22nd april 2015 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Rice E-Newsletter April 22 , 2015 V o l u m e 5, Issue I

Japan supports Ghana with $2.5M agricultural machinery The Embassy of Japan has handed over agricultural machinery under Japan’s Grant Assistance for underprivileged farmers in the country.A statement issued by the embassy and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday, said the total Grant which is ?330,000,000 is approximately 9.7 million Ghana Cedis (about $2.5 million).“The machinery comprises 77 agricultural tractors with matching implements, 49 power tillers, 20 rice threshers, 11 rice reapers an d six rice mills, which would be distributed to farmers on hire purchase,� it said.The statement said the Deputy Chief of Missions at the Japanese Embassy reiterated Japan's commitment to help overcome its over-dependence on rice importation.The grant assistance, which started in www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine 1981, is to contribute to the Ghanaian government efforts to mechanise agriculture and ensure food security, particularly rice production.Australian rice growers on track to harvest 700,000tonne crop

Australia's rice growers are more than halfway through the 2015 harvest.

ABC Rural

By Laurissa Smith PHOTO: Peter

andall's organic long grain rice harvested on his Riverina farm this month (Laurissa Smith) MAP: Murrami 2705

Headers have just returned to paddocks after widespread rain in southern New South Wales over the weekend. 00:00 00:00

AUDIO: Peter Randall speaks about the 2015 rice harvest on his Riverina farm (ABC Rural)

Peter Randall, who grows and mills his own organic rice at Murrami, halfway between Leeton and Griffith, is pretty happy with the crop so far."We have four varieties in this year, for us, three long grains and a short grain," he said."We're just in the middle of harvesting at the minute, but I think the season generally was really good."The start was favourable.

It wasn't too cold and it didn't really get a setback at all, lots of sunshine and warm weather.

"Mr Randall is hoping to invest in a new mill for his shed and recently visited Vietnam to look at their designs."We're finding we need more rice to supply our buyers and we're catering for manufacturers, wholesalers, online and farmers' markets," he said."The thing that is worrying me at the moment is heading into maybe this El Nino and water allocation for next season, I'm in two minds whether to invest a lot of capital at this minute."Rice processor SunRice said growers were still on track to produce 700,000 tonnes of rice this season.

Warehouse sealed in China after rice quality questioned

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Wang XiaodongChina Daily/Asia News NetworkWednesday, Apr 22, 2015

Grain authorities have sealed 25,000 metric tons of rice at a warehouse in Liaoning province after it was reported to have bought old rice that it then sold to rice merchants as fresh rice.

Investigators have collected rice samples from the Qingyunbao Central Grain Warehouse in Tieling city and sent them for testing, China News Service reported on Tuesday.Grain authorities in China are inspecting State grain warehouses this year to root out any irregularities, according to a statement issued by State Administration of Grain on Tuesday.According to a report by China Central Television last week, Zhao Lijun, manager of a grain processing company in Shenyang, Liaoning province, bought 23,800 metric tons of rice from Qingyunbao Central Grain Warehouse last year through an auction.

However, when the supposed fresh rice was delivered it smelled mouldy and its colour had changed.Zhao sent one of her employees to the warehouse to take rice samples for testing, but managers of the warehouse refused to provide any samples, according to the report.Buying old grain and selling it as new is very common at state warehouses, Zhao told CCTV.The Chinese government guarantees a minimum price for agricultural products purchase by state owned storages to protect farmers.Grain reserves are dominated by the State-owned China Grain Reserves Co, which last year had 346 central grain warehouses across China. Each warehouse

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine should rotate out its old storage with new grain purchased from farmers, according to regulations.

The company purchased 125 million tons of grain last year, accounting for about 20 per cent of China's grain output, according to China News Service.China's grain purchase and reserve system needs to be reformed to avoid similar corruption in the business, according to Ma Wenfeng, an agricultural products analyst at CnAgri, a Beijing-based agricultural consultancy firm.Grain prices in China were lower than the international standards more than 10 years ago and it was necessary to purchase large quantities of grain every year to protect farmers, he said.But prices have been increasing in recent years, and it has been suggested that reserves be reduced to let the market play a bigger role, he said.v http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/warehouse-sealed-china-after-rice-quality-questioned#sthash.OQTidg8Z.dpuf

S.Korea buys 72,000 T rice for Aug-Sept Wed Apr 22, 2015 1:36am GMT

SEOUL, April 22 (Reuters) - South Korea's Agro-Fisheries & Food bought a total of 72,000 tonnes of non-glutinous brown rice for arrival between August and September via tenders that closed on Tuesday, according to the agency's website (www.at.or.kr).

The agency initially sought to purchase 87,000 tonnes via 9 tenders, but it will open the bids for the remaining two tenders after sample tests are complete, the website said.

Details of the purchase are as follows: TONNES GRAIN TYPE SUPPLIER ORIGIN PRICE/T 20,000 Brown Short Daewoo Int'l Corp China $893.50 10,000 Brown Short Singsong Food Corp China $890.00 10,000 Brown Short Singsong Food Corp China $890.00 5,000 Brown Medium Singsong Food Corp U.S. $826.98 15,000 Brown Medium Seomok Trading Corp U.S. $873.34 7,000 Brown Medium Singsong Food Corp U.S. $825.47 5,000 Brown Medium Singsong Food Corp U.S. $821.95 * Note: Shipments will arrive at South Korean ports including Incheon, Gwangyang, Busan and Gunsan.

(Reporting by Brian Kim; Editing by Biju Dwarakanath)

Rice describe impact of water cutbacks 3Share onfarmers emailShare on print Issue Date: April 22, 2015

By Ching Lee

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine California rice farmers say deeper water cutbacks this year will not only force many of them to fallow more ground, but there will be less water available to transfer to other farmers and areas facing shortages.Helped by storms in December and February, water supplies in the Sacramento Valley are in better shape than other parts of the state, said David Guy, president of the Northern California Water Association. But every part of the region will still see water reductions this year, he added, ranging from 25 percent to 100 percent."Everyone is going to suffer in some fashion," Guy said.As rice planting begins in the Sacramento Valley, farmers with senior water rights along the Sacramento River received final word that they will have 75 percent of their supply for the second year in a row.

