22nd january,2015 daily global rice e newsletter by riceplus magazine

January 22, 2015

Daily Global

Rice E-Newsletter

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mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com

Volume 5, Issue I Chief Editor:Hamlik For Advertisement & Specs:

Mujahid Ali mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com

Cell: +92 321 36 92874

Compiled & Edited by

Riceplus Magazine www.ricepluss.com

IGC Raises Corn Outlook, Sees Grains Stockpiles at 30-Year High

By Rudy Ruitenberg Jan 22, 2015 7:29 AM PT World corn output will beat a November forecast, the International Grains Council said, lifting the estimate an eighth time on improved prospects for South America.Bigger corn and wheat crops will expand world grain output excluding rice to a record and lift inventories at the end of the season to the highest in about 30 years, the London-based organization wrote in a report today.Corn futures have dropped 9.7 percent in Chicago in the past 12 months as U.S. growers harvested a record crop and the outlook for production in Brazil and Argentina improved, while wheat futures have dropped 4.4 percent.

Cheaper grain has contributed to a drop in international food prices.“World maize export prices turned lower amid stiff global competition and ample availabilities,” the council wrote, using another word for corn.Farmers will gather 991.9 million metric tons of corn this season, 9.6 million tons more than forecast previously and climbing from 990.7 million tons in 2013-14, the council wrote.The IGC left its outlook for this season’s wheat production little changed, forecasting a crop of 717 million tons from 717.2 million tons in November, rising from 712.7 million tons a year earlier.Prospects for the 2015-16 winter Page 1 of 30

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www.ricepluss.com wheat crop are mostly favorable in the Northern Hemisphere, and world wheat production is “provisionally” forecast to slip 2 percent to 701 million tons next season, the report showed.

Record Production Total grain production, excluding rice, is forecast to advance to a record 2.002 billion tons from 2 billion tons in 2013-14, according to the IGC, which raised the outlook by 11.8 million tons. Stockpiles may climb more than 7 percent to 432 million tons, the highest since the mid 1980s, the council said.“Even with a solid rise in consumption, global closing stocks are seen reaching a near 30-year peak,” the IGC said.For corn, the biggest adjustment to the outlook was made for Argentina, with production there now seen at 29.5 million tons, 7 million tons more than in November.Brazil’s corn outlook was lifted by 2 million tons to 77 million tons, while the U.S. corn estimate was cut by 3.9 million tons to 361.1 million tons.The world soybean outlook was raised by 4 million tons to 312 million tons, predicted to climb from a year-earlier 284 million tons. Stockpiles at the end of this season may climb to 42 million tons from 31 million tons, the council said.The IGC trimmed the global rice outlook by 1 million tons to 474 million tons.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rudy Ruitenberg in Paris at rruitenberg@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Lynn Thomasson at lthomasson@bloomberg.net John Deane, Nicholas Larkin Source with thanks: Bloomberg Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report A comprehensive daily commodity market report for Arkansas agricultural commodities with cash markets, futures and insightful analysis and commentary from Arkansas Farm Bureau commodity analysts.

Noteworthy benchmark price levels of interest to farmers and ranchers, as well as long-term commodity market trends which are developing. Daily fundamental market influences and technical factors are noted and discussed.

Soybeans High

Low

Cash Bids 1024

933

New Crop 1009

984

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www.ricepluss.com Riceland Foods

Cash Bids Stuttgart: 981

Pendleton: 981

New Crop Stuttgart: 946

Pendleton: 951

Futures:

High

Low

Last

Change

Mar '15 992.50

975.00

976.75

-6.75

May '15 998.50

981.25

983.00

-6.50

Jul '15

1003.50

986.75

988.75

-5.75

Aug '15 1003.00

986.75

988.75

-5.25

Sep '15 986.00

971.50

973.25

-4.75

Nov '15 974.50

959.25

961.00

-4.75

Jan '16

979.50

965.75

966.75

-4.75

Mar '16 979.50

972.75

972.50

-5.00

976.00

-5.00

May '16

Arkansas Daily Grain Report FOB Memphis Elevator Crops Soybean Comment Soybeans were un able to hold onto yesterdays gains. Weakness in outside markets spilled over into this market pulling prices lower. The market is anxiously awaiting tomorrows export sales report which prices need to see growing demand to have support. Recent news continues to be bearish for soybean prices and this market still has the potential to test $9 in the coming months.

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Wheat High Low Cash Bids 515

452

New Crop --

--

Futures:

High

Low

Last

Change

Mar '15 542.50

532.50

533.75

-3.00

May '15 545.25

535.75

537.25

-2.75

Jul '15

548.50

539.50

540.75

-2.75

Sep '15 555.75

547.75

548.50

-2.75

Dec '15 567.50

559.25

560.25

-2.25

Mar '16 569.75

569.75

566.50

-2.25

565.75

-2.50

553.50

-1.25

556.25

-1.00

May '16 Jul '16 Sep '16

555.00

554.75

Arkansas Daily Grain Report FOB Memphis Elevator Crops Wheat Comment Wheat prices continued their march lower today. Prices have yet to find any fundamental support. Look for this market to test lows around $5 this spring, unless some major conflict can pull prices higher. If you haven’t priced wheat yet, watch for a technical rally over the next week that could offer you an opportunity to price some wheat.

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Grain Sorghum High Low Cash Bids 483

373

New Crop --

--

Arkansas Daily Grain Report FOB Memphis Elevator Crops

Corn High Low Cash Bids 412

360

New Crop 411

386

Futures:

High

Low

Last

Change

Mar '15 390.50

382.50

383.75

-4.25

May '15 398.25

390.50

392.00

-3.75

Jul '15

405.00

397.50

399.25

-3.25

Sep '15 410.50

403.75

405.25

-3.00

Dec '15 418.00

411.50

413.25

-2.25

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www.ricepluss.com Mar '16 425.75

419.75

422.00

-1.75

May '16 427.75

426.25

428.25

-1.50

Jul '16

431.00

432.50

-1.50

424.50

-0.25

434.25

Sep '16

Arkansas Daily Grain Report FOB Memphis Elevator Crops Corn Comment Corn prices closed lower again today. While outside market remain a negative for prices, corn prices continue to only see modest losses as the market remains concerned about acreage. Current estimates between 88 and 90 million acres allow little room for reduced yields. If this market were to endure another drought the market would quickly go through the 1.9 billion bushel carryover. The smaller the acreage the more concerned the market will become with weather in 2015. At the same time, if we harvest another record corn crop in 2015 we would experience another build up in stocks in 2015.

