt) per annum, is now threatened. India’s position as the world’s largest rice exporter, exporting about 10 million tonnes (mt) per annum, is now threatened. An imminent decline in non-basmati rice exports is foreseen in 201415 due to steep fall in the prices of Thai rice and the rupee getting stronger. This is despite the world demand remaining unchanged, at 39-40 mt. The challenge for the new government is to rein the domestic rice inflation, currently at 14% on an annualised basis, and maintain the tempo of exports.

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Currently, rice export is permitted only from private stocks while the Food Corporation of India (FCI) inventory remains untouched. The humongous rice holding of the FCI needs to be reviewed. India's export competitiveness is rapidly eroding and surpluses from competing countries are growing. The time is ripe for the food and commerce ministries to formulate a proposal for the new government for de-stocking FCI.

FCI is very transparent in the disclosure of its holdings; about 20 mt of milled rice lies in its warehouses, as on April 1. Another 15 mt of paddy is available with the state government agencies (SGAs) in unmilled condition, a rough equivalent of 10 mt of milled cereal (taking paddy rice conversion ratio of 67% under Custom Milled Rice—CMR—agreement with rice millers). On April 1, the government had 30 mt of rice against a buffer requirement of 14 mt.Thus, procurement is far in excess of requirement even as proper storage space remains unavailable. The catch is, millers may have actually traded 10 mt of rice, including broken grains and bran, in the open market.

They will deliver rice to FCI when required after purchasing from market. Paddy shown with SGA/millers is ―stock on paper‖.Rice worth R24,000 crore (acquisition cost) or about $4 billion is streamed in the market, leading to unjust enrichment of millers while FCI has raised a loan of R20,000 crore from 62 banks to ease its liquidity crunch. The CAG report from May 2013, laid before Parliament, states, ―There are many agencies involved in storing food grains of the Central Pool which adversely affects accountability and transparency in the management of food grains.‖Food security is in abeyance. The production of rice in the eastern states has shot up. The BJP manifesto speaks of unbundling/reforming of FCI and revision of the existing PDS model.

That would be long-term restructuring. In the short-term, the necessity of stock depletion and retaining India’s supremacy on export

Vietnam tops rice auction

By Anna Leah G. Estrada | Apr. 16, 2014 at 12:01am

Vietnam emerged as the lowest bidder for the contract to supply 800,000 metric tons of rice to the Philippines this year, the National Food Authority said Tuesday.NFA spokesman Rex Estoperez said NFA would likely award the contract to import 800,000 metric tons of rice to Vietnam.―If we are going to base on prices, Vietnam will likely win the bidding, but then we still have to conduct a post-qualification authentication in order to determine who really qualified. After that, we will know who really won,‖ Estoperez said.

NFA conducted an open auction for the rice supply and divided the entire volume into four lots, or 200,000 metric tons per lot.Vietnam, through state-owned Vietnam Southern Food Corp., or Vinafood II, offered to

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supply the entire volume in Tuesday’s auction.Vinafood II offered to deliver the first lot at $436.50 per metric ton, lot 2 at $437.75 per metric ton, lot 3 at $439.25 per metric ton and lot 4 at $441.25 per metric ton.Vinafood Northern Food Corp., or Vinafood I, another rice trader from Vietnam, also placed bids for the two lots of the rice supply.Vinafood I offered to supply the country with 400,000 metric tons of rice and submitted bids of $436, $445, $439 and $449 per ton for each 100,000-ton lot.NFA said other rice bidders were Louis Dreyfus Commodities Asia Pte. Ltd., Thai Hua Co. Ltd., and Singsong Hongkong Ltd.Estoperez said the NFA would announce the winner of the auction early next week.

―We conducted an open bidding so we can get the best price for the rice imports,‖ Estoperez said.The NFA earlier allotted P17.182 billion for the purchase of the 800,000 metric tons of rice imports this year.Under an open bidding, the Philippines can allow foreign private entities outside the current bilateral agreement to bid for the rice imports.The rice stocks specified under the terms of the tender were long grain, white rice with 15 percent brokens and well milled.The winning bidder must deliver the rice shipments in four tranches from May to August.The government, meanwhile, expects to complete this month the negotiations for the extension of quantitative restrictions on imported rice until 2017.―We are very positive that we will acquire consensus with interested countries, which would allow us to operate under a new quantitative restriction extension,‖ Agriculture Assistant Secretary Romeo Recide, co-lead negotiator for the Philippine mission, earlier told reporters.

Vinafood Offers Lowest Price in Philippines Rice Tender April 15, 2014, 3:59 a.m. ET

By Cris Larano MANILA--Vietnam Northern Food Corp., or Vinafood I, and Southern Vietnam Food Corp., or Vinafood II, on Tuesday submitted the lowest offers for separate batches of a total 800,000 metric tons of well-milled white rice the Philippines seeks to import between May and August.The National Food Authority, the Philippines' state grains trading agency importing the rice, will pay up to $477.28 per ton.Vinafood I offered to supply the Philippines with 400,000 tons. It submitted bids of $436, $445, $439 and $449 a ton for each 100,000-ton lot.Vinafood III offered to supply 800,000 tons--200,000 tons in May at $436.50 a ton, another 200,000 tons in June at $437.75, a 200,000-ton batch in July at $439.25 and the last 200,000 tons in August at $441.25--an average price of around $438.69 a ton.Louis Dreyfus Commodities Asia Pte. Ltd. submitted a bid for 100,000 tons with a price of $469.31 a ton. It will deliver four equal deliveries of 25,000 tons each.Thai Hua Co. Ltd. offered a total 100,000 tons of Thailand rice at $474.22 a ton while Singsong (Hong Kong) Ltd. also offered 100,000 tons of Thailand rice at $475.68 a ton.