Those who divert from the Feather River will have their water cut by 50 percent. Farmers on the east side of the valley will face cuts from 30 percent to 60 percent, while those who buy water from the federal Central Valley Project will get no water for a second straight year.At a media briefing late last week to discuss impacts of the four-year drought on rice growers, the California Rice Commission said it expects more land will be idled this year, but exactly how much won't be known until later this spring. Growers planted 23 percent less rice acreage in 2014 than in 2013, according to the commission.Similar to last year, Colusa County farmer Don Bransford said he will need to fallow more rice ground in order to generate enough revenue to buy water on the open market to take care of his prunes and almonds, which are in the Colusa County Water District that will not be getting any water.

He grows rice in the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District that's being cut 25 percent.What will help, he said, is that he now has one well and is drilling a second to supply his orchards. He has not had to lay off any employees, but he noted he will hire fewer seasonal employees for his rice operation.Sutter County rice farmer Nicole Van Vleck said her overall water supply is being cut 55 percent. With zero water from the Sutter Bypass, 50 percent from the Feather River and 75 percent from the Sacramento River, Van Vleck said she will need to rely more on groundwater to plant about what she planted last year.She noted junior water-right holders in the Sutter Bypass will have their supplies cut off starting May 1.

Even if farmers are able to plant their fields before then, there would be no water for the remainder of the season to keep the crop alive, she said, and very few people in that region have access to groundwater, the quality of which is very salty.Van Vleck said although she was able to sell some water last year in the Garden Highway Mutual Water Co., that option is off the table this year because of the cuts to Feather River settlement contractors.Some water districts, particularly those that are small, have no-fallowing policies because of the economic impact to jobs and ancillary businesses in the region when rice ground is idled, Van Vleck explained.

She noted some of the water sales last year were allowed to occur because they were groundwater-substitution transfers, meaning farmers used groundwater on their crop in order to sell a portion of their surface water. But with further water cutbacks this year, transfers of that nature will be much more difficult, she added.About 200,000 acre-feet of water from the Sacramento River will be available this year to transfer to water-short districts north and south of the delta, at a price ranging from $400 to $665 per acre-foot.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Water sales have gone down significantly since the early 1990s, when transfers were in the magnitude of about a million acre-feet compared to this year's 200,000 acre-feet, Guy said.Today, more of that water is kept in the region for farming and environmental requirements.

State regulations restrict how many contiguous acres can be fallowed, to protect habitat for the giant garter snake that lives and hunts in rice fields and adjacent ditches, according to the Rice Commission.Revenue from water sales not only offsets a farmer's loss of income from fallowing land but it also pays for programs that help salmon restoration, flood protection, water efficiency and wildlife habitat, said Lewis Bair, general manager of Reclamation District 108.

With 10 fulltime employees, Sutter County farmer Steve Butler said the prospect of selling water and fallowing ground is less appealing to him because of the impact it would have on his employees. His 75 percent water allocation will allow him to plant about 66 percent of his rice acreage, which is what he planted last year.But for other farms, water transfers could be a valuable option, Butler said, as the income from the sales could help those farms afford new equipment, pay business expenses and allow some flexibility that they normally might not have.

With supplies to Feather River settlement contractors being cut 50 percent, Bryce Lundberg, vice president of agriculture at Lundberg Family Farms, said his farm will grow as much rice as it needs to meet customer expectations and then fallow the rest.He pointed out that water used to grow rice has multiple purchases: It is first used in rivers by fish and then to grow rice. In the fall, flooded rice fields provide food and habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds and other species of wildlife. That water also recharges the aquifer, he added.When rice acreage is reduced, the 4 million to 6 million migratory birds that use those fields as a resting place during the winter become very crowded, allowing diseases to spread more easily, said Mark Biddlecomb, director of Ducks Unlimited's western region.

John Brennan, a partner of the grower-owned and -operated Robbins Rice Co., said while rice farmers managed to absorb some of the impact from the drought last year, "there's a tremendous amount of uncertainty out there in the rice world" this year, particularly for related businesses including rice mills, rice dryers and aerial applicators. He said the Sacramento Valley could see an additional 20 percent reduction in its rice acreage this year, and that has many farmers "getting ready for bad times.""There's just a lot of angst out there," he said.

(Ching Lee is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at clee@cfbf.com.)

Permission for use is granted, however, credit must be made to the California Farm Bureau Federation when reprinting this item.

Cuba Trade Discussed At U.S. Senate Hearing

BY TALK BUSINESS STAFF APRIL 21ST, 2015 STAFF@TALKBUSINESS.NET

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The chance for normalized commercial relations with Cuba are expected to create opportunities for Arkansas farmers, an official with Riceland Foods told a U.S. Senate committee Tuesday. Terry Harris, the senior vice president of marketing and risk management for the Stuttgart-based cooperative, told Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., and other members of the

Senate Agriculture Committee during a hearing on opportunities and challenges for agriculture trade with Cuba.Supporters of the idea have said that trade will open up the Caribbean nation to products and freedom, while opponents have stressed their opposition, citing the country’s human rights record and government control of the economy.Harris told the committee that Cuba is a significant market for rice.

The country imports $300 billion worth of rice annually, most of it from Vietnam.“As the largest rice producer in the country, Arkansas is in a good position to benefit from exporting this commodity to Cuba,” Boozman said. “This is a great way to expand agriculture markets and to share our ideals with the Cuban people.”The idea was echoed by Harris.“The U.S. rice industry wholeheartedly supports the opportunity to move to normal commercial relations with Cuba,” Harris told lawmakers. “Prior to the U.S. embargo on Cuba more than 50 years ago, the island was the number one export destination for U.S. rice. ”Harris participated in the first sale of U.S. rice to Cuba since the embargo was imposed after Congress passed the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000; and was in Cuba when the first shipment of U.S. rice arrived.“It was an incredible experience for me to see how excited they were with the quality of rice they had purchased for the people of Cuba. I saw what can happen when barriers are removed and people are allowed to meet and find common ground for cooperation and trade,” Harris said during his testimony.