Cotton Futures:

High

Low

Last

Change

Mar '15 58.4

57.58

57.76

-0.25

May '15 59.19

58.41

58.65

-0.23

Dec '15 62.11

61.57

61.71

-0.26

Memphis, TN Cotton and Tobacco Programs Cotton Comment Cotton futures traded in a relatively narrow range on either side of unchanged before settling lower. There was no new export report to react to today, is it was delayed until tomorrow due to the MLK holiday on Page 6 of 30

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www.ricepluss.com Monday. March and May set a new low again today. Previous support of 57.84 cents on the monthly continuation was violated during selloff this week. Bearish news out of China sparked the selloff, as December imports were down 57% from a year earlier and were a five-year low.

Rice High Low Long Grain Cash Bids - - -

1055/cwt

Long Grain New Crop - - -

1053/cwt

Futures:

High

Low

Last

Change

Mar '15 1135.0

1115.5

1116.0

-21.0

May '15 1156.5

1141.5

1141.5

-20.5

Jul '15

1165.0

-20.0

Sep '15

1133.0

-15.0

Nov '15

1143.0

-15.0

Jan '16

1161.0

-25.5

Mar '16

1161.0

-25.5

Rice Comment Rice futures turned lower again today with no new export report to react to. The market did manage to hold above support at last week's new contract lows. For March, that level is $11.06 and for May support is $11.36 1/2. Weak demand globally has resulted in the lowest price for Vietnamese rice in over 10 months, and prices in Pakistan are even lower, providing plenty of competition for U.S. origin rice and keeping a lid on prices here.

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Cattle Futures: Live Cattle:

High

Low

Last

Change

Feb '15 154.950

153.000

153.450

-0.250

Apr '15 153.600

151.450

151.900

+0.025

Jun '15 147.300

145.375

145.700

0.000

Aug '15 146.100

144.275

144.700

-0.175

Oct '15 148.525

146.825

147.175

-0.025

Dec '15 149.350

147.700

148.000

0.000

Feb '16 148.850

147.350

147.950

+0.375

Apr '16 149.250

148.100

148.150

+0.150

Jun '16 143.800

142.500

142.500

+1.250

Feeders:

High Jan '15

Low

Last

Change

217.050

215.400

216.450

+0.750

Mar '15 208.375

204.575

206.225

+0.925

Apr '15 209.150

205.675

207.250

+0.900

May '15 210.000

206.725

208.250

+0.900

Aug '15 211.625

208.750

209.925

+0.525

Sep '15 211.125

209.150

209.150

+0.150

Oct '15

210.250

208.075

208.175

+0.575

Nov '15 208.200

206.650

207.075

+1.075

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Arkansas Prices Charlotte Livestock Auction Green Forest Livestock Auction Ratcliff Livestock Auction Oklahoma City El Reno Livestock Market, El Reno, OK Cattle Comment Cattle prices remain weak, but seemed to have found support near 150 for live cattle and 200 for feeders.

This market remains technically oversold and should see a rally in the coming days. The fundamentals will determine if this rally can be sustained as we await the inventory report later this month.

Hogs Futures:

High

Low

Last

Change

Feb '15 73.525

70.800

71.300

-1.050

Apr '15 75.100

71.975

72.400

-1.825

May '15 81.725

78.875

79.125

-1.850

Jun '15

85.150

82.275

82.600

-1.550

Jul '15

84.925

82.250

82.600

-1.450

Aug '15 84.700

82.000

82.300

-1.600

Oct '15

73.900

71.775

72.575

-0.850

Dec '15 69.725

67.900

68.900

-0.300

Feb '16 70.450

69.575

69.575

-0.875

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Rice exports in Q1 to reach 900,000 tonnes Rice exporters are expected to ship 900,000 tonnes of the grain abroad in the first quarter of this year.Under plans drawn up for 2015 by the Vietnam Food Association (VFA), rice exports for the whole year will reach 7 million tonnes.Nguyen Hung Linh, VFA Chairman, said local exporters have not signed many contracts because local rice prices have been higher than average world prices, reported the Thoi bao Kinh te Vietnam (Vietnam Economic Times) newspaper.But, as the winter-spring crop approaches harvest time, traders are likely to step up purchases because of reasonable prices when supply increases, he said.

However, the association has also said that this year will also see a drop in Vietnam's rice exports to key markets.A recent report in the Thoi bao Ngan hang (Banking Times) said that rice exports to China will see the steepest fall because of the Chinese Government's policies on controlling trade via border gates.Meanwhile, export of Vietnamese rice to African markets will plunge 60 percent, as it did in 2014, said the VFA.The main reason for this drop is that African nations are buying considerable amounts of cheap and low-quality rice from Thailand and India, and Vietnamese companies are unable to compete with them.

The two countries have large inventories of low-quality rice and they plan to sell several dozen tones of this in 2015.Regarding other key export markets, the VFA estimates that the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia will import from Vietnam 1.7, 1.1 and 1.3 million tonnes respectively in 2015.If Vietnam's rice exporters can take advantage of the regional situation and cut selling prices, they can increase shipments this year by as much as 2.1 million tonnes to the three markets, the VFA said.In 2014, Vietnam exported 6.32 million tonnes of rice, earning 2.8 million USD, to become the third largest rice exporter in the world, after Thailand and India, according to the association.

VNA Tags:Rice exports, Mahama: Ghana striving to be net rice producer President John Mahama has said Ghana is still striving to become a net producer of rice so as to reduce the amount of rice imported from outside.He told Ghanaians in Germany Tuesday that: “We are investing to increase rice production. We’ve brought improved seeds from all over the world, and we are encouraging rice farmers to produce more rice and so we are seeing an increase in rice production. From 2012 to 2013, we increased rice production by 60 percent, but still we are importing a lot of rice. We are not yet a net producer of rice to feed our own market,�

Mr Mahama said.The President said once the country becomes self-sufficient in rice production, Page 10 of 30

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www.ricepluss.com it will further reduce the amount of foreign exchange expended by the Government to import rice, poultry and other products from outside.

