20th january,2015 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

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Global Rice E-Newsletter www.ricepluss.com

January 20, 2015 Volume 5, Issue I

Rice board head: Cuban trade could be big for Louisiana Posted: Monday, January 19, 2015 3:10 pm

The Advertiser | LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — Lifting the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba could mean the return of a major market for Louisiana rice, Louisiana Rice Promotion Board chairman Kevin Berken

says.He said Cuba imports about 600,000 metric tons of rice a year, with Vietnam as its biggest supplier."Prior to the embargo, Cuba was the largest importer of Louisiana rice," he told a conference Friday at the Petroleum Club. "So it is critically important for us to be able open trade with other countries, Cuba being the main focus.

It has been a focus for the last 20 or 30 years."Berken was among four panelists, The Advertiser (http://bit.ly/1GfwpKt ) reported. It happened to be a day after the government announced President Barack Obama's amendments to existing Cuban sanctions.Only Congress can fully end the 54-year embargo."Eventually, the embargo will be lifted, and there isn't a thing in the world that Cuba doesn't need," said Gary LaGrange, president and CEO of the Port of New Orleans. Its location 700 miles from Louisiana's coast makes New Orleans an especially convenient port, he said.LaGrange said there's talk of a Cuban consulate being built in the U.S. and New Orleans may be vying against Tampa, Florida, as a host city, he said.

"Louisiana should be next in line," he said. "We need a consulate in New Orleans.Charles Larroque, executive director of Council for the Development of French in Louisiana; and Larry Sides, president of SIDES & Associates, also spoke.Sides said he has traveled to Cuba 24 times in the last 15 year on religious missions and for leisure."I'm simply fascinated with the country," he said.The only way the U.S. will fully be able to establish a diplomatic relationship with the country, and that includes tourism, is for the U.S. to completely lift the embargo, he said. ___ Information from: The Advertiser, http://www.theadvertiser.com

Corporate corner January 20, 2015 Soomro appointed as Matco Rice director KARACHI (PR): Pakistan‘s largest bvasmati rice exporter, Matco Rice Processing (Pvt) Limited has appointed Iftikhar Ahmed Soomro as an independent, non-executive director to its Board of Directors.Soomro brings along his vast corporate experience of leading many prominent private and public sector companies of Pakistan.He has previously served as the chairman of APTMA and as a director of Pakistan State Oil, Pfizer Pakistan, Park-Davis, Wyeth Pakistan, SITE, KESC, Sindh Fine Textile Mills and other corporates.

Soomro has also distinguished himself in the field of public service, previously as an elected member of the Sindh Assembly and member of Cabinet.Currently he is the Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Tunisia.Commenting on the appointment, Jawed Ghori, Chairman of Matco Rice said: ―We are extremely pleased that Iftikhar Ahmed Soomro has joined the board of our company, bringing with him a unique mix of skills and experience that will help the board to guide Matco Rice to the next level of growth.

Rice and wrongs

Posted by: The Nation in Editorial 7 hours ago

The Jonathan administration’s abuse of waivers has moved to the farm sector Scandalously, the country is reportedly losing N20 billion to discretionary concessions and waivers, especially to lethargic stakeholders under the rice importation scheme and another N20 billion to smugglers of rice through the nation‘s porous borders. The waivers/import allocation quotas impunity to favour investors who have no investments in the industry or rice mill by government is making a mockery of the policy.

Of the 28 beneficiaries on the list, only 16 have mills, while the other 12 that have no mills surprisingly account for higher imports than the true millers. The disparities in preferential import quotas, quantity of approved rice imports and the corresponding size of performance bond to be submitted are quite alarming. Those powerful armchair rice investors eventually trade their import allocation quotas to interested stakeholders at between 60 to 80 per cent levy, having got the same at 20 per cent levy, thereby short-changing the country with ripple effects of inflation and pauperisation. This is serious discouragement to those who remain committed to the plan.

Why should new investors under the present regime, without milling capacity or investments in the country, receive higher allocation quotas unlike real rice millers that received negligible allocation or none at all? The strategy deployed in arriving at the supply gap equally becomes questionable because almost three million metric tonnes of rice was reportedly smuggled from Cotonou in 2013, while an estimated 1.5 million was accounted for last year. Again, why is it that the backward integration policy plan approved since May 2014 by the president was delayed till December?

The sincerity of government regarding the backward integration plan is in doubt. For example, it is bewildering that investors that merely expressed interests enjoy higher import quotas which they trade at higher prices to other interested importers. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development‘s new rice policy is geared towards bridging the supply gap of import-grade rice of 1.5 million metric tonnes through proper deployment of rice import quotas as determined by the Federal Government. Invariably, the policy was designed to ensure that existing rice millers and new investors receive a preferential levy of 20 per cent and duty of 10 per cent while other importers pay a higher levy of 60 per cent and duty of 10 per cent. The current wave of indiscriminate waivers has made nonsense of this policy.