NFA spokesman Rex Estoperez said the award of contracts to the winning bidders will likely be known next week.Nine groups originally participated but LG International Singapore Ltd. backed out while Asia Golden Rice and Toepfer International didn't offer bids Tuesday.The group of Singapore-based Olam International Ltd.

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(O32.SG) and Roan Agrifactor Corp. submitted bids but was disqualified because it can't deliver the rice before July.

Write to Cris Larano at cris.larano@dowjones.com; @CrisLaranoWSJ

TNSC backs govt’s move to urgently release rice in stock Date : 15 เมษายน 2557 BANGKOK, 15 April 2014 (NNT) – The Thai National Shippers' Council (TNSC) has voiced support for the government to urgently distribute its pledged rice in order to increase the liquidity of the rice subsidy program.

Mr. Nopporn Thepsithar, Chairman of the TNSC, said he personally believed that it was a very brilliant idea that the government would hurriedly sell the rice kept in its warehouses, so that it would be able to make payments to the rice growers participating in the subsidy program, coupled with the fact that distributing stockpile of rice would reduce risks of rice being rotten or damaged by insects.

In reference to the rice case that was being investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), Noppporn said if the NACC found the government guilty of corruption in the rice program, it would destroy investors’ confidence and put Thailand in a difficult position. He added that even though the NACC ruled that there were no corruption involved in the program, it would still be challenging for Thailand to sell its rice to other countries, as rice inspection would be carried out through a sophisticated process by foreign importers before an actual trade can take place.

Basmati lends fragrance to rice exports VISHWANATH KULKARNising demand, declining rupee boost shipments to ₹28,189 cr NEW DELHI, APRIL 15: Basmati rice exports have doubled in volume and tripled in value in the last four years on strong demand from traditional markets in Iran and West Asia.For the fiscal ended March 2014, shipments of basmati scaled a new high, touching 4.02 million tonnes and exceeded $4.5 billion in terms of value compared with the previous fiscal.Apart from increased demand, higher prices aided by a decline in rupee boosted basmati shipments to ₹28,189 crore, a 48 per cent growth over last year.Though exports of non-basmati rice grew 4 per cent in value to ₹14,479 crore in 2013-14, in volume they were down some 4 per cent.Total rice shipments grew 3.5 per cent to 10.5 million tonnes.

Eyeing China

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―India continued to be the largest rice exporter for the third year in a row,‖ said R Sundaresan, Executive Director, All India Rice Exporters Association (AIREA).The rice exporter’s body is targeting a 10 per cent growth in shipments in the current year. ―We are trying hard to gain access to the Chinese market,‖ Sundaresan said. Iran was the largest buyer of Indian basmati, followed by Saudi Arabia and Iraq during the year. This growth in demand was despite higher prices.Basmati prices were higher by 50-70 per cent in 2013-14 over last year on higher paddy prices.Iran imported over 1.4 million tonnes, followed by Saudi Arabia which bought 7.1 lakh tonnes and Iraq over two lakh tonnes.

Non-traditional markets ―Rising consumption in West Asia, estimated at around 10 per cent annually, is driving the demand for Indian basmati,‖ said Anil Mittal, Chairman and Managing Director, KRBL Ltd, the country’s largest exporter.Apart from Iran, countries such as the US, Iraq, Afghanistan and African nations, such as Ghana, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast, have been buying more of Indian basmati to cater to their growing demand, Mittal said.

New variety Further, with the increase in adoption of newer variety 1590, which is considered farmer-friendly because of its high yields and disease-resistance characteristics, basmati production is poised for a big jump in production in coming years, Mittal said.

African demand Non-basmati rice continued to witness strong demand from African countries.Republic of Benin in West Africa was the largest buyer of Indian non-basmati rice, followed by Senegal, Bangladesh and South Africa.Benin imported about 1.14 million tonnes, followed by Senegal at 6.2 lakh tonnes.

(This article was published on April 15, 2014)

System of Rice Intensification provides full rice plate at low price TNN

| Apr 15, 2014, 01.56 AM ISTNAGPUR: The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method of rice cultivation, which has been in existence in the region for some years, is now all set to revolutionize rice production. And if the divisional commissionerate has its way, the yield of different varieties of rice grown using this technique will increase threefold in the next two years or so.Introduced in the region, especially Bhandara district, by the agriculture department about 6-7 years back, the SRI method was being used by only a handful of farmers. It is only this season that as many as 61,310 farmers from all the five rice growing districts of Nagpur division adopted the cultivation technique scientifically as a part of a pilot project being promoted by the divisional commissionerate in collaboration with the state agriculture department. The yield increased about 51% compared to convention cropping.