“Today chicken and rice and potato chips and things are becoming the natural fair for Ghanaians and because we are not producing enough of it we have to spend dollars importing these and so of course when the Cedi to Dollar rate varies, it makes the cost of rice more expensive, but we are even investing in these areas,” the President said.Speaking at the 30th National Best Farmers Day Award ceremony at Sefwi Wiawso in the Western region Friday December 5, 2014, the President said Ghana currently imports rice to the tune of US$500million every year.“The last statistics was US$470million worth of rice,” the President decried as he urged Ghanaians to eat what they grow.Apart from rice, US$1 billion of other produce, which are produced in Ghana or can easily be produced in Ghana are also imported.

Meanwhile, the country’s yearly exports hover around US$13 billion while its imports bill stands at about US$17 billion.The President said the development in local rice production means “we are growing more local rice and you can see the attractiveness of the rice industry by the investment that has started to be made by the private sector in this industry.”“Several private sector business people have set up rice milling plants in various parts of the country and are buying locally produced rice and milling it not only for our local market but also for export.“And it is my belief that if this trend continues, Ghana should become a net exporter of rice in the next few years,” President Mahama said. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/business/artikel.php?ID=343575

Adamas denies involvement in G2G rice deal The Nation January 22, 2015 2:34 pm

Listed Adamas Corp today clarified that its subsidiary, Kitha Properties Co Ltd, has no involvement in the government-to-government rice deal.The statement followed the National Anti-Corruption Commission's decision on Tuesday to indict a number of individuals and companies alleged to have involved in the controversial G2G rice deal.Kitha was held as an accomplice."The Company would like to clarify that Kitha has confirmed that it has not involved in the actions or procedures described as the wrongdoings.

From its inception, Kitha undertake real estate development business only and has never undertaken rice trading or purchase or sell rice. Kitha have not been informed of the indictment resolution from the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission or other agencies. If we receive any additional relevant information, we will inform the Stock Exchange of Thailand accordingly," Adamas' chief executive officer Panchai Aroonpairoj said in the statement.

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Adamas took over Kitha in July 2014 at the cost of Bt800 million.

Adamas' share trading is suspended as of today. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Adamas-denies-involvement-in-G2G-rice-deal30252440.html

Nigeria will become net rice exporter if re-elected, says jonathan January 22, 2015 | Filed under: Real Sector | Author: Editor

President Goodluck Jonathan has promised to put in place policies and programmes that will make Nigeria a major rice exporting nation if re-elected in February.He also restated the commitment of the Federal Government to reactivate all the moribund industries in Kano. He made the remark while addressing party supporters at the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential campaign rally held at the Polo Ground on Wednesday in Kano. President Jonathan, who is the PDP’s presidential candidate, also assured of his intention to ensure that Nigeria joined the league of nations declared polio free by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Jonathan particularly promised to work with the governor of Kano State to ensure that agriculture is given all the attention required.According to him, the development of agriculture would go a long way in boosting the creation of new employment, as well as reduction of mountingpoverty being experienced among the young people in the state.He thanked the people of the state for coming out en masse to participate in the political rally, and also commended the youths in the northern part of the country for making a contribution of N2 million for the purchase of his nomination form.In the same vein, the president promised to work towards ensuring that Kano, which was known as a centre of commerce, regained its glory as an active business centre.

He used the occasion to condole with the people of the state over the demise of Ado Bayero, the late Emir of Kano and paid glowing tributes to previous Nigerian leaders from the state, such as the late General Murtala Mohammed for their contributions to nation building.Speaking earlier, during the campaign, Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sabo debunked what he described as insinuation in some quarters that President Jonathan regime is against the northern people. http://businessdayonline.com/2015/01/nigeria-will-become-net-rice-exporter-if-re-elected-saysjonathan/#.VMLOMtLF_Jc

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Modi-picked panel wants India to get nimble on grains exports

BY MAYANK BHARDWAJ AND RATNAJYOTI DUTTA NEW DELHI Thu Jan 22, 2015 6:00pm IST A worker carries a ladder past sacks filled with wheat at a Food Corporation of India (FCI) warehouse in Morinda in Punjab February 20, 2013.

CREDIT: REUTERS/AJAY VERMA/FILES (Reuters) - India needs to become more nimble in allowing wheat and

rice exports from overstocked government silos if it wants to cut waste and get the best price for its grains, a panel appointed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi recommended.Despite stocks that are often more than double the government's target, India exports only about 10 percent of its wheat and rice output of 195 million tonnes.

The Food Corporation of India (FCI), a government behemoth set up 60 years ago after acute food shortages forced India to import, sits on mounds of rice and wheat thanks to bumper harvests since 2007. "Because of bureaucracy, we take a long time to agree on exports and market dynamics change by then, thwarting our efforts to make the best out of attractive prices abroad," Shanta Kumar, chief of the panel, said after unveiling the report on Thursday.Currently the government takes a call on exports and local sales after a lengthy consultation process.

The panel would like the FCI to abolish regional offices, focus on key states for procurement, invest in computerisation and bring in technical and managerial expertise from the private sector.A nimble-footed FCI will help us earn precious foreign exchange and save a lot of money that is blocked in terms of extra grains stocks that is prone to pest attack and wastage," said Ashok Gulati, a noted economist and a member of the panel.Modi, who formed the panel in August to suggest an overhaul of India's theft-prone food distribution network, has asked the food ministry to examine the recommendations before acting on the report.India, the world's Page 13 of 30

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www.ricepluss.com biggest rice and wheat producer after China, runs a mammoth $18.64 billion food welfare programme.

But nearly half of the ultra-cheap rice and wheat meant for the poor is either wasted or stolen, according to various experts.The panel also suggested the government scale down its food distribution programme by covering only 40 percent of the population, instead of 67 percent.