If the nation truly wants to be self-sufficient in rice production and milling, too much reliance on paper criteria, including theoretical Domestic Rice Production Plan (DRPP) by prospective investors will not suffice. For example, it was reported that last year alone, a total of 1.3 million metric tonnes of rice import quotas was issued to 25 qualifying millers, yet 2.74 million metric tonnes of imported rice found its way into the country in the same year through illegal routes. his is possible because of the low tariff on rice in Nigeria‘s neighbouring countries.The nation is far from self sufficiency in rice production contrary to the nauseating noise and rhetorical egoism of

progress in the sector by Akinwunmi Adesina, the agriculture minister. The sensible path to toe is to jettison indiscriminate waivers while government should also allow rice importation through our ports to augment shortfalls. This will definitely go a long way in discouraging smuggling http://thenationonlineng.net/new/rice-wrongs/

LSU Rice Specialist Dr. Dustin Harrell Receives Award When Dustin Harrell speaks, rice farmers listen

BATON ROUGE, LA -- Dr. Dustin Harrell, LSU AgCenter rice specialist, received the Rice Researcher of the Year award last week at the National Conservation Systems Cotton and Rice Conference here. Harrell's agronomy research focuses on fertility, and he also has identified the significance of zinc deficiency, shown that seeding rates for drill-seeded rice can be reduced, and demonstrated how nitrogen use efficiency can be improved.

When receiving the award Harrell credited his fellow researchers for their contributions and thanked the Louisiana rice farmers for supplying vital check-off funding saying, "Without the check-off funds, we wouldn't be able to do the things we do."Harrell was selected as a member of the 2015 Rice Leadership Development Program in December at the USA Rice Outlook Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Rice Leadership Development Program gives future leaders a comprehensive understanding of the rice industry, with an emphasis on personal development and communication skills.

Contact: Chuck Wilson (870) 673-7541

Rice Featured at North Louisiana Ag Expo Serving up rice samples at LARC booth

WEST MONROE, LA -- An estimated 10,000 people attended the 33nd annual North Louisiana AgExpo on January 16-17 where they learned about the state's ag industry, especially rice. For correctly answering questions about rice, visitors to the Louisiana Rice Council (LARC) booth received sample bags of Louisiana-grown rice, provided by the Louisiana Rice Growers Association. Attendees also enjoyed a cup of red beans and rice, courtesy of the Northeast Louisiana Rice Growers Association.

Recipe brochures, nutrition information, and rice-facts sheets from the USA Rice Federation were distributed. LARC members, including President Eric Unkel, Vice President Charles Precht, Jr., and Jimmy Hoppe manned the booth with assistance from USA Rice field staff, Randy and Mary Jemison.The Expo was established by the North Louisiana Agribusiness Council to educate citizens about the regional and state impact of agriculture.

Contact: Randy Jemison (337) 738-7009

Japan Announces Results of 10th Ordinary Import Tender in FY 2014 Country of Origin USA

Thailand

Grand Total Avg Price for Successful Bids

Variety

Number of Importer

Quantity (MT)

Participated Bidders

Amount of Bids (MT)

Non-glutinous milled rice (medium grain) Non-glutinous milled rice (long grain)

4

49,000

29

355,000

2

12,000

16

96,000

6

61,000

45

451,000

JPY 96,223/mt

(tax excluded)

JPY 103,921/mt

(tax included)

CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures

CME Group (Preliminary): Closing Rough Rice Futures for January 20

Month

Price

Net Change

March 2015

$11.265

- $0.060

May 2015

$11.520

- $0.055

July 2015

$11.755

- $0.055

September 2015

$11.380

- $0.050

November 2015

$11.520

- $0.050

January 2016

$11.810

- $0.050

March 2016

$11.810

- $0.050

Lalin’s Column: First 100 days -short list of priorities Tue, 2015-01-20 06:59 — editor

By Major General (Retd.) Lalin Fernando

Steps to be taken towards national reconciliation should be at the top of the President‘s list of things to be done in the first 100 days. It is suggested that the following also be accommodated under the 100 day action plan that is meant to prepare the ground for the promised future.Reconciliation and National Identity. There was no true reconciliation after SL‘s 26 year old bitter conflict despite the people of the North warmly welcoming those from the South ever since it ended. Without genuine reconciliation all other efforts of the government will be worth very little if not jeopardized.

The 2 minority communities have almost in their entirety supported the winning Sinhalese leader in the recent Presidential elections. That was a giant step for people power towards reconciliation. The prevailing circumstances could not be any better for the new government to follow up and consolidate that victory. Reconciliation should hopefully lead to a break with the unhappy, mean and distrustful past. It must succeed to forge national unity and develop a true Sri Lankan identity that sadly did not yet exist in 67 years after Independence.

Remembrance of the war dead. The most important step to achieve true reconciliation will have to be the jettisoning of the ill advised Victory parade in May. It must be replaced by a

Remembrance ceremony to commemorate the war dead from 1971 to 2009. It will otherwise continue the (political) estrangement of the Tamils from the Sinhalese.

