15th november,2013 daily rice e newsletter (global rice news) by riceplus magazine

15th November , 2013

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Latest News Headlines…  Punjab’s waiver of levies on basmati paddy purchase may encourage growers  Rice Prices  Commerce Minister admits Bt260 billion loss from rice subsidy  Typhoon Spares Philippines’ Rice Fields  RGA - Ricegrowers Association of Australia : Ricegrowers’ Association calls for rice to be included in the Trans Pacific Partnership  U.S. urges Japan to abolish tariffs on all farm products except rice  Be firm with TPP: Ricegrower

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Punjab’s waiver of levies on basmati paddy purchase may encourage growers VISHWANATH KULKARNI

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NEW DELHI, NOV. 15: The Punjab Government’s recent move to waive levies on procurement of basmati paddy has put a section of the rice processing industry in a quandary not only in the State but also in neighbouring Haryana.Punjab had waived levies to the extent of 7 per cent (2 per cent market fee, 2 per cent rural development fund and 3 per cent infrastructure cess) on purchase of basmati paddy for processing in the State.Also, the value added tax of about 5 per cent has been waived on exports of basmati, besides imposition of a 5 per cent entry tax on basmati paddy entering from other States.

CROP DIVERSIFICATION The latest move is aimed at encouraging the State’s food processing industry, while trying to discourage the cultivation of the water-intensive non-basmati paddy as part of the Government’s crop diversification programme, said D.V. Kapoor, General Secretary of the Punjab Rice Millers Association.Also, it would help bring in more investments in the rice processing sector, while creating more jobs in the State, Kapoor, a miller in Jalandhar, said.

MILLERS BAFFLED However, Anil Mittal, Chairman of KRBL Ltd, the country’s largest exporter, which has a basmati processing facility in the State, termed Punjab’s move of imposing an entry tax “as confusing.”About 80 per cent of the basmati paddy grown in Punjab is the 1121 variety, while the traditional and Pusa basmati varieties account for the rest.Large millers such as KRBL have to depend on States such as Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to meet their paddy requirement and the entry tax would make their raw material expensive.Ajay Jakhar, President of the Bharat Krishak Samaj, said that the latest move would encourage rice growers to shift to basmati.

SHIFT TO BASMATI “There would be at least 40-50 per cent increase in basmati area next year,” he said.However, Jhakar believes that restricting buyers from neighbouring States may prove counter-productive, especially during a glut and when prices crash.Farmers may not feel the impact this year because prices are ruling higher than last year.“There should not be any curbs on the inter-State movement of agri-produce. Restricting the movement is like indirectly taxing the agricultural produce,” Jhakar said.

CARTEL FEARS Rice mills in Haryana, which depend on Punjab to meet a sizeable chunk of their paddy demand, are upset over the latest move.“Reduced competition from buyers is a loss to farmers. Avoiding competition would lead to cartelisation of buyers in Punjab,” said Vijay Setia, Executive Director at Chaman Lal Setia Exports Ltd, which has processing units in Karnal and Amritsar, demanding a level-playing field.However, Kapoor and KRBL’s Mittal dismissed fears of cartelisation“There are more than 500 millers in the State,” Kapoor said.Punjab accounts for about 40 per cent of India’s basmati rice production estimated between 4 and 5 million tonnes.

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(This article was published on November 15, 2013)

Keywords: Punjab Government, waive levies, basmati paddy, processing industry

Rice Prices Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.

Arrivals Current

Price

% Season Prev. Prev.Yr Modal change cumulative Modal %change Rice

Bindki(UP)

21000.00

Shahjahanpur(UP)

1300

63482.00

1650

1680

-

1610.00 -14.81 109818.80

1980

1980

21.85

Bareilly(UP)

755.00

-1.18

40397.70

2000

1985

13.64

Dhekiajuli(ASM)

400.00

NC

2900.00

2100

2100

-

Mumbai(Mah)

378.80 -86.61

17311.60

9750

5100

248.21

Burdwan(WB)

347.00

-7.71

43582.00

2380

2380

-

Etawah(UP)

300.00

50

34314.50

1950

1950

16.07

Haridwar Union(Utr)

300.00 233.33

2085.20

2500

4100

-

Jagraon(Pun)

251.00 -43.34

3306.00

4000

3900

110.53

Mekhliganj(WB)

185.00

900

16889.50

2500

2500

25.00

Devariya(UP)

145.00

9.85

5664.50

1910

1905

-

Bolpur(WB)

145.00

NC

15130.00

2725

2725

51.39

Sandila(UP)

135.00

39.18

4026.90

1970

1950

-

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P.O. Uparhali Guwahati(ASM)

134.00

-2.9

27069.80

2250

2200

30.43

Ramnagar(Utr)