However, it favoured a higher monthly allocation of 7 kg per person against 5 kg now.Lowering the number of beneficiaries could save India 330 billion rupees ($5.35 billion) a year in subsidies, said Kumar, a former food minister. But the move could potentially anger millions of voters enjoying cheap grains and would require the approval of India's partisan parliament."It's not an easy task to reduce the level of beneficiaries as a host of procedural hurdles will have to be crossed before accepting the latest recommendations," said B.C. Barah, a New Delhi-based agriculture economist. ($1 = 61.6300 Indian rupees) (Editing by Krishna N. Das and Michael Urquhart) http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/01/22/india-food-exports-idINKBN0KV1A420150122

Rice losses likely to top B682bn Published: 22 Jan 2015 at 08.00 Newspaper section: Business Writer: Wichit Chantanusornsiri Financial losses incurred from rice subsidy schemes dating back to 2004 are likely to exceed the estimated 682 billion baht, says the Finance Ministry. If rising depreciation and missing milled rice from warehouses are taken into account, the combined losses will be higher than the recent estimate, finance permanent secretary Rungson Sriworasat said yesterday.The subcommittee overseeing accounting affairs of all rice subsidy schemes earlier estimated losses from buying 84 million tonnes of milled rice in the 15 schemes from 2004-14 amounted to 682 billion baht, with the Yingluck Shinawatra government's programme alone accounting for 518 billion.

But that estimate did not take into account depreciation or missing rice from warehouses inspected by a team working for PM's Office Minister ML Panadda Diskul.According to the inspection of 17 million tonnes of milled rice bought under the previous government's scheme, only 2.19 million tonnes were deemed of standard quality and classified as Grade A rice.Some 14.4 million tonnes were judged to be substandard Grade B, while the rest was classified as Grade C because it was either rotten or had been registered incorrectly.The rice-pledging scheme was a major policy that helped to sweep Ms Yingluck to power in the 2011 general

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www.ricepluss.com election.However, its guaranteed purchase of every single grain at a pledging price of 40-50% above market prices incurred a substantial cost to taxpayers.

Thailand also lost its crown as the world's biggest rice exporter, as the scheme, which ran for five crops, encouraged farmers to grow low-quality rice that normally took less time to cultivate.The joint committee of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and the Office of the Attorney-General on Tuesday agreed to press criminal charges against Ms Yingluck for alleged dereliction of duty in overseeing the rice scheme and causing massive damage to the state.

The NACC also recommended that former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom, his exdeputy Poom Sarapol and 19 others be indicted for graft for their roles in government-togovernment rice sales.Manas Jamveha, director-general of the Comptroller-General's Department, said his department, which is responsible for seeking compensation from those alleged to have caused damage to the state, was awaiting the Commerce Ministry's report."Damaged state agencies must submit a summary report of the charge to verify all information," he said."They must set up a committee to launch the probe again before arranging the report."

Source with thanks:The Bangkok Post

One million tonnes of rice on auction Published: 22 Jan 2015 at 16.53 Online news: News Writer: Online Reporters The Commerce Ministry is auctioning off a total of one million tonnes of rice to domestic buyers on the condition that winning bidders must take all the grain in whatever warehouse stockpile they buy. An official takes a sample from a sack of rice to check on its quality. (Bangkok Post file photo) The first auction for 2015 is scheduled on Jan 29, with the ministry to offer 850,000 tonnes of 5% white rice and 150,000 tonns of fragrant rice stored in warehouses of the Public Warehouse Organisation and the Marketing Organisation for Farmers.The ministry is arranging the sale through the Foreign Trade Department, which handles domestic and foreign sales of the government stockpile.The auction terms were explained to a large group of potential bidders on Thursday.

Bangjoingitt Angsusinght, the department’s deputy director-general, said interested people can check the quality of rice offered for the auction at the listed warehouses.The department will announce a minimum bidding price and if all offers are lower than that price, the auction for that particular warehouse will be cancelled. Under the plan, the ministry expects to dispose of 17 Page 15 of 30

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www.ricepluss.com million tonnes of rice left in its stockpile, accumulated from the implementation of rice pledging scheme, within two years, with a major portion of about 10 million tonnes to be sold this year.However, some potential participants in the auction said they were worried about the quality of the rice as each warehouse kept grain from different sources, so it might not meet their required standard.

Source with thanks:The Bangkok Post

Rice scheme damaging, corrupt political tactic, says NACC Published: 22 Jan 2015 at 13.12 Online news: Politics Writer: Online Reporters The rice-pledging scheme of former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra's government was a damaging political tactic to help her party to win a general election and rise to power, and to benefit corrupt associates, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) told the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) on Thursday Former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is hounded by reporters as she arrives at the parliament to deliver her closing statement in defence of her government's rice pledging scheme on Thursday. (Photo by Chanat Katanyu) Presenting the NACC's closing statement in its impeachment case against Ms Yingluck, commissioner Vicha Mahakun said Ms Yingluck's Pheu Thai Party had campaigned for votes by promising to give rice growers 15,000 baht per tonne of rice under its proposed rice-pledging scheme.The promised price was twice the then market price of 7,500 baht per tonne. This campaign promise was clearly a populist policy to ensure Pheu Thai's election victory, to form a new government in place of the previous administration of former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, he said.Mr Vicha said that in fact the "rice-pledging" scheme was not a pledging scheme at all, because the offered rate was far higher than the market price and no rice growers who pledged their rice would ever redeem it for less.

He said the Yingluck government called it a "rice-pledging" scheme only to prevent the government from being considered a rice trader in its own right with a monopoly because of the high price offered for the grain.Mr Vicha also said that the rice-pledging scheme led to policybased corruption, because rice in the government's stockpiles had been sold largely to associates at low prices, and these people later made huge profits from selling the grain at high prices. s Yingluck's government had tried to cover up by claiming that it had released the rice under government-to-government deals which actually had not existed, Mr Vicha said.

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www.ricepluss.com NACC member Vicha Mahakun delivers his anti-graft panel's closing statement. (Photo by Chanat Katanyu) He also said that the NACC and the Office of the Auditor General had repeatedly urged her government to stop the rice scheme because it would cause endless losses to the state.He said the implementation of the rice scheme from 2011 to 2014 resulted in a posted loss of 518 billion baht, meaning about 200 billion baht per year or 17 billion baht per month, and the state would take about three decades to repay the debts resulting from the loss incurred using the taxpayers' money.

Rice growers had committed suicide because they had fallen into financial strife while being forced to wait too too long for the pledged-rice money from the loss-ridden scheme of Ms Yingluck's government, Mr Vicha said.In her closing statement, Ms Yingluck told the NLA that the impeachment case should not have been brought against her because the 2007 constitution that allowed the impeachment had already been revoked.She also said that the impeachment could lead to the five-year suspension of her political rights and that would unfairly limit her fundamental rights.She rejected the NACC's statement that it had spent one year and 10 months investigating the rice scheme. Actually, she said, the anti-graft panel had done it in only slightly over three months.