“I’ve long supported efforts to end the embargo of U.S. agriculture exports to Cuba, relax the travel ban and loosen monetary restrictions. I intend to work with my colleagues to create changes to this outdated policy while pushing for human rights improvements and democratic change in Cuba,” Boozman said.Boozman joined a bipartisan group of senators in Jan. 2015 to introduce the Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2015 which aims to legislatively address the administration’s proposal to loosen travel restrictions to Cuba and remove restrictions on banking transactions incidental to travel.

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CAMBODIA PRESS-Cambodia to bid for Iraqi rice tender Phnom Penh Post

By REUTERS PUBLISHED: 03:31 GMT, 22 April 2015 | UPDATED: 03:31 GMT, 22 April 2015 Cambodia is expected to participate in an Iraqi bid for 30,000 tonnes of milled rice this month, the Phnom Penh Post reported, citing Son Saran, CEO and chairman of local exporting firm Amru Rice Cambodia.Amru, a joint venture with Korean business conglomerate Hanwha, already has a contract with a private Iraqi firm to supply 1,000 tonnes of rice a year, the report said. (http://bit.ly/1K3tQte) ---NOTE: Reuters has not verified this story and does not vouch for its accuracy. (Phnom Penh Newsroom; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)

Farmers to benefit from improved storage, use of rice straw Copyright: SciDev.Net/ Hazem Bader   

The cost of packing and transporting rice straw bales push farmers to burn it Treating the small bales with a biofertilizer can convert it into marketable feed The researcher awaits response on his feasibility study for a production line

[CAIRO] An Egyptian researcher has found a way to reduce the size of bales of rice straw, a type of agricultural waste that poses a huge environmentaland health burden on rice farmers who burn it as a means of disposal. Alaa al-Badawi, a researcher at the National Research Center for in the Department of Animal Nutrition in Egypt, successfully reduced the bales to half their size, using a farming machine that is available on the market. He also managed to convert the straw into animal feed. The said machine is a kind of chopper invented and patented by an Egyptian scientist last December which cut the rice straws in pieces not more than 2 cm tall. Al Badawi did was to compressed the chopped straw manually in a block of wood to form the new bale and treat it to make it into forage.

One bale now weighs 25 kilograms and its dimensions are 50 cm × 50 cm × 20 cm," al-Badawi tells SciDev.Net, adding that one tonne of the treated rice straw can be stored in an area of only two square metres. He explains that the small bales will turn into feed after being treated with the biofertilizer EM1 and wrapped in plastic so that it is not exposed to air or water, and then stored away from the sun for one month in the hot season and one and a half months in the cool months. Al-Badawi’s method won first www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine prize at the farming innovation contest organised last January by the division of agricultural and biologicalresearch where he works. His innovation could also benefit rice farmers in other rice-growing Asian countries who face difficulties with collecting and storing rice straw in the form of huge bales, and with the cost of transporting these for recycling. A portion of the rice straw is usually fed to farm animals but the bigger portion is often burned for easier disposal.

According to al-Badawi, Egyp t grows 1.2 million acres of rice annually that produces two to three tonnes of straw waste. Farmers must dispose of this huge amount of waste within a 70 day period, before the cold season planting period begins. Mohammed Sabri, a rice farmer from Dakahliya Governorate, says, “I am being asked to transport the rice straw myself to wherever the government wants it, with no compensation for the transportation expenses or labour wages.

”Sabri says the new feed is more appealing to animals: “The results of the study conducted on the feed [processed] using our method showed the protein content had increased to 11 per cent and the fiber [content] to 36 per cent, with an increase in the percentage of soluble sugars.”"The weight of sheep feeding on it increased by an average of 200 grams daily and the weight of larger animals increased by 1.25 kilograms," Sabri adds. But Hassan Abbas, dean of veterinary medicine at Assiut University in Egypt, notes that the problem with using rice straw as animal feed is its silica content. Silica is nothing more than filler that gives a sense of fullness and “cannot be relied upon for nutrition,” Abas says. AlBadawi has yet to receive a response from the agriculture ministry on his feasibility study on establishing a production line for the manufacture of animal feed using his method.

This article is based on the original article produced by SciDev.Net's Middle East & North Africa desk. http://www.scidev.net/asia-pacific/agriculture/news/farmers-to-benefit-from-improved-storage-use-of-ricestraw.html#sthash.WbQuUl7t.dpuf

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South Asia monsoon rains seen below average in 2015 DHAKA/NEW DELHI | BY RUMA PAUL AND RATNAJYOTI DUTTA

A rickshaw puller waits for passenger in the rain in Dhaka July 17, 2012.

REUTERS/ANDREW BIRAJ/FILES

(Reuters) - India is expected to see below-average rains this year as the emergence of an El Nino weather pattern will likely cause dry spells across South Asia, a weather

forum

said

on

Wednesday.The forecast for poor rains

ahead

of

the

June-to-

September monsoon season raised concerns of droughts in South Asia where about a quarter of the world's population, mostly poor, live."The entire region is prone to poor rains except parts of Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Myanmar," O.P. Sreejith, an Indian meteorologist, told Reuters.

"There is consensus about the potential for adverse impacts of El Nino on the region's monsoon rainfall," said Sreejith, after releasing the forecast of the South Asian Climate Outlook Forum, a group of global weather experts affiliated to the World Meteorological Organisation.El Nino, or a warming of sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific, can prompt dry spells in Southeast Asia and Australia and heavy rains in South America, curbing food crop output."There is a 70 percent chance of El Nino to continue during the monsoon season," said D.S. Pai, the lead forecaster of the Indian weather office in New Delhi.India's monsoon was last hit by an El Nino in 2009 when the rainy season turned out to be the driest in about four decades.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine This year, rains in India are expected to be 93 percent of a long-term average, Earth Science Minister Harsh Vardhan said, after releasing the India Meteorological Department's forecast.India's weather office defines average rainfall as 96-104 percent of a 50-year average of 89 cm for the four-month season.If the El Nino gains strength, it would result in droughts during the monsoon season and hit output of crops such as rice, sugar and cotton in India, which is one of the world's leading producers of these farm commodities.Global weather models show El Nino has already been established in the Pacific Ocean, but there is still uncertainty about its intensity, Sreejith said.