All communities should be united in their grief for the 100,000 SL lives lost and share the grief and pain of those who bore the burden of that loss. They must promise themselves there will never again be a replay of the tragic events that began in 1983.The ‗River for Jaffna‘ or the Arumugam Plan to bring water from the Iranamadu tank through Elephant Pass lagoon to the Thondamannaru Barrage, on which work started in 1954, (supported ardently by DLO Mendis among others) needs to be given priority, restarted and completed without any more delay.Rule of law. The last regime, as it hurtled to its end, was almost completely lawless. Corruption was not denied but excused as a global phenomenon.

It turned out to be an act of suicide as a silent revolution took place in the minds of the people.

The impeachment of the Chief Justice showed the utter depravity of the rulers. Beruwala was the beginning of the end. BBS unchecked or sponsored as it appears now, was the symbol of terror that stalked the land. Defeat was ordained. The rule of law must now be seen in the streets, public spaces, residential areas and in Parliament. It must begin by cleaning up the entire judicial system that includes the judiciary, the police and the prisons for citizens to believe in the restoration of the rule of law.

Law breakers should be punished quickly.Weapons – DangerWeapons in the hands of private individuals are the biggest threat to the rule of law. There are probably about 60-80,000 registered weapons with people and probably twice that unlicensed. No one other than those in the Armed forces and the police should be allowed to keep weapons. Weapons needed for legal purposes such as sports competition must be stored, at a cost to the individual, at the nearest police station. A relentless hunt for unlicensed weapons and their owners should begin immediately.

The police itself should not be armed, unless for special operations (e.g.; terrorist hostage situation) and then only if approved by the Interior (equivalent) Ministry. The army could intervene only if the Police request it with the approval of the Interior Ministry.Any armed escorts or body guards, should be from the police and only for VVIPs. Lesser folk should manage with unarmed police escort, in special circumstances only, if recommended by the police and with prior approval of the Ministry. After all, politicians often boast they are willing to sacrifice their lives so there should be no obstacle to prevent them from proving their noble intentions. This will save a lot of our lives on the roads as they speed through like the clappers of hell SL must prevent any more police shootings in ‗self defence‘ when ‗taking‘ suspects to ‗weapon caches and hidden loot‘. That and the way the judiciary looks askance when it happens makes a mockery of the existence of any idea of the rule of law.Health. It is heartening to note that the new government will make available all the drugs and medicines needed for patients in

Government hospitals. Injections and drugs for children‘s illnesses and for pregnant mothers must be given priority. Injections for those bitten by animals-dogs, cats and rats (at least 75 people seek attention every day at the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital) must also be made available. Mosquito nets could also be given free to the poor.Parliamentary meals. A ‗healthy nation‘ is the best motto for the government to follow. It must start in Parliament where very expensive and huge meals are given free. It is most disgusting to see that most MPs are grotesquely obese in a country where malnutrition is common among many children. These little hippos are indescribably ugly and evil looking too.

As they believe only they can save the nation and so qualify for most things free, an expert dietician should prescribe their meals-which should then be given free if they insisted upon it, to make or keep them healthy. Anything else, (basmati rice, mutton, chicken, seer fish, prawns etc and desserts must be paid for at the market rate. This will help protect the MPs health, especially those who said they are willing to sacrifice their lives for SL but never at the time of the country‘s greatest need joined the Army.

Sewerage. The most important requirement for the nation‘s health is the need for modern sewerage systems in the towns and villages. Outside of Colombo, the Galle road sea side part of Dehiwala and parts of Ratmalana, there are no proper town, city and village sewerage systems.

As a result sewerage tank over flows go not so surreptitiously into the road side drains. This is an utter and absolute well known disgrace and a looming danger that has been shamelessly ignored -even when SL was the miracle of Asia. Open drains, seen all over in towns and villages alike, must also be covered.Laboratory tests. Laboratory testing should be done in the government hospitals itself. Curiously it is the government hospital laboratory staff in any case that do the testing (even when the hospital staff are on strike) at private hospitals for patients in government hospitals for a big fee.

Maybe giving these Lab technicians better pay could help.Schools. The education budget has thankfully been increased. How soon will the schools infra structure include sufficient rest rooms (lavatories) for the student and staff together with running water? Let all students who find it difficult to afford a good meal be given a good quality, free lunch also. Private tuition should be curtailed and soon prevented. Weak students should be coached in school by the very teacher who judges them weak.Public Transport-Air Conditioned. Now that the price of petrol has come down drastically, it is time that public transport be air conditioned as running costs will be at an all time low.

All senior government servants and their masters in Parliament and various Councils, travel free in comfortable, luxury air conditioned comfort. They do not pay a cent for it. The public that travels in the sweltering heat or wet of the monsoon pay the government for their rides. The cost

of travel keeps on increasing but not the comfort of the passengers. Now that Sri Lankans are the wonder of Asia if not democracies (by the way SL changes rulers at elections) the people in this 21st century, must be rewarded with air conditioned public transport, both road and rail, whatever happens to the price of oil.Temple Trees. Since the Prime Minister is not going to occupy Temple Trees but only use it as an office, maybe he could, as a gesture to those who have borne the burden of war, convert it to a home for seriously disabled servicemen.