Ms Yingluck also said that she had received reservations about her rice scheme from concerned organisations, but those letters had not urged her to halt the scheme. A letter calling for the end of the scheme, from the Office of the Auditor General, arrived after she had dissolved the House of Representatives, she said.She also complained that the NACC accepted her political opponents as witnesses in its investigation while rejecting several key witnesses that she had proposed.The former prime minister denied that her rice-pledging scheme caused national damage. On the contrary, she said, it had benefited the national economy by increasing farmers' incomes and their spending stimulated the economy.

Ms Yingluck makes her closing statement. (Photo by Chanat Katanyu)

The rice scheme had put extra money into circulation in the national economy, 308 billion baht in the 2011/2012 crop season and 315 billion baht in the 2012/2013 season, Ms Yingluck said.The scheme acceptably consumed no more than five percent of the annual national budget, while helping take good care of 20 million farmers, she said.As the economy was stimulated by this money entering circulation, the national economy recovered and the Page 17 of 30

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www.ricepluss.com government could generate more revenue through taxation, she said.Ms Yingluck denied the NACC accusation that the rice scheme allowed her government to monopolise the rice trade in the country. She said only half the total rice yield had entered the rice-pledging scheme.

Ms Yingluck also denied that she ignored reservations expressed about the project. She said that after receiving the warnings, she launched a corruption investigation and surveillance of the scheme's implementation.She also argued that the implementation of the rice-pledging scheme involved so many ministers and committees she had assigned to handle it, it was unfair for her to face prosecution alone.NLA president Pornphet Wichitcholchai scheduled the NLA's vote on the impeachment case for Friday Jan 23,the same day as the vote on the impeachment cases against former Senate speaker Nikom Wairatpanij and former House speaker Somsak Kiatsuranont on their constitutional amendment case.The NLA will sit at 10am, and will vote first on the cases involving Mr Nikom and Mr Somsak.

Source with thanks:The Bangkok Post

Genetically Modified Rice on trial at Nobewam since April 2013 A Genetically Modified Rice which has been on trial at a confined environment at Nobewam in the Ejisu/Juaben Municipality of Ashanti since April 2013 is expected to be released to farmers upon approval by the National Biosafety Committee.The Genetically Modified Rice under trial has proved to be nitrogen, water use efficient and salt tolerant is a project being undertaken by the Crops Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research at Fumesua in Ashanti. Correspondent Thomas Nsowah-Adjei was there for Radio Ghana.The partners in the project are the African Agricultural Technology Foundation in Kenya, Atadia Biosciences in the US and the National Cereals Research Institute in Nigeria.

In order to make the outcome of the research experiment secure and safe for public consumption, the field is confined and protected from human and animal interference such that apart from the research scientists and the staff, no foreign interference including birds is allowed into the confined environment.The Confined Field Trial rice which is ready for harvest involve rice plants that have been genetically modified or transformed to utilize nitrogen efficiently while others have three stack genes developed to do well on drought environment, salty soil, and lack of fertilizer nitrogen.The aim is to help rice farmers in Ghana and other developing countries in Africa and Asia with rice varieties that can withstand the three stresses and climate in an effort to address food insecurity.

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www.ricepluss.com A Plant Breeder and a Principal Investigator of the Project, Dr Maxwell Asante noted that the purpose was to research into GM rice that can perform well under nitrogen fertilizer levels that are lower than the recommended rate and give at least 15 percent yield advantage over the non GM version of the rice.He said the identified rice when confirmed shall be recommended to the National Biosafety Committee to allow it to be grown by farmers after testing.Dr Asante said when the approval is given the genes that make the GM Rice nitrogen-use efficient will then be transferred to other popular varieties in Ghana through conventional breeding methods.The Director of the CRI, Dr Mrs. Stella Ennin said there is nothing frightening about GMOs. What is significant about GMOs is that they improve upon varieties of existing crops to enhance production and subsequently address food insecurity in Ghana.

GBC http://www.gbcghana.com/1.1965702

AFAN Expresses Optimism In 2015 Rice Target Posted by admin on Jan 23rd, 2015 and filed under Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.National Technical Adviser, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Dr. Tunde Arosanyin has expressed optimism on the country’s ability to meet the 2015 target for self-sufficiency in rice production.Arosanyin expressed the hope in an interview with newsmen on Thursday in Abuja.He said the efforts of the Federal Government and the farmers to meet the target were in the right direction.He called on states and local governments to complement the efforts of the Federal Government to make the goal realistic.“All hands must be on deck to ensure that the target is achieved.

“The commercial farmers are coming up but we need to see more indigenous commercial farmers in rice production.“Some of the states that have economic advantage on rice production should ensure they keyed into the Public Private Partnership (PPP) where there are so many agricultural investors.“I really don’t see the need for Nigeria to be importing rice, maize, sugar or wheat, we must look inwards to salvage our economy,” he told reporters.

“We must initiate how to become exporters of food items to reduce unemployment and also address the issue of food security.’’The AFAN technical adviser urged state governments to create an enabling environment where farmers could exhibit their potential to attract investors.The Tide source recalls that the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Page 19 of 30

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www.ricepluss.com Akinwumi Adesina, had in 2013 said that Nigeria would be self-sufficient in rice production by 2015.Adesina noted that the country, a major consumer and importer of rice in Africa, was spending over N1 billion daily and N356 billion annually on rice importation.

The minister said the high import cost of rice must be reduced drastically.Dr Olukayode Oyeleye, the Special Assistant to the minister, said in 2013 that the Federal Government had provided quality seeds as well as other input to support rice farmers.He said the country had begun a rice revolution and produced nearly 50 per cent of all its rice needs in just a year.Oyeleye added that the private sector also responded with 14 new rice mills and made high quality local rice available in 2013. http://www.thetidenewsonline.com/2015/01/23/afan-expresses-optimism-in-2015-rice-target/

Driverless tractor proving itself in Australia

By Rich Keller, Editor, Ag Professional January 20, 2015 | 4:00 pm EST Trials of a robotic driverless tractor are looking good in Australia. The work is a joint program among Rice Research Australia, Japanese companies Hitachi Zosen Corporation and Yanmar Co. and three Australian universities. The study seeks to verify that advanced positioning signals transmitted from Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System can be used in precision farming, reports Roderick Makim for the Australian and British emphasis publication, The Land."It is meeting all expectations...it's accuracy is very good," Makim quoted Rice Research Australia Manager Russell Ford as saying.