The monsoons are vital for India as its farm sector accounts for 14 percent of the $2 trillion economy, and half of its farm land lacks irrigation. Weak rains have cut farm output in the past, stoking food price inflation in the world's second most populous nation.Poor rains this year could hurt Prime Minister Narendra Modi's drive to boost growth in Asia's No.3 economy and dent efforts to bail out farmers who are struggling after damage to winter crops from unseasonal rains and hailstorms.

(Additional reporting by Mayank Bhardwaj, Writing by Ratnajyoti Dutta in NEW DELHI; Editing by Himani Sarkar)

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Apr 23 Nagpur, Apr 23 (Reuters) - Gram and tuar prices firmed up again in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) here on good demand from local millers amid tight supply from producing belts. Notable rise in gram on NCDEX, weak overseas tuar arrival and healthy rise in Madhya Pradesh pulses also boosted prices here, according to sources. *

*

*

*

FOODGRAINS & PULSES GRAM * Gram Kabuli reported strong in open market on good demand from local traders amid thin supply from producing regions.

TUAR * Tuar gavarani showed upward tendency in open market here on increased buying support from local traders.

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* Rice HMT recovered strongly in open market on good marriage season demand from local traders amid tight supply from producing belts like Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. * In Akola, Tuar - 6,300-6,400, Tuar dal - 9,000-9,200, Udid at 7,700-7,900, Udid Mogar (clean) - 9,200-9,500, Moong - 8,800-8,900, Moong Mogar (clean) 10,600-10,900, Gram - 3,900-4,000, Gram Super best bold - 4,700-4,900 for 100 kg. * Wheat, other varieties of rice and other commodities remained steady in open market in weak trading activity, according to sources.

Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close Gram Auction 3,300-3,930 3,200-3,870 Gram Pink Auction n.a.

2,100-2,600 Tuar Auction 5,400-6,680 5,300-6,600 Moong Auction n.a.

6,000-6,300 Udid Auction n.a.

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

2,600-2,800 Gram Super Best Bold 5,400-5,600 5,400-5,600 Gram Super Best n.a.

Gram Medium Best 5,100-5,300 5,100-5,300 Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a.

Gram Mill Quality 4,500-4,800 4,500-4,800 Desi gram Raw 4,050-4,200 4,050-4,200 Gram Filter new 4,650-4,850 4,650-4,850 Gram Kabuli 6,200-7,200 6,100-7,100 Gram Pink 6,400-6,600 6,400-6,600 Tuar Fataka Best 9,300-9,500 9,300-9,500 Tuar Fataka Medium 9,000-9,200 9,000-9,200 Tuar Dal Best Phod 8,400-8,600 8,400-8,600 Tuar Dal Medium phod 7,900-8,300 7,900-8,300 Tuar Gavarani New 6,200-6,400 6,150-6,350 Tuar Karnataka 6,500-6,700 6,500-6,700 Tuar Black 9,300-9,600 9,300-9,600 Masoor dal best 7,000-7,250 7,000-7,250 Masoor dal medium 6,700-6,900 6,700-6,900 Masoor n.a. n.a.

Moong Mogar bold 10,500-11,000 10,500-11,000 Moong Mogar Medium best 10,000-10,300 10,000-10,300 Moong dal Chilka 8,600-9,600 8,600-9,600 Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.

Moong Chamki best 9,200-9,600 9,200-9,600 Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 9,700-10,000 9,700-10,000

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 9,200-9,600 9,200-9,600 Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 6,600-6,900 6,600-6,900 Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 4,400-4,600 4,400-4,600 Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 3,000-3,100 3,000-3,100 Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,200 3,100-3,200 Watana White (100 INR/KG) 2,900-3,000 2,900-3,000 Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 4,000-4,500 4,000-4,500 Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,400-1,700 1,400-1,700 Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG) 1,800-1,900 1,800-1,900 Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,300-1,500 1,300-1,500 Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,400 2,100-2,400 Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,950-2,200 1,950-2,200 Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.

MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,200 2,800-3,200 MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,450-2,700 2,450-2,700 Wheat 147 (100 INR/KG) 1,300-1,400 1,300-1,400 Wheat Best (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,100 1,900-2,100 Rice BPT New(100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,700 2,400-2,700 Rice BPT (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,300 2,800-3,300 Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,800 1,600-1,800 Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,350 2,100-2,350 Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,700 2,500-2,700 Rice HMT new(100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,650 3,200-3,650 Rice HMT (100 INR/KG) 4,000-4,300 3,900-4,300 Rice HMT Shriram New(100 INR/KG) 4,100-4,500 4,100-4,500 Rice HMT Shriram old (100 INR/KG) 4,500-5,200 4,500-5,200 Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,000-10,000 8,000-10,000 Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,000-7,500 6,000-7,500 Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 4,600-4,700 4,600-4,700 Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG) 5,300-5,600 5,300-5,600 Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,200 2,100-2,200 Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,450 2,300-2,450 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 42.3 degree Celsius (108.1 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.

23.6 degree Celsius (74.5 degree Fahrenheit) Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.

Rainfall : nil FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky. Rains or thunder-showers likely. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 42 and 26 degree Celsius respectively.

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

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The Commerce Ministry Aims to Dispose of 10 Million Tonnes of Rice in 2015

BY EDITORON 2015-04-22THAIVISA NEWS

The overwhelming stock piles of rice, measuring 18 million tonnes, is expected to be lowered to 8 million tonnes by the end of 2015. The Commerce Ministry states that they are working diligently to boost rice sales and will be talking with trade partners over the next 6 months to rid the country of some of the rice stock piles that have amassed.During the ministry’s six-month performance, the Commerce Minister Chatchai Sarikulya states that the goal is to sell 10 million tonnes of rice by the end of the year. In the first six months in office, Chatchai has been able to sell 3 million tonnes of rice for an estimated 36 billion baht.

High-quality grain will account for 60 percent of the rice to be sold, while 40 percent will be degraded rice.Exports have been on the decline, falling for the second month and down by 6.14% on the year. Lower oil and crop prices were to blame for the decline.Rice exports fell in February.Of the 3 million tonnes of rice sold in the last 6 months, 2 million were sold at general auction, and the remaining 1 million were sold in government-to-government contracts. The ministry is already contracted to sell 2.6 million tonnes of rice to China by the end of the year.