120.50

-1.23

2921.50

1900

1900

-

Bahraich(UP)

120.00

20

10199.50

1785

1785

8.18

Akbarpur(UP)

117.00

37.65

10377.00

1810

1810

8.71

Cachar(ASM)

110.00

-8.33

5516.00

2600

2600

26.83

Coochbehar(WB)

102.50

7.89

17056.10

3200

3200

18.52

Kalna(WB)

80.00

-3.61

14604.00

2475

2475

41.43

Saharanpur(UP)

74.00

8.82

4199.50

1990

1985

5.01

Ajuha(UP)

66.00

-4.35

1943.00

1755

1780

10.38

Muzzafarnagar(UP)

62.50

64.47

5981.50

2050

2050

15.49

K.R.Nagar(Kar)

62.00 -15.07

5872.00

1865

1958

12.76

Samsi(WB)

60.00

500

2409.00

2900

2900

18.37

Alipurduar(WB)

60.00

NC

8141.50

3200

3200

25.49

Rishikesh(Utr)

59.80

9.72

1845.60

1860

1700

9.41

Purulia(WB)

52.00

1.96

8166.00

2600

2600

30.00

Dadri(UP)

50.00

NC

7841.00

2130

2015

26.79

Tilhar(UP)

47.50 -40.62

3520.20

1950

1960

-

Bharwari(UP)

47.00

6.82

915.00

1765

1750

-

Gazipur(UP)

42.50

32.81

4889.00

1780

1875

6.59

Bishnupur(WB)

40.00

-20

8375.00

2450

2450

40.00

Khatra(WB)

39.00

5.41

5725.00

2550

2550

35.64

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Banda(UP)

38.00

26.67

2699.00

1850

1850

6.63

Bankura Sadar(WB)

35.00

NC

5661.00

2550

2550

24.39

Pratapgarh(UP)

31.50

10.53

2781.50

1780

1785

7.88

Rampur(UP)

30.00

-50

5856.00

1990

1970

7.28

Atarra(UP)

24.00

26.32

1412.00

1750

1775

6.06

Holenarsipura(Kar)

22.00 144.44

357.00

1950

2100

-5.34

Gondal(UP)

22.00 -89.05

60223.90

1800

1790

12.85

Muradabad(UP)

22.00 -26.67

3528.00

2000

2025

11.11

Doharighat(UP)

20.00

25

477.00

1925

1910

-

Indus(WB)

20.00

300

3275.00

2650

2650

29.27

Bohorihat(ASM)

18.50

8.82

5731.00

2200

2550

11.39

Divai(UP)

16.00

6.67

1592.00

1975

2000

11.27

Partaval(UP)

15.00

76.47

717.00

1880

1880

22.08

Dibiapur(UP)

12.00

-20

1423.00

1960

1970

15.29

Tinsukia(ASM)

10.00 -33.33

697.00

2400

2200

20.00

Golaghat(ASM)

10.00

100

2131.50

2300

2300

33.72

Somvarpet(Kar)

10.00 -85.07

188.00

1600

1910

60.00

Jajpur(Ori)

10.00

-50

2341.00

2000

2000

21.21

Kasinagar(Ori)

10.00

NC

618.00

2000

2000

25.00

Khair(UP)

10.00

NC

1370.00

1920

1920

3.23

9.50 -17.39

1198.70

1800

1800

14.29

Payagpur(UP)

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Pundibari(WB)

9.50 -75.64

1885.40

2400

2400

29.73

Kannauj(UP)

7.00

-6.67

165.61

0

-

-

Raibareilly(UP)

6.00

-25

1075.30

1900

1890

18.75

Parvathipuram(AP)

3.10 -48.33

823.20

1951

1810

9.61

Sahebganj(Jha)

3.00

50

186.20

1800

1800

20.00

Lalganj(UP)

2.50 -16.67

181.00

1850

1875

-

Penamaluru(AP)

2.00

100

5.00

2900

2900

52.63

Mawana(UP)

2.00

NC

77.50

2025

1975

15.71

Siyana(UP)

2.00

33.33

206.50

1980

1985

14.78

Imphal(Man)

1.10 -26.67

533.20

2900

2900

45.00

Lamlong Bazaar(Man)

0.70

16.67

129.40

2700

2700

-

Penugonda(Mah)

0.60

NC

130.30

3880

3880

3.47

Commerce Minister admits Bt260 billion loss from rice subsidy Friday, 15 November 2013 From Issue Vol. XXI No. 46 By MCOT

Thailand has lost Bt260 billion from the government’s rice pledging scheme in the last two years, according to Deputy Prime Minister/Commerce Minister Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan.He said the government has sped up releasing rice from state stockpiles so as to pay debts to the Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) which has granted loans for the scheme.The BAAC should be paid Bt200 billion by the end of the year despite declining rice prices in the global market, he said, adding that rice would be gradually exported to China from next month until December next year.