"At some places, farmers have already doubled their yield in the project villages," says former divisional commissioner B Venugopal Reddy. A tour to some of the SRI fields substantiated Reddy's claims. TOI encountered two types of farmers. Farmers who were using SRI method for the first time were really amazed by

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the results. The second lot had been using SRI method for the past few years and the higher yield in their fields had attracted many more farmers in those villages. In fact, one village each in Bhandara and Gadchiroli districts had completely switched to SRI method.Sitaram Vyanka Madavi, 52, from Jhizgaon village in Bhamragarh taluka of Gadchiroli district says he began cultivating rice using SRI in 2006. "Now, out of the 115 families in my village, 100 are already using this technique. I get an average yield of 22 quintals per acre. I take different varieties like Jaishriram, PKV HMT, 1001 and 1010. I had taken proper training for scientific cultivation.

I sale the crop in the market as well as to Mahabeej," he said.Similarly, Rambhau Isan Kadao from Indurka village in Bhandara district began SRI cultivation about five years back. He bagged the prestigious 'Krishi Bhushan' award from the state government this year for his SRI rice and organic turmeric cultivation. He seems to be getting the highest rice yield of about 35-40 quintals per acre using SRI. He is already taking rice as second crop. His whole village too has switched to SRI. Dhomeshwar Vitthal Chakole from village Basore and Dadaram Jhinge from village Panjara in Mohadi taluka, also from Bhandara district, though did not get similar results due to heavy rainfall this year, they want to try the technique once again next year.Dnyaneshwar Raghunath Chakole from village Khedi in Parseoni taluka in Nagpur district who used to get 15 quintal rice per acre through conventional techniques, got 35-40 quintal per acre of Kuber and Lal basmati scented varieties of rice this year. "Farmers from all the nearby areas visited my fields and queried about the method and the seeds.

I shared the information with them and told them to approach the agriculture department," he said.Chudaman Ishwar Dadmal from village Ghugshi in Parseoni taluka in Nagpur district is cultivating Sahyadri 4 variety using SRI method and got yield of 36 quintal in one acre this year in the pilot project. He has understood the technique so well that he explains the increase in production due to more tillers in each plant. "SRI requires less water, fertilizer and seeds. Reducing the cultivation cost is the biggest exercise for any farmer. And SRI has done this successfully.

Next year, I will increase the area to three acres," he says.Anil Thakre from Mahalgaon village and Vinod Dhanraj Wanjari from Kapil village, both in Kamptee taluka in Nagpur district, have taken Jaishriram and Basmati 555. However, Thakre got yield of 35-26 quintals while Wanjari got 25 quintals. Yet both are happy with the results.Khushal Arjuan Sawakakade from Khambal village in Chimur takuka in Chandrapur district has been growing rice using SRI method. He gets good price but expects state to ensure a minimum support price and procurement of the rice.Farm activist Sanjay Satykar has been helping farmers in Parseoni, Kamptee and Mouda talukas by giving them a special variety of Basmati rice brought from Varanasi. "This year was a trial run. Next year, I will prove how the Varanasi variety can increase yield manifold," he said.Circle agriculture officer Mohan Sawai and sub divisional agriculture officer Prakash Sonune, who went door-to-door to convince farmers to try SRI this year are now more than happy. They are sure that next year at least four times more farmers will adopt it.

Against the grain: Major rice producers least market-friendly fe Bureau | New Delhi | Updated: Apr 15 2014, 04:28 IST

SUMMARYThe states that contribute a major chunk of rice to the government’s procurement drive have the least market-friendly policies when it comes to grain trade...

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The states that contribute a major chunk of rice to the government’s procurement drive have the least marketfriendly policies when it comes to grain trade, as per a Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) report. Recommending improvement in the functioning of the market, the commission has suggested that instead of a price-centric minimum support price (MSP) policy, the focus should be on ―getting the market right and establish a single barrier free market with minimum controls‖.

Evaluating 18 states based on different parameters, the commission has accorded Gujarat, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar and Kerala the top five ranks for market friendliness in that order and clubbed them together in the ―green‖ category. However, all these states contribute small to negligible quantities to the Centre’s rice procurement drive.Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha , Haryana, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have been put in the lowest (red) band, with their ranks in descending order.Pertinently, these eight states contributed more than 28.6 million tonnes of rice to the central pool out of 34 million tonnes grain procured by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) in the 2011-12 marketing season, the commission’s review period.

The CACP’s ranking is based on the basis of taxes/levies on the MSP, bonus announced by state governments over MSP to farmers (which jacks up procurement cost) and rice procured compared to production, stock limits fixed, levy rice and the state of market reforms under the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act.CACP, which advices the government on fixing MSP of around 22 agricultural crops annually, ranked Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Jharkhand in the median ―amber‖ category as far as adoption of market-friendly policies are concerned. ―State governments need to facilitate the setting up of adequate infrastructure such as storage facilities by the private sector, milling capacities... They also need to be discouraged from embarking on a high procurement mission, as it is detrimental to the competitive functioning of the product markets and discourages private sector participation,‖ the CACP has noted.The commission had also said the government must review its policy of following an open-ended procurement and limit its purchases to, say, only 75% of last year’s purchases, especially from states that levy bonus and high taxes.s reported by FE earlier, key states that contribute a significant chunk to the central rice procurement drive have the highest tax burden on grain procurement, with Punjab

Small rice crop leads to changes at Deniliquin and Coleambally mills April 15,

2014, 2:50 p.m.