Some other 100 days.

USA. The best known 100 days action plan was that of Franklyn D Roosevelt who took over as American President during the time of USA‘s Great Depression of the 1930s when America faced its biggest challenge including bankruptcy. It was called the first 100 days. He pushed through 15 Bills in Congress in that period and brought quick relief to the millions who were homeless, hungry and jobless.

It was no surprise that he turned out to be possibly the most loved President of the USA. However the Republicans vilified him in the crudest possible way. He closed banks on 5 Mar 1933, sent teams to inspect them and on 9 Mar, 5,000 banks opened. He had 4 priorities: protect the people‘s savings, get people back to work and create prosperity, provide relief for sick and elderly and get industry and agriculture back on their feet. He spoke to the people on radio every Sunday (when most would be at home) to explain everything he was trying to do. It was believed that at least 60 million people out of a population at that time of 200 million listened in.

France. Napoleon returned from exile in Elba on 10 March 1815 and marched on Paris on 20 March with 1,500 soldiers. King Louis XVIII bolted. Napoleon then engaged the combined armies of Prussia, Britain and Russia and after a series of battles was finally defeated at Waterloo (18-22 June).He then abdicated. Louis XVIII was restored on 8 July ending the 100 days since he bugged out. On 15 July 1815 Napoleon boarded RNS Rochefort for final exile at St Helena.

Please note it will soon be 200 years since this momentous episode in history happened.Rwanda.

The worst 100 days was in Rwanda when about 800,000 people, 20% of the population, were slaughtered between 7 April and 4 July 1994.

Asian Tribune –

Poo and paws help in tiger count

By Mark KinverScience and environment reporter, BBC News While paw prints can identify individuals, scientists say the method is unreliable for assessing numbers

A system that uses paw prints and faeces offers scientists a fresh way to determine how many tigers are left in the wild, a study has suggested.Scientists hope the new technique will provide a low-cost and reliable way to accurately assess big cat numbers.Fewer than 3,500 tigers remain in the wild, with more than half found in India where the population is spread over more than 100,000 sq km of forest.The findings appear in the Journal of Applied Ecology."Tigers are cryptic, nocturnal and occur at low densities so they are extremely difficult to monitor," said lead author Yadvendradev Jhala from the Wildlife Institute of India.

"Unless we know how many tigers are left in the wild, and whether their numbers are increasing or decreasing, we will not be able to conserve them," he added.Current monitoring methods include using camera traps or looking for paw prints."In the absence of abundance information, conservation management decisions are often based on crude estimates, expert opinion or educated guesses - which may result in erroneous decisions that can be counterproductive," the India-based team observed.While paw prints, otherwise known as pugmarks, allow individual tigers to be identified, scientists say they are not a reliable way to estimate a region's overall population.Camera traps offer a much more accurate assessment of an area's tiger density, but the technique is expensive and labour intensive, resulting in its deployment being limited to places that have a relatively high number of the big cats.

'Basmati rice' "By showing that it is possible to accurately estimate tiger numbers from their paw prints and faeces, we have opened up a new way of cost-effectively keeping our finger on the pulse of the tiger population and gauging the success of conservation programmes," explained Dr Jhala.

Fresh tiger faeces are normally accompanied by urine sprays that smell like well-cooked basmati rice�

Dr Yadvendradev JhalaWildlife Intitute of India "This approach could be applied to monitoring other endangered species across vast landscapes," he added.Between 2006 and 2007, Dr Jhala and his team gathered samples from 18 tiger populations at 21 locations across central and northern India, recording the occurrence of pugmarks and faeces."Tiger faeces are the size of large beetroots and have a characteristic pungent, musky odour," he explained."Fresh tiger faeces are normally accompanied by urine sprays that smell like well-cooked basmati rice.

"Tigers are solitary animals, and use the spray to mark their territory - hence the presence of scat offered an insight into the species density in the area.When the team compared its findings with data from camera traps, the group found the new system provided similar results but for just 7%

of the cost.Writing in the British Ecology Society journal, the team concluded: "The approach and models... permit rapid and cost-effective assessments of abundance to monitor the status of tigers at landscape scales."This information is vital for conservation investment, habitat management, planning development projects, formulation of policy and for law enforcement."

BBC News

Credit Suisse Sues REI Agro in Singapore Over Alleged Fraud Andrea TanJan 20, 2015 1:44 am ET (Updates share price in eighth paragraph.)

REI Agro founders Sandip and Sanjay Jhunjhunwala used a web of sham rice-trading companies in Singapore and Hong Kong to support a 2012 $115.5 million loan agreement by REI Agro‘s Dubai-based Ammalay Commoditiess JLT, according to a lawsuit in the Singapore High Court.Credit Suisse, leading a group of lenders who are seeking at least $80 million in damages, said in the October suit that the loan agreement was breached when Ammalay failed to provide audited accounts and defaulted on a $20 million payment.