Vietnam's farmers deal with change

DAVID MANN, Contributing writer Rice farmers in Can Tho plough their field using ox-driven harrrows. (Photo by Bien Nguyen) CAN THO, Vietnam -- For three generations, farmer Nguyen Tien Minh and his family have worked tirelessly to grow rice on their 0.4 hectare plot in the southern Mekong Delta. Like 10 million other households, their yearly calendar is demarcated by the seasons of rice cultivation, from the planting of the seedlings through to harvest. "We plant three crops a year," Minh said. "After each harvest, most of it is bought by traders who then take it to nearby mills for processing." This hard manual labor brings the

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine family a modest income of around $90 per month, well below the national average of $160. Until now, the money has been enough to send his two children to primary school and pay for the bare necessities -and, he says, a happy life. But times are changing.

Increased supply from markets such as Cambodia and Myanmar has seen the export price of Vietnamese rice drop to around $355 a ton, its lowest level since 2010. Meanwhile, government data shows that in the first two months of this year, Vietnamese rice exports were down 34% compared with the same period in 2014. Exporters are scrambling to find outlets for growing stockpiles. This is a big problem for Vietnam, the world's fourth-largest rice exporter, which earns approximately $4 billion a year from sending a third of its annual rice harvest abroad.

Even more problematic is the dramatic shift in consumer behavior at home. Since 2002, per capita rice consumption has dropped by 2kg each year to around 110kg, driven by rising incomes and changing attitudes toward nutrition. Put simply, Vietnam's newly minted middle and affluent classes are eating less rice and more protein and dairy-rich food.

Generational shift It is a trend that shows no sign of abating, according to Tu Tho, a Ho Chi Minh City-based entrepreneur who has studied organic food markets across Vietnam. "Go back 10 years and people would have expected to eat meat maybe once or twice a week," she said. "Now parents are teaching their kids to eat meat every day, particularly beef."

The shift has caught policymakers off guard and left the country's fragmented livestock sector unable to keep up with demand. The Vietnam Animal Feed Association estimates the country imported 200,000 head of cattle last year to supplement the 45,000 reared domestically.

Vietnam's Communist government has promoted the shift from rice cultivation to livestock and animalfeed crops, such as corn, cassava and soybeans, over the last two years by loosening rules that dictate what is grown where. But 3.8 million hectares of farmland are still devoted to rice, while only 45,000 hectares are designated for grazing cattle.

"The land laws are still quite inflexible," said Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, vice director of the country's Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development. "The government needs to zone more land to crops other than rice."

A highly fragmented supply chain dominated by small-scale production and a lack of farming collectives have made it difficult to achieve the economies of scale attractive to banks and investors. Even though 20% of Vietnam's gross domestic product comes from agriculture, it attracts only 6% of overall investment. The sector accounts for a mere 1.5% of total foreign direct investment in the country, according to the agriculture ministry.Most farmers are ill-informed about the need to change, in part because of poor collaboration with businesses further down the supply chain that could provide better insight into consumer demand.Young women harvest rice by hand in Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam. (Photo by Bien Nguyen) According to Vo Tong Xuan, a former trustee of the International Rice Research Institute who won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for his work on Vietnamese agricultural development, an overreliance on middlemen to buy harvests and poor collaboration with food distributors have resulted in overproduction, leaving most farmers exposed to the crash in global rice prices. "Vietnam needs entrepreneurs who can

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine establish a value chain that links farmer groups directly with manufacturing companies to produce quality branded products," he said.

The environment poses another challenge. The shift to cattle farming requires vast swaths of grassland and abundant supplies of water, both of which are becoming increasingly scarce. The Mekong Delta, Vietnam's agricultural heartland, is facing water shortages caused by severe drought and dam construction upstream in Laos and China.

The reliance on imports for many food items is only likely to deepen when foreign goods flood the market after numerous new trade deals come into effect. These include the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which will boost the supply of competitively priced U.S., Japanese and Australian beef that is already popular with local consumers. In Ho Chi Minh City supermarkets, Australian boxed beef sells for as little as $3 per kilogram, compared with around $3.50-$3.70 for Vietnamese beef. Higher-grade Australian beef from live imports costs around $15 per kilogram.

The TPP could have a devastating impact on the country's livestock industry, according to Vietnam Livestock Association Chairman Nguyen Dang Vang. This is because local farmers will struggle to compete with foreign rivals, hampered by outdated technology, supply chain inefficiencies and lower quality standards."The trend of importing meat and livestock products will continue in the future, especially after Vietnam has joined the TPP,'' Vang told Tuoi Tre News. "Our livestock breeders offer poor quality produce, and small-scale livestock farms account for up to 60% of the sector. The government needs to have special policies in place to assist the industry." Farmers' attachment to rice worries Vietnam's policymakers, who fear a growing reliance on food imports could expose consumers to global market fluctuations.

Image problems But even if farmers diversified their crops, Vietnamese consumers might be skeptical about quality and safety, according to Tu Tho. Local produce suffers from an image problem due to a reliance on pesticides and growth hormones, though farmers are trying to develop their own quality standards to address the issue. "It's almost impossible to find local meat that has been 100% grass-fed or corn-fed -- almost all the farmers use hormones -- so most high-end restaurants will use beef from New Zealand or Australia,'' she said.

Some local companies are beginning to turn their attention to cattle farming. Steel group Hoa Phat recently announced it will spend around 300 billion dong ($13.8 million) on cattle breeding and animal feed production in Hung Yen Province, with products to hit the shelves midyear. Real estate company Hoang Anh Gia Lai group has also shifted its focus to agriculture, pledging $275 million to boost its Central Highlands herd to more than 200,000 cattle from 30,000.Vietnam's farmers seem to be shifting toward market demand and embracing new technologies, said Joost van Elzakker, general manager for seed producer East-West Seed Vietnam. "Vietnamese farmers are some of the most adaptable farmers we've worked with across Asia."