"It seems a bit out there, but when you see it, you realize it's not far away (from being widely used by farmers).”But once he was quoted as saying its not that far away, Ford was further quoted as suggesting not far away is something like 10 to 15 years before being “a reality.”The potential of driverless tractors has already been proven by U.S. equipment manufacturers for some specific tasks such as running side by side with a moving combine for grain to be unloaded into a tender grain trailer.All types of crop production practices are being investigated in Australia for use of the driverless tractor such as cultivation, spreading fertilizer and even operating crop sensors to detect plant nitrogen levels as it proceeds through a field. Many more trials are planned.

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www.ricepluss.com http://www.agprofessional.com/news/driverless-tractor-proving-itself-australia

CSIR harvests fourth batch of genetically modified rice Wednesday, 21 January 2015The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has harvested its fourth batch of geneticallymodified (GM) rice cultivated at Nobewam in the Ashanti Region for confined field trials (CFTs).The rice project, dubbed “NEWEST”, started in April 2013 after an approval was given by the National Biosafety Committee (NBC) under the Biosafety Law (Act 831), to regulate the production of GM improved seeds in the country.

Briefing the media after a visit to the CFTs at Nobewam in the Ejisu –Juaben District, the Principal Investigator of the CSIR, Dr Maxwell Darko Asante, said the fourth harvest had revealed a “lead event” in the outcome of the trials, which, he said, would be recommended to the Biosafety Committee to allow it to be grown by farmers in Ghana after testing.“The NEWEST rice lines had been developed to handle drought, salty soils, lack of fertiliser nitrogen, and also handle climatic change”, he said.

The project is partnered by African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AAFT) in Kenya, Arcadia Biosciences in the USA, the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture in Colombia, the NARO-National Crops Resource Institute in Uganda, the National Cereals Research Institute, Nigeria, and the USAID.Dr Asante said he was hopeful that the analysis of the harvested rice seeds would be completed before the end of the year. However, he said, it would take three to five years before the produce would leave the confined field to be produced on commercial scale by conventional farmers.

The Head of Biotechnology Research Programme at the CSIR-Crops Research Institute, Dr Mariam Quain, called on Ghanaians to embrace the use of biotechnology in agriculture production to ensure increased crop yields.Biotechnology, she said, was a tool employed by scientists to improve the genetic make-up of organisms to produce improved seeds.She stressed the need for the country to have improved means of production of food in order to meet the increased demand of the populace, coupled with climatic change and increased pressure on limited arable lands.Dr Quain said the introduction of genetic engineering (GE) would beef up Page 21 of 30

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www.ricepluss.com agriculture production, and also improve the livelihood and income of farmers, as well as the country’s economic situation. “Currently, GE crops are grown on commercial scale in 27 countries, including 19 developing and eight industrial countries,� she added.She said so far, Burkina Faso was growing GE cotton on commercial scale, which, she said, had enabled them to reduce the application of pesticides on the field from six sprayings to two from planting to harvest, coupled with the quality cotton they harvested.

Rice exports post 3.46pc growth in first two quarters Thursday, 22 January 2015 19:24 Posted by Imaduddin

ISLAMABAD: Rice exports from the country during first two quarters of current financial year witnessed 3.46 percent growth as compared to the corresponding period of last year. During the period from July-December, 2014 about 1,781,401 metric tons of rice worth $976.784 million exported as compared to 1,709,883 metric tons valuing $944.077 million exported in same period of last financial year.According the latest figures released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), exports of basmati rice recorded 2.63 percent increase as about 260,481 metric tons of basmati rice worth $302.265 million exported as compared to the 269,272 metric tons valuing $294.517 million of same period last year.

Meanwhile, the exports of rice other then basmati also grew by 3.84 per Percent and reached at 1,520,920 metric tons costing $674.519 million which stood at 1,440,611 metric tons valuing $649.560 million during same period last year.However, the data reveled that exports of fruit and vegetables from the country during the period under review remained on down track as their exports witnessed 3.29 percent and 25.23 percent decrease respectively.From July-December, country was managed to export 256,146 metric tons of fruit worth $189.136 million which was recorded at 345,791 metric tons valuing $204.875 million of corresponding period of last year.

Vegetables exports was recorded at 167,648 metric tons during the period under review as compared to the 244,365 metric tons of same period last year, the data added.During the period under review, sugar exports posted 0.46 percent growth And reached at 204,711 metric tons valuing $98.652 million as compared to the exports of 208,438 metric tons worth $98.202 million of same period last year.

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Source with thanks:The Business Record Pakistan

United Airlines to Serve Up New Premium-Cabin Dining Experience on North America Flights Wed Jan 21, 2015 11:01am EST * Reuters is not responsible for the content in this press release.

- All-new meals and snacks coming to mainline flights within the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean and leisure markets in Mexico - Airline to also add meals to shorter flights, expand mid-continental and transcontinental meal service and offer customers greater variety PR Newswire CHICAGO, Jan. 21, 2015 CHICAGO, Jan. 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines will treat premium-cabin customers on flights within North America to a brand new dining experience beginning Feb. 1, when the airline elevates everything from entrees to desserts and lighter snacks for United First and United Business customers.Additionally, United will expand North America premium-cabin meal service to include flights of at least 800 miles - or as short as two hours and 20 minutes increasing the number of flights on which customers may enjoy meals. The airline will also offer a greater variety of dining choices.These changes come as United is making a multi-milliondollar investment in in-flight food service.

Premium-Cabin Dining Changes Created by United's team of chefs and inspired by cuisine in the airline's hub cities and other popular North American destinations, United will introduce flavorful new entrees, including cage-free scrambled eggs prepared skillet style with pepper-jack cheese, sauteed pepper mix, sliced New Mexico sausage, potato gratin and fire-roasted pepper sauce; lobster macaroni and cheese with a baked crumb topping and side of broccoli rabe; and chicken and sausage jambalaya with white rice and green onions.