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SunRice operations at Coleambally and Deniliquin Mills will be reconfigured in response to the smaller rice crop currently being harvested across the Riverina. SunRice chief executive officer Rob Gordon said over the coming months the Coleambally Mill operation would move from three shifts, five days per week, to one 10-hour shift, four days per week; while one of the two Deniliquin Mills would be scaled back from 24 hours, seven days per week, to 24 hours, five days per week. The second Mill at Deniliquin will remain at full capacity, operating 24 hours, seven days a week.

Mr Gordon said while the smaller crop meant a reduction in the level of production required at the Coleambally and Deniliquin sites, there would be no redundancies as a result of the changes. The 12 affected Coleambally Mill team members will be offered employment in SunRice’s Leeton plants, where milling operations remain at full capacity, operating 24 hours, seven days per week. The affected Deniliquin team members will be retained in other roles on site.―SunRice remains committed to the Coleambally and Deniliquin communities and is very pleased to be able to offer all affected permanent staff ongoing employment to ensure their experience and skills are retained,‖ said Mr Gordon. ―To enable this to happen, a small number of contractors will be offered casual employment when their existing contract terms end.―Despite the smaller crop this year, we are pleased to be able to offer ongoing job security in this way,‖ he added.

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices - APMC & Open Market-April 15 Tue Apr 15, 2014 3:22pm IST Nagpur, Apr 15 (Reuters) - Gram and tuar prices in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) moved down here on lack of demand from local millers amid poor quality arrival.Fresh fall on NCDEX in gram, easy condition in Madhya Pradesh pulses and release of stock from stockists also pushed down prices in weak trading activity, according to sources. *

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FOODGRAINS & PULSES GRAM * Gram varieties reported down in open market on poor buying support from local traders amid good supply from producing regions.

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TUAR * Tuar varieties showed weak tendency in open market on lack of demand from local traders. Good supply overseas supply and downward trend in Madhya Pradesh tuar prices also affected prices. * Moong varieties reported strong once again in open market on increased festival season demand from local traders amid thin arrival from producing regions. * In Akola, Tuar - 3,900-4,100, Tuar dal - 6,100-6,300, Udid at 6,100-6,500, Udid Mogar (clean) - 7,200-7,700, Moong - 8,500-8,700, Moong Mogar (clean) 9,800-10,500, Gram - 2,600-2,800, Gram Super best bold - 3,600-4,000 for 100 kg. * Wheat, other varieties of rice and other commodities remained steady in open market in thin trading activity, according to sources.

Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close Gram Auction 2,300-2,700 2,300-2,900 Gram Pink Auction n.a.

2,100-2,600 Tuar Auction 4,100-4,240 4,210-4,300 Moong Auction n.a.

6,100-6,300 Udid Auction n.a.

4,300-4,500 Masoor Auction n.a.

2,600-2,800 Gram Super Best Bold 3,900-4,200 4,000-4,200 Gram Super Best n.a.

Gram Medium Best 3,700-3,800 3,700-3,850 Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a.

Gram Mill Quality 3,450-3,600 3,600-3,700 Desi gram Raw 2,700-2,800 2,700-2,850 Gram Filter new 3,000-3,300 3,100-3,500 Gram Kabuli 8,800-10,700 8,800-10,700 Gram Pink 7,900-8,300 7,900-8,300 Tuar Fataka Best 6,500-6,600 6,600-6,700 Tuar Fataka Medium 6,200-6,300 6,200-6,300 Tuar Dal Best Phod 5,900-6,100 6,000-6,150 Tuar Dal Medium phod 5,700-5,900 5,900-6,050 Tuar Gavarani 4,300-4,400 4,500-4,600 Tuar Karnataka 4,500-4,600 4,600-4,700 Tuar Black 7,600-7,800 7,800-8,000 Masoor dal best 6,200-6,400 6,200-6,400

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Masoor dal medium 5,900-6,150 5,900-5,150 Masoor n.a. n.a.

Moong Mogar bold 10,800-11,000 10,500-11,000 Moong Mogar Medium best 10,100-10,500 10,100-10,400 Moong dal super best 9,500-9,800 9,500-9,700 Moong dal Chilka 9,000-9,250 8,900-9,200 Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.

Moong Chamki best 8,500-9,500 8,400-9,500 Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 7,500-8,000 7,500-8,000 Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,000-6,800 6,000-6,800 Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 5,200-5,400 5,200-5,400 Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 4,500-6,000 4,500-6,000 Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 3,050-3,100 3,050-3,100 Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,350-3,450 3,350-3,450 Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,500 3,400-3,500 Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 4,800-5,100 4,800-5,100 Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,800 1,600-1,800 Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,750 1,700-1,750 Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,800 1,600-1,800 Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,400 2,000-2,400 Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,850-1,950 1,850-1,950 Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.

MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,700 3,000-3,700 MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,900 2,400-2,900 Wheat 147 (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,700 1,600-1,700 Wheat Best (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,750 1,700-1,750 Rice BPT new(100 INR/KG) 2,650-2,800 2,650-2,800 Rice BPT old (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,600 3,200-3,600 Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,850 1,700-1,850 Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG) 2,700-2,800 2,700-2,800 Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,500 2,300-2,500 Rice HMT new (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,200 3,800-4,200 Rice HMT old (100 INR/KG) 4,400-4,600 4,400-4,600 Rice HMT Shriram (100 INR/KG) 5,000-5,500 5,000-5,500 Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 12,000-13,500 12,000-13,500 Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,500-9,000 6,500-9,000 Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG) 5,500-6,000 5,500-6,000 Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 5,100-5,600 5,100-5,600 Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 1,400-1,600 1,400-1,600 Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,800 1,700-1,800 WEATHER (NAGPUR)

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Maximum temp. 39.1 degree Celsius (102.4 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.

23.4 degree Celsius (74.7 degree Fahrenheit) Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.

Rainfall : 7.6 mm FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky. Rains or thunder-showers likely toward evening or night. Maximum and Minimum temperature likely to be around 40 and 22 degree Celsius respectively.

Note: n.a.--not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices.)

Association Commends Govt For Supporting Commercial Rice Production Birnin Kebbi - The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Kebbi State has commended the state government for supporting commercial rice production through provision of soft loans.The Chairman of the association, Alhaji Amadi Yauri, told newsmen in Birnin Kebbi that the measure had improved food production and the economic status of farmers in the area.Yauri advised members who had yet to purchase loan forms to do so.He stressed the need for members to pay their registration fees to designated banks in line with the guidelines, to avoid being duped.

He said out of every 10 members that would benefit from the loan package, three must be females as indicated in the loan agreement.He called on other farmers to register with the association in order to benefit from the proposed N2 billion, 300 tractors, 2,000 work bulls and trailers to be provided by the state government.He said that farm implements would be distributed equitably, and urged members to ensure prudent usage to boost food production.

Under the microscope: scientists use bacteria to modify crops

By MALLORY LOCKLEAR | April 15, 2014

Every other week Mallory Locklear, a graduate student at Stony Brook University’s Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, will take a look at Stony Brook-related research and science news.Golden rice is a genetically modified crop. The difference between it and its standard rice counterpart is that small changes have been introduced that allow it to produce beta-carotene, the precursor to Vitamin A.Golden rice was developed in order to fight Vitamin A deficiency, a severe problem across the developing world. It has been estimated that in developing countries, as many as 40 percent of children under the age of five are affected by Vitamin A deficiency, which can lead to blindness, immune system problems and death.Vitamin A deficiency occurs in regions that lack available crops naturally containing beta-carotene, like carrots and sweet potatoes, and have high poverty levels that prevent the purchase of such crops.

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One serving of golden rice, a comparatively inexpensive food, can provide up to 60 percent of a child’s recommended intake of Vitamin A.However, due to campaigns against the use of genetically modified crops, including those led by the environmental organization Greenpeace, many people and countries have grown resistant to the idea of spreading, growing and consuming genetically modified crops like golden rice.But what is the science behind genetically modified plants?.On this topic, Vitaly Citovsky, a professor in Stony Brook’s department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, says, ―If people understood it, how it works, they would not be afraid.‖Thus, Citovsky’s research team studies the process by which many genetically modified crops work, from golden rice to insect-resistant plants.Nearly all of these crops are produced the same way–with a type of bacterium called Agrobacterium.Agrobacterium is naturally occurring and very common.

As Citovsky explained, if you put your hand in a garden, it will be covered with Agrobacterium.Agrobacterium has not been found to be harmful to animals and is generally harmless to plants. However, when Agrobacterium needs a food source, it has an interesting way of getting it.The bacteria attach to a tree and put a little bit of their own DNA into the tree’s cells. This bit of DNA tells the cells to do two things. The first is that it tells the cells to replicate, creating an abundance of cells, or a tumor.

The second is that it tells the tumor of cells to produce a variety of chemicals that the plant itself treats as waste but provides the bacteria with essential nutrients like nitrogen.Though it can sometimes be harmful to the tree, the relationship can often coexist without damaging effects.According to Citovsky, the trickiest part of this process is getting the DNA from the bacteria and into the tree’s cells.

Unlike our cells, plant cells have a rather strong cell wall that makes moving in and out of the cell difficult. Agrobacterium has developed ways around this, making the bacteria very useful tools for plant biologists.Because Agrobacterium has already found a way to get into plant cells, scientists can take the DNA it inserts into trees and change the DNA’s message to suit their own purposes. So, while Agrobacterium is telling the tree to make it food, scientists can use the DNA to tell the plant to make any number of things.