Cyclone-hit Philippines to import rice from Myanmar Cyclone-hit Philippines to import rice from Myanmar

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YANGON, April 22 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines is planning to import rice from Myanmar after domestic demand rose following a recent cyclone strike, the military-run media Myawady reported Wednesday.The Philippines, a major rice importer in the world, is also trying to import rice from Pakistan and India.The Philippines imported 1.7 million tons of rice in 2014 and is expected to import about 1.6 million tons of rice in 2015.The Philippines has already negotiated to import 5 million tons of rice from Vietnam and Thailand.

APEDA News International Benchmark Price Price on: 21-04-2015

Product

Benchmark Indicators Name

Price

1

Chinese first grade granules, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)

2100

2

Chinese Grade A dehydrated flakes, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)

2000

3

Chinese powdered, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)

1800

1

Chinese sliced, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)

4600

2

Chinese whole, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)

5100

3

Indian Cochin, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)

3000

1

Indian 100 mesh 3500 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t)

4320

2

Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps basis, FOB Kandla (USD/t)

1740

3

Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps technical grade, FOB Kandla (USD/t)

3775

Garlic

Ginger

Guar Gum Powder

Source:agra-net

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For more info

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Market Watch Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 21-04-2015 Domestic Prices

Unit Price : Rs per Qty

Product

Market Center

Variety

Min Price

Max Price

1

Dibrugarh (Assam)

Other

2200

2800

2

Bonai (Orissa)

Other

2000

2200

3

Mannar (Kerala)

Other

4200

4400

1

Dhrol (Gujarat)

Other

1290

1940

2

Bonai (Orissa )

Other

1450

1600

3

Chakulia(Jharkhand)

Other

1840

2040

1

Harippad (Kerala)

Other

1500

2000

2

Mandvi(Gujarat)

Other

2510

2510

3

Phagwara(Punjab)

Other

1600

4300

1

Deogarh (Orissa)

Other

1500

2500

2

Alappuzha (Kerala)

Other

1400

1500

3

Surat(Gujarat)

Other

400

900

Rice

Wheat

Mango

Cabbage

Source:agra-net

For more info

Egg

Rs per 100 No Price on 21-04-2015 Product 1

Market Center Pune

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Price 290

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine 2

Nagapur

265

3

Namakkal

275

Source: e2necc.com

Other International Prices

Unit Price : US$ per package Price on 21-04-2015

Product

Market Center

Origin

Variety

Low

High Package: 50 lb cartons

Potatoes 1

Atlanta

2

Baltimore

3

Detroit

Idaho Canada Wisconsin

Russet

24.50

27

Russet

15

15

Russet

18

18 Package: 20 1-lb film bags

Carrots 1 2 3

Atlanta

Chicago Dallas

California

Baby Peeled

California

Baby Peeled

Arizona

Baby Peeled

18.50

20.50

17

17.50

17.75

18 Package: 18 lb containers bagged

Grapes 1 2 3

Atlanta

Baltimore Detroit

Chile Peru Chile

Red Globe

20

24

Red Globe

22

22

Red Globe

27

28

Source:USDA

How Major Rice Importers In Nigeria Defraud Government Ibraheem Dooba, Yesterday

Ibraheem Dooba, Naij.com guest contributor, brings forward the data released by the Nigerian Customs Service a week ago and explains how

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major rice importers in Nigeria deceive the government on millions of naira.

The rice importers have devised the strategies to deceive Nigeria’s government about the import payments. The main method they employ is to simply exceed the concessionary quotas approved by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. In this regard such major rice importers as Olam, Stallion/Popular Foods, BUA, Millan Nig. Ltd, Ebony Agro, Atafi Rice Industries Ltd and Arewa Rice Mill are complicit in the scam. Together they’ve exceeded their import quotas by 652,944 metric tons. According to the public notice released by the Nigeria Customs Service on April 14, 2015, these rice importers owe the federal government N21 billion.

This chart contains the major rice importers in Nigeria eceeding the concessionary import quotas approved by the Federal Minstry of Agriculture. Released by the Nigerian Customs Service on April 14, 2015.

According to the above chart, Stallion/Popular Foods is the biggest defaulter exceeding its quota by 475,017.33MT and owing N15.4 billion. Arewa Rice Mill owes the smallest amount for exceeding its limits by only 20.4MT which brings its liability to less than a million naira – N664, 876.

This chart represents quota violation by the major rice importers in Nigeria. Released by the Nigerian Customs Service on April 14, 2015.

The Customs Service has given the owers time up to Friday, April 17, 2015, “to pay up outstanding liabilities due to it or face appropriate sanctions.”

However, some Nigerians believe that asking the importers to pay something they would have normally paid for the allocated quotas is not a punishment as they’re asked to pay the same amount for committing an infraction. If the customs continues to implement this method of punishment, the importers will disregard the limits and import whatever they want rendering the quotas meaningless. Therefore, the assertion of some Nigerians that the Customs Service may be complicit in scamming the government is not without reason.

Dr Ibraheem Dooba

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Dr Dooba is a data scientist, a teacher and a columnist.This article expresses the author’s opinion only. The views and opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Naij.com or its editors.

Japanese Food Bloggers Crave and Rave about U.S. Rice TOKYO, JAPAN - U.S. medium grain rice stole the show at a taste-testing event last week that was hosted by "Yummy-san", a popular food specialist and blogger. Yummy-san devised twelve innovative "Cal-Bowl" menus for a recipe book published by USA Rice earlier this year to great success. The twenty-seven bloggers in attendance were given the opportunity to sample three recipes from the book "Cobb Salad Bowl," "Spicy Salad Bowl of Salsa Rice," and "Gazpacho Soup Bowl."U.S. rice is the talk of the table: Yumi Kojima, Michael Rue, and Yummy-san visit with the bloggers.

The event drew high-profile speakers and attendees, including Mr. Evan Mangino, deputy director of the U.S. Embassy Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) in Tokyo, who gave an opening speech to kick off the festivities. Yumi Kohima, a representative for USA Rice, made a brief presentation on U.S.-grown rice and the Cal-Bowl menu concept. Attendees were provided with facts and nutritional information that highlighted the allure of American rice. Yummy-san also showcased the versatility of U.S. grown rice by conducting cooking demonstrations of the Cobb Salad Bowl and the Salsa Rice Bowl. A taste-testing of the four menus followed. California rice farmer Michael Rue was on hand representing the USA Rice Federation and with Mangino and Yummy-san, interacting with the participants to provide additional information about American rice.