Thailand has sold one million tonnes of rice to China while a counter trade of Thai rice for the Chinese highspeed train project will be clear in Q3 next year, he said.BAAC President Luck Wajananawat said the bank, at the next meeting of the National Rice Policy, would propose guiding principles in finding a revolving fund for the 2013/2014 harvest.Loans totaling Bt140 billion may be sought to pay farmers for the 2013/2014 harvest while the Cabinet will be asked to extend the maximum revolving fund to Bt500 billion, said Luck.He said the

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BAAC has paid Bt600-800 billion for the rice subsidy but was paid at only Bt140 billion, making it impossible for the bank to secure a new financial injection for the scheme.

Typhoon Spares Philippines’ Rice Fields Posted by News Editor in Food, Latest News, RSS on November 14, 2013 2:19 pm MANILA, Philippines, November 14, 2013 (ENS) – Amidst the deaths and devastation wrought by Super Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan that lashed the Philippines last weekend, the island nation has caught a much-needed break. The rice crop was spared because the storm struck in between planting seasons, say officials with the International Rice Research Institute.Leyte, the province that endured the worst of the typhoon, is a rice– producing province, with more than 100,000 hectares of rice land. Between 2000 and 2009, Leyte posted the third biggest increase in rice production among all provinces, and has the highest average annual growth rate in terms of yield per hectare.

One of the Philippines’ many rice farmers (Photo courtesy IRRI) Coming from an assessment meeting with the Philippine Department of Agriculture today, V. Bruce J. olentino, IRRI deputy director general for communication and partnership, said that the typhoon struck Leyte after most farms had already completed their wet season harvest and were just starting to prepare for the dry season crop.“The most serious issues will arise from extensive losses resulting from the storm surge – in farm machinery, storage, housing, and damage to roads and irrigation. These will need replacement and rehabilitation,” said Dr. Tolentino.

“In the meantime,” he said, “access to markets is constrained and household food stocks are down to zero, causing a spike in local food prices.”As of tonight, the Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center confirmed that the typhoon has claimed 2,357 lives.The number of confirmed deaths is much lower than the 10,000 estimated by local Leyte officials immediately after the storm.In addition 3,853 people are reported injured and 77 are still missing, nearly a week after the storm left the islands heading westward across the South China Sea.A total of 8.67 million Filipinos were affected in some way by the typhoon.

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IRRI Director General Robert Zeigler expressed his condolences to those affected and linked the severity of the storm to climate change.“In all of my years in the Philippines, since 1992, I have never seen devastation of this scale,” he said. “Like many of you, I am deeply saddened by the great loss of life and massive destruction caused by this typhoon.”

Dr. Abdelbagi Ismail, a plant physiologist at IRRI, inspects rice varieties with the sub 1 gene, which is responsible for flood tolerance in rice. (Photo courtesy IRRI) IRRI staff and friends are collecting donations of money and supplies for people affected by the typhoon.As climate change continues to add to challenges for rice production, Filipino farmers respond by planting climate change-ready rice varieties developed by IRRI and released by the Philippine government.About five million farmers across Asia are now using “scuba” or flood-tolerant rice, which can withstand submergence for up to two weeks.IRRI has released 101 improved rice varieties in the Philippines, including “scuba rice,” known by its local variety name, “Submarino.”

As part of its response to help people affected by the typhoon, the International Rice Research Institute, with the Department of Agriculture, will provide seeds of flood-tolerant rice to farmers.“The current rice crop in the affected regions accounts for less than 10 percent of the Philippines’ annual national rice production, and most of the rice crop in these regions had already been harvested before the typhoon came,” said Samarendu Mohanty, IRRI economist and head of the institute’s social science and policy arm.

Still, Dr. Mohanty said that it will take more time to determine the full extent of the damage to the country’s rice crop. The extent of flood damage to rice that was stored on farms and in public and private warehouses remains to be seen.Philippine rice farmers have to cope with more than 20 typhoons each year. Super Typhoon Yolanda/Hiayan was the 25th typhoon to hit the islands this year.IRRI continues to work on making rice more resistant to extreme weather conditions. This includes studying how rice can thrive despite salty soil, hot or cold weather, submergence and drought.

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2013. All rights reserved.