Sanjay Jhunjhunwala said in November court filings that trades by his two companies being sued were genuine and denied involvement in any fraud. The next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 26.New Delhi-based REI Agro, which guaranteed the loan, and Ammalay haven‘t filed their defenses and didn‘t respond to e- mails seeking comment. Eugene Thuraisingam and Muralli Rajaram, lawyers for eight other companies being sued, declined to comment, as did Credit Suisse.

The lenders have an ―overly suspicious approach‖ and misunderstood the trades, Sanjay, who was succeeded as REI Agro chairman last year by his younger brother Sandip, said in his court filing.The Jhunjhunwalas are Marawari Indians who are known to be risk takers and sometimes adopt unconventional business practices, he said.REI Agro has the equivalent of $318 million of debt due by the end of 2017, of which 80 percent comprises loans, data complied by Bloomberg shows. Both Fitch and Standard & Poor‘s withdrew their ratings on REI Agro‘s debt last year.REI Agro fell 3.7 percent to 1.30 rupees as of 12:13 p.m. in Mumbai. The stock has slumped 82 percent in the past 12 months.The case is Credit Suisse AG, Singapore branch v Ammalay Commoditiess JLT, S840/2014. Singapore High Court.

The Washington Post

Butte County rice growers do it again, topping charts on production Heather Hacking-Enterprise-Record A rice field along the Midway, July 26.

Rice fields near Gridley Aug. 20.Heather Hacking-Enterprise-Record

By Heather Hacking, Chico Enterprise-Record POSTED: 01/17/15, 7:45 PM PST | UPDATED: 29 SECS AGO If you‘re rooting for your home team in the race for agricultural production, it‘s easy to be a fair weather fan of Butte County Rice.

In Butte County, rice growers can consistently chant ―We‘re No. 1.‖ In 2013, the average Butte County rice grower produced 8,830 sacs per acre, with each bag at 100 pounds. The next highest average produce was neighboring Glenn County with 8,680 sacs to the acre.The numbers have been similar for the past dozen years, with a few anomalies that can‘t be blamed on anyone who grows rice in the county.Every hot spot has a hottest spot, and rice farm adviser Cass Mutters said many factors come together in Butte County.

The University of California Cooperative Extension adviser said Butte County is slightly warmer than just an hour‘s drive south and has ―nice, uniform soils.‖Adobe soil holds water. In fact, for the past 100 years these same soils have proved difficult for growing anything else.

Rice farms sit side-by side, which also makes it easier for growers to move from one place to another without machinery from other crops hogging the roads.He said it might also make a difference that families have farmed the land for generations, which means a higher percentage of farmers own the land and have been making continuous improvements to infrastructure.Carl Hoff, president of the Butte County Rice Growers Association, noted that farmers near Richvale were among the first to laser-level their field and ―routinely touch them up,‖ to make sure the fields are efficient for irrigation.

Then again, Butte County growers also have excellent water rights and water delivery infrastructure. Fields can be flooded quickly, Hoff noted.The Richvale area seems to be an especially fertilie area for rice. When people hear the Butte County Rice Growers Association average yield they figure the state average will be 4-5 sacs lower per acre.This year, a few Butte County Rice Growers Association members had record yields, some topping 100 bags an acre, which is worth bragging about.

The average announced at a recent BUCRA annual meeting was 96.7 100-pound bags per acre.Perhaps some of the story is because the Rice Experiment station is located in Biggs.When higher-yielding varieties are developed and tested, they‘re tested in the heart of Butte

County.Whatever the factors, they simply add up. The yield per acre has gone up consistently over the past decades, from an average of under 7,000 100-pound sacs in 1998, statistic show, http://goo.gl/K8dIjB The state average over the past few years has been about 87 sacs per acre, said rice marketer Mark Kimmelshue, at ARMCO. Part of Butte County‘s prowess may be due to a greater percentage of medium-grain, CalRose rice being grown locally. The varieties grown here tend to have higher yield, he said.

All of this said, that doesn‘t mean it will be a bonanza year for rice.

RICE CROP DOWN OVERALL Many growers grew nothing at all.Farm adviser Mutters pointed out that the drought resulted in about 20 percent fewer acres planted in rice, which is 100,000 acres fewer than 2013, for a total of 425,000 acres statewide.However, on land that was planted yields per acre this year may be extremely high because farmers chose their best fields when water was limited.Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District, for example, received only 75 percent of its surface water allocation, Mutters said.The Rice Experiment Station noted that this year was especially good for those who were able to grow rice because there was a long growing season, which allows more starch to slowly fill the rice kernels.

LOCAL PRIDE With all the factors people threw into the equation, rice farmer Stacy Gore summed it up fairly simply.―It‘s not terribly hot. It‘s not terribly cold.‖It‘s the ―Goldilocks land for growing rice.‖Clearly, it‘s because Butte County growers are the best, he said, only partly joking.―You can‘t help but feel prideful about where you are,‖ and what growers are able to do, Gore said. He said its similar to rooting for your home team.