"Attendees experienced firsthand the appeal of U.S.-grown rice and were extremely impressed with the CalBowl menus," said Michael Rue. "This event provides great exposure to a targeted group of tech-savvy people who will spread the word about U.S. rice on their blogs, extending our promotion efforts to a considerably wider audience." To encourage the bloggers to actually try their own Cal-Bowl creations at home, participants were given a 400 gram sample of U.S. medium grain, the recipe book, and a small bowl. Attendees also filled out a survey designed to gauge their response to the Cal-Bowl menus they sampled. The event went viral with many of the bloggers endorsing U.S.-grown rice on their websites. USA Rice is planning to continue conducting various consumer activities in an effort to promote the "Cal-Bowl" salad style this summer in Japan and the blogs featuring Cal-Bowl menus will aid promotion efforts.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine Contact: Bill Farmer (832) 302-6710

CCC Announces Prevailing World Market Prices WASHINGTON, DC -- The Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation today announced the following prevailing world market prices of milled and rough rice, adjusted for U.S. milling yields and location, and the resulting marketing loan-gain (MLG) and loan deficiency payment (LDP) rates applicable to the 2014 crop, which became effective today at 7:00 a.m., Eastern Time (ET). Prices are unchanged from the previous announcement.

MLG/LDP Rate

World Price

Milled Value ($/cwt)

Rough ($/cwt)

Rough ($/cwt)

Long-Grain

15.44

10.00

0.00

Medium-/Short-Grain

15.04

10.13

0.00

Brokens

9.31

----

----

This week's prevailing world market prices and MLG/LDP rates are based on the following U.S. milling yields and the corresponding loan rates: U.S. Milling Yields Whole/Broken (lbs/cwt)

Loan Rate ($/cwt)

Long-Grain

57.21/12.55

6.64

Medium-/Short-Grain

61.89/8.83

6.51

The next program announcement is scheduled for April 29.

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Chinese State TV Investigates Rice Switcheroo Scam at National Grain Warehouse Image:A farmer winnows grain at a reclamation area in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region on Oct. 9, 2013.

Zuma Press

If you’re eating in Chin, beware: Your rice might be older than you think it is.China’s history of famine and starvation led it in 2004 to set up a price system that guarantees that the state would buy grains from farmers if the market falls below a preset level. The price floor encouraged farmers to produce even under expectations of weak markets.The policy has been credited with an 11-year run of bumper harvests, but it’s also produced some problems.

For one thing, it has sometimes resulted in a huge surplus of grains. For another, as the stateowned China Central Television charged in atelevised expose last week, it has helped grow a crop of scam artists looking to illicitly profit from the annual differences in the state’s minimum purchase prices, as Beijing’s system is known.In a four-minute segment broadcast on CCTV’s news report, video footage showed a grain merchant in China’s northeastern Jilin province buying 47 metric tons of old rice from state stockpile China Grain Reserve Corp., also called Sinograin, and then reselling the shipment as newly harvested rice via a second trader to another state warehouse.

The old grain was purportedly from the 2011 harvest and was bought by the merchant from Sinograin at 2.84 yuan (around $.50) per kilogram, the state support price from that year. But it was resold as 2014 grains at 3.1 yuan a kilogram, CCTV said. The single illicit transaction resulted in a profit of about 10,000 yuan, the report said.Sinograin responded on Friday to say it’s investigating the matter.It’s not the first time price floors have produced scams. Smuggling of rice has also been a big problem along China’s border with Southeast Asia, as cheaper Vietnamese and Thai rice flows northward in search of higher Chinese prices.

It isn’t clear how widespread the problem highlighted by the CCTV report has become in the murky expanse of China’s grain belt. Sinograin vowed to work with local governments to “deal seriously” with the matter, calling such illicit manipulation one of the “four problems” of grain reserve management. These “problems” are listed as the illegal use of grains; manipulating www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine quality grades and prices; illegal loans; and illegal stashes of money. So far, there’s no indication that the list includes the grain market’s price floor itself.

– Chuin-Wei Yap, with contributions from Yang Jie

Iran says not interested in FTA: Dastgir reaches Tehran April 22, 2015 MUSHTAQ GHUMMAN

Commerce Minister, Engineer Khurram Dastgir has reached Tehran (Iran) aimed at enhancing declining bilateral trade as Iran has clearly conveyed to Pakistan that it has no interest in inking Free Trade Agreement (FTA), well informed sources told Business Recorder. Pak-Iran PTA was signed on March 4, 2004 which was implemented on 1st September, 2006, and has been operational since then. Under the PTA, Pakistan granted tariff concessions to Iran on 338 tariff lines (HS 06), while Iran granted tariff concessions on 309 tariff lines. Average tariff concessions are around 18 %. Pakistan's major products covered under the PTA include rice, fruits, cotton, cotton yarn, pharmaceutical products and cutlery while Iranian products include chemicals, vegetables, fruits (fresh and dry), spices, sea food etc.

Initially, the PTA gave a significant boost to Pakistan's exports to Iran and increased bilateral trade as well. In 2008-09 and 2009-10, Pakistan's bilateral trade with Iran crossed $1 billion.

Pakistan's export's touched their peak in 2008-09 at $400 million. However, there has been a gradual decline in bilateral trade and to Pakistan's exports to Iran since then. Bilateral trade was at its lowest level of $218 million in 2013-14. According to sources, major reason for this decrease in trade can be attributed to the international sanctions against Iran, the unique and peculiar nature of Iran's non-market economy, reluctance on part of the Iranian side to implement the PTA rates in letter and spirit, unpredictable and frequent changes in Iran's import regime, and the lack of a reliable payments mechanism.