Scientists do this by taking the beginnings and ends of the Agrobacterium DNA, while cutting out everything else in between and replacing it with something new, changing the message the DNA is sending to the plant it gets put into. It is like the scientists kept the capital letter and period that marks the beginning and end of this sentence, but they changed all of the words in between.Now, rather than having a piece of DNA that tells the plant to make food for the bacteria, the DNA can tell the plant to make other things, such as beta-carotene in the example of golden rice.This method can and has been used in the development of a number of genetically modified crops.Citovsky wants to better understand how Agrobacterium works, how it tells the cell to do what it does, and in what other ways the bacteria can be used.A better understanding of this bacteria could change

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attitudes on genetically modified crops and may lead to more advanced genetic tools for researchers to work with in the future.

Agrobacterium injects its DNA into other plant species, a process scientists use to add other nutrients to food. (PHOTO CREDIT : MCTCAMPUS)

Research and Markets: Global SNP Genotyping and Analysis Market Forecasts & Opportunities 2013-2019 April 14, 2014

DUBLIN — Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global SNP Genotyping and Analysis Market Forecasts & Opportunities 2013-2019" report to their offering.

The global market is expected to reach USD 9,485.2 million by 2019, up from USD 2,385.2 million in 2012, growing at a CAGR of 21.8% The study elucidates the market dynamics, which are the drivers, restraints and opportunities that a market player will come across in this area. It gives a brief introduction to each topic as it covers the commercial aspects of the market and its technologies along with current trends. The report analyzes four major applications of SNP genotyping in Life Sciences and Healthcare industry which are Pharmaceutical/Pharmacogenomics, Diagnostics, Agricultural Biotechnology and Breeding and Animal Livestock.The market products are internally affected by power of substitution since there are around 8 to 10 different efficient techniques to carry out SNP genotyping such as TaqMan, SNPlex, Microarray, MALDI-TOF etc.

With the completion of the Human Genome Project, over 2 million SNP's have been added to global databases which in turn have initiated a series of research and development projects to understand potential of developing diagnostic tests through rapid genotyping techniques. A considerable amount of revenue is spent on research to developing diagnostic products similar to companion diagnostics which would enable to give us a preview of how a genome would unfold as an individual grows older.There is a high intensity of research in food crops such as rice, wheat, oats, corn, maize and other grasses. SNP genotyping in agriculture gained acceptance long before other applications.

The GeneChip Rice 44K array offered by Affymetrix is one of the most popular platforms for rice genotyping which identifies variants that impact yield. Fluidigm's SNPtype assays have been utilized by International Rice Research Institute which holds the world's largest ex-situ collection of rice germplasm and plays a very large role in maintaining this repository.

Scope of the Report

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Technology      

SNP GeneChips and Microarrays Taqman Allelic Discrimination SNP by Pyrosequencing AB SNPlex MassARRAY MALDI-TOF Others

Application    

Pharmaceuticals and Pharmacogenomics Diagnostic Research Agricultural Biotechnology Breeding and Animal Livestock

Key Topics Covered: 1.

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Introduction Executive Summary Market Overview: Global SNP Genotyping & Analysis Market Global SNP Genotyping & Analysis Market, by Technologies, 2011 - 2019 (USD Million) Global SNP Genotyping and Analysis Market, by Applications, 2011 - 2019 (USD Million) Global SNP Genotyping and Analysis Market, by Geography, 2011 - 2019 (USD Million) Competitive Landscape Company Profiles Affymetrix, Inc Douglas Scientific LLC Fluidigm Illumina, Inc Life Technologies Corporation PREMIER Biosoft Sequenom, Inc ThermoFisher Scientific

SunRice reduces mill operating hours ABC Rural ,By Laurissa Smith

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PHOTO: SunRice says a smaller crop being harvested in the Riverina has led to a reduction in the level of production needed at its Coleambally and Deniliquin mills. (Laurissa Smith) MAP: Coleambally 2707

This season's smaller rice crop has forced rice food company SunRice to reduce operating hours at two of its mills in south-west NSW.Growers in the Riverina are expected to harvest just under 800,000 tonnes of rice this year.As a result, SunRice's Coleambally mill will move from three shifts, five days per week, to one 10-hour shift four days a week.The 24-hour shift at one of its Deniliquin mills will be scaled back from seven to five days a week.The company's CEO Rob Gordon says there will be no redundancies because of the changes. Affected staff at the Coleambally mill will be offered employment at Sunrice's Leeton plant.

Topics: rice, coleambally-2707

Why FG okayed new tariff on rice —Minister The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina has said that the proposed tariff regime on rice was to protect local investors, including farmers and millers, as well as create jobs and wealth for Nigerians.The minister made the assertion during his presentation at the National Assembly public hearing on rice policy.

Adesina posited that the country had the capacity to become not only self-sufficient, but a net exporter of rice while the Federal Government and stakeholders in the rice sector were determined to reduce the ridiculously high foreign exchange of over N365 billion being spent annually on rice import.According to the minister, ―It makes no sense at all that Nigeria, with an arable land area of 84 million is the second largest importer of rice in the world―The country definitely can grow rice and end the decades of dependence on rice imports from India and Thailand, as they don’t have anything that we do not have to produce rice,‖ he said.He said it is time the country realised that the more it imported food items that can be grown locally, the less local production and the high level of unemployment it would have.