Contact reporter Heather Hacking at 896-7758. http://www.chicoer.com/general-news/20150117/butte-county-rice-growers-do-it-again-toppingcharts-on-production

Rice Farmers set state meeting William Johnson, Louisiana3:57 p.m. CST January 19, 2015

(Photo: Submitted photo) 1CONNECT 1TWEETLINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE

The Louisiana Rice Council and the Louisiana Rice Growers Association, Louisiana's two largest grower organizations, have scheduled their annual joint membership meeting for Feb. 10 in Jennings.Rice is an important agricultural product in St. Landry Parish, second only to soybeans, and Parish‘s County Agent Vince Deshotel urges local rice producers to attend. ―Prices on rice have fallen. They are lower than they have been in recent years. Any marketing information our rice producers can get is important,‖ Deshotel said.This year‘s meeting will be held at a new location, the Grande Marais Center, and will open with a trade show and reception at 4 p.m. followed by the program at 5:45. Dinner will be served.―This meeting provides an annual report to rice farmers on programs funded by the Louisiana rice promotion check-off as well as timely information on other important issues,‖ said Eric Unkel, a rice farmer from Allen Parish and LARC president. ―I encourage all rice industry stakeholders to attend.‖The featured speaker will be Kevin Norton, state conservationist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, who will discuss conservation opportunities for rice farmers through Farm Bill programs. USA Rice Federation staff will report on the Federation‘s activities and promotional achievements. Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain will address issues of concern to the Louisiana rice industry.―This is the largest gathering of rice farmers in the state each year,‖ said Jeffery Sylvester, an Evangeline Parish rice farmer and LARGA president. ―It‘s what makes this event the perfect place to display rice-related equipment, technology, products and services and show support for the Louisiana rice industry. ‖USA Rice also will participate in the Central Louisiana Rice Growers Association Annual Membership meeting that begins at 11 a.m. Feb. 11 at the Dean Lee Experiment station in Alexandria and the Northeast Louisiana Rice Growers Association Rice Forum that begins at 9 a.m. Feb. 12 at the Delhi Civic Center in Delhi.For information on the meetings, including sponsorship and exhibit opportunities, contact Randy Jemison at 337-738-7009.

WANT TO GO? Rice Producers Meeting 4 p.m. Feb. 10 Grande Marais Center 919 N. Lake Arthur Ave., Jennings Call 337-738-7009 for more information http://www.dailyworld.com/story/news/local/2015/01/19/rice-farmers-set-state-meeting/22016995/

Thai rice exports to dominate Shipments pegged at 10-11 million tonnes Published: 20 Jan 2015 at 06.00 Newspaper section: Business

Thailand is expected to return to dominate global rice exports, with shipments estimated at 10-11 million tonnes this year. In a statement Monday, the Commerce Ministry said Thailand exported 10.8 million tonnes of rice last year, a rise of 63.6% from 2013.Export value rose by 22% to US$5.37 billion from $4.42 billion in 2013.Commerce Minister Chatchai Sarikulya attributed the surge mainly to the joint effort by the private and public sectors to rev up selling annual produce and the government's rice stocks.The Commerce Ministry forecasts global rice production will fall slightly by 0.3% this year to 475 million tonnes due to lower production anticipated in India, Japan, Pakistan, Egypt, Sri Lanka and Nigeria.The world's rice consumption, meanwhile, is estimated at 483 million tonnes, about 7.7 million tonnes higher than global output.

The global rice trade is expected to hit 41.9 million tonnes this year, up slightly from 41.88 million tonnes last year.Strong import demand is anticipated, particularly for China (4 million tonnes), Nigeria (3.5 million tonnes), Iran and the Philippines (1.7 million tonnes each).Gen Chatchai said the government was committed to working closely with the private sector to both expand the market and retain market share with rice importers worldwide.The government will also place equal focus on potential buyers in each region including Asia, Africa, the Middle East, the EU and the US.The Office of Agriculture and Economics (OAE) estimates Thailand's rice production from the main crop of 2014-15 at 27.1 million tonnes, a slight increase of 0.06% from the previous season.

Overall, rice planting in the season was on the decline following the state's policy to discourage farmers from growing several crops a year for fear of water shortages, especially in irrigated areas.The falling rice price was another factor that turned farmers to other crops, OAE secretarygeneral Lersak Riewtrakulpaibul said.Farmers earned an average 7,862 and 7,878 baht a tonne of paddy in November and December, respectively, when a large volume of paddy entered the market.

The figures were lower than the 8,130 baht farmers received from selling paddy last year. The OAE reported that since the start of the season last October, 25.5 million tonnes of paddy were harvested, accounting for 94% of total production.Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said the global rice market would be challenging this year, as higher supplies were anticipated from other rice-producing nations, particularly Vietnam and India.Higher supplies and exports from small rice-producing countries such as Myanmar and Cambodia are also likely, he said.

Despite a sharp drop, the price of Thai rice remains relatively high, notably against grains from Vietnam."We expect the country to ship at best 10 million tonnes this year," Mr Chookiat said.The Office of Agriculture and Economics estimates Thailand's rice production from the main crop of the 2014-15 season at 27.1 million tonnes, a slight increase of 0.06% from last year.