In the PTA, both countries have agreed not to impose any non-tariff measures without following the established principles of valuation. But contrary to that, the Iranian side has imposed a ban on import of fruits except bananas from other countries including Pakistan which is a clear violation of the Pak-Iran PTA. Furthermore, Iran imposes seasonal bans on Pakistani fruit and food exports such as Kinnows, mangoes and rice. Pakistan's exports to Iran in 2013-14 declined to $53 million which is a decline of (-) 84.34% compared to the corresponding period of 2012-13 ($97.7 million). This decline in exports to Iran is due to reduced export of meat and meat preparations, rice, fruit and fruit preparations, oil seeds and oleaginous fruits, sugar raw and refined (incl. Gur), synthetic fabrics and raw cotton. Imports from Iran have also decreased from $ 167.55 million in 2012-13 to US$164 million in 2013-14 - a decline of (-) 2.16%. This decrease is mainly because of reduction in import of misc. edible products, oil seeds and oleaginous fruits, fertilisers crude, fertilizers manufactured etc.

Pak-Iran trade witnessed considerable progress during the first three years of the post PTA period i.e. from 2006-07 to 2008-09 in which bilateral trade increased from $573.767 million to an unprecedented level of $1321.32 million. Pakistan's exports to Iran increased from $167.55 www.ricepluss.com R&D Section: Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine million to $399.62 million, while imports from Iran also jumped from $405.76 to $921.7 during the same period. However, Pak-Iran trade started declining gradually from the level of $1321.3 million in 2008-09 to a mere $218 million in 2013-14. Major causes of this precipitous decline in trade are attributed to international sanctions against Iran, lack of viable and effective payments mechanisms/banking channels in the wake of sanctions as banks no longer open LCs for imports/exports to/from Iran, restrictive trade regime of Iran and its expanding trade and economic relations with India and Turkey.

The sources further stated that Pakistan's total share of the Iranian market in 2012 was 0.23% while Iran's share of the Pakistani market was around 0.12%. This shows that the PTA has not achieved its objective of improving and enhancing bilateral trade. "There is an imperative need to deepen the Margin of Preference (MoP) as well as product coverage under the PTA," the sources continued. Iran has high tariffs on products of export interest to Pakistan. Pakistan's major products covered under the PTA include rice ($8.32 million), meat and meat preparations ($7.52 million), fruits and fruits preparations ($65,000), cotton fabric ($0.694 million), and cutlery ($30,000). Due to Iran's high tariffs as well as limited product coverage, substantial increase in bilateral trade has not been achieved in the wake of the Pak-Iran PTA. Hence it is a case of Iranian mercantilism hiding under the guise of a PTA which is not accruing any advantages to Pakistan.

Rice contains some arsenic, but levels are low

By The New York Times , Herald-Tribune Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Q: I’ve read about unacceptable levels of arsenic in both brown and white rice. Are rice vinegar and rice crackers also affected?

A: Foods that contain rice, including rice crackers and vinegar, routinely contain some level of arsenic, as do products like rice cakes, rice wine and cereals, and snack bars and baking mixes that contain rice flour or bran. But it is unclear how serious a health risk they pose.The Food and Drug Administration has a list of rice-containing foods that focuses on inorganic arsenic, considered the most dangerous form.

The rice plant is good at pulling inorganic arsenic from soil and water and storing it in the grain.But levels of contamination vary according to the type of rice and where it is grown.

Brown rice tends to show higher levels than white rice, which is stripped during processing of layers of the grain where arsenic tends to collect.California rice frequently contains less arsenic than that grown in Southern states, which tend to have higher levels of arsenic in the soil.

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine The FDA found that arsenic levels ranged from 7.2 micrograms to 2.5 micrograms per serving.

Rice crackers averaged about 5 micrograms. Rice vinegar was even lower, around 1 microgram or less.“It may be that you get some dilution with the vinegar” or wine, said Brian Jackson, director of the Trace Metal Analysis Core Facility at Dartmouth College. His recommendation: “The idea is to eat a varied diet, and be aware of how much rice you are eating.”

– Deborah Blum, The New York Times

Amira Nature Foods Ltd Announces New Distribution Centers in India * Reuters is not responsible for the content in this press release.

Amira Nature Foods Ltd Announces New Distribution Centers in India Amira Nature Foods Ltd (ANFI), a leading global provider of branded packaged Indian specialty rice, announced today that it has completed its target of establishing distribution centers in fifteen major cities across India.The new distribution centers will be company-managed and provide greater support to fulfill demand. With these additions, the Company has reached its target of establishing distribution centers in fifteen major cities in India, including Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Ranchi, Surajpur, Vijayawada and Zirakpur.

“The new company-managed distribution centers are a great addition to our efforts to grow in our home country,” said Karan A Chanana, Chairman of Amira Nature Foods Ltd. “We expect the DCs to generate higher service levels of fill rates, inventory turnover and faster replenishment which should result in greater market penetration and higher margins. We believe these investments will drive future growth for years to come.”

About Amira Nature Foods Ltd Founded in 1915, Amira has evolved into a leading global provider of branded packaged Indian specialty rice and other products, with sales in over 60 countries today. The Company primarily sells Basmati rice, which is a premium long-grain rice grown only in certain regions of the Indian sub-continent, under its flagship Amira brand as well as under other third party brands.

Amira sells its products through a broad distribution network in both the developed and emerging markets. The Company’s global headquarters are in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and it also has offices in India, Malaysia, Singapore, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Amira Nature Foods Ltd is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol “ANFI”.

For more information, please visit www.amira.net Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains statements of a forward-looking nature. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

You can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,”

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Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine “except,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “is/are likely to,” “future” or other similar expressions.

We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: our goals and strategies; our expansion plans; and our future business development. We would like to caution you not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and you should read these statements in conjunction with the risk factors disclosed in “Risk Factors” appearing in our Annual Report on Form 20-F as well as our other public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Those risks are not exhaustive and reflect our expectations as of the date of this press release.

We operate in a rapidly evolving environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is impossible for our management to predict all risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking statement. We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements except as required under applicable law.

For Investor Inquiries: Amira Nature Foods Ltd Bruce Wacha, 201-960-0745 Chief Financial Officer bruce.wacha@theamiragroup.com or For Press Inquiries: Curzon PR Angela Petersen, 631-830-3305 angela@curzonpr.com

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