He wondered why some citizens were vigorously campaigning and taking sides with importers.Dr. Adesina insisted that the country cannot be an exemption in placing high tariffs on rice importation and assured that the Federal Government would put in place guaranteed minimum price for rice and play the role of buyer of last resort to ensure incentives for farmers, as is done in the rice exporting countries.According to him, the high tariff on rice has so far helped to jump-start great interest in domestically produced rice as the next phase will be to protect local investors and farmers.He disclosed that the government would provide subsided loans to rice

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farmers, rice collection centres and rice millers, including the establishment of large out grower schemes around the integrated rice mills.

Bats Could Help Protect Rice Against Pests

By Science and Development Network |Featured Research April 15, 2014 The wrinkle-lipped bat might be useful in protecting rice shoots against the white-backed planthopper, scientists say.AsianScientist (Apr. 15, 2014) – By Law Yao-Hua – Bats that prey on a major rice pest in Thailand could save paddy harvests worth millions of dollars and help contribute to better food security, scientists say in a paper published in Biological Conservation.Using data from a previous study and their own field survey, the scientists came up with a value of the predation of the wrinkle-lipped bat (Tadarida plicata) on the white-backed planthopper (Sogatella furcifera), a migratory insect pest in Asia which feeds on rice shoots.The scientists calculated that each wrinkle-lipped bat consumes about 1,130 white-backed planthoppers daily. With a population of almost eight million, this bat species may prevent paddy losses of nearly 2,900 tons per year worth US$1.2 million in export value, enough to feed 26,000 people for a year.Thomas Cherico Wanger, lead author of the paper and a tropical ecologist at University of Göttingen in Germany, suggests that Thai rice farmers can recruit bats in their fields by providing roosting boxes.―The model shows that 300 bats in each roosting box can protect almost 700 kilograms of rice per year,‖ Wanger says.Bats have yet to be considered as a significant pest control agent in agriculture, according to Wantana Srirattanasak, senior entomologist of Thailand’s Department of Rice. ―Our farmers have never thought of using bats as biological control agents,‖ she says.A year-long survey in 2005 reported that planthoppers made up almost 30 percent of the diet of wrinkled-lipped bats. Working from this survey, Wanger and his team built a model to ―quantify the amount of rice that bats protect when they feed on planthoppers.‖Combining data from the literature with their field observations, the scientists used the model to estimate the number of white-backed planthoppers consumed by all the wrinkled-lipped bats in Thailand.

They then estimated the amount of rice harvest saved due to the predation of these planthoppers.But models simplify nature based on assumptions that might be wrong, Wanger warns, adding that it is crucial to ―compile good data‖ and ―to indicate the level of error that comes with an estimate.―The model has merits as a thought experiment,‖ says Geoff Gurr, applied ecology professor at Charles Sturt University in Australia.

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But Gurr, who has been working on the biological control of planthoppers with arthropod predators, notes that only one field survey was used to estimate the bats’ predation of the planthoppers.―It is not a substantial base on which to extrapolate too widely,‖ he says.Another caveat is that the amount of rice saved by the bats, 2,900 tons, is only a tiny portion of the 25-30 million tons of rice produced yearly in Thailand.Bats might not be irrelevant, says Gurr, ―but they are a very small portion of the mortality that would be required to control the planthoppers.‖Wanger says his team understands the limits of their model. But he argues it is crucial to test predictions of the model against field experiments and more data analyses. He says their modelling code, published with their paper, was made ―as transparent as possible‖ to help others test their predictions.

The article can be found at: Wanger et al. (2014) Bat Pest Control Contributes to Food Security in Thailand.

USA Rice Daily Exclusive: Interview with Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR) Part One: "Looking for Solutions" Last week the USA Rice Daily sat down with Arkansas's senior Senator, Mark Pryor, to discuss the Farm Bill, bipartisanship, the FDA, agriculture research, and more. It's all part of our series of articles bringing individuals and companies important to the rice industry directly to our readers.Today we present Part One: "Looking for Solutions."USA Rice Daily: Senator, you worked on passage of the final Farm Bill, advocating for rice industry priorities throughout the process. A process that was too long and marred by partisanship. Did that surprise you?.Senator Mark Pryor: "It's a sign of the troubles that are going on in Congress right now.

I mean really, passing the Farm Bill should be a no-brainer. It's great for the economy, it's great for jobs, it feeds and clothes our nation, it's critical to the future of rural America. This should not be a hard bill to pass.

But, we saw an irresponsible few in the House that basically just blew it up. I think people in my state are tired of this rancorous, partisanship, this gridlock, this constant fighting. People around the country just want us to work things out and work together. The Farm Bill is a good example of that. It's always been a bipartisan bill, and at the end, it was, but the House made us go through a lot of hoops to get there.

"RD: Senator, many would say this re-election fight you are in is the toughest you've faced. How would you differentiate yourself from your opponent, particularly with Arkansas's agriculture and rice community?.MP: "I'm looking forward to this race. Congressman Cotton and I have two very different records, and the people of Arkansas are going to have a very clear choice this year about what kind of Senator they want."You can use the

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Farm Bill as an example. I was trying to work to get this passed in a bipartisan way and to get things that were important done for rural America and Arkansas where agriculture and ag-related industries are about 25% of our state economy, but when it came time to vote, we had one member of our delegation vote against it, and that was Tom Cotton.