Other changes include: For short flights that offer lighter refreshments, the addition of new breakfast breads in the morning and a rotation of 25 new premium snacks in the afternoon and evening; On meal flights less than four hours, a variety of enhanced breakfast choices, such as French toast souffle or steel-cut oatmeal, both paired with fresh fruit and Greek yogurt, plus new dinner selections, including tandoori chicken with basmati rice and paneer, to replace the current premium sandwich options; An expanded mid-continental meal service on flights of four hours to five hours and 19 minutes, offering customers who now get two entree options a choice of three, such as creole shrimp Page 23 of 30

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www.ricepluss.com served with Carolina grits, and a dessert of sorbet with mint-leaf topping during lunch or gelato or ice cream for dinner; New multi-course meal service on transcontinental and Hawaii flights, featuring heartier entrees, such as tamale-stuffed chicken wrapped in a corn husk and served with creamy corn sauce, roasted red and yellow tomatoes and yucca sticks, followed by sorbet during lunch or gelato or ice cream for dinner; and Signature bake-on-board cookies in customer-chosen flavors, including triple-chocolate chunk, served for dessert on short- and medium-haul flights that offer meals, or as an afternoon or evening pre-arrival treat on transcontinental flights and flights that link Hawaii with Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver and Houston.

United will also continue to offer premium-cabin customers Prosecco sparkling wine and - on lunch and dinner flights - the airline's signature warmed nuts.

"Our customers tell us they want greater options and fresh, savory dining choices when they fly with us," said Lynda Coffman, United's vice president of food services. "With these latest enhancements, we will offer restaurant-quality cuisine that enriches their in-flight experience."• In-flight Dining Investments United will continue to make investments in its customers' in-flight dining. Beginning in March and throughout the rest of this year, the company will: Upgrade premium-cabin meal service on United Express flights, replacing snack boxes with freshly prepared food served on chinaware on flights of at least 800 miles - or as short as two hours and 20 minutes - and offering a selection of premium packaged snacks on flights less than 800 miles; Significantly enhance United Economy meals and beverages on long-haul international flights, including adding multi-course meal service; Refresh its Choice Menu Bistro on Board selection, which offers fresh food for sale in United Economy on most flights scheduled for more than three-and-a-half hours within North America, to Central and northern South America and betweenHonolulu and Guam; and Launch new premium-cabin menu choices on its p.s. Premium Service between New York JFK and Los Angeles and New York JFK and San Francisco.

The Reuters Eyeing Rs 1500 crore turnover in FY15: Kohinoor Foods

Kohinoor Foods Basmati rice exports increased by 27 percent from Rs 296 crore to Rs 375 crore and foods sales have increased by 24 percent from Rs 32 crore to Rs 39 crore said Gurnam Arora of Kohinoor Foods. 7 0Google +0 1Comments (2) Midcap Radar 01:30 pm Right now the prices of Basmati have decreased quite a bit but still the orders are very good so we will be able to increase volumes a little bit than last year. GURNAM ARORA Joint MD Kohinoor Foods Gurnam Arora, Joint MD of Kohinoor Foods talking about growth outlook said the company is eyeing Rs 1475 crore turnover in FY15 on back of strong orders and improvement in domestic sales.

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Going forward he expects steady growth momentum of order inflows from Iran. Total export sales have increased from Rs 417 crore to Rs 465 crore from April to September end. The December quarter did very well in terms of sales, says Arora. Traditionally, second half is a strong for the company but this time the Basmati rice prices were 30-40% cheaper than last year because of bumper crop. However, he expects the uptick in volume growth to compensate for lower prices in the second half.

Basmati rice exports have increased by 27 percent from Rs 296 crore to Rs 375 crore and foods sales have increased by 24 percent from Rs 32 crore to Rs 39 crore. Below is the transcript of Gurnam Arora interview with Ekta Batra & Nigel D'Souza on CNBC-TV18. Nigel: The stock is higher in today’s session. There is some talk that with inflation pressures easing there could be higher discretionary spends and may be you stand to gain from that. Give us the break up of your domestic as well as exports in terms of revenues? Do you believe that in fact the domestic story as well is improving? A: You see the Basmati rice export has increased by 27 percent from Rs 296-375 crore and food sales has increased by 24 percent from Rs 32 crore to Rs 39 crore.

Totally the export sale has increased from Rs 417-465 crore till September. Ekta: This is from April to September? A: Correct. Ekta: How is this December quarter done for you? A: It has done very well. Ekta: What are the trends for the second half it is generally stronger seasonally I do understand for the rice industry. What do you think you can clock in terms of volumes and prices as compared to that same time last year? A: Right now the prices of Basmati have decreased quite a bit but still the orders are very good so we will be able to increase volumes a little bit than last year. Ekta: You are saying that your volumes will compensate on the price? A: Yes. Ekta: How much of a price decline have you seen and how much of an incremental volume gain can you see? A: Our prices are about 30-40 percent cheaper than last year.

Ekta: Why is that? A: It is because of bumper crop of Basmati rice. Ekta: What about volumes? A: This year we have increased our exports to 2-3 new clients which are quite big. We have taken over the AbuDhabi municipal corporations business which is quite good and we have done good business in Iran.

Iran is banned now but some of our customers are still doing business with their old commitments so we are doing fine for even the next quarter. Kohinoor Foods stock price On January 23, 2015, at 15:40 hrs Kohinoor Foods was quoting at Rs 50.30, down Rs 4.35, or 7.96 percent. The 52-week high of the share was Rs 61.20 and the 52-week low was Rs 37.95. The company's trailing 12-month (TTM) EPS was at Rs 1.98 per share as per the quarter ended September 2014. The stock's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio was 25.4. The latest book value of the company is Rs 137.64 per share. At current value, the price-to-book value of the company is 0.37. http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/eyeing-rs-1500-crore-turnoverfy15-kohinoorfoods_1279884.html?utm_source=ref_article

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CSIR harvests fourth batch of genetically modified rice The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has harvested its fourth batch of genetically-modified (GM) rice cultivated at Nobewam in the Ashanti Region for confined field trials (CFTs).The rice project, dubbed “NEWEST”, started in April 2013 after an approval was given by the National Biosafety Committee (NBC) under the Biosafety Law (Act 831), to regulate the production of GM improved seeds in the country.

Briefing the media after a visit to the CFTs at Nobewam in the Ejisu –Juaben District, the Principal Investigator of the CSIR, Dr Maxwell Darko Asante, said the fourth harvest had revealed a “lead event” in the outcome of the trials, which, he said, would be recommended to the Biosafety Committee to allow it to be grown by farmers in Ghana after testing.