(Photo by Kitja Apichonrojarek)

Bangkok Post

NACC targets Boonsong, others in rice deals Published: 20 Jan 2015 at 18.42 Online news: Politics Writer: Online Reporters The National Anti-Corruption Commission has passed a resolution to take legal action against former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom, his ex-deputy Poom Sarapol and 19 others for graft in government-to-government rice sales which might have incurred a loss of over 600 billion baht, NACC member Vicha Mahakhun said at a press conference on Tuesday. Former commerce minister

Boonsong Teriyapirom and 20 other officials would be charged with collusion to benefit companies on the rice-pledging scheme. (Photo by Pattanapong Hirunard) The NACC's action came two days before former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra delivers a closing defence statement to the National Legislative Assembly in the rice-pledging scheme on Thursday and three days before the NLA votes on an impeachment motion against her the next day. Mr Vicha, who leads an NACC subcommittee investigating the G-to-G rice deals, said the decision was reached at Tuesday's meeting of the anti-graft agency.He said more than 100 rice trading companies involved would be investigated in order to complete the investigation report before the case is filed with the Office of the Attorney General.Mr Boonsong, Mr Poom and 19 others, including high-level Commerce Ministry officials and businessmen, would be charged with collaborating to allow companies not authorised by China to enter into G-to-G deals, causing severe damage to the country and the monetary system, he said.

Mr Vicha said the NACC also made a resolution for the Finance Ministry and the Commerce Ministry's International Trade Department to demand compensation from the companies accused of involvement for the damages which might amount to more than 600 billion baht.Asked whether the NACC's decision was intentional as the NLA is scheduled to vote on an impeachment motion against former prime minister Yingluck Shinwatra over the rice-pledging scheme on Friday, Mr Vicha said this was a coincident.He said the NACC was investigating this matter long before the NLA scheduled the impeachment vote. Every step had been carried out in normal proceedings, he added.

Mr Boonsong, meanwhile, said he had learned of the NACC's decision."Although the the NACC has decided to take action against me, the legal proceedings have not ended. The NACC still has to forward the case to the Office of the Attorney General for consideration. It is still not known whether the OAG will go ahead with the indictment."Even if the OAG decides to indict me in court, I believe the court will give me justice because I did not do anything wrong as accused," Mr Boonsong said.Mr Boonsong said the NACC, in deciding against him today, was likely to have a hidden agenda."The decision against me was made only two days before Ms Yingluck was to deliver her closing defence statement to the NLA. I'm only a political bait. They hope my case will add weight to Ms Yingluck's impeachment. In fact, these are two separate cases," Mr Boonsong said.

Rice prices drop by P1

By Reuel John F. Lumawag Tuesday, January 20, 2015

THE National Food Authority (NFA)-Davao City said reported P1 decrease in the price of regular and well-milled rice brought by the end of the final cropping season last year.Based on the agency's monitoring, the retail price of regular milled rice is from P31 to P35 per kilograms (kg) with a prevailing price of P34/kg as of yesterday as compared to P32 to P35/kg last

month.Well-milled rice is at P34 to P38/kg with a prevailing price of P37/kg as compared to P35 to P39/kg last month.

However, in earlier interviews last December 2014, NFA-Davao City also reported that regular milled rice ranged from P31 to P39 per kilograms (kg) with a prevailing price of P35/kg while well-milled rice was at P35 to P42/kg with a prevailing price of P38.50/kg.NFA-Davao City provincial manager Virgilio B. Alerta, in a phone interview with Sun.Star Davao yesterday, said the decrease in the price of rice was due to an increase in the supply and availability of rice brought by the harvest during the final cropping season of 2014.He said the rice in the city is being sourced from Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, and Compostela Valley.

Alerta also said surplus coming from the rice producing provinces of North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat are also being sold to the city thus lowering the prices of rice.He said consumers can expect a stable and low price of rice up until March, the end of the summer cropping.Beginning April until July, consumers can expect an increase in the prices of rice since it will be the months wherein there will be little to no harvest of rice.Alerta said the prices are expected to stabilize and go down beginning August or September, which are the beginning of the final cropping season.

Commerce Minister visits Hong Kong for cooperation Tuesday, 20 January 2015By NNT HONG KONG, 18 January 2015 – The Thai Minster of Commerce is on a business trip visiting Hong Kong to enhance the trade cooperation and push forward the ASEAN - Hong Kong FTA framework to be completed by 2016.The Minster of Commerce Gen. Chatchai Sarikulya has revealed his official meeting with the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of Hong Kong Gregory So, that he is satisfied with the meeting‘s outcome.

He has said that both sides have agreed to extend the trade cooperation and exchanged beneficial comments for trade developments in the future, especially for the ASEAN - Hong Kong Free Trade Area (FTA) agreement, which Thailand is appointed as the coordinating country to push the FTA framework forward towards the targeted time in the year 2016.The ASEAN - Hong Kong FTA will benefit ASEAN countries in the inclusion of utilizing the trade gateway of Hong Kong to mainland China free of tax, while Hong Kong can extend its trade and investment to the ASEAN market that houses 600 million residents.