And he didn't do it once, he did it twice."So I think that one of the real sharp contrasts you see between us is I try to work in a bipartisan way and try to actually accomplish things here in Washington. He's of the 'My Way or the Highway' school, and I just think people in Arkansas want a Senator who listens and tries to get things done in Washington, so we're going to give them that very clear choice in November."RD: Senator, you enjoy a fair amount of seniority in the Senate, chairing an important subcommittee (Agriculture Appropriations). How important is seniority in the Senate?.MP: "Seniority does matter, but it's not the only thing. I've always tried to build relationships here and so for example, when I came to the Senate I was number 100 in seniority, I was in the minority, we had a Republican president, but I still got legislation passed my first year.

You do that just by working with people and finding common ground."I've been successful here in all kinds of circumstances, with me being in the minority, me being in the majority, having a Democrat in the White House, having a Republican in the White House, having a Republican House, Republican Senate, Democratic House, Democratic Senate - pretty much all combinations. But I'm successful year-in and year-out in getting things done, and you get a reputation as a 'go-to' guy."I think that's one of the things I like most about my role in the Senate. When things are kind of blowing up and falling apart, that's when my phone rings the most, because I have that track record of being bipartisan, trying to be constructive and helpful, finding common ground and getting people together."But seniority puts you in a position of leadership inside the Senate, you get to chair subcommittees, you get to chair full committees. I'm working my way up the [Appropriations] Committee roster, and being chair of Agriculture Appropriations is really, really important for Arkansas.

"RD: As Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, you obviously interact with many agencies that touch our industry. What are your thoughts on some of those relationships?.MP: "I want to be a common sense leader around here and I want to have good relationships with the various executive agencies, like FDA, like USDA. To me it doesn't matter who is in the White House. My job is to work with everyone in the room. And FDA and USDA are definitely in that room, so I try to work with them."My approach is to let them understand that I'm going to hold them accountable, I'm going to ask hard questions, and I expect a lot of them.

I expect them to run their agencies and their departments the way they ought to be run. I expect them to come out with good workable regulations that make sense. And I expect them to understand how important agriculture is to the U.S. economy and how important trade is for our position in the agriculture global community."So I have a lot of expectations for them and I'm pretty clear about that. I actually have a very good relationship with the FDA and with USDA, and I hope in doing that I can help agriculture in America."Tomorrow, part two of our interview where Senator Pryor talks about agriculture research, pending trade deals, and why Bill Gates once gave him a bag of rice.

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CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures CME Group (Preliminary): Closing Rough Rice Futures for April 15

Month

Price

Net Change

May 2014

$15.410

- $0.010

July 2014

$15.425

- $0.010

September 2014

$14.320

+ $0.005

November 2014

$14.365

+ $0.010

January 2015

$14.560

+ $0.015

March 2015

$14.800

+ $0.015

May 2015

$14.800

+ $0.015

World’s longest-running rice research project marks 150th harvest Post a commentBy RJ Whitehead , 15-Apr-2014

The International Rice Research Institute is marking the 150th harvest of its Long-Term Continuous Cropping Experiment (LTCCE), the world's longest-running rice research project.

This living field laboratory offers humanity a firsthand glimpse into the wonders of how rice production can be sustained in a changing climate without adversely affecting the soil and the productivity of a rice ecosystem.

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Sustained production According to Dr Roland Buresh and Teodoro Correa Jr, who both manage the LTCCE, the production of rice has been sustained after 150 rice crops over 52 years. Soil organic matter, a measure of soil fertility, has not declined in the past 30 years.

This has been achieved without the application of crop residues and organic fertiliser.

"We were fortunate that the first scientists of IRRI had the foresight to envision intensive cultivation of rice and initiate the LTCCE in 1962 to test the feasibility and sustainability of intensive rice cultivation with up to three crops per year,‖ Buresh said. The soil has remained a healthy medium for microorganisms, which is unique to flooded soils, providing sufficient biological input of nitrogen from the atmosphere for rice plants to produce 23 tonnes per hectare per crop. The application of fertiliser at an optimal rate for high profit can produce more than double this rice yield.The experiences of the LTCCE have shown that proper application of fertiliser, sufficient irrigation water, and the use of modern high-yielding rice varieties and good crop management practices are essential for sustainable rice production.

‘Society will benefit’ Yields have varied from year to year, largely because of climate, and are higher during years and seasons with abundant sunlight. Insect pests and diseases have not been a major factor affecting rice yields because varieties grown in the LTCCE are resistant. They are regularly replaced with new high-yielding ones that are pest- and disease-resistant.―Society has and will continue to benefit from the findings of this experiment,” Buresh added.

"The implications of this are enormous, especially as intensive cropping becomes inevitable when more than half of the world's population—over 3.5bn—people eat rice as their staple food.―This living field laboratory will enable scientists to identify and solve potential constraints in intensive rice cultivation before they appear in farmers’ fields. It will continue in the future to provide insight for sustaining the productivity of rice in a changing climate.‖

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