“The NEWEST rice lines had been developed to handle drought, salty soils, lack of fertiliser nitrogen, and also handle climatic change”, he said.The project is partnered by African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AAFT) in Kenya, Arcadia Biosciences in the USA, the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture in Colombia, the NARO-National Crops Resource Institute in Uganda, the National Cereals Research Institute, Nigeria, and the USAID.Dr Asante said he was hopeful that the analysis of the harvested rice seeds would be completed before the end of the year. However, he said, it would take three to five years before the produce would leave the confined field to be produced on commercial scale by conventional farmers.

Embrace GMOs The Head of Biotechnology Research Programme at the CSIR-Crops Research Institute, Dr Mariam Quain, called on Ghanaians to embrace the use of biotechnology in agriculture production to ensure increased crop yields.Biotechnology, she said, was a tool employed by scientists to improve the genetic make-up of organisms to produce improved seeds.She stressed the need for the country to have improved means of production of food in order to meet the increased demand of the populace, coupled with climatic change and increased pressure on limited arable lands.

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Dr Quain said the introduction of genetic engineering (GE) would beef up agriculture production, and also improve the livelihood and income of farmers, as well as the country’s economic situation.“Currently, GE crops are grown on commercial scale in 27 countries, including 19 developing and eight industrial countries,” she added.She said so far, Burkina Faso was growing GE cotton on commercial scale, which, she said, had enabled them to reduce the application of pesticides on the field from six sprayings to two from planting to harvest, coupled with the quality cotton they harvested.

Image: The Principal Investigator, Dr Maxwell Darko Asante, explaining a point to the media during a GM-rice confined field trials (CFTs) at Nobewam. Picture: EMMANUEL BAAH. 21 January 2015 | Written by Emmanuel Baah | CSIR harvests fourth batch of genetically modified rice http://graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/37266-csir-harvests-fourth-batch-of-geneticallymodified-rice.html#sthash.yPMqb5RV.dpuf

Rice Leadership Class Graduates Next Month STUTTGART, AR- The 2013-2015 Rice Leadership Development Class will hold the fourth and final session of their two year program next month in Washington D.C. The Session will be held at the same time as the USA Rice Federation Government Affairs Conference and will allow the class members to observe the leadership of the U.S. rice industry conducting their business meetings, as well as participating in lobbing efforts on the Hill.Class members will also take part in meetings with various government agencies that impact the U.S. rice industry, attend the World Market Price meeting, and participate in a special graduation ceremony.

The class is made up of five rice producers: John Compton, Jennings, LA; Seth Fiack, Glenn, CA; Mark Isbell, North Little Rock, AR; Steven Schuler, Woodland, CA; Joel Stevens, Monticello, AR, and two industry representatives: Robb Dedman, Pro Ag Consulting, Inc., Rison, AR and Wes Long, RiceTec, Inc., Benton, AR.The Rice Leadership Development Program is sponsored by John Deere Company, RiceTec, Inc., and American Commodity Company through a grant to the Rice Foundation and managed by the USA Rice Federation.

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www.ricepluss.com Contact: Chuck Wilson (870) 673-7541

USA Rice Federation

Announcement of 11th Ordinary Import Tender in FY 2014 Announcement: 20 January 2015 Tender: 23 January 2015 Offer details: 57,000 mt Country NonSpecified or glutinous Global milled rice (medium grain)

Nonglutinous milled rice (long grain)

Thailand

7,000

U.S.A.

Glutinous milled rice (long grain)

Glutinous broken rice (long grain)

7,000

36,000

36,000

Global Tender

14,000

36,000

14,000

21,000

0

0

57,000

Source with thanks: USA Rice Federation

Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures for January 22

Month

Price

Net Change Page 28 of 30

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www.ricepluss.com

March 2015

$11.160

- $0.210

May 2015

$11.415

- $0.205

July 2015

$11.650

- $0.200

September 2015

$11.330

- $0.150

November 2015

$11.430

- $0.150

January 2016

$11.610

- $0.255

March 2016

$11.610

- $0.255

Source with thanks: USA Rice Federation

Mahyco expects marketing of Bt rice with high salt tolerance from 2018 The company will work on multiple transgenic lines of rice under the aforesaid trials and expects to pick the best out of them BS Reporter | Hyderabad January 22, 2015 Last Updated at 20:42 IST

Hybrid seeds producer Mahyco today said its latest genetically modified Bt rice effective in mitigating the impact of high salinity might see commercialisation from 2018-19.Having taken up field trials in the Nizamabad district of Telangana, the company started the event selection trial in a coastal area in Maharashtra two days ago. Mahyco claims there was a 15-20 rise in yields when it was grown in highly saline soils.“It is an event selection trial. After this, we have three more seasons of trials for two years for bio-safety research level I and II. Based on these observations, if the states give the necessary permissions, we will start its commercial production from 2018-19,� said Ritesh Mishra, lead for regulatory affairs at Maharashtra-based Mahyco.

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www.ricepluss.com He said due to high levels of ground water utilisation and drought conditions, crop fields are witnessing accumulation of salt of up to one feet and above.The company will work on multiple transgenic lines of rice under the aforesaid trials and expects to pick the best out of them.Seed researchers usually take up research in greenhouse conditions to start with, and take them forward for field-level studies after seeking regulatory permission from the Centre and the state governments.The company is also working on Bt chickpea that can minimise the crop damages due to the commonly seen insect attack to 2-3 per cent.According to Bharat R Char, lead for biotechnology at Mahyco, the Bt gene in chickpea controls the insect damaging the crop, and it is the same insect that damages the cotton crop.

However, the gene used in Bt chickpea is slightly different from the one used in Bt cotton.On permissions for this, Char said, “We have permissions for bio-safety research level I trials for the next two rabi seasons. While we had applied for seven states, we got to know that Andhra Pradesh has given the permission to do field trials in Kurnool and Kadapa.� It is also expecting grant of permission soon from the Maharashtra government.It must be noted that though India is the largest producer of chickpea in the world. it had been depending on imports to the extent of 3-4 million tonnes to the meet the total annual demand of 22 million tonnes. India is procuring the protein-rich agri commodity from Canada and Tanzania

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