The Thai Minister has said that the Ministry of Commerce has settled the strategies and plans to extend the Thai rice exports to the Hong Kong market through various strains of rice to comply with the individual demands in Hong Kong.For example, the Hom Mali Rice is aimed for the domestic consumption market through modern trade, and the Hom Patum Rice is aimed for restaurants and hotels market, while the organic rice will be introduced to the younger generations.In this occasion, the Minster of Commerce has given the Best Friend of Thai Rice Award to the seven Hong Kong rice importers that have imported Thai rice in the past ten years.He has also stressed that the Thai government is aware of the Hong Kong market's

importance to Thai rice, and will control the quality of rice exports to be high in accordance with demand of consumers in Hong Kong. http://www.pattayamail.com/business/commerce-minister-visits-hong-kong-for-cooperation44422#sthash.9Wt8hJMb.dpuf

Thai anti-graft body charges ex-commerce minister over rice deal BANGKOK Tue Jan 20, 2015 7:17am EST (Reuters) - A former commerce minister and 20 state officials and employees of private firms will be charged for alleged graft related to rice export deals with two Chinese firms, Thailand's anti-corruption commission said on Tuesday.Boonsong Teriyapirom, a former commerce minister, and his deputy in the government of ousted Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, are accused of falsifying government-to-government rice deals between Thailand and China in 2013.

The Thai government said at the time it had sold 1.2 million tonnes of rice from its stockpiles to China to reduce stocks."The accused colluded to violate criminal law. The deal never happened. There was no government-to-government deal," said Wicha Mahakun, a member of Thailand's National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC)."The NACC has resolved to charge former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom and Poom Sarapol, former deputy commerce minister, a total of 21 ministers and private sector employees," Wicha said.

The decision comes as Thailand's legislature prepares to vote this week in a case against Yingluck over her role in a rice buying scheme that lost the state $15 billion, according to the latest finance ministry estimates.Yingluck faces a separate criminal case over the scheme. Public prosecutors and the NACC said on Tuesday they would forward the case against her to the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office Holders for deliberation.

NACC member Wicha said the government-to-government deal announced by Boonsong and Pool had caused "huge losses" and that this case would also be forwarded to the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office Holders.The NACC said the rice was sold locally and not exported, as claimed by the then-government. It said it was sold to China-based Guandong Stationery & Sporting Goods Imp. & Exp. Corp. and Hainan Grain and Oil Industrial Trading Company, who in turn sold it back to Thailand's Siam Indica, a rice trading company.None of the companies could immediately be reached for comment.The two Chinese firms were in no way acting on behalf of the Chinese government, the NACC said in its statement.

Wicha did not give any indication of the price of the rice deals, nor how much money was lost, but said the NACC would ask the commerce ministry to investigate the alleged losses.Yingluck's government built up huge stockpiles under the rice buying scheme, in which it bought the grain from farmers at prices way above the market level, making exports uncompetitive.Opponents of the scheme, which ended in February 2014, say it was riddled with corruption and led to smuggling of rice from neighboring countries to take advantage of the prices on offer.(Reporting

by Aukkarapon Niyomyat and Panarat Thepgumpanat; writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; editing

by David Clarke) http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/20/us-thailand-rice-corruption-idUSKBN0KT19120150120

Prices of vegetables and rice dip K.LAKSHMI AND

As the chilly winter is on, it‘s not just temperature alone that has dipped. The prices of vegetables and rice have also seen a considerable drop, much to the relief of consumers.The Koyambedu wholesale market has been witnessing 10 per cent hike in sales as winter crops arrive.Traders say the prices of most vegetables have come down by 10 per cent as the market gets more produce.S. Chandran, a wholesale merchant, said several vegetables like broad beans, carrots and beans have become affordable compared to last month. Green peas, a seasonal vegetable, is priced at Rs.40 a kg in wholesale market.

However, retail prices vary according to the area as vendors also include transportation and labour charges.P. Selvakumar, a retailer in Adyar, said: ―Only drumsticks are sold for Rs.200 a kg. If a customer spent Rs.300 to purchase few vegetables last month, the bill has reduced to Rs.200 now.‖An increase in arrivals due to the harvest season is also the reason for a fall in prices of rice.

According to D. Thulasingam, president of Federation of Tamil Nadu Rice Mill Owners and Paddy – Rice Dealers Association, both wholesale and retail prices have come down and these prices are likely to stay till April.D. Mohan of Saravana Rice Mandy, Adyar depot, said many customers prefer par boiled rice ( venn puzhungal arisi ) that does not become sticky.―Unusually, this year the prices started reducing 15 days ago. Many hoteliers buy Sona Massuri rice from Karnataka. A 25-kg bag used to cost Rs.1050. Now it is Rs. 875,‖ he explained http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/prices-of-vegetables-and-rice-dip/article6803687.ece