RGA - Ricegrowers Association of Australia : Ricegrowers’ Association calls for rice to be included in the Trans Pacific Partnership 11/14/2013 | 08:47pm US/Eastern

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15 Nov 2013 10:19 AM -

The Ricegrowers' Association of Australia Inc. (RGA) has today called for Australian trade negotiators participating in the Trans Pacific Partnership meetings next week to ensure agriculture is included in the agreement without exceptions.In particular, the RGA believes the Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations represent the best opportunity in many years to achieve a meaningful improvement in the quantity and quality of Australian rice access to the Japanese market.RGA Executive Director Ruth Wade said, "Negotiations for the Trans Pacific Partnership will continue on November 19th and it is critical that agriculture, including rice, is on the agenda for discussion. We urge the Government's representatives to support Australia's agricultural industries and Australian rice growers by calling for greater market access overall and particularly in Japan.

Read the full media release here November 14, 2013 13:31

U.S. urges Japan to abolish tariffs on all farm products except rice The United States is urging Japan to eliminate tariffs on all farm products except rice in the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations, sources familiar with the matter said Thursday.The United States has also suggested a moratorium of around 10 years before the elimination of Japanese tariffs on farm products other than rice, but Japan has rejected the proposal, according to the sources.U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman told Akira Amari, Japan's minister in charge of TPP negotiations, during telephone talks in late October that the United States wants Japan to eliminate tariffs on all farm products other than rice no matter how long it takes, but Amari responded that it would be impossible, the sources said.

Officials of the two countries are slated to meet in the United States from Thursday to see whether they can meet halfway on the issue, the sources added.The U.S.-led TPP framework aims to eliminate all tariffs, but Japan has been seeking to protect its agricultural sector by retaining tariffs on imports of rice, wheat, beef, pork, dairy products and sugar. Rice, a staple part of the Japanese diet, is a particularly important farm product for Japan and is subject to 778 percent tariffs.Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government has been facing difficulties in dealing with the issue amid farmers' fierce opposition to concessions on the sensitive products.Japan, the United States and 10 other countries involved in the TPP negotiations will hold a meeting of top TPP negotiators in Salt Lake City in the United States from Nov. 19 to 24 and ministerial talks in Singapore from Dec. 7 to 9, with the aim of concluding the TPP talks by year-end. ==Kyodo Copyright 2013 Kyodo News International.

All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/kyodo-news-international/131114/us-urges-japan-abolish-tariffs-allfarm-products-excep

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S. Korea's rice production grows 5.6 pct in 2013 SEJONG, Nov. 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's rice production grew 5.6 percent on-year in 2013 as favorable weather conditions and little damage from typhoons led to a bumper harvest, government data showed Friday.According to the data by Statistics Korea, South Korea produced a total of 4.23 million tons of rice this year, up from 4.01 million tons tallied a year earlier. This represented the first on-year output growth since 2009.The hike is attributable to favorable weather conditions and little damage from typhoons. Last year, the country's southwestern areas where large rice paddies are located were severely affected by typhoons and torrential rains.The statistics agency said that the area where rice is grown declined over the past year but enhanced production efficiency also played a role in increasing rice output.The data showed that the country's rice-growing area shrank 1.9 percent on-year in 2013, but the amount of rice harvested from 1,000 square meters of land increased 7.4 percent to 508 kg from the previous year's 473 kg. <All rights reserved by Yonhap News Agency> Copyright Yonhap News Agency, 2013. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/yonhap-news-agency/131114/s-koreas-rice-production-grows-56-pct-2013

Be firm with TPP: Ricegrower RICEGROWERS are urging Australian trade negotiators to stand their ground on having agriculture concessions included in next week's Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) meetings.The rice industry is particularly keen to see a tough stand taken on any deals involving Japan in the partnership.The Ricegrowers' Association of Australia (RGA) has high hopes the talks will achieve a "meaningful improvement" in the quantity of locally produced rice allowed into Japan."It is critical that agriculture, including rice, is on the agenda for discussion," said RGA executive director Ruth Wade."We urge the government's representatives to support Australia's agricultural industries by calling for greater market access overall and particularly in Japan."Mrs Wade said her industry "absolutely respects and understands the cultural and political sensitivities surrounding rice in Japan" but meaningful access improvements had to result if Japan joined the TPP.Current trade agreements allow Japanese rice into Australia but onerous restrictions apply to foreign rice allowed into the Japan.

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The RGA wants the TPP to provide greater access equality for Australian product to Japanese markets.RGA officials recently met with significant Japanese rice growers and industry representatives to promote the concept of greater access and explain the Australian industry's potential.The message underlined that Australia could not dramatically impact on rice production in Japan, and did it want to upset the Japanese industry."The RGA understands and supports the need for a healthy rice industry in Japan, however Australian rice producers would like to have greater access to part of the Japanese market," Mrs Wade said."Our industry does not expect to gain access to all sections of the Japanese market, however, there are some particular varieties of rice that we are able to produce as well as, or more efficiently, than Japanese growers."It makes perfect sense that our products be available in that market."

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